Today, over half a century later, great films are measured by those of the 70s. Has there been a more impactful 10-year period? For the first time, cinema reflected life and society, presenting both on the big screen with a compelling and penetrating truth. Directors became household names, often overnight, and films routinely broke box office records. With censorship relaxed, the subject matter could include alienation, descents into madness, drug addiction, dysfunctional relationships, promiscuity, alcoholism, PTSD, and any big news story of the day. Audiences gladly absorbed this new, shocking reality; in fact, they avoided films that candy-coated the truth. Musicals evolved, westerns all but died for several years, science fiction and fantasy made an incredible resurgence, and horror dominated the box office along with disaster films. But by and large, films about social issues were the best draw.  This book celebrates the cinema of the 70s. What a decade!

Touchdown: The Story of the Cornell Bear chronicles the exploits of the four live bears that served in succession as mascots for the Big Red football team beginning with the legendary 1915 team through the 1930s. These enterprising bears traveled on the team train, stayed in hotels and rode the elevators, clubbed their mascot counterparts, escaped into the Atlantic Ocean, spent time in exile, cavorted in nightclubs, were kidnapped by rival fans, and electrified the crowds at Schoellkopff field by ambling up and down the goalposts. Written by alumnus John Foote in a humorous and entertaining style that includes excerpts from the Cornell Daily Sun, the book takes the reader back to the halcyon days of Cornell football when enterprising students and alumni found creative ways to keep the bears on the sidelines and in the imaginations of students for generations to come. This must-read story captures the essence of the Cornell spirit as these mischievous and at times feisty creatures gave Cornellians the tradition of the Big Red Bear.

In Clint Eastwood's early directorial efforts there was little to suggest that this was the man who would become the guiding force behind such sublime works as Unforgiven, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby, Flags of Our Fathers, and Letters from Iwo Jima. Yet before our eyes, Eastwood has evolved not only as a director, but also as an actor, a screenwriter, a producer, and a score composer, to become one of the most revered figures in Hollywood. Perhaps it is because he started out in Hollywood with such little influence on the final product that he now demonstrates such a strong desire to collaborate with others and provide help wherever he can. In addition to casting off his reputation as a hack and accumulating two Oscar nominations for Best Actor over the past 15 years, he has guided other actors to no less than three Academy Award wins. The executives love him because he has made them money over the years--occasionally even "making one for them" in exchange for financial backing on other projects. Critics love him because of the care he takes in creating his films. Audiences love him because he has never lost his sense of entertainment, even as his artistry has matured. Now a two-time Academy Award winner for best director, twice winner of the Directors Guild of America Award for best director, and recipient of countless other critics prizes and nominations in multiple capacities, Eastwood stands alongside Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg as one of the finest directors working in modern cinema. Here, John Foote examines the long, impressive, and unlikely film career of a man who fought against expectations to forge his own way and become one of this generation's finestfilmmakers. Each chapter examines a different film, beginning with Play Misty for Me (1971) and High Plains Drifter (1973) and extending to his 21st-century films Space Cowboys (2000), Blood Work (2002), Mystic River (2003), Million Dollar Baby (2004), Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), and Changeling (2008). This book is, in the author's own words, "a study of how Eastwood managed to quietly get to this level--and a celebration of his gifts as an artist."