Firsts short book
Film Firsts Ethan Saul Alter An original take on boundary expanding movies October 14 2014 By Harvey S Karten Director NY Film Critics O Brooklyn NY United States This review is from Film Firsts The 25 Movies That Created Contemporary American Cinema Hardcover Film Firsts by Ethan Alter Review by Harvey KartenWhen I was a kid my friends and I would go to the movies every Saturday We were not worldly wise at age fourteen The local Loews Borough Park and Loews 46th Street in Brooklyn were just fine Checking the movie clock was not part of our culture We simply went into the theater when we felt like doing so and if we arrived just at the start of either the B feature or the main attraction we said That s good timing We did not know movie reviews existed nor would we have cared to read them. First ever colour book Times have changed At least in Manhattan nobody enters in the middle of a feature disturbing fellow worshippers in the aisle We check the movie clock we line up if needed for a few minutes and all go in at once. Book Firsts pdffiller Now we not only read and write commentary we choose college majors like Media Studies and Film Theory We want to know about movies in context And that s where Ethan Alter s book comes in Film Firsts The 25 Movies That Created Contemporary American Cinema is like a 3 D visit to film history biography and production without the need to don those pesky glasses What s though First Firsts is billed as a textbook it can be enjoyed by general readers those of us go the theaters for than the air conditioning and the making out in the back row but I think I m dating myself. Book Firsts pdffiller Alter a scholar and film reviewer who can write for general audiences as well as for those majoring in Film Studies takes on the 25 movies which in his informed and intelligent opinion are not necessarily masterpieces but which can pass for ground breakers Some are blockbusters some are personal films Some are by well known directors others by names hardly known in most households. Fish book hollywood cartoon The author shows with great clarity why he believes each of his choices merits his selection as a film that breaks ground rather than simply going through same ol same ol motions They are originals meritorious or not They deserve to be known by all who want to get greater enjoyment from the big bucks they spend on ever rising prices Warning soon a movie ticket will cost than a small box of popcorn so why not read this book and get enjoyment for what s no longer in your wallet In order to cover ground in some depth within 271 nicely footnoted copy Alter skips across the classics and by classics he doesn t mean only the celluloid starring Gregory Peck Cary Grant and Debbie Reynolds Again I m dating myself Going back to 1915 a timeline pays brief homage to the likes of the racist but cinematically original Birth of a Nation Wings the first Oscar winner The Jazz Singer which introduced Al Jolson mellifluous voice in the first talkie and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs which created a kid friendly animation industry. Book firstsc com After some of the 25 films covered in depth Alter takes breaks to discuss the likes of Five Troubled Productions that Became Great Movies describing production problems and why the films are nonetheless gems and Five Great Post Star Wars movie trilogies such The Matrix and Five A List African American Directors There s even a multiple choice quiz inspired by Avatar The heart of the book is a discussion of the 25 boundary expanding pictures beginning with Jaws 1975 which Alter calls . Pdf book firsts an act of artistic hubris that became a modern cinematic classic paying special attention to the overruns caused by a mechanical shark whose bite was no better than its bark He calls Pulp Fiction 1994 . Book firstsf an artistically accomplished movie and lauds Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon 2000 for fusing Western storytelling techniques with Eastern action sequences The book ends with an optimistic note tell us to watch out for ever increasing breakout movies given the pace of changedriven by new technology new distribution strategies and new financial avenues Is Alter hinting a sequel If you have never read a book about film put this one first If you are a student and have not been lucky enough to have a professor assign the book get it on your own If you have been assigned the volume you might consider it among the homework assignments that you actually looked forward to. Book firsts pdf download See your review on the site Film Firsts The 25 Movies That Created Contemporary American Cinema
This forward looking exploration of contemporary American film across the last 40 years identifies and examines the specific movies that changed the film industry and shaped its present and future Since the mid 1970s American cinema has gone through enormous changes such as the birth of the modern summer blockbuster the rise of the independent film industry ongoing technological advancements in special effects and the ever evolving models for film distribution Written by a professional film critic and film buff this book tells the story of contemporary American cinema in a unique and engaging by examining 25 key movies that demonstrated a significant creative technological or business innovation that impacted the industry at large Each chapter in this chronological survey of contemporary film is divided into two The Film which offers a critical overview of the film in question and The First which describes the specific innovation achieved by that film and places that achievement in the larger historical context Two additional appendices in each chapter explore other significant aspects of both the film and its groundbreaking nature The broad coverage ranging from action movies to horror films to science fiction favorites ensures the work s appeal to all film fans Film Firsts The 25 Movies That Created Contemporary American Cinema
.
