Book Plug: Directory of World Cinema: France

Hello all. Today, I'd just like to mention another film book project I've contributed to that will be arriving in bookstores shortly*: the Directory of World Cinema: France, edited by Tim Palmer and Charlie Michael. This is the latest in Intellect Books' Directory of World Cinema series, which consists of volumes of essays and reviews that cover cinema from countries as diverse as Italy, Spain, Finland, Germany, Iran, China, and the USA (I have previously contributed to the Japan and Japan 2 volumes, and will have an essay on Hirokazu Kore-eda in the upcoming Japan 3 - all of which edited by John Berra).

This volume provides a pretty far-ranging look at the rich body of work that makes up French cinema. With chapters that cover such areas as horror, comedy, the avant-garde, and documentaries and reviews tackling films as diverse as Last Year at Marienbad, Port of Shadows, Rififi, Amélie, The 400 Blows, The Beaches of Agnès, Zero for Conduct, and Un Chien Andalou, lots of ground is covered while room is still left for future volumes to explore.

 

As for my contributions, I wrote the framing essay on the chapter that tackles one of French cinema's most well-known phenomena, the French New Wave, as well as the effects that it had on the French film industry. I also wrote three of the book's film reviews - the ones covering Jean-Pierre Jeunet's A Very Long Engagement, François Truffaut's The Last Metro, and Jacques Tati's Play Time, all films that are very close to my heart.

All in all, I'm very happy with how the book turned out, and I'm extremely thankful and flattered that Tim and Charlie included me in the project. Thanks guys, and for any film folk who choose to pick up the book, thank you as well and happy reading.

*Amazon.ca lists the release date as April 15th, and Amazon.co.uk pegs the release a little earlier on April 3rd.

Book Release: Directory of World Cinema: Japan 2

Hello all! Today I write to you about a new book release that will appeal to fans of Japanese cinema and film writing: the Directory of World Cinema: Japan 2, edited by John Berra and published by Intellect Ltd. Like the series' first volume on Japan's rich film culture, which was published in 2010, this one features several essays and film reviews touching on a wide variety of genres, directors and trends. As in the first book, you'll find sections devoted to blockbusters, period films (jidai-geki), anime, the Japanese New Wave, a key Japanese film festival (this one being Japan Cuts) and a "Film of the Year" (this one being Yuya Ishii's Sawako Decides), plus new chapters on subjects like Japanese youth cinema and films that portray the lower class.

This time around, I contributed an essay on the filmmaker Hiroshi Shimizu, whose body of work spans from the 1920s and '30s all the way to the end of the 1950s. Some of his more well-known works include Japanese Girls at the Harbor (1933), The Masseurs and a Woman (1938) and Ornamental Hairpin (1941), all of which are conveniently gathered in a great Eclipse set from the Criterion Collection. I also wrote film reviews on works from directors as diverse as Akira Kurosawa, Nagisa Oshima, Takeshi Kitano, Takashi Miike and Takuya Fukushima, who co-wrote and directed the spellbinding independent film Our Brief Eternity (2009).

But above all that, I simply feel so honored to be included alongside some truly talented writers, including John Berra himself, Catherine Munroe Hotes (of Nishikata Film Review), film curator Julian Ross, Brian Ruh (author of Stray Dog of Anime: The Films of Mamoru Oshii), Zachariah Rush, Fred Shimizu and fellow J-Film Pow-Wow cohorts Chris MaGee, Bob Turnbull and Matthew Hardstaff, plus many more devoted fans and scholars of Japanese cinema. They've all done some fantastic work in making this a comprehensive and well-crafted book for readers to sink their teeth into.

The book has recently come out in Europe, while its North American release has been pushed back to April 15th of this year. The corresponding button on the right sidebar will bring you to its page on Amazon.ca. Happy reading (and viewing)!

Book Stuff!

