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Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Book News: Dario Argento by James Gracey

A new book on the great Dario Argento by fellow blogger James Gracey and available now from Kamera Books or from Amazon.co.uk

"The stylistic and bloody excesses of the films of Dario Argento are instantly recognisable. Vivid, baroque and nightmarish, his films lock violent deaths in a twisted embrace with an almost sexual beauty. Narrative and logic are often lost in a constant bombardment of atmosphere, technical mastery and provocative imagery. It's a body of work which deals explicitly with death and violence, all the while revelling in perversely alluring stylistics and shot through with an unflinching intensity.

Setting the tone with earlier gialli films such as The Animal Trilogy and Deep Red, Argento has steadily pushed the boundaries; through his elaborately gothic fairytales Suspiria and Inferno, right up to his more recent contributions to TV's Masters of Horror compendium and the conclusion of his Three Mothers trilogy, Mother of Tears: The Third Mother. Along the way, his prowling camera work, pounding scores and stylistic bloodshed have only gained in intensity and opulence.

This Kamera Book examines his entire output. Hailed as one of horror cinemas most significant pioneers and the twentieth century's major masters of the macabre, Argento continues to create inimitable and feverishly violent films with a level of artistry rarely seen in horror films. His high profile and mastery of the genre is confirmed with his role as producer on celebrated classics such as George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead and Lamberto Bava's Demons. His work has influenced the likes of Quentin Tarantino, John Carpenter and Martin Scorsese, to name but a few."

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Book Review: Taboo Breakers



Title: Taboo Breakers
Author: Calum Waddell
Publisher: Telos
Buy it now from Amazon.co.uk

The 1980’s in the UK was a time of political unrest coupled with recession and strikes, so pretty much like 2009, however some politicians had decided that we could not think for ourselves and watch some movies that had been unleashed onto the fledgling home video market. Along with the 1984 Video Recordings Act (which has been in the news recently), some films such as Cannibal Holocaust and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre became taboo, and as a result , like anything that is banned, they became much more interesting and sought after. Calum Waddell’s “Taboo Breakers” delves deep into the background of these and many other movies in an attempt to discover why these cinematic treats stood out at the time and why they are still relevant today.

The author has chosen 18 films to scrutinise and they range from genres such as blaxploitation (Coffy) to classic XXX (Behind the Green Door) and Video Nasties (Cannibal Holocaust) to modern day shockers (Hostel).

The films covered are:

Blood Feast, Night of the Living Dead, Behind the Green Door, Fritz the Cat, The Tenderness of Wolves, Coffy, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, Ilsa – She-Wolf of the SS, Candy Tangerine Man, Halloween, Cannibal Holocaust, Maniac, Nightmares in a Damaged Brain, The Plague Dogs, The Evil Dead, House of 1000 Corpses, Oldboy and Hostel.

Each film is tackled with the outline and basic plot of the movie, the controversies they caused and a very in depth analysis of the film followed by a “what happened next” detailing what the cast and crew did after the movie’s release, did they disappear or breakout to even greater success? Each chapter is then rounded off with one to one interviews with many of the main protagonists of each feature that help to give a deeper understanding of the film and what really happened behind the scenes!

If you are a fan of controversial and challenging genre movies this extremely well researched and well written book cannot fail to enlighten and entertain. We learn that despite opinion at the time these movies did leave a mark and stimulate the creativity in up and coming directors, such as Eli Roth for example, whose love of Italian genre cinema sparked him into creating Hostel. Indeed, Hostel if released during the 1980’s would surely have become a famed Video Nasty!

While horror fans will undoubtedly enjoy the chapters on Halloween or Maniac, the author’s style will seduce you into reading about another type of genre you had not considered and by the end you will be heading to Amazon to order it on DVD!

However, take note, this is not a genre movie love fest with the author spouting plaudits with the films he has chosen, he is fearless in his criticism for some films and does not hold back, but at the same time he is astute enough to pinpoint and appreciate why they came to the fore in the first instance.

A clever and analytical foray into another side of cinema but most of all a hugely enjoyable read! An essential edition to your cinema library!

