The Lord of the Rings

SALO, OR THE 120 DAYS OF SODOMPIER PAOLO PASOLINIPOCKET MOVIE GUIDEBy Jeremy Mark RobinsonA new critical study of the Italian filmmaker and poet Pier Paolo Pasolini's most controversial movie, Salò, o Le 120 Giornate di Sodoma (1975). Salo is a challenging film in every way. Critics at the time (and since) have found Salo difficult to sit through or unwatchable. Salo transposed the novel The 120 Days of Sodom (1785) by the Marquis de Sade (1740-1814) to Italy at the end of WWII. For Pier Paolo Pasolini, Salo was about (among other things), domination and submission, power and coercion, Western capitalism, the banal but all-pervasive influence of consumer culture, the power relations between the aristocratic class and the peasant/ working class, and fascism in Italy in the 1930s and 1940s. As Pasolini noted: 'where de Sade says God, I say Power; he was against the power over man's beliefs, I am against the power over man's body.' Pier Paolo Pasolini's other works in cinema include The Gospel According To Matthew, one of the great films about Jesus, the 'trilogy of life' movies based on Middle Ages texts (Chaucer, Boccaccio and the 1001 Nights), adaptations of ancient world plays (Medea and Oedipus Rex), and poetic portraits of contemporary Roman life (Accattone, Mamma Roma and The Hawks and the Sparrows). The book includes a biography of Pasolini, an exploration of aspects of his cinema, and topics related to Pasolini's life and interests such as religion, poetry, homosexuality, his colleagues, Marxist politics, modern Italy, and the Third World. Pier Paolo Pasolini was born on March 5, 1922, in Bologna, Italy. He died on November 2, 1975, in Ostia, Rome (he was buried in Casarca, in his beloved Friuli). When he was a film director, Pier Paolo Pasolini was certainly an intimidating presence, with a formidable reputation - like Cecil B. DeMille, D.W. Griffith or Jean-Luc Godard. Very confident, very smart, a great talker and interviewee, a leader on set, with no doubts from anyone about who was the primary creator and author. The appendices include quotes by Pasolini; and on Renaissance artists. Fully illustrated. Bibliography, appendices, filmography and notes. 256 pages. Hardcover with a colour laminated cover. Adults only. www.crmoon.com

C O W B O Y B E B O P THE ANIME TV SERIES AND MOVIE by Jeremy Mark Robinson Sex + drugs + rock music + comedy + Westerns + crime + drifter lifestyles + space battles + bars + casinos + fashion - and more music - what's not to like in Cowboy Bebop?! - and how it wittily and cleverly mixes all of those elements, and many more. This book focusses on the celebrated, hugely entertaining, cult 26-episode Japanese anime TV series Cowboy Bebop (1998), as well as the 2001 movie of the series. Cowboy Bebop is one of the masterpieces of animation of recent times. That Cowboy Bebop (first broadcast in 1998, and produced by Sunrise (a subsidiary of Bandai) and TV Tokyo), is a fan favourite goes without saying. It is a masterpiece of storytelling, invention, design and production on every level. It is unique. It regularly features in top ten lists of anime favourites, and sometimes tops the lists. Easy to see why: it's got everything, and then some. Includes chapters on the Japanese animation industry; on the personnel and the production of Cowboy Bebop; on the style, world and music of the series; and its many cultural links. At the centre of this book is an episode guide to Cowboy Bebop, running through every show in great detail. There is a chapter on the movie of Cowboy Bebop, released in 2001. The appendices include accounts of shows and manga linked to Cowboy Bebop (such as Macross Plus, Samurai Champloo and samurai manga). Includes: filmographies; resources; video and DVD availability; quotes from fans on Cowboy Bebop. Fully illustrated, including many images of the series and the movie, the actors and personnel, and related anime shows. Bibliography and notes. The hardcover edition comes in a smart case laminate cover, with a matte finish, in full colour. ISBN 9781861717351. 436 pages. www.crmoon.com

