Widely acclaimed as America's greatest living film director, Martin Scorsese is also, some argue, the pre-eminent Italian American artist. Although he has treated various subjects in over three decades, his most sustained filmmaking and the core of his achievement consists of five films on Italian American subjects - Who's That Knocking at My Door?, Mean Streets, Raging Bull, GoodFellas, and Casino - as well as the documentary Italianamerican. In Gangster Priest Robert Casillo examines these films in the context of the society, religion, culture, and history of Southern Italy, from which the majority of Italian Americans, including Scorsese, derive. Casillo argues that these films cannot be fully appreciated either thematically or formally without understanding the various facets of Italian American ethnicity, as well as the nature of Italian American cinema and the difficulties facing assimilating third-generation artists. Forming a unified whole, Scorsese's Italian American films offer what Casillo views as a prolonged meditation on the immigrant experience, the relationship between Italian America and Southern Italy, the conflicts between the ethnic generations, and the formation and development of Italian American ethnicity (and thus identity) on American soil through the generations. Raised as a Catholic and deeply imbued with Catholic values, Scorsese also deals with certain forms of Southern Italian vernacular religion, which have left their imprint not only on Scorsese himself but also on the spiritually tormented characters of his Italian American films. Casillo also shows how Scorsese interrogates the Southern Italian code of masculine honour in his exploration of the Italian American underworld or Mafia, and through his implicitly Catholic optic, discloses its thoroughgoing and longstanding opposition to Christianity. Bringing a wealth of scholarship and insight into Scorsese's work, Casillo's study will captivate readers interested in the director's magisterial artistry, the rich social history of Southern Italy, Italian American ethnicity, and the sociology and history of the Mafia in both Sicily and the United States.

The book presents a systematic method of interpreting Shakespeare film adaptations based on their cinematic genres. Its approach is both scholarly and reader-friendly, and its subject is fundamentally interdisciplinary, combining the findings of Shakespeare scholarship with film and media studies, particularly genre theory. The book is organised into six large chapters, discussing films that form broad generic groups. Part I looks at three genres from the classical Hollywood era (western, melodrama and gangster-noir), while Part II deals with three contemporary blockbuster genres (teen film, undead horror and biopic). Beside a few better-known examples of mainstream cinema, the volume also highlights the Shakespearean elements in several nearly forgotten films, bringing them back to critical attention.

Clint "The Cowboy" Maddox is a force to be reckoned with. Enforcer for the Sanitini family, the cowboy has known only violence, pain and death. But for a select few he calls "brothers", Clint feels no love for mankind and believes that "an eye for an eye" is the only true means of retribution. 'Let the punishment fit the crime' is his philosophy when dealing with his enemies. But upon meeting Axel Anders -a frightened and lost young man with a stained soul of his own -Clint's hard-as-steel exterior begins to crack as he finds himself intrigued by the effect this vulnerable "kid" has on him. Yet when Axel's presence begins to disturb the ground beneath which Clint's darkest, most painful memories have lain dormant for over two decades, he begins to understand that the young man poses a greater threat than any flesh and blood enemy -and knows he must put the kid out of his life, or face a resurrected past that he believed to be dead and buried.

John Bindon is a modern legend. A fine screen presence and a powerful figure in London's underworld, his film-star looks, charm and talent brought him worldwide exposure. His story reads like the plot of a movie which Big John himself might have landed a part in. Usually typecast in tough-guy roles, his on-screen persona was chillingly close to the real-life one. Big John's nickname came from his status as a legendary sexual performer, so it was no surprise that his encounters with stunning women, most famously Princess Margaret, led to numerous high profile relationships. But most of all, Big John was a warm-hearted, complex man, utterly devoted to those who have him respect and always prepared to be the last line of defence to those closest to him. He emerged from a poor, working class London childhood and fraternised with the Krays and the Richardsons, but eventually turned his back on crime to play major parts in films such as Mick Jagger's Performance, "The Who's Quadrophenia" and Michael Caine's "Get Carter". This is the a truly moving book, as powerful as The Guv'nor, about a man who was many different things to many people, but never anything but himself.