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Bookgasm in London: Nick Carter Killmaster





While walking along the South Bank last weekend in London, I came across a 2nd hand book stall and my first thoughts were "I wonder if they had any of the cool Nick Carter: Killmaster novels kicking around? Thankfully the answer was yes with "Butcher of Belgrade"; "Target:Doomsday Island"; "Operation Starvation"; and "Temple of Fear" all added to my to read pile.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Bava Book Nearers Completion!


Tim Lucas's long awaited opus on Mario Bava is finally nearing completion and we could be soon getting our sweaty hands upon it. Even though it's been a long wait, I'm very much looking forward to it.

More info here.

Source: Tim Lucas Video WatchBlog & Bava Book Update

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Pulp Fiction

While browsing blogs such as Groovy Age of Horror and Teleport City, I came across some trashy pulp fiction that seemed too good to pass up. First up was the Nick Carter: Killmaster series that sees the titular secret agent sent out on daring top secret missions. These books had no author attached to them and were simply churned out one after the other. While definitely not great literature, they are pretty well written and most of all good fun.

I ordered “Nick Carter: Massacre in Milan” from Amazon for my first foray into the world of Killmaster. Carter is sent to Italy by his agency AXE to discover why Arab terrorists, a Nazi spy and Israeli counter-agents are fighting over oil and perhaps something more. He springs into action, with guns, gadgets and girls, its James Bond but with more sex, violence and it’s totally non-PC into the bargain. At around 188 pages it’s none too taxing but a perfect read for a long plane journey or summer reading while you’re relaxing on the beach. If you want more Nick Carter, then have no fear as around 260 novels were written and can be picked up 2nd hand from Amazon and eBay.






In addition to Nick Carter, there are other series that I’m interested in exploring, starting with Edward S. Aarons “Sam Durell” thrillers. Durell is another problem solver who works for the CIA this time and again is sent out on daring missions no-one else would accept. I choose “Assignment Nuclear Nude” to begin with, where Durell has to investigate the link between some paintings and secret nuclear plans. He is in two minds in taking the assignment until he discover that the owners of the paintings each have beautiful daughters, he finds some renewed enthusiasm. He sets off with the girls in tow and a new adventure begins. The premise sounds great and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into my first Sam Durell adventure.





Also recently ordered from Amazon is “Death is a Ruby Light” from The Baroness series by Paul Kenyon. Only 8 books were ever written and they were even more non-PC, violent with much more explicit sex. Sounds good to me!




The Baroness was “A former Vogue and Elle cover model, the Baroness is a "long-legged beauty in her thirties" who runs a model agency as a cover for her espionage missions. Her preferred weapon is the Bernadelli VB .25 caliber”. In addition “She drinks pitchers of martinis, smokes the occasional joint, drives a red Porsche, throws lavish parties in her Rome mansion and enjoys fierce but casual sex with a series of swarthy hunks, including suspected enemies she may well have to kill. Her green eyes, black hair and "explicit cheekbones" prove the perfect smokescreen. "There wasn't a line or shadow on her lovely face to show the deadly secrets that lay behind it." (Source: Wikipedia) More on this one when it arrives.

Monday, March 20, 2006

Review: Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl-Bombs

An interesting yet ultimately unsatisfying comedy from Mario Bava starring Vincent Price and Franco & Ciccio.

"The dastardly Dr.Goldfoot (Vincent Price) is determined to take over the world by getting rid of NATO’s top generals. Along with his assistants Hardjob (Tahi) and Fong (Wang) he has created "Girl Bombs" who explode when they get embraced and kissed by their intended targets...."

REVIEW

Saturday, March 04, 2006

Review: Transporter II - The Mission: Steelbook Edition

Jason Statham returns as Frank Martin in Transporter II - The Mission. It's a totally over the top action flick but one the most enjoyable I've seen in years.

REVIEW

Review: Kilink vs. Superman/Kilink Strip and Kill

This is the 2nd Kilink DVD by Onar Films as we catch up with Kilink and his encounters with Superman. Following this is Kilink Strip and Kill, which is the best looking and best contructed Kilink film available. Again this is a very limited edition set rounded off with some interesting extras.

REVIEW
You can pick up the movie directly from Onar Films.