FULLMETAL ALCHEMISTA CRITICAL STUDY: HIMORU ARAKAWA: THE MANGA AND THE ANIMEFullmetal Alchemist (Hagane no Renkinjutsushi, 2001-2010) is a long-running manga by Himoru Arakawa (b. 1973, Hokkaido), a masterwork of narrative art of recent times which led to the production of two truly magnficent animé series in 2003-2004 and 2009-2010. The Fullmetal Alchemist comic and animated series depict a fully realized steam-punk world in which alchemy is a science. The heroes, Ed and Al Elric, are alchemists who commit the ultimate taboo of trying to bring their mother back to life. The story follows their struggle to regain their former, damaged selves, and to save the country of Amestris from the villains, the homunculi. Fullmetal Alchemist may well be the most accomplished and profound manga and anime of recent years. Everything about it works - as absolutely thrilling storytelling, with compelling characters, truly awesome action scenes, and very contemporary political themes. Himoru Arakawa's artwork is sharp, elegant and witty, and her imagination knows no bounds. The two animated TV series render the world of Fullmetal Alchemist in a spectacular fashion. The Fullmetal Alchemist franchise includes movies, video games, soundtracks, audio tracks, light novels, guidebooks, artbooks, and toys. This new study features a complete survey of the Fullmetal Alchemist manga, chapter by chapter; a guide to the two animated TV series, episode by episode; chapters on the Fullmetal Alchemist movies and Original Video Animations; and chapters on Arakawa's other comics and anime (such as Arslan, Heroic Tales and Silver Spoon). This is the most comprehensive exploration of Fullmetal Alchemist anywhere. Fully illustrated with over 170 illustrations. Bibliography, filmography, resources and notes. 632 pages. Hardcover with a full colour case laminate cover. www.crmoon.com

THE TRILOGY OF LIFE MOVIESTHE DECAMERON - THE CANTERBURY TALES - THE ARABIAN NIGHTSPIER PAOLO PASOLINIPOCKET MOVIE GUIDEBy Jeremy Mark RobinsonA new critical study of the Italian filmmaker and poet Pier Paolo Pasolini's 'trilogy of life' movies (also known as the 'trilogia di vita'/ 'mediaeval trilogy'): The Decameron (Il Decamerone, 1971), The Canterbury Tales (I racconti di Canterbury, 1972), and The Arabian Nights (Il Fiore Delle Mille e Una Notte, 1974). The 'trilogy of life' movies were adaptations of Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-75), Geoffrey Chaucer (c. 1340-1400), and the 1001 Nights (15th century). Pier Paolo Pasolini's other works in cinema include The Gospel According To Matthew, one of the great films about Jesus, adaptations of ancient world plays (Medea and Oedipus Rex), and poetic portraits of contemporary Roman life (Accattone, Mamma Roma and The Hawks and the Sparrows). The book includes a biography of Pier Paolo Pasolini, an exploration of aspects of his cinema, and topics related to Pasolini's life and interests such as religion, poetry, homosexuality, his colleagues, Marxist politics, modern Italy, and the Third World. Pier Paolo Pasolini was born on March 5, 1922, in Bologna, Italy. He died on November 2, 1975, in Ostia, Rome (he was buried in Casarca, in his beloved Friuli). When he was a film director, Pier Paolo Pasolini was certainly an intimidating presence, with a formidable reputation - like Cecil B. DeMille, D.W. Griffith or Jean-Luc Godard. Very confident, very smart, a great talker and interviewee, a leader on set, with no doubts from anyone about who was the primary creator and author. The appendices include quotes by Pasolini; a chapter on Satyricon (Federico Fellini, 1969); two films directed by Sergio Citti, Pasolini's frequent collaborator; and on Renaissance artists. Fully illustrated. Bibliography, appendices, filmography and notes. 324 pages. Hardcover with a colour laminated cover. Adults only. www.crmoon.com

KURT JACKSONPAINTING - SKY - SEA- LIGHT - LAND - CORNWALLBY JEREMY ROBINSONLARGE PRINT EDITOINA new book about the British landscape painter Kurt Jackson (b. 1961). This new edition includes a text which has been completely updated. There are also many new illustrations. including photographs taken for this new edition. EXTRACT FROM CHAPTER 4: One of Kurt Jackson's appealing concepts is that the ocean is one of the last true wildernesses left on the planet. It's an idea that I found very interesting when he explained it to me when we first met in St Just. I took it that he meant a spiritual as well as an ecological or natural wilderness. Jackson's art can thus be seen as an art that is the border region between humanity and nature, between culture and nature, as well as literally tackling that area - the coast - which is neither land nor sea.

