From the Arthurian epic poem Parzival to Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and the Assassin's Creed video game series, the Knights Templar have captivated artists and audiences alike for centuries. In modern times, the Templars have featured in many narrative contexts, evolving in a range of contrasting story roles: the grail guardian, the heroic knight, the villainous knight, and the keeper of conspiracies. This study explores why these gone but not forgotten warrior monks remain prominent in popular culture, how history influenced the myth, and how the myth has influenced literature, film and video games.

Singin' in the Rain, The Sound of Music, Camelot--love them or love to hate them, movie musicals have been a major part of all our lives. They're so glitzy and catchy that it seems impossible that they could have ever gone any other way. But the ease in which they unfold on the screen is deceptive. Dorothy's dream of finding a land "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was nearly cut, and even a film as great as The Band Wagon was, at the time, a major flop.
In Dangerous Rhythm: Why Movie Musicals Matter, award winning historian Richard Barrios explores movie musicals from those first hits, The Jazz Singer and Broadway Melody, to present-day Oscar winners Chicago and Les Miserables. History, film analysis, and a touch of backstage gossip combine to make Dangerous Rhythm a compelling look at musicals and the powerful, complex bond they forge with their audiences. Going behind the scenes, Barrios uncovers the rocky relationship between Broadway and Hollywood, the unpublicized off-camera struggles of directors, stars, and producers, and all the various ways by which some films became our most indelible cultural touchstones -- and others ended up as train wrecks.
Not content to leave any format untouched, Barrios examines animated musicals and popular music with insight and enthusiasm. Cartoons have been intimately connected with musicals since Steamboat Willie. Disney's short Silly Symphonies grew into the instant classic Snow White, which paved the way for that modern masterpiece, South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut. Without movie musicals, Barrios argues, MTV would have never existed. On the flip side, without MTV we might have been spared Evita.
Informed, energetic, and humorous, Dangerous Rhythm is both an impressive piece of scholarship and a joy to read."

Volume 1 of 3. Learn from the feature players of Hollywood what it was like to work on films during its Golden Era. Enjoy their often humorous and exciting stories as they lived out their lives and careers behind and in front of the camera.

The horror film is meant to end in hope: Regan McNeil can be exorcized. A hydrophobic Roy Scheider can blow up a shark. Buffy can and will slay vampires. Heroic human qualities like love, bravery, resourcefulness, and intelligence will eventually defeat the monster. But, after the 9/11, American horror became much more bleak, with many films ending with the deaths of the entire main cast. "Post-9/11 Horror in American Cinema" illustrates how contemporary horror films explore visceral and emotional reactions to the attacks and how they underpin audiences' ongoing fears about their safety. It examines how scary movies have changed as a result of 9/11 and, conversely, how horror films construct and give meaning to the event in a way that other genres do not. Considering films such as Quarantine, Cloverfield, Hostel and the Saw series, Wetmore examines the transformations in horror cinema since 9/11 and considers not merely how the tropes have changed, but how our understanding of horror itself has changed.

"Filmspeak" is an accessible, innovative book which uses specific examples to show how once arcane literary and cultural theory has infiltrated popular culture. Theory reaches us in ways we do not even realize. Issues such as the nature of knowledge or truth, the function of personal response in interpretation, the nature of the forces of politics, the female alternative to the male view of the world, are fundamental for all of us. And intelligent analysis of the relationship between literary theory and popular culture can help us to understand our fast-changing world.Here, experienced literary scholar and teacher Edward L. Tomarken explains how it is possible to study the rudiments of literary theory by watching and analyzing contemporary mainstream movies - from "The Dark Knight" to "Kill Bill," and from "The Social Network" to "The Devil Wears Prada." Theorists discussed include Foucault, Jameson, Iser, and Cixous. Tomarken brilliantly demonstrates that anyone can grasp modern literary theory by way of mainstream movies without having to wade through stacks of impenetrable jargon.

