Action Movies: The Cinema of Striking Back is a study of action cinema, exploring the ethics and aesthetics of the genre with reference to its relatively short history. It moves from seminal classics like Bullitt (1968) and Dirty Harry (1971) through epoch-defining films like Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) and Die Hard (1988) to revisions, reboots, and renewals in films like Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003), Taken (2008), and The Expendables (2010). The action genre is a fusion of form and content: a cinema of action about action. It is a cinema of the will, configured as a decisive reaction to untenable circumstances. Action heroes take up arms against the sea of troubles that beset them, safe in the knowledge that if they don't do it, nobody will. Though this makes the action movie profoundly disturbing as an embodiment of moral ideology, its enduring appeal proves the appetite for assurance remains undiminished, even in the wake of 9/11.

An authoritative and entertaining history of the action film

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An authoritative guide to the action-packed film genre With 24 incisive, cutting-edge contributions from esteemed scholars and critics, A Companion to the Action Filmprovides an authoritative and in-depth guide to this internationally popular and wide-ranging genre. As the first major anthology on the action film in more than a decade, the volume offers insights into the genre’s historical development, explores its production techniques and visual poetics, and provides reflections on the numerous social, cultural, and political issues it has and continues to embody. A Companion to the Action Film offers original research and critical analysis that examines the iconic characteristics of the genre, its visual aesthetics, and its narrative traits; considers the impact of major directors and stars on the genre’s evolution; puts the action film in dialogue with various technologies and other forms of media such as graphic novels and television; and maps out new avenues of critical study for the future. This important resource: Offers a definitive guide to the action film Contains insightful contributions from a wide range of international film experts and scholars Reviews the evolution of the genre from the silent era to today’s age of digital blockbusters Offers nuanced commentary and analysis of socio-cultural issues such as race, nationality, and gender in action films Written for scholars, teachers and students in film studies, film theory, film history, genre studies, and popular culture, A Companion to the Action Film is an essential guide to one of international cinema’s most important, popular, and influential genres.

The 1980s was the decade when the action film as it's now known came into being. Nonstop, big-budget excitement became the standard as epic adventures like Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Road Warrior set the tone for the summer blockbusters of Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chuck Norris. Homages (and ripoffs) made with lesser budgets followed every hit, especially with the advent of direct-to-video releases. Providing detailed commentary on 284 films, this book explores the excitement, audacity and sheer weirdness of '80s low budget action cinema, from the American Ninja series to dime-a-dozen barbarian pictures to such bargain-basement productions as The Courier of Death, Kill Squad and Samurai Cop.

Can you tell your Dagobah from your Delos and your Ming from your Morlock? Do you need help understanding 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY? From the classic low-budget Flash Gordon tales to the slick CGI-realised world of THE MATRIX, science-fiction films have long pushed the boundaries of the visually and dramatically fantastic. 101 SCI-FI MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE is your perfect one-stop guide to them all. Science fiction allows every other movie genre to leap - quite literally - into another dimension. Take a classic police chase and set it on Mars. Create a haunted house story, then add the robots. Take the classic boy-meets-girl story, then make them mutants. Great sci-fi movies turn the known world onto its head, play with the laws of physics and all the while hold the viewer spellbound with a gripping vision of future worlds. With insight from critics, film historians, and academics, 101 SCI-FI MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE, applies knowledge and passion to a century of close encounters, distant planets, time travel, black holes, strange outfits, futuristic technology, inexplicable forces, fantastic spaceships, fluorescent drinks and subterranean societies. Strap yourself in: you′re set for a rocket ride to sci-fi heaven.

This massive study on action movies and stars from around the world, from the 1960s to the present, is filled with more than a thousand in-depth movie reviews that cover every action star who's crossed over from the world of martial arts, sports, professional wrestling, and stunt work. Exploding with beautiful images, exclusive interviews, and a thorough action star index, this one-of-a-kind movie reference book and comprehensive fan guide features reviews by the author, Zack Carlson (Destroy All Movies!!! The Complete Guide to Punks on Film), Vern (Seagalogy: A Study of the Ass-Kicking Films of Steven Seagal and Yippie Ki-Yay Moviegoer!), Mike McBeardo McPadden (Heavy Metal Movies and Going All the Way: The Ultimate Guide to Teen Sex Comedies of the VHS Era), and several others. It is a quintessential tribute to the men and women who have left their mark in the action and martial arts film genres.

In his book, Andy Armstrong opens up his knowledge gained designing, coordinating and directing action on some of the largest and most successful action movies of the last four decades. Fire, water, high falls, fight scenes, vehicle chases, car crashes, on set safety and systems for success are just a few of the subjects covered in his action movie making guide. Andy Armstrong's book is the first complete instruction manual for anyone serious about making action movies, written by someone who has done just that to extreme success for over four decades.

From the dazzling choreography of martial arts movies to the gore of the "heroic bloodshed" genre, Hong Kong action films are masterpieces of style and fury, and a prime source of inspiration for Hollywood. Tracing the background of this enticing film genre from the influences of Chinese opera to the mixture of fantasy and fast-paced action of the present day style, this is essential reading for both the intrigued layman and the die-hard Hong Kong fan. Photos, 95 in color.

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER • The true story of one man so determined to take down two of the nation's largest corporations accused of killing children from water contamination that he risks losing everything. "The legal thriller of the decade." —Cleveland Plain Dealer Described as “a page-turner filled with greed, duplicity, heartache, and bare-knuckle legal brinksmanship" by The New York Times, A Civil Action is the searing, compelling tale of a legal system gone awry—one in which greed and power fight an unending struggle against justice. Yet it is also the story of how one man can ultimately make a difference. Representing the bereaved parents, the unlikeliest of heroes emerges: a young, flamboyant Porsche-driving lawyer who hopes to win millions of dollars and ends up nearly losing everything, including his sanity. With an unstoppable narrative power reminiscent of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood, A Civil Action is an unforgettable reading experience that will leave the reader both shocked and enlightened. A Civil Action was made into a movie starring John Travolta and Robert Duvall.