HELLSING<BR>KOHTA HIRANO<BR>THE MANGA AND THE ANIME<BR>A Critical Study<BR>By Jeremy Mark Robinson<BR>This is a study of the manga and anime of Kohta Hirano, best-known for the Hellsing series. Kohta Hirano was born in Adachi, Tokyo on July 14, 1973. He worked as a manga assistant. His resumé of comics is rather thin - it's mainly short works, and his major opus, Hellsing, is only ten volumes long. The Hellsing manga (a.k.a. Hellsing: The Legend of a Vampire Hunter) was written and drawn by Kohta Hirano. It was published in Young King Ours magazine, owned by Shonen Gahosha), between 1997 and 2008. The format is a b/w manga, with a regular layout of typically 3, 4 or 5 panels per page (and most of the action's contained within the panels). The chapters range from a regular length (19 pages) to 35 or more pages (so the 89 chapters of Hellsing form a longer manga in all - 95 chapters if you include Hellsing: Dawn). The chapters have pop culture titles such as Sword Dancer, Dead Zone, Elevator Action, Age of Empire, Final Fantasy and Soldier of Fortune. Like Bleach, Blade of the Immortal and Naruto, Hellsing is not a talky manga - instead, the emphasis is on style, design, atmosphere, and, of course, action. (And in those areas, of design and style, of mood and texture, and of action, Hellsing is hugely successful. Without question, the second Hellsing anime series is a remarkable piece of sustained insanity and ultra-violence in animation (even by the standards of Japanese animé). It corrected most of the flaws with the first Hellsing series, and went all-out in rendering the second half of Kohta Hirano's manga, including the Nazi invasion of Great Britain. So Hirano-sensei has been very lucky in having not one but two great animated series adapted from his work: Hellsing 2 and Drifters, and one entertaining TV season. (Lucky, because some adaptations of manga are poor). <BR>Fully illustrated, with images from the Kohta Hirano's manga and anime. With filmography, bibliography and notes. 212 pages. www.crmoon.com<BR>

THE LORD OF THE RINGS MOVIES: POCKET GUIDE A pocket guide to the Hollywood adaptions of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings, released in 2001, 2002 and 2003. The book tells you everything you need to know about these very popular films, from writing the script through casting and financing, to shooting and performances, to visual effects, editing and theatrical distribution. The pocket guide includes discussions of every single scene in the three movies, including the Special Extended Editions (some scenes are explored in great detail, as well as some key individual shots). There are sections on the all of the important differences between The Lord of the Ring book and the Hollywood movies (including numerous details), as well as a chapter exploring the additions and the omissions. Looks at behind the scenes stories, and also the critical response to the movies. There are chapters on the visual effects, on the casting and key personnel of the movies, on the studio and the financing of the films, on the music and sound, and the marketing and release of the movies in 2001-2003 (including the home entertainment releases on DVD and video). There is also a chapter on the critical response to the movies. There is also an appendix on other adaptions of J.R.R. Tolkien's books. Jeremy Robinson has written many critical studies, including Steven Spielberg, Arthur Rimbaud, Jean-Luc Godard, Hayao Miyazaki, Ken Russell, Walerian Borowczyk, and The Sacred Cinema of Andrei Tarkovsky, plus literary monographs on: J.R.R. Tolkien; J.M.W. Turner; Samuel Beckett; Thomas Hardy; Arthur Rimbaud; André Gide; John Cowper Powys; Robert Graves; and Lawrence Durrell. Includes bibliography, illustrations, appendices and notes. ISBN 9781861713780. 496 pages. www.crmoon.com

