"I can make a big-looking movie for very little money by just being resourceful, being creative, using the rubber band versus a lot of technology, and not being ashamed about it." Rogue filmmaker Robert Rodriguez (b. 1968) rocketed to fame with his ultra-low-budget film El Mariachi (1992). The Spanish-language action film, and the making-of book that accompanied it, were inspirational to filmmakers trying to work with meager resources. Rodriguez embodies the postmodern auteur, maintaining a firm control of his projects by not only writing and producing his films, but also editing, shooting, composing, as well as working with the visual effects. He was one of the first American filmmakers to adopt digital filmmaking, now the norm. Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003) helped bring back 3-D to mainstream theatres. He is as comfortable creating family films (the Spy Kids series) as action (Sin City) and horror films (Planet Terror). He has maintained his guerilla filmmaking approach, despite increasing budgets, choosing to work outside of Hollywood and even founding his own studio (Troublemaker Studios) in Austin, Texas. He has also arguably become the most successful Latino filmmaker. In this, the first book devoted to Rodriguez, interviews and articles from 1993 to 2010 reveal a filmmaker passionate about making films on his own terms. He addresses the subjects central to his life and work--guerilla filmmaking, the digital revolution, his family, and his disdain for Hollywood. An easy and frank subject, Rodriguez in these portraits is the rebel director at his most candid, forging a path for others to break free from Hollywood hegemony. Zachary Ingle, Lawrence, Kansas, is a Ph.D. student in film and media studies at the University of Kansas. His work has been published in Literature/Film Quarterly and Journal of American Culture.

Nonfiction films about sports have been around for decades, but few scholarly articles have been published on sports documentaries. In Identity and Myth in Sports Documentaries, editors Zachary Ingle and David Sutera have assembled a collection of essays that look at the ways in which identity-national, religious, ethnic, racial, etc.-and myth are constructed, perpetuated, or questioned in documentaries produced in the United States, France, Australia, Germany, and Japan. This volume is divided into three sections: American Identity and Myth contains essays on consumerism, religion in sports, and post-9/11 America. The second section, Race and Ethnicity, examines the ways in which African-American, Mexican-American, and Jewish identity are portrayed in the documentaries under discussion. Global Perspectives includes essays about films and TV series produced outside of the United States or that provide perspectives on the international sport scene. Spanning several decades, the landmark sports documentaries discussed in this volume include Hoop Dreams, The Endless Summer, The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, Olympia, and Tokyo Olympiad.Sports covered in these films include baseball, football, basketball, boxing, soccer, surfing, and the Olympics. Essays in this volume pose such questions as: How are notions of the American dream involved in athletes' aspirations? How do media texts from Australia or France construct Australian and French identity, respectively? How did filmmakers such as Leni Riefenstahl, Kon Ichikawa, and Bud Greenspan infuse their Olympic documentaries with their own national ideology, despite the films also being intended for international audience consumption? By tackling those subjects, the essays in this collection make Identity and Myth in Sports Documentaries an intriguing read for scholars, students, and the general public.

Nonfiction films about sports have been around for decades, but the previously neglected subgenre of the documentary has become increasing popular in the last several years. Despite recent successes such as Senna, Undefeated, and ESPN's 30 for 30 series, however, few scholarly articles have been published on sports documentaries. In Gender and Genre in Sports Documentaries, editors Zachary Ingle and David Sutera have assembled a collection of essays that look at the various aspects of this art form. Some of the essays examine questions of gender and sexuality, specifically how masculinity and homosexuality are represented in sports documentaries. Other chapters focus on the characteristics of the sports documentary, exploring how aspects of aesthetics and narrative shape the form. Besides chapters on basketball, football, baseball, boxing, tennis, and auto racing documentaries, this volume also features essays on such marginalized sports as quad rugby, pro wrestling, live action role playing (LARPing), and bodybuilding. Some of the films examined will be familiar to readers, such as Murderball and Bigger Stronger Faster.Other films discussed here may be less well-known, but they are nonetheless important works worthy of scrutiny. Questions about gender, sexuality, and masculinity remain hot topics in sports discourse, both popularly and in the academy, and this collection tackles those subjects, making Gender and Genre in Sports Documentaries an intriguing read for scholars, students, and the general public.

A fascinating exploration of the most significant superhero films and television shows in history, from the classic serial Adventures of Captain Marvel to the Disney+ hit show WandaVision. In The 100 Greatest Superhero Films and TV Shows, Zachary Ingle and David M. Sutera celebrate over eighty years of superhero cinema and television. Featuring blockbusters such as Black Panther and The Dark Knight, Ingle and Sutera also include lesser-known yet critically acclaimed shows like The Boys, cult films such as The Toxic Avenger, and foreign series like Astro Boy to provide a well-rounded perspective of the genre. All one hundred selections are evaluated based on qualities such as plot and character development, adherence to the original source materials, technological innovations, and social impact. The entries cover both live-action and animated films and TV series, and almost a third of the entries are not associated with Marvel or DC--a testament to the genre's variety in its eighty-year history. The 100 Greatest Superhero Films and TV Shows includes an analysis of the superhero's evolution and its relevance to the feminist movement, auteur theory, convergence culture, critical race theory, and more. Featuring more than 80 photographs alongside the authors' selections, the diverse entries are sure to inspire debate and entertain all fans of superhero movies and television shows.