Hello all. Marc here with a quick post regarding two film book-related tidbits for you. Firstly, John Berra, editor of such books as Directory of World Cinema: Japan and Directory of World Cinema: American Independent and current lecturer of film studies at China's Nanjing University, has recently released the cover image (see below) for the upcoming Directory of World Cinema: Japan 2, which he also edited. The new book will, like the first, feature reviews and essays covering various subjects in the world of Japanese cinema. Contributors include myself as well as fellow J-Film Pow-Wow writers Chris MaGee, Matthew Hardstaff and Bob Turnbull. Using an image from Tetsuya Nakashima's film Kamikaze Girls, it looks like the folks at Intellect behind the design decided to really run with the pink motif! The book will be released sometime in 2012.

Speaking of film books, there's a site that I've been meaning to plug here for some time now that covers in remarkable detail the goings on in the world of film writing. It is Toronto Film Review, run by fellow Toronto cinephile and film literature devotee David Davidson. Over at his blog, you'll find monthly editorials, book reviews, news and write-ups on film-related goings-on in Toronto and more. The easily detectable passion and incredible depth of David's pieces alone make his site worth visiting - check it out!

Travels 'n' Books

Hello all. Within the next few days, I'll be embarking on a fresh new adventure - namely, the 10th annual Nippon Connection film festival in Frankfurt, Germany, which I'll be attending alongside my Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow boss and friend Chris MaGee. Stay tuned to that site for daily updates and reviews from both of us during the fest (running from April 14th-18th). Reviews will also be cross-posted over at Twitch.

After Nippon wraps up, I'll be spending a week in Paris, France, which I'm also pretty excited about. Expect pictures from both Frankfurt and Paris to be posted up here sometime in early May.

Also, I wanted to highlight an exciting upcoming event: the publication of the Directory of World Cinema: Japan from Intellect, edited by John Berra (who, I'm pleased to learn, will be attending Nippon Connection). Already released in the UK and hitting North American stores on April 15th, it features reviews and essays on a number of different films, filmmakers and subjects from several contributors, including myself and fellow Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow writers Bob Turnbull and Matthew Hardstaff. You can currently obtain a free PDF download of the book at the provided link. I got my copy a few weeks ago, and can honestly say that it is quite nicely put together and should be a pretty spiffy volume for Japanese cinema fans to add to their bookshelves.


Here is some information about and links where you can purchase the Japan volume:

ISBN 9781841503356
Volume 1
Paperback 350 pages
240x170mm
Published February 2010
Imprint: Intellect

Amazon.ca
Amazon.com
Intellect

Now, this book is part of a new series, the Directory of World Cinema, that will dedicate each volume to a different area of world cinema. I am currently contributing to the France volume, and some of the others being put together (and looking for other contributors) will look at Australia and New Zealand, Spain, Germany, Eastern Europe and many more areas of the world. Right now, you can download the American Independent volume (also edited by John Berra) for free right here.

Directory of World Cinema: Japan

Hello all. I hope the holiday season has been treating everyone well.


In about two and a half months, Intellect Books will be releasing the maiden volume in a new series of books that is very much of the same culture-sampling spirit as this blog: the Directory of World Cinema. Each book will look at a different area of world cinema, providing reviews and essays from a variety of scholars and writers.

The first book, which will be hitting shelves on February 15th, 2010, will be the Japan volume, edited by John Berra. I'm pretty excited about it - partly because I contributed a few reviews myself, as did my Toronto J-Film Pow-Wow colleagues Bob Turnbull and Matthew Hardstaff. But besides that, it's a pretty comprehensive guide with a nice layout and plenty of material on the main areas and key films and figures of Japanese cinema (one of my favorite pieces that I've read so far is John's essay on Takeshi Kitano's Achilles and the Tortoise, which he presents as the "Film of the Year"). But don't take my word for it - you can download the entire book in a PDF file right here.

If you like what you see and want an actual copy of the book, here are the book's listings for Amazon.com and Amazon.ca. Happy reading!