Friday, February 11, 2011

Book Fu!

Hello you peoples, im black! I mean im back,even thou the first statement is true.lol!
ya i crazy.
Anyway today i want to post some of my favorite books on film.
These are books on Asian cinema.Hong Kong ,Japan and so on.
first is:

The Anime Encyclopedia.
Great book to have with ya when shopping for anime at a convention.


The Complete Anime Guide,Japanese Animation Directory
Ive had this book sense 1998 and i still go back to it every now and then to look up old titles from the 80's. Has a list in the back for Businesses where you could get your anime fix on,mostly out dated now.




Paul Fonoroff At the Hong Kong Movies:600 reviews from 1988 Tell the Handover.

I like this book,even thou other reviewers say that it is a bit out of date.The reason why i like it? Its because of the large number of film title's, most of witch i have never herd of and may have never gotten a hold of otherwise.
The problems that other reviewers point out are:
He gives no info on film release dates and he does not up date the information about actors or actress, witch is true, but the book is a collection of reviews give over many years. So the out date information on the actors is understandably.
I do agree that he should have had film release date's .
Thank God for the HKMDB so we can look it up our selves! :)
I say get the book its good and cheep these days.


next up:
Sex and Zen and a bullet in the Head:The Essential Guide to Hong Kong's Mind -Binding Films.

This Book and its follow up(witch i will get to next) are great fun to read.Yes it reviews a lot hong kong films that we have all seen ,but the book has something i have not seen in a book on hong kong cinema before.
As you read through , you will find on ever couple of pages a section called "HEX ERRORS" Anyone who has subtitled movies from hong kong on vcd, dvd or vhs knows what this is.
Basically it really bad subtitles in a film,Bad spelling, strange comments and just...i cant explain, ill just give you a couple of examples ,Like:

"She's terrific. I cant stand her." from the movie ,Rouge, 1988.

"I have Piles.You won't be comfortable" from, ghost vixen,1990

"Quiet or I'll blow your throat up." From ,On the Run,1988

"Well,I've got furious now!" From ,A Kid from Tibet,1992

LOL! good stuff ha? theirs more but you are going to have to get the Book! :)


As i mentioned before there was a follow up to this book it's called:
Hollywood East: Hong Kong Movies and the people who make them.
More of the same, but still worth the read.


Ok just a few more here to point out, as this is getting to be one looong post. :)

Hong Kong Babylon: An Insider's Guide to the Hollywood of the East

By fredric Danne and Barry Long


Asian cinema:A field Guide.
By Tom Vick.
Very nice Guy i met him at OTAKON about 2 years ago.


City on Fire:Hong Kong Cinema.
By Lisa odham strokes and Michael Hoover.
This one is more like a text book or a scholarly look at, hong kong film,the people and the politics.
its still a good read thou.


I Have many more to through your way but this will do for now.
Happy reading People!
Kai