From box office flop to one of the most successful cult films of all time, "The Big Lebowski "has spawned a multicity festival, college-level courses, and its own religion. Fans of the Coen brothers' masterful dark comedy (collectively calling themselves "Achievers"--and proud we are of all of them) gather in movie theaters and bowling alleys across the county to quote along with the film, imbibe white russians, and admire the Dude's rug (which really tied the room together).
"Fan Phenomena: The Big Lebowski" examines how this quirky movie evolved from its underwhelming debut to attract a mass following on par with that of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show. "Contributors take a close look at the film's phenomenal impact on popular culture and language and examine the script's rich philosophical implications, whether it is the nihilism within the film itself or the Dudeism that Jeff Bridges's God-like character has bred (the "Church of the Latter-Day Dude" has attracted more than 70,000 official adherents through its online ordination process). Covering issues concerning gender and sexuality within the film, such as Maude's feminist art and Jackie Treehorn's Malibu garden party, the essays here also explore the gender divides the film has created in today's society, such as male versus female fandom rivalry at festivals. These gatherings--part costume contest, part bowling tournament, part trivia contest, part fan meet-up--have, since their debut in Louisville, KY, in 2002, sprung up all around America and have even expanded globally, and the book takes an inside look at these events and includes interviews with Lebowski festival organizers and authors of other fan books and academic treatises.
In all, these essays are an essential companion for one of the greatest films ever made, in the parlance of our times.

Film came to the territory that eventually became Israel not long after the medium was born. Casting a Giant Shadow is a collection of articles that embraces the notion of transnationalism to consider the limits of what is "Israeli" within Israeli cinema. As the State of Israel developed, so did its film industries. Moving beyond the early films of the Yishuv, which focused on the creation of national identity, the industry and its transnational ties became more important as filmmakers and film stars migrated out and foreign films, filmmakers, and actors came to Israel to take advantage of high-quality production values and talent. This volume, edited by Rachel Harris and Dan Chyutin, uses the idea of transnationalism to challenge the concept of a singular definition of Israeli cinema. Casting a Giant Shadow offers a new understanding of how cinema has operated artistically and structurally in terms of funding, distribution, and reception. The result is a thorough investigation of the complex structure of the transnational and its impact on national specificity when considered on the global stage.

Film came to the territory that eventually became Israel not long after the medium was born. Casting a Giant Shadow is a collection of articles that embraces the notion of transnationalism to consider the limits of what is "Israeli" within Israeli cinema. As the State of Israel developed, so did its film industries. Moving beyond the early films of the Yishuv, which focused on the creation of national identity, the industry and its transnational ties became more important as filmmakers and film stars migrated out and foreign films, filmmakers, and actors came to Israel to take advantage of high-quality production values and talent. This volume, edited by Rachel Harris and Dan Chyutin, uses the idea of transnationalism to challenge the concept of a singular definition of Israeli cinema. Casting a Giant Shadow offers a new understanding of how cinema has operated artistically and structurally in terms of funding, distribution, and reception. The result is a thorough investigation of the complex structure of the transnational and its impact on national specificity when considered on the global stage.

Rogue filmmaker Robert Rodriguez (b. 1968) rocketed to fame with his ultra-low-budget film "El Mariachi" (1992). The Spanish-language action film, and the making-of book that accompanied it, were inspirational to filmmakers trying to work with the most meager of resources. Rodriguez embodies the postmodern auteur, maintaining a firm control of his projects by not only writing and producing his films, but also editing, shooting, composing, as well as working with the visual effects. He was one of the first American filmmakers to wholeheartedly adopt digital filmmaking, now the norm. "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over" (2003) helped bring back 3-D to mainstream theatres. He is as comfortable making family films (the "Spy Kids" series) as action ("Sin City") and horror films ("Planet Terror"). He has maintained his guerilla filmmaking approach, despite increasing budgets, choosing to work outside of Hollywood and even founding his own studio (Troublemaker Studios) in Austin, Texas. He has also arguably become the most successful Latino filmmaker.In this, the first book devoted to Rodriguez, interviews and articles from 1993 to 2010 reveal a filmmaker passionate about making films on his own terms. He addresses the subjects central to his life and work: guerilla filmmaking, the digital revolution, his family, and his disdain for Hollywood. An easy and frank subject, these portraits depict the rebel director at his most candid, forging a path for others to break free from Hollywood hegemony.