ebooks by Richard Cross
Sam Peckinpah belongs to the elite group of directors who are at least as famous as the films they made. From 1961 to 1983 Peckinpah directed only 14 movies, but they included such classics as The Getaway, Straw Dogs, Bring Me the Head of Alfredo Garcia and, of course, The Wild Bunch, a violent classic hailed by many as one of the greatest Westerns ever made. These and every other theatrical movie directed by Peckinpah are reviewed in Don’t Say to Me We’re Not Violent, the latest in a series of ebooks in which Richard Cross reviews the films of a diverse selection of actors and directors.
Don’t Say to Me We’re Not Violent: The Films of Sam Peckinpah reviews every theatrical feature Peckinpah directed in an accessible, informative and often thought-provoking fashion. The author’s sincere hope is that each review will help both casual movie –watchers and film buffs alike to make informed decisions about which gems to make time for – and which to avoid…
The Films of John Belushi
John Belushi came to prominence in the mid-1970s as a founder member of the seminal American comedy show, Saturday Night Live, but he acquired international fame for his appearance as the near-feral Bluto in the irreverent teen comedy Animal House. Other iconic roles quickly followed, including Captain Wild Bill Kelso in Steven Spielberg’s manic comedy 1941, and ‘Joliet’ Jake Blues in The Blues Brothers. Belushi had a long history of drug abuse, which would eventually catch up to him on 5th March 1982 when he died from a speedball overdose.
The Films of John Belushi reviews every theatrical feature Belushi made in an accessible, informative and often thought-provoking fashion. The author’s sincere hope is that each review will help both casual movie –watchers and film buffs alike to make informed decisions about which gems to make time for – and which to avoid…
The Films of Michael Cimino
In the 1970s, Michael Cimino promised to be one of the greatest directors of his generation after his powerful war movie The Deer Hunter addressed the kind of personal issues surrounding America’s involvement in Vietnam. He followed that huge success with Heaven’s Gate, one of Hollywood’s biggest and most notorious box office flops. Cimino’s career never recovered from the devastating critical and commercial failure of Heaven’s Gate, and he went on to make only five more movies over the next 36 years before his death in 2016.
All of these movies and more are featured in The Films of Michael Cimino, the seventh in a series of e-books reviewing the films of the world’s greatest stars and directors. However, The Films of Michael Cimino is more than just a simple appreciation of his work – flaws and failings are highlighted with the same level of insight as the unique talent that saw Cimino become a major filmmaker. The author’s sincere hope is that each review in the series will help both casual movie–watchers and film buffs alike to make informed decisions about which gems to make time for – and which duds to avoid…
The Films of Daniel Day-Lewis
Son of a poet laureate and Grandson of Sir Michael Balcon, one of the leading figures in the history of British Cinema, Daniel Day-Lewis was born in Greenwich, London on 29th April 1957. He made his screen debut as a child in Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), but his screen career would not begin in earnest until the early 1980s, when he appeared in supporting roles in such British classics as Gandhi, My Beautiful Laundrette, and A Room With a View. Since winning acclaim for his performance as Christy Brown in My Left Foot: The Story of Christy Brown in 1989, Day-Lewis has gone on to become one of his generation’s finest actors, and is renowned for the painstaking lengths to which he goes to prepare for a role.
The Films of Daniel Day-Lewis reviews every theatrical feature in which Day-Lewis has appeared in an accessible, informative and often thought-provoking fashion. The author’s sincere hope is that each review will help both casual movie –watchers and film buffs alike to make informed decisions about which gems to make time for – and which to avoid…
The Films of Bob Fosse
Famed choreographer Robert Louis “Bob” Fosse’s career as a dancer took off in the early 1950s’ when he and his wife and dance partner Mary Ann Niles were spotted by the comedy duo Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, as a result of which Fosse won a contract with MGM. In 1955, after appearing in small roles in a few of the studio’s pictures, Fosse moved into theatre where he choreographed The Pajama Game and Damn Yankees. He then went on to direct a string of Broadway hits, many of which starred his third wife, Gwen Verdon. In 1969, Fosse directed the screen version of his Broadway hit, Sweet Charity. It was to be the first of only five films that Fosse was to direct, but that was all he needed to establish his own unique style, enabling him to make hit musical movies in an era when the genre was dying on its feet.