In 1984 Joel and Ethan Coen burst onto the art-house film scene with their neo-noir Blood Simple and ever since then they have sharpened the cutting edge of independent film. Blending black humor and violence with unconventional narrative twists, their acclaimed movies evoke highly charged worlds of passion, absurdity, nightmare realms, and petty human failures, all the while revealing the filmmakers' penchant for visual jokes and bravura technical strokes. Their central characters may be blind to reality and individual flaws, but their illusions, dreams, fears, and desires map the boundaries of their worlds—worlds made stunningly memorable by the Coens. In The Brothers Grim: The Films of Ethan and Joel Coen, Erica Rowell unmasks the filmmakers as prankster mythmakers exploiting and subverting universal storytelling modes to further what seems to be their artistic agenda: to elicit laughs. Often employing satire and allegory, the Coens' movies hold a mirror up to American society, allowing viewers to both chuckle and gasp at its absurdities, hypocrisies, and foibles. From business partnerships (Blood Simple, The Ladykillers) to marriage (Intolerable Cruelty) to friendship and ethics (Miller's Crossing), the breakdowns of relationships are a steady focus in their work. Often the Coens' satires put broken social institutions in their cinematic crosshairs, exposing cracks in ineffective penal systems (Raising Arizona; O Brother, Where Art Thou?), unjust justice systems (The Man Who Wasn't There), a crooked corporate America (The Hudsucker Proxy), unnecessary wars (The Big Lebowski), a tyrannical Hollywood (Barton Fink), and the unbridled, fatuous pursuit of the American Dream (Fargo). While audiences may be excused for missing the duo's social commentary, the depth and breadth of the brothers' films bespeak an intelligence and cultural acuity that is rich, highly topical, and hard to pigeonhole.

Born into extreme poverty in 1914, Jersey Joe Walcott began boxing at the age of 16 to help feed his hungry family. After ten years, without proper training and with little to show for his efforts beyond some frightful beatings, Walcott quit the ring. A chance meeting with a fight promoter who recognized the potential in his iron chin and hard punch turned Walcott's fortunes around, launching one of the greatest comebacks in boxing history. This biography details Walcott's youth, his dismal early career, and his legendary climb to become the heavyweight champion of the world at age 37, at the time the oldest man ever to win the coveted title. Along the way, he battled some of the most feared champions of his day, including Joe Louis, Ezzard Charles, and Rocky Marciano. With numerous period photographs and a foreword from Walcott's grandson, this work provides an intimate look at one of the grittiest, most determined boxers of the 20th century.

