The TLA Video and DVD Guide 2005 is the absolutely indispensable guide to worthwhile cinema. It includes over 10,000 entries on the best of film and video that a real film lover might actually want to see. Unlike some of the other mass market guides that tend to be clogged with unenlightening entries on even more unenlightening films, TLA focuses on independent, foreign, and the best of Hollywood to bring the cineaste an opinionated guide that is both fun and useful. The guide includes: -Reviews of more than 10,000 films -Four detailed indexes--by star, directory, country of origin, and theme -More than 300 photos throughout -A listing of all the major film awards of the past quarter-century, as well as TLA Bests and recommended films -A comprehensive selection of cinema from more than 50 countries Now published annually, the TLA Video and DVD Guide is one of the most respected guides from one of the finest names in video retailing, perfect for anyone with an eclectic taste in cinema.

Playwright and screenwriter Martin Sherman dramatizes outsiders--gay, female, foreign, disabled, different in religion, class or color--skipping over quicksand as they strive to survive. This book analyzes and evaluates Sherman's work, while correcting previously published errors and establishing the flavor of the critical debate. Devoting more attention to such internationally acclaimed works as Bent and Mrs. Henderson Presents, it also considers less well known and even unpublished and unproduced scripts as well as his working relationships with the luminaries of stage and screen who have appeared in, directed, and produced his plays and screenplays.

THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR MAYA ANGELOU DISCOVER THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF MAYA ANGELOU WITH A HIGHLY PERSONAL AND DETAILED ACCOUNT OF HER CHALLENGES AND TRIUMPHS The Life of the Author: Maya Angelou delivers an engaging and thorough retelling of the life and work of the celebrated and accomplished writer, director, and essayist. The book offers readers an engrossing retelling of Maya Angelou’s entire life, from her time as a child in the segregated town of Stamps, Arkansas, to her death in 2014 in Winston-Salem. Written with an emphasis on accessibility, the author avoids critical theory and focuses on Maya Angelou’s growth as a person and writer as well as the ways in which her life influenced her work. This new biography tells the story of a young black woman who overcomes poverty and endemic structural and personal obstacles to lead an accomplished life. Readers will also enjoy: A thorough retelling of the time Maya Angelou spent in Africa and how it shaped her views and work An exploration of the screenplays written by Maya Angelou Discussions of Maya Angelou’s early life as a dancer, singer, and writer Accounts of Maya Angelou’s writing and production of television shows A fulsome treatment of Maya Angelou’s work, including her poems, autobiographies, films, music, and theatre Perfect for undergraduate students in Contemporary Literature courses as well as general readers who love Maya Angelou and her work, The Life of the Author: Maya Angelou will also earn a place in the libraries of biography and literature enthusiasts who seek to improve their understanding of the life and story of Maya Angelou with a highly personal and accessible new book.

A revised and updated edition of a comprehensive biographical and critical reading of the works of American poet and memoirist Maya Angelou (1928-2014). Linda Wagner-Martin covers all six of Angelou's autobiographies, as well as her essay and poetry collections, whilst also exploring Angelou's life as an African American in the United States, her career as stage and film performer, her thoughtful participation in the Civil Rights actions of the 1960s, and her travels abroad in Egypt, Africa, and Europe. In her discussion of Angelou's methods of writing her stunning autobiography, which began with the 1970 publication of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Wagner-Martin writes about the influences of the Harlem Writers Group (led by James Baldwin, Paule Marshall, and John O. Killens) as well as Angelou's significant friendships with Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr., and other leaders from both international and African American United States cultures. Crucial concepts throughout include the role of oral traditions, of song and dance, of the spiritualism of art based on religious belief, of Angelou's voiced rhythms and her polished use of dialogue to convey more abstract “meaning.” Wagner-Martin shows that, viewing herself as a global citizen, Angelou never lost her spirit of adventure and discovery as well as her ability to overcome. Named an Outstanding Academic Title of the Year by Choice in 2015, this new edition includes two new chapters on Angelou's connections to Africa and on her final years.

From the very infancy of the film industry, filmmakers have relied heavily upon literature as the foundation for their movie material. Well-known literary works such as Dickens's A Christmas Carol and Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter were adapted to film in the silent era, as were such books as Thomas Dixon's Jr.'s The Klansman, basis for the film Birth of a Nation. In recent years, Nick Hornsby's About a Boy and each of Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary novels were the basis for popular movies bearing the same names. A guide to English-language works that have been adapted as theatrical and television films, this volume includes books (both fiction and non-fiction), short stories, newspaper and magazine articles and poems. Entries are arranged alphabetically by literary title with cross-listings for films made under different titles. Each entry includes the original work's title, author, year of first publication, literary prizes, and a brief plot summary. Information on film adaptation(s) of the work, including adaptation titles, director, screenwriter, principal cast and the names of the characters they portray, major awards, and availability in the most common formats (DVD, VHS), is also offered.

According to many critics, the era of "Film Noir" ended with the 1958 release of Orson Welles' classic Touch of Evil. The style was not dead, but rather had been transformed, and two years later, Alfred Hitchcock ushered in a new era of "Noir" films with the release of his 1960 masterpiece, Psycho. Film scholar Ronald Schwartz examines the most significant representatives of this cinematic style, beginning with Hitchcock's shocker and concluding with Michael Mann's Collateral (2004). Schwartz provides in-depth analyses of over thirty of the best "Neo-Noir" films and explains the qualities and characteristics of the "new noir" style. He also explains how it differs from "Film Noir" of the forties and fifties. As this study reveals, the new style significantly impacted American film after 1960. In this chronological guide, Schwartz examines such landmark films as The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Point Blank (1967), The French Connection (1971), Chinatown (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), Body Heat (1981), Blood Simple (1984), Fatal Attraction (1987), The Grifters (1990), Reservoir Dogs (1992), The Usual Suspects (1995), L.A. Confidential (1997), Memento (2000), and Mystic River (2003). The book also includes an alphabetical filmography, listing over 650 films that in plot, style, or subject matter reflect the diversity of the genre. This reference work will be a valuable resource for film scholars and fans alike who wish to further explore the ever-evolving aspects of "Neo-Noir" cinema.

Offers readers a comprehensive reference to the world of film, including more than eight thousand DVD titles, along with information on performers, ratings, running times, and helpful features.