Bücher von Jeremy Mark Robinson

TSUI HARK: THE DRAGON MASTER OF CHINESE CINEMA: A Critical Study¿¿¿¿¿ By Jeremy Mark Robinson ¿¿¿¿¿ Tsui Hark is the dragon master of Chinese cinema (Stephen Teo calls Tsui a 'lion dancer among film directors'). Yes - a master, a lion dancer, a sifu, a wizard, a dragon. ¿¿¿¿¿ Tsui Hark is a one-man film industry - as a glance as his list of credits will show, along with setting up his own film company in 1983, Film Workshop. Tsui Hark directs movies like a force of nature. The energy coming off the screen is stupendous. He is a fearless filmmaker, willing to try anything to get a good shot. That feeling of fearlessness, and wildness, coupled with imagination and technical brilliance makes Tsui an incredibly formidable filmmaker. There are very few filmmakers on the scene today with those qualities in such abundance. When you come back to a Tsui Hark picture after looking at other movies for a while, you realize that this guy is so passionate about cinema, so willing to try anything, to experiment, to push the boundaries of what cinema can do, of what cinema can be. This man is on fire. Tsui Hark was born on January 2, 1951 (or February 15; some sources say 1950), in French Cochin China (Saigon, Vietnam). His name was originally Tsui Man-kong (he also been known as Mark Yu). In Cantonese, his name is Chui Hak; in Mandarin, it's Xu Ke. He had sixteen siblings (from three marriages). His father was a pharmacist. Tsui changed his name from 'Tsui Man-kong' to 'Tsui Hark' because he thought it was too soft, and for his 'King Kong' nickname. Tsui grew up in Saigon until the family moved to Hong Kong in 1966 (Tsui said he migrated around the age of 13, which make it 1964; others say he was 14).As a producer, Tsui Hark has been responsible for masterpieces including: the Better Tomorrow series, the Chinese Ghost Story series, the Swordsman series, New Dragon Gate Inn and The Killer, plus a host of hugely enjoyable films, such as: Once Upon a Time in China 4, Once Upon a Time In China 6, Vampire Hunters and Black Mask. Directors often work in contrasts - if they've just done a comedy, they might fancy a drama next. Tsui wanted to do something silly after his first three movies, which were 'very serious and very depressing'. Hence All the Wrong Clues, which was his first commercial hit (in 1981). And since then, Tsui had rarely let a year pass without releasing a movie as a director or producer (sometimes two! Sometimes three!). By 2014, Tsui had directed around 43 feature films. They include the Once Upon a Time In China series, the Detective Dee series, Blade, We're Going To Eat You, The Master, Zu: Warriors From the Magic Mountain, A Better Tomorrow 3, Green Snake, The Lovers, Seven Swords, Journey To the West, Shanghai Blues and Peking Opera Blues. ¿¿¿¿¿ Fully illustrated in colour, with over 240 images from the films of Tsui Hark and other Chinese and Hong Kong productions. With filmography, bibliography and notes. 712 pages. Hardcover, with a full colour laminate cover, and a color jacket (flyleaf). www.crmoon.com

This is a study of the adaptations of Ghost In the Shell by Masamune Shirow.

FULLMETAL ALCHEMISTA CRITICAL STUDY: HIMORU ARAKAWA: THE MANGA AND THE ANIMEFullmetal Alchemist (Hagane no Renkinjutsushi, 2001-2010) is a long-running manga by Himoru Arakawa (b. 1973, Hokkaido), a masterwork of narrative art of recent times which led to the production of two truly magnficent animé series in 2003-2004 and 2009-2010. The Fullmetal Alchemist comic and animated series depict a fully realized steam-punk world in which alchemy is a science. The heroes, Ed and Al Elric, are alchemists who commit the ultimate taboo of trying to bring their mother back to life. The story follows their struggle to regain their former, damaged selves, and to save the country of Amestris from the villains, the homunculi. Fullmetal Alchemist may well be the most accomplished and profound manga and anime of recent years. Everything about it works - as absolutely thrilling storytelling, with compelling characters, truly awesome action scenes, and very contemporary political themes. Himoru Arakawa's artwork is sharp, elegant and witty, and her imagination knows no bounds. The two animated TV series render the world of Fullmetal Alchemist in a spectacular fashion. The Fullmetal Alchemist franchise includes movies, video games, soundtracks, audio tracks, light novels, guidebooks, artbooks, and toys. This new study features a complete survey of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, chapter by chapter; a guide to the two animated TV series, episode by episode; chapters on the Fullmetal Alchemist movies and Original Video Animations; and chapters on Arakawa's other comics and anime (such as Arslan, Heroic Tales and Silver Spoon). This is the most comprehensive exploration of Fullmetal Alchemist anywhere. Fully illustrated with over 170 illustrations. Bibliography, filmography, resources and notes. 632 pages. Hardcover with a full colour case laminate cover. www.crmoon.com

