The Ultimate History of the '80s Teen Movie

Author: James King
Publisher: Diversion Books
ISBN: 1635765838
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 571

Book Description
For fans of The Movies That Made Us, a behind-the-scenes look at what went into making the favorite blockbuster films of the 1980s. A trip back to the era of troubled teens and awesome soundtracks; of Reagan, rap, and Ridgemont High; of MTV, VHS, and “Axel F”; of outsiders, lost boys, and dead poets; of Bill and Ted, Brooke Shields, and the Brat Pack; of three Porky’s flicks, two Coreys, and one summer when “Baby” refused to be put in a corner. The Ultimate History of the ’80s Teen Movie goes behind the scenes of a genre where cult hits mingled with studio blockbusters, where giants like Spielberg and Coppola rubbed shoulders with baby-faced first-timers, and where future superstars Sean, Demi, and Tom all got their big break. Music, comedy, and politics all play a part in the surprisingly complex history of the ’80s teen movie. And while the films might have been aimed primarily at adolescents, the best tackle universal issues and remain relevant to all ages. From a late ’70s Hollywood influx to an early ’90s indie scene that gave youth cinema a timely reboot, film expert James King highlights the personal struggles, the social changes, and the boardroom shake-ups that produced an iconic time in movie history. “Admirably opting for analysis over nostalgia and gossip, King examines the origin, production, and cultural afterlife of seemingly every youth-centric 1980s movie you've ever heard of and more . . . An excellent adventure through a distinct and genre-spanning era in cinema history. For casual movie fans and industry-minded cinephiles alike.” —Library Journal

The Outsiders

Author: Ann M. Ciasullo
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1000861899
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 89

Book Description
This volume traces the unique trajectory of The Outsiders, from beloved book to beloved movie. Based on S.E. Hinton’s landmark novel, Coppola’s film adaptation tells the story of the Greasers, a gang of working-class boys yearning for security, love, and acceptance in a world ruled by their rival gang, the rich Socs. The Outsiders: Adolescent Tenderness and Staying Gold explores the cultural impact of Hinton’s book, the process by which Coppola made the film, the film’s melodramatic components, the marketing of the movie to a young female audience, and the nostalgia industry that has emerged around it in recent decades, thereby illuminating how The Outsiders stands apart from other teen films of the 1980s. In its depiction of the emotional rather than sexual lives of young men on film and its recognition of the desires of teen girls as an audience, The Outsiders distinguishes itself from the standard teen fare of the era. With seriousness and sincerity, Coppola’s film captures the essence of the oft-repeated, timeless message of the story: ‘Stay gold.’ This volume engages with a wide range of disciplinary approaches—film studies, gender studies, and literary and cultural studies—in order to distinguish The Outsiders as the significant contribution to youth culture that it was in the early 1980s and continues to be in the twenty-first century. The book fills a gap in existing scholarship on youth culture and is ideal for scholars, students, and teachers in youth cultures, young adult literature, film studies, cultural studies, and gender studies.

Mainstream Maverick

Author: Holly Chard
Publisher: University of Texas Press
ISBN: 1477321322
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 284

Book Description
Winner, Best First Monograph, British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies In the 1980s and 1990s, John Hughes was one of Hollywood's most reliable hitmakers, churning out beloved teen comedies and family films such as The Breakfast Club and Home Alone, respectively. But was he an artist? Hughes, an adamantly commercial filmmaker who was dismissed by critics, might have laughed at the question. Since his death in 2009, though, he has been memorialized on Oscar night as a key voice of his time. Now the critics lionize him as a stylistic original. Holly Chard traces Hughes's evolution from entertainer to auteur. Studios recognized Hughes's distinctiveness and responded by nurturing his brand. He is therefore a case study in Hollywood's production not only of movies but also of genre and of authorship itself. The films of John Hughes, Chard shows, also owed their success to the marketers who sold them and the audiences who watched. Careful readings of Hughes's cinema reveal both the sources of his iconic status and the imprint on his films of the social, political, economic, and media contexts in which he operated. The first serious treatment of Hughes, Mainstream Maverick elucidates the priorities of the American movie industry in the New Hollywood era and explores how artists not only create but are themselves created.

Life Moves Pretty Fast

Author: Hadley Freeman
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1501130455
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Book Description
"An earlier edition of this work was published in Great Britain in 2015."--Title page verso.

