Britain has long been recognised for its proud contribution to documentary cinema, yet its tradition of scientific and medical documentaries remains poorly documented. This is the first in-depth history of the genre.

“Deftly shows how a seemingly frivolous film genre can guide us in shaping tomorrow’s world.” —Seth Shostak, senior astronomer, SETI Institute Artificial intelligence, gene manipulation, cloning, and interplanetary travel are all ideas that seemed like fairy tales but a few years ago. And now their possibilities are very much here. But are we ready to handle these advances? This book, by a physicist and expert on responsible technology development, reveals how science fiction movies can help us think about and prepare for the social consequences of technologies we don’t yet have, but that are coming faster than we imagine. Films from the Future looks at twelve movies that take us on a journey through the worlds of biological and genetic manipulation, human enhancement, cyber technologies, and nanotechnology. Readers will gain a broader understanding of the complex relationship between science and society. The movies mix old and new, and the familiar and unfamiliar, to provide a unique, entertaining, and ultimately transformative take on the power of emerging technologies, and the responsibilities they come with.

"What issues, of both form and content, shape the documentary film? What role does visual evidence play in relation to a documentary's arguments about the world in which we live? Can a documentary be believed, and why or why not? How do documentaries abide by or subvert ethical expectations? Are mockumentaries a form of subversion? In what ways can the documentary be an aesthetic experience and at the same time have political or social impact? And how can such impacts be empirically measured? Pioneering film scholar Bill Nichols investigates the ways in which documentaries strive for accuracy and truthfulness, but simultaneously fabricate a form that shapes reality. Such films may rely on re-enactment to re-create the past, storytelling to provide satisfying narratives, and rhetorical figures such as metaphor and expressive forms such as irony to make a point. In many ways documentaries are a fiction unlike any other. With clarity and passion, Nichols offers close readings of several provocative documentaries including Land without Bread, Restrepo, The Thin Blue Line, The Act of Killing, and Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine as part of an authoritative examination of the layered approaches and delicate ethical balance demanded of documentary filmmakers"--Provided by publisher.

Movie lovers rejoice! Learn amazing facts and behind-the-scenes stories about the making of some of the best-loved films of the past 50 years. Cinephiles rejoice! From Mental Floss, an online destination for more than a billion curious minds since its founding in 2001, comes the ultimate book for movie lovers. The Curious Movie Buff is filled with fascinating facts and behind-the-scenes insights about the making of your favorite movies from the last 50 years. Every film fan will find something to love, with the team at Mental Floss profiling more than 60 films of the past half-century, from well-known blockbusters to critical favorites and cult classics. The highlighted titles span across various decades and genres and include iconic franchises like Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, Oscar-winning classics like The Godfather and Titanic, rip-roaring comedies from Blazing Saddles and The Big Lebowski, indie hits like Reservoir Dogs and Paranormal Activity, and superhero favorites such as Superman and The Dark Knight. Throughout are quirky sidebars from the Mental Floss archives, such “Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie Locations You Can Visit IRL,” “Remakes That Are Better than the Original Movie,” The 25 Best Movie Endings of All Time,” “Summer ‘Blockbusters’ That Completely Tanked at the Box Office,” and “The Best Movie Trailers Ever.” TRIVIA ABOUT MORE THAN 60 MOVIES: Get the inside scoop, fascinating facts, and behind-the-scenes trivia on the greatest movies from the past 50 years, from serious dramas such as The Godfather to seriously funny comedies like The Big Lebowski FASCINATING AND INFORMATIVE LISTS: Learn about movie locations you can visit, what movies have the best endings, and which movies scraped the bottom of the barrel with Mental Floss’s info-packed lists SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE: Whether you’re in the mood for a classic, jonesing for a good Western, wondering what sci-fi films you’ve missed, or just want to discover a new movie, the team at Mental Floss will steer you in the right direction THE PERFECT GIFT FOR MOVIE FANS: Mental Floss: The Curious Movie Buff is the ideal gift for the film enthusiasts in your life

From Bruce Lee to James Bond, Jackie Chan to Jet Li, Enter the Dragon to Kung Fu Panda, kung fu films remain a thrilling part of movie-lovers' lives. Now the acknowledged pioneer in the genre presents his magnum opus on the subject, incorporating information and revelations never before seen in America. From the ancient Peking Opera origins to its superhero-powered future, Ric Meyers reveals the loony, the legendary, and everything in between. This vivid, action-packed book may delight, surprise, fascinate, and even enlighten you with a personal V.I.P. tour through the wondrous world of the most ridiculously exhilarating movies ever made.

Bibliography of novels based on films. Not many books like this.

The films discussed in this book have been labeled cinéma vomitif because they induce a visceral response in their audience. They are an underground hybrid of slasher movies, exploitation films, and shock-u-mentaries. Taking a serious look at a taboo subject, Brottman argues that these scandalous films are of far more substance than has been previously assumed. Their consistent appeal to our repressed appetites, libidinal instincts, and fascination with flesh and death has much to tell us about the human condition. Films analyzed include the voyeuristic Freaks (1932), the traumatic psychodrama The Tingler (1959), the succés de scandale The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1976), the Italian shocker Cannibal Holocaust (1983), and two recent series of live death shock-u-mentaries, Death Scenes and Faces of Death (1989-1994). These movies, shunned from mainstream cinema because they are too offensive, obscene, marginal or bizarre, are considered here for the first time as an important part of the cinematic canon.