THE ECSTATIC CINEMA OF TONY CHING SIU-TUNGBy Jeremy Mark RobinsonTony Ching Siu-tung (b. 1953) started out as an actor and stuntman, working in movies in the late 1960s and 1970s; he moved into television as martial arts co-ordinator, in the late 1970s and thru the 1980s (where on several historical TV series); he moved up to directing movies with 1983's Duel To the Death. This book is fully illustrated in colour. Tony Ching Siu-tung's two signature works are probably A Chinese Ghost Story and The Swordsman 2. Critically, those two films (and their movie series, the Chinese Ghost Story series and the Swordsman series) have garnered the highest criticial accolades (and they were big hits financially), and The Swordsman 2 has been the subject of numerous analyses of gender-bending issues in cinema. The sight of Brigitte Lin in drag and later fooling around with Jet Li as a 'woman' seems to drive film critics goo-goo. Tony Ching Siu-tung has won awards for the action choreography for The Witch From Nepal, Shaolin Soccer, New Dragon Gate Inn, Hero and The Swordsman. Like the other famous action directors in Hong Kong cinema (such as Yuen Woo-ping, Sammo Hung, Corey Yuen and Yuen Bun), Tony Ching Siu-tung has worked with every single star in Hong Kong, every producer, every cameraman, designer, stylist, costumier, etc, and probably every stuntman and stuntwoman. Ching Siu-tung had provided action direction for Tsui Hark, Johnnie To, John Woo, Wong Jing, Ringo Lam, Zhang Yimou, Peter Chan, Andy Lau, Kevin Chu, and Stephen Chow, among others. That is, practically all of the major filmmakers in China. Technically, the movies directed by Tony Ching Siu-tung are breathtaking - in every department of film production, Ching's movies excel. Costumes are lavish, the sets are super-detailed, and the cinematography is stellar. Sometimes you really are looking at something very close to a classical, Chinese painting, where the billowing robes that the actors wear fit in perfectly, and are spot-on equivalents for the spiritual mood of Chinese art. Fully illustrated in colour throughout (over 290 illustrations), with images from the films of Tony Ching and other Chinese/ Hong Kong productions. With filmography, bibliography and notes. 592 pages. Hardcover, with a full colour laminate cover. www.crmoon.com

WALERIAN BOROWCZYK: THE BEAST ---- By Jeremy Robinson ---- Walerian Borowczyk (known as 'Boro') is one of cinema's one-offs. Quite simply, there is no filmmaker quite like Borowczyk. Borowczyk's films have an astonishing, magical quality. They reach a place very rare in contemporary cinema, and are quite unlike the films of any other auteur. Borowczyk's movies create their own space, with imagery, sounds and music of a really exceptional power. The appendices include a note on fairy tales, and on other versions of Beauty and the Beast (including the Jean Cocteau movie, and the 1991 Walt Disney musical movie). ---- Fully illustrated, with stills from The Beast, and Walerian Borowczyk's movies, plus influences, a bibliography, filmography, appendices, quotes from Borowczyk and notes. 168pp. www.crmoon.com