Adventures in Ancient Egypt

Author: Linda Bailey
Publisher: Kids Can Press Ltd
ISBN: 9781550745467
Category : Juvenile Nonfiction
Languages : en
Pages : 60

Book Description
An exciting blend of fact and fiction and comic-book style illustrations make learning about Ancient Egypt fun in this book in the Good Times Travel Agency series.

Fast Times and Excellent Adventures

Author: JAMES. KING
Publisher: Constable
ISBN: 9781472123749
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 352

Book Description

Where the Boys Are

Author: Frances Gateward
Publisher: Wayne State University Press
ISBN: 0814336663
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 444

Book Description
Using the most current and diverse critical methods, Where the Boys Are is a crucial resource for film scholars and students at any level, and is the perfect companion to Gateward and Pomerance’s Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice: Cinemas of Girlhood (Wayne State University Press, 2002).

Be More Keanu

Author: James King
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 147358096X
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 128

Book Description
Keanu Reeves: actor, musician, dog lover. He's the internet's boyfriend. The poetic petrolhead. The guru on a surfboard. Part samurai, part samaritan. He is, very simply, 'The One'. 'James has been my movie guru for years and now he's my spiritual guru too! From now on I'm going to ask myself: 'What would Keanu do?' Jo Whiley In this hilarious book of pocket philosophy, film critic and Keanu fan James King reveals what makes Mr Reeves so special. He unpacks iconic films from the Bill & Teds to the John Wicks, as well as the star's own free-spirited life, showing us why the great man with the great hair has all the answers. And how everyone can #bemorekeanu. 'A handsome, cool, enigmatic Gen X'er who never seems to age, James King is the perfect man to write about Keanu Reeves.' Stephen Merchant

Seen That, Now What?

Author: Andrea Shaw
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 9780684800110
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 652

Book Description
You've never used a video guide like this before. You loved Chariots of Fire and you want to see something like it. Where do you start? Look up Chariots of Fire in the index, and find it in Drama. There you'll see it listed under White Flannel Films: Welcome to the glory days of the British empire when the ruling class rode horses on large country estates, servants were in plentiful supply, and only an adulterous lover questioned the status quo. As in other costume dramas, the period details are celebrations of all that was brilliant and luxurious, with the camera sweeping over British, Indian, or African countryscapes and exquisite turn-of-the-century interiors. But all this lush upholstery doesn't cover up the intelligent, thoughtful stories -- usually based on Lawrence, Forster, and Waugh novels -- played by stellar British actors. In White Flannel Films there are concise, witty reviews of select movies like A Room with a View A Passage to India Heat and Dust The Shooting Party Out of Africa White Mischief and more There is also a unique ratings system that helps you distinguish the bombs from the sleepers. But the key is that all these films offer the same kind of viewing experience -- if you like one, chances are good you'll like the others, too. Seen That, Now What? is your own personal video genius, who knows everything about movies and exactly what you like to watch.

The Columbia Companion to American History on Film

Author: Peter C. Rollins
Publisher: Columbia University Press
ISBN: 0231508395
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 695

Book Description
American history has always been an irresistible source of inspiration for filmmakers, and today, for good or ill, most Americans'sense of the past likely comes more from Hollywood than from the works of historians. In important films such as The Birth of a Nation (1915), Roots (1977), Apocalypse Now (1979), and Saving Private Ryan (1998), how much is entertainment and how much is rooted in historical fact? In The Columbia Companion to American History on Film, more than seventy scholars consider the gap between history and Hollywood. They examine how filmmakers have presented and interpreted the most important events, topics, eras, and figures in the American past, often comparing the film versions of events with the interpretations of the best historians who have explored the topic. Divided into eight broad categories—Eras; Wars and Other Major Events; Notable People; Groups; Institutions and Movements; Places; Themes and Topics; and Myths and Heroes—the volume features extensive cross-references, a filmography (of discussed and relevant films), notes, and a bibliography of selected historical works on each subject. The Columbia Companion to American History on Film is also an important resource for teachers, with extensive information for research or for course development appropriate for both high school and college students. Though each essay reflects the unique body of film and print works covering the subject at hand, every essay addresses several fundamental questions: What are the key films on this topic? What sources did the filmmaker use, and how did the film deviate (or remain true to) its sources? How have film interpretations of a particular historical topic changed, and what sorts of factors—technological, social, political, historiographical—have affected their evolution? Have filmmakers altered the historical record with a view to enhancing drama or to enhance the "truth" of their putative message?