Z-Burbia: A Post Apocalyptic Zombie Adventure Novel Description- When the zombie apocalypse hits the quiet Asheville, NC subdivision of Whispering Pines, the residents don't turn to the police or the military. Nope. They rely on their iron-fisted Home Owners Association! Which Jace Stanford and his family aren’t too keen on. Undead hordes are hard enough to deal with in a post-apocalyptic hellscape, who needs HOA fines too? Filled with blood, gore, plenty of bad jokes, cannibals, dreaded HOA covenants, and a whole lot of snark, Z-Burbia is guaranteed to thrill and entertain! Welcome to life in Z-Burbia! Reviews- “The first novel in Jake Bible’s series Z-Burbia hooked me. What appeared to be a jokey take on zombie fiction quickly develops some great characters and story.” -BoingBoing.net “For those still not convinced about the zombie genre, Z-Burbia is worth a read if only for its female characters: Jake Bible doesn’t have time for vapid whimpering damsels in distress. Oh no. Bible’s characters are thinking, acting, feisty sorts.” -Lee Murray, Bram Stoker Award-winning novelist Z-Burbia 2: Parkway To Hell: Description- With Whispering Pines refusing to give up and die, Jace “Long Pork” Stanford has nothing better to do than find out who the heavily-armed newcomers in town are. Well, while he’s not busy dealing with the ever present Z hordes. Or running for his life from paramilitary mercenaries. Or possibly blowing up more of the zombie-infested city because he can’t help pressing buttons. Buttons are meant to be pressed, even in the apocalypse, right? Looks like it’s just another day in Z-Burbia! Z-Burbia 3: Estate of the Dead: Description- Jace Stanford has lost family, friends, and his arm to the zombie apocalypse that hit his subdivision of Whispering Pines. But he’s also gained something he never in a million years would have thought would be a plus: the cannibal savant known as Elsbeth. Now Jace needs Elsbeth’s help more than ever. But is she up to the task when her past is revealed? A past that is possibly more shocking than the zombie apocalypse itself? Jace is gonna find out the hard way. And, as everyone knows, in Z-Burbia the hard way usually means a whole lot of people are going to die! Welcome back to Z-Burbia, y’all! Z-Burbia 4: Cannibal Road: Description- Forced out of Asheville, Jace Stanford’s family, along with a convoy of suburbanites, misfits, criminals, and soldiers, must battle their way through the I-40 corridor of Eastern Tennessee. When they are separated from their friends and allies in Knoxville, the Stanfords have to rely on their skills as post-apocalyptic survivors to fight off the Zs, insane Vols fans, homicidal sorority girls, and the most deadly of the post-apocalyptic threats- cannibal gangs! No longer are the Stanfords trying to survive day by day, but hour by hour and minute by minute, as they flee Z-Burbia and race through the hellscape of Cannibal Road! Reviews- “Once again Mr. Bible has cracked me up in the zombie apocalypse! Jace is still funny as hell, I love him. Elsbeth is still bad ass and she is my favorite. Stella and the kids brought out some cans of whoop ass as well!” -Melissa Martin, 5-star Goodreads review “I'm running out of things to say about how much I love this series. Each book is just as good as the last.” -Jennifer Wheeler, 5-star Goodreads review Z-Burbia 5: The Bleeding Heartland: Description- The American Midwest was a bucolic landscape that didn’t quite adjust to the zombie apocalypse. Instead of open arms and welcoming faces, there are now open mouths and ravenous Zs. The blue collar drive to work hard has become a red-mouthed hunger for flesh. Jace Stanford, his family, and the rag tag bunch of Whispering Pines survivors, private military contractors, laborers, and former (hopefully?) cannibals now must face the vast, exposed space of America’s Heartland in order to get to a possible sanctuary in the post-apocalyptic ruins of Boulder, Colorado. Just a simple convoy from point A to point B, right? Yeah, right. Nothing is ever simple in Z-Burbia! Z-Burbia 6: Rocky Mountain Die: Description- With the plains to their backs, Jace Stanford and crew are just steps from their destination: the Stronghold of Boulder, CO. All they have to do is battle the mega-powerful, corporate/political/military entity that is the Consortium, survive the brainwashed killing machines that call themselves the Sisters, and deal with a mad scientist hell bent on making life really, really hard for everyone because he’s just a f*ing jerk. Not a problem! If anyone can get his friends and family through a nightmare like this, it’s Jace Stanford! What’s that? There’s a horde of zombies that’s close to half a million strong coming for them all? Okay, everyone’s screwed… It is Z-Burbia after all! Other books by Jake Bible: By Series: The Apex Trilogy (Dead Mech, The Americans, Metal & Ash) The Kaiju Winter Series Roak: Galactic Bounty Hunter Series The Mega/Team Grendel Thrillers The Flipside Sagas Max Rage: Intergalactic Badass! Black Box Inc. Series Dead Mech/The Apex Trilogy The Salvage Merc One Series Fighting Iron Series Dead Team Alpha Series The AntiBio Series Reign of Four By Genre: Post-Apocalyptic- The Z-Burbia Series Dead Team Alpha Series Dead Mech/The Apex Trilogy EverRealm Fighting Iron Series The AntiBio Series The Kaiju Winter Series Zombies!- The Z-Burbia Series Dead Team Alpha Series Dead Mech/The Apex Trilogy EverRealm Science Fiction- Roak: Galactic Bounty Hunter Series Max Rage: Intergalactic Badass! The Flipside Sagas The Salvage Merc One Series Drop Team Zero Outpost Hell Galactic Vice Agent Prime Dead Mech/The Apex Trilogy Fighting Iron Series Mech Corps Reign of Four The AntiBio Series In Perpetuity Thriller/Action/Adventure- Max Rage: Intergalactic Badass! The Mega/Team Grendel Thrillers The Flipside Sagas Blood Cruise Agent Prime Galactic Vice Horror- The Z-Burbia Series Blood Cruise Stone Cold Bastards Fantasy/Urban Fantasy/Dark Fantasy- Black Box Inc. Series Stone Cold Bastards EverRealm YA/MG Novels- ScareScapes! (middle grade scifi adventure Intentional Haunting (2014 Bram Stoker Award Finalist- YA horror) Little Dead Man (YA zombie apocalypse) By Series: The Apex Trilogy (Dead Mech, The Americans, Metal & Ash) Roak: Galactic Bounty Hunter Series The Mega/Team Grendel Thrillers The Flipside Sagas Max Rage: Intergalactic Badass! Black Box Inc. Series Dead Mech/The Apex Trilogy The Salvage Merc One Series Fighting Iron Series Dead Team Alpha Series The AntiBio Series The Kaiju Winter Series Reign of Four Genres- zombie apocalypse, post-apocalyptic, dark humor, satire Keywords: zombies, post-apocalyptic, walking dead, George Romero, undead, post apocalyptic Key Phrases: apocalyptic fiction, apocalyptic books, post-apocalypse books, zombie apocalypse satire, post-apocalyptic books, post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic collection, zombie apocalypse survival kit, zombie apocalypse books, George Romero books

The official UK charts started in November 1952 with Al Martin's Here's In My Heart at the top. Since then, there have been over 50 years of changes and we have now reached the 1,000 number one.

Down at the intersections of Whack and Blasphemy, bad things are going on...Chaos, mayhem and dead sex with a side of hot radioactive Jesus! Inspired by The Tibetan Book of the Dead, Necrotown explores nether worlds of speculative fiction, driving to destinations fit only for the lost, loaded and vicious.