THE TRILOGY OF LIFE MOVIESTHE DECAMERON - THE CANTERBURY TALES - THE ARABIAN NIGHTSPIER PAOLO PASOLINIPOCKET MOVIE GUIDEBy Jeremy Mark RobinsonA new critical study of the Italian filmmaker and poet Pier Paolo Pasolini's 'trilogy of life' movies (also known as the 'trilogia di vita'/ 'mediaeval trilogy'): The Decameron (Il Decamerone, 1971), The Canterbury Tales (I racconti di Canterbury, 1972), and The Arabian Nights (Il Fiore Delle Mille e Una Notte, 1974). The 'trilogy of life' movies were adaptations of Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-75), Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340-1400), and the 1001 Nights (15th century). Pier Paolo Pasolini's other works in cinema include The Gospel According To Matthew, one of the great films about Jesus, adaptations of ancient world plays (Medea and Oedipus Rex), and poetic portraits of contemporary Roman life (Accattone, Mamma Roma and The Hawks and the Sparrows). The book includes a biography of Pier Paolo Pasolini, an exploration of aspects of his cinema, and topics related to Pasolini's life and interests such as religion, poetry, homosexuality, his colleagues, Marxist politics, modern Italy, and the Third World. Pier Paolo Pasolini was born on March 5, 1922, in Bologna, Italy. He died on November 2, 1975, in Ostia, Rome (he was buried in Casarca, in his beloved Friuli). When he was a film director, Pier Paolo Pasolini was certainly an intimidating presence, with a formidable reputation - like Cecil B. DeMille, D.W. Griffith or Jean-Luc Godard. Very confident, very smart, a great talker and interviewee, a leader on set, with no doubts from anyone about who was the primary creator and author. The appendices include quotes by Pasolini; a chapter on Satyricon (Federico Fellini, 1969); two films directed by Sergio Citti, Pasolini's frequent collaborator; and on Renaissance artists. Fully illustrated. Bibliography, appendices, filmography and notes. 324 pages. Hardcover with a colour laminated cover. www.crmoon.com

THE CINEMA OF HAYAO MIYAZAKI Born on January 5, 1941 in Tokyo, Hayao Miyazaki is known as the 'Japanese Disney', a filmmaker as revered - and as popular - as Walt Disney or Steven Spielberg. Miyazaki, in short, is a true phenomenon in contemporary animation and in world cinema. Miyazaki's movies include Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Laputa: Castle In the Sky and My Neighbor Totoro. Hayao Miyazaki may be the most talented fantasy filmmaker of his generation: not even the finest filmmakers of Hollywood can rival his films when it comes to creating fantasy worlds, and fantastical characters and events. Miyazaki has millions of fans around the world, not least among fellow animators and filmmakers, for whom he is a genius. What Hayao Miyazaki's films do is to bring you completely into a fantasy world that is instantly recognizable and familiar. It's as if these fantasy realms have always existed - very much like J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth or Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea (both influences on Miyazaki). The visionary and magical elements are fused with the domestic and familial and social elements, so that it seems completely ordinary and believable that, say, flying machines soar overhead which have flapping wings like an insect, or that little white creatures pop up out of trees and make strange clicking noises. To write one hit animation movie is amazing, to write eleven is remarkable. To write and direct one spectacular animated picture is very impressive, to write and direct eleven features is unheard-of in the world of contemporary commercial animation. This new study considers all of his films and TV shows (and his manga work). It also includes chapters on Studio Ghibli ¿ on fellow director Isao Takahata ¿ Miyazaki's influences ¿ his contemporaries and colleagues ¿ his characters ¿ his movies' relation to Western animation (including the Walt Disney Company) ¿ his unmade films ¿ and his themes and motifs. Japanese animation, its production and style, some classics of anime, and digital animation are also explored. Includes quotes by Miyazaki; fans on Miyazaki; and resources. The second edition has been completely updated and revised. Fully illustrated. With filmography, bibliography and notes. 520 pages. ISBN 9781861713902. www.crmoon.comAUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope this book offers readers some new insights into the films of the incredible filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, so they can go back and enjoy them all over again. I have looked at all of the key research for this book, which was begun years ago. I have focussed mainly on the movies themselves, exploring each one in detail. The book also includes technical info on animation, a chapter on the animation industry in Japan, and comparisons between Miyazaki's films and those in the West, including Walt Disney's work. There are chapters on the output of Studio Ghibli, and also Isao Takahata, Miyazaki's colleague.

SAMUEL BECKETT GOES INTO THE SILENCE By Jeremy Robinson A general introduction to the work of Samuel Beckett (1906-1989), focussing on the aspects of philosophy and language. He is regarded as pretty much the greatest of modern and postmodern writers, pretty much the world's greatest modern dramatist, and the maybe greatest modern prose stylist. The texts studied include Beckett's major works, from the Unnamable Trilogy to the late Company/ Nohow series of the 1980s. This book is a new, updated edition of a study first published in 1992. Includes a collection of quotes from Samuel Beckett, photographs of Beckett and his plays, and a bibliography. www.crmoon.com

