The New Book Review

This blog, #TheNewBookReview, is "new" because it eschews #bookbigotry. It lets readers, reviewers, authors, and publishers expand the exposure of their favorite reviews, FREE. Info for submissions is in the "Send Me Your Fav Book Review" circle icon in the right column below. Find resources to help your career using the mini search engine below. #TheNewBookReview is a multi-award-winning blog including a MastersInEnglish.org recommendation.

Saturday, November 19, 2022

Rotten Tomato Critic Shares !0 Favorite Books About Movies

The New Book Review has a special treat for you today. Author and Reviewer is doing a series of reviews of her favorite movie-oriented books for my subscribers and visitors.
CHJ 

TITLE Favorite Books about Movies: Part One
AUTHOR: Betty Jo Tucker
AUTHOR'S WEBSITE: www.BettyJoTucker.com  
GENRE Nonfiction
AGE / INTEREST LEVEL Adult
AWARDS: Author received five awards for books about films (see Bio below)
A LINK TO THE ARTICLE SUBMITTED:  https://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewarticle.asp?id=82497 
                     
     FAVORITE BOOKS ABOUT MOVIES:
 PART ONE 

LIst from Betty Jo Tucker, Author, Poet, Reviewer
(AKA @MovieAddictRevu) 

When you love movies as much as I do, you want to read everything you can about films and filmmaking. Below are ten of my favorite movie-related books. Two more lists will be submitted soon.  

150 Timeless Movies. Susan Granger (Hannacroix Creek Books, 2016) This is a marvelous collection of film reviews by noted cinema critic Susan Granger. The author chose her critiques of many films made since the turn of the 21st century as well as 25 classics that she believes will stand the test of time. What they all have in common is that they’re a successful creative collaboration, often revolving around love, family and the indomitable human spirit. Among the films included in this excellent book are: 2001: A Space Odyssey, African Queen, Avatar, The Bucket List, City Lights, Saving Private Ryan, The Lives of Others, The Social Network, Slumdog Millionaire , The Wizard of Oz, and 140 more must-see movies. 

Rotten Tomato Critic Shares !0 Favorite Books About Movies

Everyone Wants My Job! The ABC’s of Entertainment Writing. Diana Saenger (Picadilly Books, Ltd., 2000). Saenger offers her helpful professional advice about how to review films, conduct interviews, market your work, and perform other tasks associated with this competitive field. Author sprinkles each chapter with celebrity quotations and anecdotes that make her book a delight to read. No wonder people want Diana’s job. But she does caution wannabes about the hard work involved.    

For Keeps. Pauline Kael (Dutton - Penguin Books, 1994).  In this impressive compendium, America’s most renowned film critic, the late Pauline Kael, presented the best of her New Yorker reviews and other writings on movies from 1965 through 1991. More than 275 reviews are arranged chronologically, forming a 30-year history of the movies. (At over 1200 pages, For Keeps also makes a terrific doorstop.)    

It’s a Bitter Little World: The Smartest, Toughest, Nastiest Quotes from Film Noir. Charles Pappas (Writer’s Digest Books, 2005).Film historian Charles Pappas loves "film noir," those cynical movies about sex, violence and money featuring losers who seek the very thing that gets them killed. In this well-researched  book, he  highlights the terrific dialogue that makes these films so memorable. 

The Citizen Kane Crash Course in CinematographyDavid Worth (Michael Wiese Productions, 2008). Drawing upon his own creativity and experience as a Director or Director of Photography on more than thirty films, David Worth lets his imagination run wild in this fabulous tome. The result? One of the most eye-popping books you'll ever read about filmmaking. Written mostly in screenplay format, the story focuses on how legendary cinematographer Gregg Toland taught “Boy Wonder” Orson Welles all he needed to know about cinematography before Welles began shooting Citizen Kane. It's a fun and enlightening read! 

The Golden Age of Movie Musicals and Me. Saul Chaplin (University of Oklahoma Press, 1994).  This revealing memoir is the man who served as songwriter, vocal arranger, pianist, musical director, or producer on more than sixty films during the Hollywood musical heyday. Chaplin writes candidly about the major performers and filmmakers he met while working on such movies as High Society, On the Town, Seven Brides for Seven  Brothers, American in Paris, and The Sound of Music. (Gossip tidbit: no love lost between Chaplin and Al Jolson, despite their collaboration on “The Anniversary Song.”) 

