In honor of this momentous occasion, I took a trip to the bookstore to find out what the most popular books were available for those of us who love movies, who want to learn more about making movies, or find out what other people have to say about the movies that have been made over the years. For those interested film buffs, the books I found are available from our good friends at amazon.com

Myth and Movies: Discovering the Mythic Structure of 50 Unforgettable Films I found this book interesting because I have read the book The Magic of Myth (you can find this book review in the Classic Star Wars section of the Library) which discusses the how and why of George Lucas' mind set over the years as he wrote, produced and directed the original Star Wars Trilogy. Myth and Movies describes the structures of 50 of what the author believes to be 50 of the best movies which run the gamut of sci-fi to horror, pure drama, action, adventure, westerns and romance. This book is not a film goers guide to who is in the movie, lists of awards, how the director did what, etc. Rather, the author focuses instead on the structure of the films and how the mythic influences effect the final product. This book is appropriate for the aspiring film or play writers, as well as anyone who is seriously considering writing a real book.

Understanding Movies, the 9th Edition was another book that I found geared more to the person who wanted to make movies, rather than read about ones that had already been released. This book reads almost a college-level textbook ( according to amazon.com it really is) but I did find that even for the ininitiated, it held a wealth of information! If you really want to know how things were done, the advances in technology, music for movies and how the process works, cinematography, set design and lighting, etc., this is one that answers many of those questions. Yes, it is a bit technical in certain areas, but there are also lots of pictures and interesting tidbits of obscure information. Its a good-sized paperback, hefty and expensive. But for the true believer, an excellent investment.

Ridley Scott: The Making of His Movies (Close Up) got my attention because Alien is probably one of my best favorites of all times and I have watch Legend so many times I can practically recite the dialogue (I know, I need a real life *g*). I wasn't really too impressed with this one, except for the little bits of information scattered thru it that gives some insight into why he did what in his movies. According to the fly-leaf information, the author had one-on-one interviews with Mr. Scott, but there doesn't seem to be the depth of discussion I would have appreciated had I gotten to talk to the man face to face. On a scale of 1-5, I would give this one a 3, and buy it anyway.

Cinema Year by Year 1894-2002 is a realy big coffee table book with a pretty cover, lots of pages and pictures, and not much else going for it. Obviously, one can't do a book on 108 years of film making history and give each and every notable movie the attention it deserves in a volume of 988 pages. Personally, I would have preferred that they published 4 separate books and really expanded on the research and information about the actors, producers, directors and technical wizards and how their work has evolved over the years to influence what we watch on the silver screen today. For $50.00, I really expected more meat and less chatter.

Ok, now we get into the heavy hitters:

American Film Institute Desk Reference: The Complete Guide to Everything You Need to Know About the Movies. This is a pretty hefty book in content, if not in size. This book is quite the source for just about everything think you need to know. It is easy to read, has lots of pictures, is loaded with "movie basics" and "movie facts" and has short essays written by some of our favorite actors, directors and producers. This book is not necessarily a "sit down and read" book, but rather one you can flip thru whenever you have a minute to sit down and learn something. This is not another cheap book, it comes with a good sized price tag, but is well worth it if movies are your life.

Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies: The 15th Edition of the Bestselling Encyclopedia of Film, Actors, Directors, Producers and Writers is quite the impressive book to put on your coffee table or book shelf! This is the classic reference book and is loaded with lists, technical tidbits, prequel-sequel info, personal profiles of anybody who is anybody in the business, and lots of pictures. It is the kind of book you can pick up and put down and not miss anything because each page has enough information to make you think, and then go to the movies, or rent one, or turn on TCM or AMC and just sit and watch. Of all the books I found, this is one I would buy. I don't know if I would purchase it each time they updated the edition, but it would be an excellent addition to any true believers Movie Library.

And on that note, I leave you with a titbit of Library information. We will be re-doing the Library to enhance the Outpost10f Guilds, adding a resource/reference section, and giving our members more opportunities to contribute. So stay tuned for more info, and our request for our members' input and assistance.

Read a book - go to the movies!