The Films of Bob Fosse reviews every theatrical feature Fossedirected in an accessible, informative and often thought-provoking fashion. The author’s sincere hope is that each review will help both casual movie –watchers and film buffs alike to make informed decisions about which gems to make time for – and which to avoid…
The Films of Grace Kelly
Although she made only 11 films in her brief screen career, Grace Kelly’s poise and elegance in front of the camera not only ensured that she was one of Hollywood’s most sought after actresses in the 1950s, but that her legacy remains as strong today as it was before her tragic death in 1982. Her body of work includes such classics as High Noon, in which she starred opposite Gary Cooper as the beleaguered Sheriff Will Kane’s fragile wife; Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window, which saw her helping her wheelchair-bound boyfriend (James Stewart) investigate the mysterious disappearance of a neighbour’s wife, and High Society, a remake of the classic The Philadelphia Story, in which she took on the part made famous by Katharine Hepburn.
The Films of Grace Kelly, which is the first in a planned series of e-books reviewing the films of the movie world’s greatest actors, reviews every theatrical feature Kelly made in an accessible, informative and often thought-provoking fashion. The author’s sincere hope is that each review will help both casual movie –watchers and film buffs alike to make informed decisions about which gems to make time for – and which to avoid…
The Films of Stanley Kubrick
Although he made only 3 short movies and 13 feature films in a career spanning 48 years, few directors have had a greater influence on cinema than Stanley Kubrick. From his earliest films, Kubrick demonstrated an incomparable visual artistry thanks to his work as a photographer for Look magazine in the 1940s and 1950s. His instinctive talent saw him rapidly graduate from small, low-budget thrillers like Killer’s Kiss and The Killing to high profile productions such as 2001: A Space Odyssey.
All of these movies and more are featured in The Films of Stanley Kubrick, the seventh in a series of e-books reviewing the films of the world’s greatest stars and directors. The Films of Stanley Kubrick reviews every theatrical feature made by Kubrick, from 1951’s short documentary Day of the Fight to 1999’s Eyes Wide Shut, in an accessible, informative and often thought-provoking fashion. However, The Films of Stanley Kubrick is more than a simple appreciation of his work – flaws and failings are highlighted with the same level of insight as the unique talent that saw Kubrick become a major filmmaker. The author’s sincere hope is that each review in the series will help both casual movie–watchers and film buffs alike to make informed decisions about which gems to make time for – and which duds to avoid…
The Films of Christopher Nolan
British-American writer-director Christopher Nolan, one of the most successful filmmakers of the 21st Century, began shooting movies at the age of seven. His first feature, Following (1998), which was self-funded with the help of friends, led to an offer to make his breakthrough hit Memento (2000), and from there his career hasn’t looked back. Over the past decade he has written and directed an unbroken string of critical and commercial successes, including three Batman movies, Inception (2010) and Interstellar (2014).
The Films of Christopher Nolan reviews every theatrical feature Nolan has made (from Following to Interstellar) plus his student short Doodlebug (1997) in an accessible, informative and often thought-provoking fashion. The author’s sincere hope is that each review will help both casual movie –watchers and film buffs alike to make informed decisions about which gems to make time for – and which to avoid…
The Films of the Wachowskis
The Wachowski siblings, Lana (formerly Larry), and Lilly (formerly Andy) have directed only seven films in a career spanning two decades, but their work has left an indelible mark on cinema history. Although impressive, their 1996 debut feature, the darkly twisted Noir thriller, Bound, gave no indication of the mind-bending Science Fiction classic, The Matrix, that was to follow in 1999. The Wachowskis followed the global success of this movie with a further two equally successful instalments. Since the completion of The Matrix trilogy, they have continued to provide moviegoers with a dazzlingly inventive body of work, and each new release of their work is awaited with eager anticipation.
