Regarding This Is Orson Welles, recommended to you above, I suggest listening to the audio book version after reading the text version. Bogdanovich reads from his own book, but in between he plays extended tape recordings of his actual interviews with Welles. For me, Welles' energy and attitude when he speaks is 80% of the story being told, and you don't get that from reading the transcription. My admiration for the man increases when I listen to his voice.

The audio book is out of print and I suppose pricey, but find it used if you can.

Free is indeed better, but there is more on the tapes and on the page. If you are a Welles devotee, you don't want to miss a word.

Excerpts from the greatest film-related book ever published. Amazingly suggestive Burt Reynolds fan mail from the 1970s, with teasing replies (allegedly) from Burt! I have no idea what this website is (Bro Bible?) but another blog I read linked to it. Will someone please get this entire book available again in some form? (Bibliophile hardcover edition perhaps?)

Oh, God, it's like Oldshepard wrote a book

I can't say whether or not this is light enough for you (it is serious, I guess), but one of the more fascinating early histories of the western is written by Scott Simmon: The Invention of the Western Film. Amazon has a "look inside" feature on the book's page. Hope this fits the bill; I think it's a very accessible cultural history of the western prior to the canonical films of the '40s and '50s. Perhaps not rife with cozy anecdotes, but diverting nonetheless.

I'm not 100% sure if anybody has mentioned it yet, but I found Framing Blackness: The African American Image on Film by Ed Guerrero to be absolutely essential reading.

I think this may be of interest to members etc. who loved Criterion's and MOC's Japanese New Wave releases:

Isolde Standish wrote a new book on the Japanese New Wave, which has been released last week in the US and may update Desser's 'Eros and Massacre'. The book is - somewhat misleadingly - titled 'Politics, Porn and Protest. Japanese Avant-Garde Cinema in the 1960s and 1970s' and seems to focus on aesthetic and stylistic topics as well as on ATG.

The best and sweetest autobiography written by a director himself, without doubt Ma Vie et Mes Films by Jean Renoir. I bought the original french version on Amazon but I'm sure there is an englishone as well. Beautiful stuff, especially when he talks about his childhood and his father, and how he fell in love with film by seeing ten Chaplin films daily while convalescing from war wounds.
How romantic :)

Indiana University Press is having another big sale until June 24th.

Anybody read/willing to endorse "Feminisms in the Cinema?"

Haven't read it, but there are new copies on AbeBooks.com for $2.99 plus shipping.

I was hoping the new edition of Quandt's Bresson book might be well discounted, but the code only takes off the shipping, possibly because it's still a preorder.

Hello forumites -- long time lurker, first time poster.

Thanks for all of these suggested titles, much now on my to-read list.

For those of you into recent French film, I hear "Brutal Intimacy: Analyzing Contemporary French Cinema" is really good.

Even better, thanks!

Time for another end-of-fiscal-year warehouse sweep by Indiana University Press. Use sale code SUMMER at checkout to save up to 70% with free domestic shipping for orders over $30. Sale ends 6/24.

IUP book recommendations by members from previous sales located here.

Anyone own No Man an Island: The Cinema of Hou Hsiao-hsien by James Udden? Any thoughts? I'm debating whether to get the kindle edition as the hardback is pretty pricey, so i'm also wondering if there are stills (color?), and what sort of approach the book takes? Does it go into analysis of the films themselves?

Anyone read this yet and can offer their opinion?

I contributed to the Support Senses fundraising campaign and I have a choice for one of the two books in the Contemporary Film Directors series: Steven Soderbergh by Aaron Baker or Hal Hartley by Mark L. Berrettini. Opinions? I wanted the Chris Marker or Kiarostami but they are unavailable.

Soderbergh, but duh doy I'd choose that one. I haven't read it but I'm tempted to pick it up myself. I don't know if it's available for you, but the Jerry Lewis one is extensive and very very theoretical

Matt Zoller Seitz lists his essential film criticism library.

I've only read three of the books on this list, but then film criticism is a luxury for which I don't have the free time. (If I could just do grad school over again...) So I don't know how the rest of the forum will take this list, but just putting it there to see what happens.

The Agee book on there is spectacular. I'm going to have to look up the Bogle book, that one sounds pretty fascinating. Other than that, no huge surprises, except maybe that there's no slot for Lotte Eisner.

A friend of mine recently asked me for a book recommendation, and as somebody who hasn't read any books on this particular subject I felt like I should ask here. Any help will be greatly appreciated!

From my friend:

"I am writing my thesis on the indie film movement that started in the 90s, and are there any books I should definitely check out?"

Anybody know any particularly good or great books on this subject? Thanks in advance!

I'm quite fond of Peter Biskind's Down and Dirty Pictures which covers the indie film scene at the time, but largely discusses how the Weinsteins monopolized the market and turned indie filmmaking into a brand.

I think I liked Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes but all I can really remember is a scattered bunch of amusing gossipy anecdotes, so take from that what you will