The Making of the Wizard of Oz. Aljean Harmetz (Hyperion - Special 60th nniversary Edition, 1998), Here is the inside story behind the filming of this American movie classic. Harmetz describes how the film survived four directors, serious problems on the set, and changes in casting to become an all-time family favorite. Buddy Ebsen as the Scarecrow? Shirley Temple as Dorothy?  Cut Dorothy singing “Over the Rainbow”?  And other close calls.       

Reel Spirit: A Guide to Movies That Inspire, Explore, and Empower. Raymond Teague (Unity House, 2000) Teague’s analysis of spirituality in the movies includes almost 400 films, with reviews of such movies as It’s a Wonderful Life, The Lion King, When Harry Met Sally, , Malcolm X, and the Star Wars series. (Guess who this author considers the most admirable character in Hollywood films?  Here’s a clue -- it’s a woman.)  

Romantic Comedies: These Films Can Save Your Love Life! Pamela Jaye Smith (Michael Wiese Productions, 2017) This unique book is a tribute to love and the movies that show us how to find, hold, and relish it in our romantic relationships. The author’s intriguing movie guide is filled with some of the best-loved and most popular romantic comedies, including Sabrina, Sleepless in Seattle, My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Princess Bride and Four Weddings and a Funeral. Lessons learned from watching movies like these offer valuable advice about keeping your love life healthy. 

Screening History. Gore Vidal (Harvard University Press – Reissue Edition, 1994). Vidal recalls the films he loved while growing up in Washington, D.C. during the 1930s and reflects on the movies that meant the most to him, such as The Prince and the Pauper and Young Mr. Lincoln. (Funny, I saw those films too -- but they didn’t impress me as much as King Kong and Frankenstein. Could this explain our different career paths?) Vidal admits that as he looked back over his life, he realized the only thing he really liked to do was go to the movies. That makes two of us.     

INFORMATION ABOUT THE REVIEWER




NAME OF REVIEWER: Betty Jo Tucker
ORIGINAL PLACE THE REVIEW WAS PUBLISHED (ReelTalk Movie Reviews)
BIO: Betty Jo Tucker served as editor/lead film critic for ReelTalk Movie Reviews for 20 years. She also writes film commentary for AuthorsDen and the Colorado Senior Beacon. She is the award-winning author of Confessions of a Movie Addict, Susan Sarandon: A True Maverick, Cinema Stanzas: Rhyming About Movies, and Cinema Stanzas Two: Poet Laureate of the Movies. Using the pen names of Harry and Elizabeth Lawrence, Betty Jo and her husband Larry co-wrote It Had To Be Us, a romantic memoir adapted for the screen under the title of CAKE: A Love Story, which earned First Place in the Short Film category at the NSAEN Online International Film Festival. She is a co-founder of the San Diego Film Critics Society, a member of the Online Film Critics Society and an approved Rotten Tomatoes critic. 

TWITEER MONIKER: Betty Jo Tucker @MovieAddictRevu

EMAIL ADDRESS: reeltalk@comcast.net 

More About #TheNewBookReview Blog 



 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Authors, readers, publishers, and reviewers may republish their favorite reviews of books they want to share with others. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews, reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure, and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've read and love. Please see submission guidelines in a tab at the top of this blog's home page or go directly to the submission guidelines at http://bit.ly/ThePlacetoRecycleBookReviews or to the guideline tab at the top of the home page of this blog. Authors and publishers who do not yet have reviews or want more may use Lois W. Stern's #AuthorsHelpingAuthors service for requesting reviews. Find her guidelines in a tab at the top of the home page, too. Carolyn Wilhelm is our IT expert, an award-winning author, a veteran educator and also contributes reviews and posts on other topics related to books. Reviews, interviews, and articles on this blog are indexed by genre, reviewers' names, and review sites so #TheNewBookReview may be used as a resource for most anyone in the publishing industry. As an example, writers will find this blog's search engine handy for gleaning the names of small publishers. Find other writer-related blogs at Sharing with Writers and The Frugal, Smart and Tuned-In Editor. #TheFrugalbookPromoter, #CarolynHowardJohnson, #TheNewBookReview, #TheFrugalEditor, #SharingwithWriters, #reading #BookReviews #GreatBkReviews #BookMarketing

No comments: