Presents brief biographies of notable movie stars, from John Barrymore and Mary Pickford to George Clooney and Jodie Foster, and lists their most important films.

Humphrey Bogart. . . Marilyn Monroe. . . Meryl Streep. . . James Dean. . . Paul Newman. . .Not just run-of-the-mill film actors but larger-than-life movie stars who have captured the collective imagination, inspired millions of fans across the world, and gained immortality through their performances on and off the screen. 501 Movie Stars pays homage to these legends, trend-setters, and pop culture idols, with a dazzling and comprehensive gallery of the biggest movie stars from around the world. Every notable name to have worked their magic in front of the camera is here, from Gloria Swanson to Julia Roberts, from Frank Sinatra to Arnold Schwarzenegger... and 497 more! the A-Z approach of 501 Movie Stars allows you to locate any actor with maximum ease, making it an ideal movie-lover's reference. Each star has at least one full page devoted to their work, with a complete filmography and feature boxes on awards, cameos, favourite directors and stylistic trademarks. With 501 Movie Stars to hand, you'll have a one-stop resource to the larger-than-life faces of film that you can turn to and enjoy again and again.

501 Movie Stars pays homage to these legends, trendsetters, and pop cultural idols, with a dazzling and comprehensive gallery of the biggest movie stars from around the world. Every notable name to have worked their magic in front of the camera is here, from Gloria Swanson to Julia Roberts, from Frank Sinatra to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Gene Autry and John Wayne, from Toshiro Mifune and Sonny Chiba to Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu. The A-Z approach of 501 Movie Stars allows you to locate any actor with maximum ease, making it an ideal movielover's reference. Each star has at least one full page, with the most influential stars receiving extended treatment, devoted to their work, with a filmography and feature boxes on awards and stylistic trademarks.With 501 Movie Stars to hand, you'll have a one-stop resource to the larger-than-life faces of film that you can turn and enjoy, time and time again.

A comprehensive guide to all the movie directors you should know before it is too late.

Presents brief biographies of notable film directors from Georges Méliès to the present, describes their principal contributions, and lists their most important films.

"An invaluable collection for anyone researching or teaching cult cinema ... The Cult Film Reader is an authoritative text that should be of value to any student or researcher interested in challenging and transgressive cinema that pushes the boundaries of conventional cinema and film studies." Science Fiction Film and Television "A really impressive and comprehensive collection of the key writings in the field. The editors have done a terrific job in drawing together the various traditions and providing a clear sense of this rich and rewarding scholarly terrain. This collection is as wild and diverse as the films that it covers. Fascinating." Mark Jancovich, Professor of Film and Television Studies, University of East Anglia, UK "It's about time the lunatic fans and loyal theorists of cult movies were treated to a book they can call their own. The effort and knowledge contained in The Cult Film Reader will satisfy even the most ravenous zombie's desire for detail and insight. This book will gnaw, scratch and infect you just like the cult films themselves." Brett Sullivan, Director of Ginger Snaps Unleashed and The Chair "The Cult Film Reader is a great film text book and a fun read." John Landis, Director of The Blues Brothers, An American Werewolf in London and Michael Jackson's Thriller "Excellent overview of the subject, and a comprehensive collection of significant scholarship in the field of cult film. Very impressive and long overdue." Steven Rawle, York St John University, UK Whether defined by horror, kung-fu, sci-fi, sexploitation, kitsch musical or ‘weird world cinema’, cult movies and their global followings are emerging as a distinct subject of film and media theory, dedicated to dissecting the world’s unruliest images. This book is the world’s first reader on cult film. It brings together key works in the field on the structure, form, status, and reception of cult cinema traditions. Including work from key established scholars in the field such as Umberto Eco, Janet Staiger, Jeffrey Sconce, Henry Jenkins, and Barry Keith Grant, as well as new perspectives on the gradually developing canon of cult cinema, the book not only presents an overview of ways in which cult cinema can be approached, it also re-assesses the methods used to study the cult text and its audiences. With editors’ introductions to the volume and to each section, the book is divided into four clear thematic areas of study – The Conceptions of Cult; Cult Case Studies; National and International Cults; and Cult Consumption – to provide an accessible overview of the topic. It also contains an extensive bibliography for further related readings. Written in a lively and accessible style, The Cult Film Reader dissects some of biggest trends, icons, auteurs and periods of global cult film production. Films discussed include Casablanca, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Eraserhead, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Showgirls and Ginger Snaps. Essays by: Jinsoo An; Jane Arthurs; Bruce Austin; Martin Barker; Walter Benjamin; Harry Benshoff; Pierre Bourdieu; Noel Carroll; Steve Chibnall; Umberto Eco; Nezih Erdogan; Welch Everman; John Fiske; Barry Keith Grant ; Joan Hawkins; Gary Hentzi; Matt Hills; Ramaswami Harindranath; J.Hoberman; Leon Hunt; I.Q. Hunter; Mark Jancovich; Henry Jenkins; Anne Jerslev; Siegfried Kracauer; Gina Marchetti; Tom Mes; Gary Needham; Sheila J. Nayar; Annalee Newitz; Lawrence O’Toole; Harry Allan Potamkin; Jonathan Rosenbaum; Andrew Ross; David Sanjek; Eric Schaefer; Steven Jay Schneider; Jeffrey Sconce; Janet Staiger; J.P. Telotte; Parker Tyler; Jean Vigo; Harmony Wu