THE LORD OF THE RINGS MOVIES: POCKET GUIDEA pocket guide to the Hollywood adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy epic The Lord of the Rings, released in 2001, 2002 and 2003. The book tells you everything you need to know about these very popular films, from writing the script through casting and financing, to shooting and performances, to visual effects, editing and theatrical distribution.The pocket guide includes discussions of every single scene in the three movies, including the Special Extended Editions (including some key individual shots). There are sections on the all of the important differences between The Lord of the Ring book and the movies (including numerous details), as well a chapter exploring the additions and the omissions. Looks at behind the scenes stories, and also the critical response to the movies.There are chapters on the visual effects, on the casting and key personnel of the movies, on the studio and the financing of the films, on the music and sound, and the marketing and release of the movies in 2001-2003 (including the home entertainment releases on DVD and video). There is also a chapter on the critical response to the movies.There is also an appendix on other adaptions of J.R.R. Tolkien's books.Jeremy Robinson has written many critical studies, including Steven Spielberg, Arthur Rimbaud, Jean-Luc Godard, and The Sacred Cinema of Andrei Tarkovsky, plus literary monographs on: J.R.R. Tolkien; Samuel Beckett; Thomas Hardy; André Gide; Robert Graves; and Lawrence Durrell.It's amazing for me to see my work treated with such passion and respect. There is nothing resembling it in the U.S. in relation to my work.Andrea Dworkin (on Andrea Dworkin)This model monograph - it is an exemplary job, and I'm very proud that he has accorded me a couple of mentions... The subject matter of his book is beautifully organised and dead on beam.Lawrence Durrell (on The Light Eternal: A Study of J.M.W. Turner)

KURT JACKSONBy Jeremy Mark RobinsonA new book about the British landscape painter Kurt Jackson (b. 1961). This new edition includes a text which has been completely updated. There are also many new illustrations. including photographs taken for this new edition. EXTRACT FROM CHAPTER 4: One of Kurt Jackson's appealing concepts is that the ocean is one of the last true wildernesses left on the planet. It's an idea that I found very interesting when he explained it to me when we first met in St Just. I took it that he meant a spiritual as well as an ecological or natural wilderness. Jackson's art can thus be seen as an art that is the border region between humanity and nature, between culture and nature, as well as literally tackling that area - the coast - which is neither land nor sea.

THE ART OF MASAMUNE SHIROWVOLUME 2: ANIMÉby Jeremy Mark RobinsonThis is a study of the animated adaptations of the art of Masamune Shirow (real name Masanuri Ota, b. 1961, Kobe, Japan), a Japanese artist best known for Ghost In the Shell, Appleseed and Dominion: Tank Police. Shirow is one of the great imaginations in the world of Japanese manga and animé - his works have formed the basis of several important franchises in the world of animation.Masamune Shirow's art is marked by futuristic, cyber-punk settings, fabulous, often eccentric designs, elaborate mecha (such as tanks and mobile suits), voluptuous warrior women and detailed storytelling (accompanied by his famous notes).The Art of Masamune Shirow includes a biography; chapters on Shirow's signature works in animé - Appleseed and Ghost In the Shell - and his lesser-known adaptations, such as Dominion: Tank Police and Ghost Hound.Every adaptation of the two popular franchises based on Masamune Shirow's work, Appleseed and the Ghost In the Shell, is discussed in detail: from the 1988 animé of Appleseed and the 1995 movie of Ghost In the Shell to the latest versions and series (such as the Arise series, the Stand Alone Complex: 2045 series, the live-action version of Ghost In the Shell, and the Appleseed animated films).Fully illustrated, including many images from Masamune Shirow's whole output in animation, and the neglected works, such as Black Magic, Real Drive and Pandora In the Crimson Shell.The Art of Masamune Shirow is published in three volumes:Volume 1: MangaVolume 2: AniméVolume 3 EroticaHardcover - full colour laminate cover.Bibliography, resources and notes. 444 pages.www.crmoon.com