A Visual History of Cult, Collectible, and Crazy Video Covers
A jubilant celebration of the greatest VHS cover art in all its gory, glory -- which inspired, scared, and delighted generations of movie-goers.
For anyone who frequented a video store in the ‘80s or ‘90s, the styles are instantly recognizable: surprisingly beautiful paintings of fanged and winged monsters; ......
John Ford, John Wayne, and the Making of Three Classic Westerns
Like other filmmakers in post-WWII Hollywood, John Ford (already a three-time Best Directing Oscar winner), longed for the freedom and independence to make his own films, away from the dictates of studio executives. Then, in 1946, Ford and producer Merian C. Cooper (King Kong) decided to form their own production company, Argosy Productions. ......
"Rarely has a movie this expensive provided so many quotable lines." So spake Roger Ebert in his review of Ghostbusters, the 1984 blockbuster that combined our paranormal fears and fascination with some of the sharpest comic minds of the day. Ghostbusters instantly resonated with audiences thanks to eye-popping special effects and crackling wit; ......
Discover the untold stories of the bold women who rode harder, roped faster, and stole the spotlight in early Hollywood. Since the famous "first" western movie, The Great Train Robbery, starring Broncho Billy Anderson, made its debut in 1903, cowboy heroes have continued their easily won dominance-- but little has been written about the cowgirl ......
Gloria Swanson is most remembered today for her role as "Norma Desmond" in Billy Wilder's noir sound classic Sunset Boulevard (1950), but Swanson during her heyday was heralded as filmdom's leading fashion queen, as proclaimed by director Cecil B. DeMille in such silent motion pictures as Male and Female (1919), Why Change YourHusband (1921), and ......
Bonnie and Clyde, a Hollywood Revolution, and America's Obsession with Guns and Outlaws
A deep dive into the grit and glamor of America's favorite criminal couple and the nation's love affair with guns. On May 23, 1934, two borderline inept but ruthless criminals named Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker met their end in a hail of semiautomatic gunfire on a rural road in the Louisiana backcountry. The duo had terrorized Depression-era ......
From Norman Bates dressed as "Mother" in Psycho to the rouged cheeks of Leatherface in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, many slasher icons have borne traces of queer and gender nonconforming behavior since the subgenre's very beginning. Queer Slashers presents the first book-length study of how and why the slasher subgenre of horror films appeals to ......
The Greatest Westerns Ever Made and the People Who Made Them provides an eclectic review of the Western film and television genre, from John Ford’s classic, black and white films, to Deadwood and indie darlings. Screenwriter Henry C. Parke presents a nuanced look at Hollywood’s dramatization of historic events, the common themes and ......
A new offering in the nascent Reel West film history series that focuses on that quintessentially American cinematic art form, the western. Few lines of movie dialogue have had greater impact than the most famous line from John Ford's 1962 masterpiece The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance: "This is the West, sir. When the legend becomes fact, print the ......