TOMMY: KEN RUSSELL: THE WHO: POCKET MOVIE GUIDEBy Jeremy Mark Robinson. Tommy is a 1975 movie based on the rock opera by the British pop band Who and directed by British genius Ken Russell. Shamelessly over-the-top, silly, wild, dynamic, primitive, glitzy and violent, Tommy ain't subtle: it presents pop psychology which's crude as a sledgehammer, symbolism which's heavy-handed like a pinball machine hurled out of a hotel onto Sunset Strip; it's decked out in Pop Art colours and costumes by way of glam rock; it's proudly and bizarrely English and parochial and provincial; it's perverse and kinky; it's shrill and hysterical; and it contains some of the finest music every included in a musical movie. If Richard Wagner was making movies out of his music in the 1970s, this is what it would look like. Tommy would have to rank in the top three of anyone's Ken Russell films. It's one of those movies where every element comes together beautifully, and where everyone in the production seems to be working at their best. Tommy's not perfect, but you wouldn't want to change anything. This book features lengthy chapters on every aspect of director Ken Russell. A filmmaker like no other, Russell remains one of cinema's extraordinary talents, a creator of masterpieces such as The Devils, Tommy and The Music Lovers, and a body of work that flies from the pastoral, Romantic lyricism of Delius: Song of Summer and Elgar to the wild extremes of Lisztomania, Altered States and Mahler. Plus chapters on the Who; appendices on Quadrophenia; filmographies and discographies; and bibliography; quotes by Russell, resources, video and DVD availability, and fans on Tommy. Fully illustrated, including images of the Who, musicals of Tommy, and inspirations. Bibliography and notes. ISBN 9781861715050. 312 pages.www.crmoon.comJEREMY MARK ROBINSON has written many critical studies, including Hayao Miyazaki, Arthur Rimbaud, Jean-Luc Godard, and The Sacred Cinema of Andrei Tarkovsky, plus literary monographs on: J.R.R. Tolkien; Samuel Beckett; Thomas Hardy; André Gide; Robert Graves; and Lawrence Durrell.

PERFORMANCE: DONALD CAMMELL: NIC ROEG: POCKET MOVIE GUIDEby Jeremy Mark Robinson This book explores Performance, a classic movie co-directed by Donald Cammell and Nic Roeg and starring Mick Jagger, James Fox and Anita Pallenberg, released in 1970. Among the supporting cast were Michele Breton, Ann Sidney, Johnny Shannon and Anthony Valentine. 'A perverted love affair between Homo Sapiens and Lady Violence', was how Jagger and Cammell described Performance in their telegram to the president of Warners, Ted Ashley. Performance was a tale of a British gangster on the run who goes to ground in the basement of a reclusive pop star's mansion in London's Powis Square, Notting Hill. Like 1966's Blow-Up (directed by Michelangelo Antonioni, written by Antonioni, Tonino Guerra and Edward Bond), Performance has become a classic portrayal of late 1960s (British) pop culture, and of the London scene. The book includes chapters on the culture, gangster and pop music worlds of Performance, on directors Nic Roeg and Donald Cammell, on Mick Jagger, and on links to the movie, such as Kenneth Anger and Aleister Crowley. Although Donald Cammell's credits consist of a very few titles as a film director - Performance (1970), Demon Seed (1977), White of the Eye (1987) and Wild Side (1995) - he remains one of the most fascinating of British filmmakers. Appendices include films linked to Performance, such as Sympathy For the Devil, Fitzcarraldo, The Man Who Fell To Earth and Stoned. Fans and critics on Performance. Fully illustrated (including images from the movie, from Cammell's and Roeg's films, from the Rolling Stones, and from the 1960s period of Performance). Bibliography, filmographies and notes. ISBN 9781861715012. 292 pages.www.crmoon.comJEREMY MARK ROBINSON has written many critical studies, including Hayao Miyazaki, Arthur Rimbaud, Jean-Luc Godard, and The Sacred Cinema of Andrei Tarkovsky, plus literary monographs on: J.R.R. Tolkien; Samuel Beckett; Thomas Hardy; André Gide; Robert Graves; and Lawrence Durrell.

