The TLA Film, Video & DVD Guide 2002-2003 is the absolutely indispensible guide for the true lover of cinema. By focusing on independent and international films, and avoiding much of the made-for-TV/made-for-cable/made-for-video dreck, this guide offers more comprehensive coverage of the films the reader may actually want to rent and see. The guide includes: * Reviews of more than 10,000 films * Four detailed indexes - by star, director, theme, genre, and country of origin * More than 450 photos throughout * A listing of all the major film awards, TLA Bests and recommended films * A comprehensive selection of cinema from over 50 countries From one of the finest names in video retailing and a growing rental chain comes the latest edition of one of the most respected film, video, and DVD guides. The TLA Film, Video & DVD Guide is perfect for anyone whose tastes range from All About My Mother to Fight Club; from This Is Spinal Tap to Ma Vie en Rose.

The TLA Film, Video and DVD Guide 2004 is the absolutely indispensable guide to worthwhile cinema. It includes over 10,000 entries on the best of film and video that a real film lover might actually want to see. Unlike some of the other mass market guides that tend to be clogged with unenlightening entries on even more unenlightening films, TLA focuses on independent, foreign as well as the best of Hollywood to bring the cineaste an opinionated guide that is both fun to read and easy to use. The guide includes: * Reviews of more than 10,000 entries * Four detailed indexes--by star, director, country of origin, and theme. * More than 300 photos throughout * A listing of all the major film awards of the past quarter century, as well as TLA Bests and recommended films *A comprehensive selection of cinema from over 50 countries. From one of the finest names in video retailing and a growing rental chain comes the latest edition of one of the most respected film, video, and DVD guides. The TLA Film, Video and DVD Guide is perfect for anyone with an eclectic taste in cinema.

America's chief exports are war and entertainment; combined, they are the war films viewed all over the world. The film industry is a partner of the government; American film shapes the ways in which both Americans and others view war. The authors herein explore differing film perspectives across five decades. The essays, written especially for this volume, explore topics such as frontier justice, Cold War fervor, government-sponsored terrorism, the "back-to-Nam" films, films as a venue for propaganda, and war's far-reaching effects on personal values, family relationships, and general civility. The movies used in these analyses vary from conventional battle epics like Bridge on the River Kwai and The Green Berets to motion pictures with a war motif either as part of the story (The Way We Were) or as a historical setting (The Graduate). Some of the films are satirical (Dr. Strangelove); some are propagandistic (The Alamo, Big Jim McLain). Other films include Black Hawk Down, True Lies, The Deer Hunter, Patriot Games and Let There Be Light. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

According to many critics, the era of "Film Noir" ended with the 1958 release of Orson Welles' classic Touch of Evil. The style was not dead, but rather had been transformed, and two years later, Alfred Hitchcock ushered in a new era of "Noir" films with the release of his 1960 masterpiece, Psycho. Film scholar Ronald Schwartz examines the most significant representatives of this cinematic style, beginning with Hitchcock's shocker and concluding with Michael Mann's Collateral (2004). Schwartz provides in-depth analyses of over thirty of the best "Neo-Noir" films and explains the qualities and characteristics of the "new noir" style. He also explains how it differs from "Film Noir" of the forties and fifties. As this study reveals, the new style significantly impacted American film after 1960. In this chronological guide, Schwartz examines such landmark films as The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Point Blank (1967), The French Connection (1971), Chinatown (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), Body Heat (1981), Blood Simple (1984), Fatal Attraction (1987), The Grifters (1990), Reservoir Dogs (1992), The Usual Suspects (1995), L.A. Confidential (1997), Memento (2000), and Mystic River (2003). The book also includes an alphabetical filmography, listing over 650 films that in plot, style, or subject matter reflect the diversity of the genre. This reference work will be a valuable resource for film scholars and fans alike who wish to further explore the ever-evolving aspects of "Neo-Noir" cinema.

This 2005 edition of the annual critical guide that focuses on independent and international films as well as the best in the mainstream contains reviews for more than 10,000 films, more than 300 photos, a comprehensive selection of cinema from more than 50 countries, and much more.