Showing titles in History & Criticism

Initially considered "just another slasher film" during its 1983 release, Sleepaway Camp has since emerged as a cult classic due to its talented young cast, remarkable practical effects, and notorious ending. But although the queer themes explored in its memorable final moments were initially intended to shock and unsettle audiences, Sleepaway Camp's empathetic portrayal of its unlikely killer sets it apart from other "trans panic" films of its time.

The Sound of Music is a classic film cherished in the hearts of millions. It won five Oscars, including Best Picture, upon its release in 1965. This tribute to a Hollywood classic is sure to thrill everyone who's ever sung along to "My Favorite Things" at one of the many screenings that still take place today. Through interviews with the cast and crew, in-depth access to memorabilia and personal scrapbooks, and archival research at Fox Studios, author Julia Antopol Hirsch reveals the lively human story behind the making of the von Trapp family film.

Audrey Hepburn is an icon like no other, yet the image many of us have of Audrey—dainty, immaculate—is anything but true to life. Here, for the first time, Sam Wasson presents the woman behind the little black dress that rocked the nation in 1961. The first complete account of the making of...

Saul Goodman v. Jimmy McGill: The Better Call Saul Critical Companion collects chief TV critic at Rolling Stone Alan Sepinwall's critical essays on every episode of the Emmy- and Golden Globe-nominated series. Sepinwall covered Better Call Saul from start to finish, and conducted exhaustive interviews with creator Vince Gilligan and stars Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seahorn, reproduced here alongside new interviews with series cocreator Peter Gould.

Bloomsbury presents Blade Runner by Scott Bukatman, read by David Blair. Ridley Scott's dystopian classic Blade Runner, an adaptation of Philip K. Dick's novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, combines noir with science fiction to create a groundbreaking cyberpunk vision of urban life in...

"Everything about me is in my films," Steven Spielberg has said. Taking this as a key to understanding the hugely successful moviemaker, Molly Haskell explores the full range of Spielberg's works for the light they shine upon the man himself. Through such powerhouse hits as E.T., Jurassic Park, and Indiana Jones, to less-appreciated movies like the haunting Schindler's List, Haskell shows how Spielberg's uniquely evocative filmmaking and story-telling reveal the many ways in which his life, work, and times are entwined.

For fans of one of the most successful and highly discussed shows in recent memory, LOST: Back to the Island is both a delightful time capsule and a rousing work of entertainment criticism.

From the single ladies of Beyoncé and Taylor Swift songs to Phoebe Waller-Bridge's irreverent television series Fleabag (2016–2019) to as far back as Miss Havisham in Great Expectations, the stereotype of the damaged single woman has long pervaded music, books, television, and Hollywood movies.

Bloomsbury presents The Cambridge Footlights by Robert Sellers, read by Mike Read. In the league table of the funniest universities in the world, Cambridge wears the crown. Home of Britain’s oldest student sketch comedy troupe, the Cambridge Footlights, it has been a veritable conveyor belt of...

Bloomsbury presents Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars: The Epic 1980s Saga by Tom K. Mason, read by Daniel Henning. Explore the Stories Behind the Legends In 1984, Marvel’s Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter brought Marvel’s heroes and villains together for an epic battle that became the template for...

What would happen to international politics if the dead rose from the grave and started to eat the living? Daniel Drezner's groundbreaking book answers the question that other international relations scholars have been too scared to ask. Addressing timely issues with analytical bite, Drezner looks at how well-known theories from international relations might be applied to a war with zombies.

Sausages: The Making of Dog Soldiers is a celebration of Neil Marshall’s debut soldiers versus werewolves movie. To coincide with the 20-year anniversary, it takes a deep dive look behind the scenes at the cult classic. As well as a full retrospective, you will find interviews with the cast and crew, original shot list, excerpts from the script and more. Encompassing the tone of Dog Soldiers, Sausages is the perfect companion to this fan-favourite film. Includes a foreword from genre icon Joe Dante and afterword from legendary director John Landis.

The feminist truths hiding in plain sight behind every glitter-fueled meltdown. For feminist media scholar Evie Psarras, The Real Housewives franchise has been her greatest source of entertainment and comfort since its first iteration. It’s also where she learned some of life’s most...

Jess Oppenheimer, "the brains" behind I Love Lucy, weaves this wonderfully entertaining tale of how his life experiences led him to create the iconic sitcom. Packed with humorous behind-the-scenes stories of stars like Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, William Frawley, Jack Benny, Douglas Fairbanks, and Fred Astaire.

Brought to you by Penguin. The insider account into the sitcom that barely survived its first season - but went on to become a modern classic. When Greg Daniels and Michael Schur, creators of The Office, came together to write a new comedy, they wanted to create something that would celebrate...

Read by Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong, and Will Friedle—the authors and stars of the show! The actors who played Topanga, Shawn, and Eric on Boy Meets World expand on their hit podcast, Pod Meets World, in a nostalgic behind-the-scenes history of the much-loved 90s sitcom, featuring untold...

One was a tough junkman's son, the other a cosseted mama's boy, but they dreamed the same mighty dream: that the right movies could make a profit and change both the culture and individual lives. Sharing a religion and an evangelical zeal for film, Louis B. Mayer (1884-1957) and Irving Thalberg (1899-1936) were unlikely partners in one of the most significant collaborations in movie history. Over the course of their decade-long relationship, as key players at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and major players in Hollywood, they joined forces in redefining and mastering the template for the film industry.

Game of Thrones fans watch in delight as the epic battle of Lannister and Stark entangles the Seven Kingdoms. But only the sharpest notice how these houses echo Lancaster and York in the War of the Roses. Druids, Catholics, and even Zoroastrians wander through Westeros, reframing their religions for a new world of fantasy. But how medieval is Westeros? Did lady knights and pirates really battle across Europe? The audiobook Winter is Coming: Symbols and Hidden Meanings in A Game of Thrones explores all this and more, from the echoes of history to the symbols and omens our beloved characters.

From Entertainment Weekly writer and debut author Samantha Highfill, a definitive and deliciously nostalgic look into the creation and legacy of the hit show The Vampire Diaries, as told by its cast, crew, and creators. In 2009, the CW released a show about grief, love, redemption, and, oh yeah...

From the creator of the highly popular Kardashian Kolloquium comes a new media manifesto for the TikTok age, blending theory and cultural analysis to explain the meteoric rise of the Kardashians and explore what their fame can teach us about the way media functions today “By far the best book...