BLADE RUNNER: POCKET MOVIE GUIDE This book is a guide to the 1982 movie made from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick - Blade Runner. A thorough exploration of Blade Runner forms the core of the book, looking at the conception, production, themes, critical reception and influence of the 1982 Warner Brothers movie in every detail. Philip Kindred Dick (1928-1982) was a key figure in 20th century science fiction, famous for embracing drugs and the counter-culture in his work. Dick's fiction includes The Man In the High Castle, Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said, A Scanner Darkly, The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Valis, The Divine Invasion, Martian Time-Slip, The Minority Report, and We Can Remember It For You Wholesale. Dick's themes included perception and reality, drugs, state control, global capitalism, surveillance, and paranoia. On its initial release, Blade Runner grossed $27 million in the United States, placing it no. 16 in that year's box office chart (it was released on June 25, 1982, in 1,290 theatres in the U.S.A.). 1982 was the year, of course, of E.T. The films that came in way behind Steven Spielberg's Universal fantasy were Tootsie at no. 2, An Officer and a Gentleman third, and Rocky 3 in fourth place. Other sci-fi and fantasy flicks in 1982 included Star Trek 2, Conan the Barbarian, Mad Max 2 and The Thing. Blade Runner is often trotted out as another big, important picture that flopped on its theatrical release. That isn't quite true, but it certainly wasn't a hit movie by any standards. The opening weekend was pretty good, but the movie seemed to fade away rapidly after that. Many reviewers and critics came out against Blade Runner on its first release, including Roger Ebert, Pauline Kael, Sheila Benson, and Janet Maslin. 'Muddled', 'gruesome', 'pretentious' and 'overheated' were some of the words used to describe it. Since then, Blade Runner has rightly achieved cult as well as classic status. Its influence on science fiction and sci-fi cinema has been enormous (this book looks at some of the movies inspired by Blade Runner, including Ghost In the Shell, Akira, Brazil and Batman). Fully illustrated. Pocket size. Bibliography, filmography and notes. ISBN 971861714251. www.crmoon.com

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING: POCKET MOVIE GUIDE A pocket guide to the Hollywood adaption of the third part of J.R.R. Tolkien's 1950s fantasy epic book The Lord of the Rings, released in 2003. The book tells you everything you need to know about this popular movie, from writing the script through casting and financing, to shooting and performances, to visual effects, editing and theatrical distribution. The pocket guide includes discussions of every single scene in The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, including the Special Extended Edition (including some key individual shots). There are sections on the all of the important differences between The Lord of the Ring book and the movie adaption of The Return of the King (including numerous details), as well a chapter exploring the additions and the omissions. Looks at behind the scenes stories, and also the critical response to the 2003 picture. There are chapters on the visual effects, on the casting and key personnel of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, on the studio and the financing of the production, on the music and sound, and the marketing and release of the movie in 2003 (including the home entertainment releases on DVD and video). There is also a chapter on the critical assessment of the movie. There is also an appendix on other adaptions of J.R.R. Tolkien's books, a detailed filmography, plus info on availability and websites. Jeremy Robinson has written many critical studies, including Steven Spielberg, Arthur Rimbaud, Jean-Luc Godard, Hayao Miyazaki, Ken Russell, Walerian Borowczyk, and The Sacred Cinema of Andrei Tarkovsky, plus literary monographs on: J.R.R. Tolkien; J.M.W. Turner; Samuel Beckett; Thomas Hardy; Arthur Rimbaud; André Gide; John Cowper Powys; Robert Graves; and Lawrence Durrell. Includes bibliography, illustrations, appendices and notes. ISBN 9781861713827. 300 pages. www.crmoon.com

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS: POCKET MOVIE GUIDE A pocket guide to the Hollywood adaption of the second part of J.R.R. Tolkien's 1950s fantasy epic book The Lord of the Rings, released in 2002. The book tells you everything you need to know about this popular movie, from writing the script through casting and financing, to shooting and performances, to visual effects, editing and theatrical distribution. The pocket guide includes discussions of every single scene in The Two Towers, including the Special Extended Edition (including some key individual shots). There are sections on the all of the important differences between The Lord of the Ring book and the movie adaption of The Two Towers (including numerous details), as well a chapter exploring the additions and the omissions. Looks at behind the scenes stories, and also the critical response to the 2002 picture. There are chapters on the visual effects, on the casting and key personnel of The Two Towers, on the studio and the financing of the production, on the music and sound, and the marketing and release of the movie in 2002 (including the home entertainment releases on DVD and video). There is also a chapter on the critical assessment of the movie. There is also an appendix on other adaptions of J.R.R. Tolkien's books, a detailed filmography, plus info on availability and websites. Jeremy Robinson has written many critical studies, including Steven Spielberg, Arthur Rimbaud, Jean-Luc Godard, Hayao Miyazaki, Ken Russell, Walerian Borowczyk, and The Sacred Cinema of Andrei Tarkovsky, plus literary monographs on: J.R.R. Tolkien; J.M.W. Turner; Samuel Beckett; Thomas Hardy; Arthur Rimbaud; André Gide; John Cowper Powys; Robert Graves; and Lawrence Durrell. Includes bibliography, illustrations, appendices and notes. ISBN 9781861713810. 292 pages. www.crmoon.com