This forward-looking exploration of contemporary American film across the last 40 years identifies and examines the specific movies that changed the film industry and shaped its present and future. Since the mid-1970s, American cinema has gone through enormous changes, such as the birth of the modern summer blockbuster, the rise of the independent film industry, ongoing technological advancements in special effects, and the ever-evolving models for film distribution. Written by a professional film critic and film buff, this book tells the story of contemporary American cinema in a unique and engaging way: by examining 25 key movies that demonstrated a significant creative, technological, or business innovation that impacted the industry at large. Each chapter in this chronological survey of contemporary film is divided into two sections: "The Film," which offers a critical overview of the film in question; and "The First," which describes the specific innovation achieved by that film and places that achievement in the larger historical context. Two additional appendices in each chapter explore other significant aspects of both the film and its groundbreaking nature. The broad coverage-ranging from action movies to horror films to science fiction favorites-ensures the work's appeal to all film fans. Takes stock of the 2000s and explains how this period built on what came before and predicts how American cinema will continue to evolve in the next decade Provides up-to-the-minute, contemporary treatment of contemporary cinema that will appeal to and resonate with young readers and film buffs in particular Presents a historical perspective on 40 years of American film within the framework of a list of 25 essential movies to effectively capture readers' attention and expand their cinematic horizons beyond the latest Hollywood blockbuster production Utilizes a film-by-film approach that also allows for the inclusion of appendices that focus upon ideas, subjects, and people in modern film, such as comic books, key actors and actresses, and video games

Over the years, Mondo has received global recognition for its incredible art posters that bring to life classic films, TV shows, and comics in a refreshing and utterly striking new way, offering a unique perspective on everything from Star Wars to Robocop, Back to the Future, Jurassic Park, Game of Thrones, Godzilla, Kill Bill, and many, many more. For the first time, The Art of Mondo will bring together this much sought-after art in one deluxe volume that showcases the incredible ingenuity of the studio's diverse stable of artists whose vastly different styles are united by one guiding principle: limitless passion for their subject matter. This richly imaginative work is fueled by a love of pop culture that fans recognize and identify with, giving Mondo's output a rare and valuable synergy with its audience. While these posters are normally produced in a limited quantity and sell out in minutes, The Art of Mondo will allow fans to explore the studio's remarkable back catalog, including Olly Moss's iconic Star Wars trilogy work, Laurent Durieux's brilliantly subtle Jaws poster, and Tyler Stout's Guardians of the Galaxy art. Other key Mondo artists such as Jock, Martin Asin, and Aaron Horkey will also feature. Definitive, visually stunning, and filled with art that celebrates some of the biggest and best-loved properties in pop culture, The Art of Mondo will be the ultimate book for cult art fans everywhere.

This study deepens our historical understanding of the North-African Jewish and Middle Eastern Jewish experience during WWII, which is often under- or mis-represented by the media in Israel, the Arab world, France, and Italy. Public, historical and sociocultural discourse is examined to clarify whether these communities are accepted by the world as "Holocaust survivors". Further, it determines the extent to which their wartime history is revealed to Israeli society in its cultural performances. Importantly, this work addresses the reasons why the Holocaust of North African Jewry is absent from Israeli and world consciousness. Finally, the study contemplates the consequences of these phenomena for Israeli society as well as in the colonial countries of France and Italy. "In addition to using academic resources, Golan captures this history from the margins by utilizing audio-visual and artistic media in addition to evidence recorded on community heritage websites, Facebook, and other online social networks. Golan's book demonstrates that there is a moral imperative to preserve and transmit these memories of persecution and discrimination..." -David B Levy, Touro College, NYC, Association of Jewish Libraries News and Reviews 1.2 (2019)

Shusaku Endo is celebrated as one of Japan's great modern novelists, often described as "Japan's Graham Greene," and Silence is considered by many Japanese and Western literary critics to be his masterpiece. Approaching Silence is both a celebration of this award-winning novel as well as a significant contribution to the growing body of work on literature and religion. It features eminent scholars writing from Christian, Buddhist, literary, and historical perspectives, taking up, for example, the uneasy alliance between faith and doubt; the complexities of discipleship and martyrdom; the face of Christ; and, the bodhisattva ideal as well as the nature of suffering. It also frames Silence through a wider lens, comparing it to Endo's other works as well as to the fiction of other authors. Approaching Silence promises to deepen academic appreciation for Endo, within and beyond the West. Includes an Afterword by Martin Scorsese on adapting Silence for the screen as well as the full text of Steven Dietz's play adaptation of Endo's novel.