All of these movies and more are featured in The Films of The Wachowskis, the sixth in a series of e-books reviewing the films of the world’s greatest stars and directors. The Films of The Wachowskis reviews every theatrical feature made by the siblings, from 1996’s Bound to 2015’s Jupiter Ascending, in an accessible, informative and often thought-provoking fashion. However, The Films of The Wachowskis is more than a simple appreciation of their work – flaws and failings are highlighted with the same level of insight as the unique talents that have seen the siblings become major filmmakers. The author’s sincere hope is that each review will help both casual movie–watchers and film buffs alike to make informed decisions about which gems to make time for – and which duds to avoid…
The Films of Will Smith
Will Smith has been a box-office sensation since the early 1990s after first making a name for himself in Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, a hit TV comedy show which was partly inspired by Smith’s pop persona as half of the rap duo D. J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. Although chiefly associated with the upbeat, easy-goingnature of his TV character, Smith has found success and critical acclaim in a number of diverse roles, including a troubled young con man in Six Degrees of Separation, World Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali in Michael Mann’s Ali, and the guilt-ridden protagonist of Seven Pounds. He has also brought his infectious good humour to more lightweight roles in such crowd-pleasing movies as Bad Boys and Bad Boys II, Hitch, and three Men in Black movies.
All of these movies and more are featured in The Films of Will Smith, the second in a series of e-books reviewing the films of the world’s greatest stars. The Films of Will Smith reviews every theatrical feature made by Smith, from 1991’s Where the Day Takes You to 2015’s Concussion, in an accessible, informative and often thought-provoking fashion. The author’s sincere hope is that each review will help both casual movie –watchers and film buffs alike to make informed decisions about which gems to make time for – and which to avoid…
The Films of Chris Tucker
Stand up comedian Chris Tucker is famous for playing loud mouthed maverick cop Carter opposite Jackie Chan in the hugely successful Rush Hour series of movies, but has also given memorable performances in such diverse movies as Friday, The Fifth Element, and Money Talks. His is a screen persona that divides opinion, but which always enlivens any movie in which he appears. Seeking to distance himself from the kind of screen roles that made him famous in the 1990s, Tucker more recently gave a touching performance opposite Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook.
All of these movies and more are featured in The Films of Chris Tucker, the ninth in a series of e-books reviewing the films of the world’s greatest stars. The Films of Chris Tucker reviews every theatrical feature made by Tucker, from 1993’s The Meteor Man to 2012’s Silver Linings Playbook, in an accessible, informative and often thought-provoking fashion. The author’s sincere hope is that each review will help both casual movie –watchers and film buffs alike to make informed decisions about which gems to make time for – and which to avoid….
The Secret Life of The Godfather
Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather is a brooding saga of naked ambition and greed, a story of organised crime and its infiltration into the very fabric of America’s fiercely capitalist heart; of aspirations vanquished; of deadly alliances and threats of murder made against those who dare to make a stand; of a brutal mob-initiated assassination; of shrewd opportunism, and of riches beyond the imagination of all but the most single-minded of professionals.
And that’s just the story behind the making of the film…
The Secret Life of The Shawshank Redemption
Although it was originally a flop at the box office upon its release in 1994, Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption, an adaptation of a novella from horror maestro Stephen King, has become an enduring classic. It’s theme of hope against adversity is one that has resonated with an entire generation, and the film has consistently occupied the top spot on the IMDb website’s list of Top 250 movies.
The Secret Life of The Shawshank Redemption gives a detailed insight into the making of this timeless classic, and also provides a scene-by-scene analysis which explains the film’s themes and subtexts in plain, easy to understand language. Other films available in the Secret Life of… series include The Secret Life of Citizen Kane, The Secret Life of The Godfather, and The Secret Life of Vertigo.
The Secret Life of Vertigo
Recently usurping Citizen Kane as the greatest film ever made on Sight & Sound’s prestigious decennial poll, Alfred Hitchcock’s classic thriller Vertigo is a complex and fascinating examination of obsession which the director admitted reflected many of his own psychological fixations. The Secret Life of Vertigo gives a detailed insight into the making of this timeless classic, and also provides a scene-by-scene analysis which explains the film’s themes and subtexts in plain, easy to understand language.