So many movies...But which ones are worth watching? With Marc Fennell's That Movie Book in your hand, you will never again be at a loss for what to pick up in the DVD store. Movie critic and mischief-maker Marc Fennell has cunningly programmed and reviewed more than 260 movies to fill every weekend of the year. Each weekend has a theme - a genre, filmmaker, actor or trend. Think: Movies based on true stories (that aren't really true); A weekend with Walt Disney's most racist characters; The many disturbing faces of Santa Claus. You start with an easy introductory movie on Friday night, go a little further on Saturday and then things become downright freaky on Sunday afternoon. Whether you're bored, infirm or under house arrest, your level of commitment is catered to. Expect movies from the past as well as the present, from Hollywood to art house, from kids to adult. It's a veritable film festival from your couch.
Joanna Lumley is one of Britain's undisputed national treasures, an English actress, voiceover artist and author, best known for her roles in the British television series ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS portraying Edina Monsoon's best friend, Patsy Stone, as well as parts in THE NEW AVENGERS and SAPPHIRE & STEEL. A former model and Bond girl, her distinctive voice has been supplied for animated characters, film narration and AOL's "You've got mail" notification in the UK. She has spoken out as a human rights activist for Survival International and the recent Gurkha Justice Campaign, and is now considered a 'national treasure' of Nepal as well as the UK because of her support. She is also an advocate for a huge number of charities. She has won two BAFTA awards, but it is the sheer diversity of her life that has made her so compelling a personality - early years in Kashmir and Malaya, growing up in Kent, then a photographic model before becoming an actress, appearing in a huge range of roles, whether it is the Nimble bread TV ad, movies like ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, dramas like SENSITIVE SKIN and documentaries on the Northern Lights, Bhutan and the Nile, and of course as the unforgettable Patsy in ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS or as Purdy in THE NEW AVENGERS, where her plummy vowels and upper-class demeanour has made her one of our most recognisable actors.
Review: 'There is a Joanna Lumley for everyone: there's beautiful angelic Joanna, hot sexy Joanna, Kick-ass "Purdey" Joanna, heroic single mum Joanna, comic genius Joanna and crusading Gurkha-saver Joanna. And thanks to her habit of insanely hoarding everything from bales of cloth to old wrapping paper, she has pictures of every incarnation, which are lushly reproduced in her immensely fun scrapbook-memoir, Absolutely.' EVENING STANDARD 'Her beauty does not fade and her unquenchable spirit for adventure seems more apparent than ever. Joanna Lumley is, for many, something of a national treasure. In this new illustrated memoir, we trot through her childhood in Kashmir...to her days of modelling in the Swinging Sixties and her move into acting. Luckily for fans, Lumley is a committed hoarder so there is a wealth of fantastic photographs and press cuttings to feast upon.' DAILY EXPRESS 'Mischievous and measured, Joanna Lumley gives us a remarkable portrait of a groovy life...Lots of facts, little hyperbole and a pervasive sense of self effacement, a very British talent for understatement and self-deprecation and (and this, in an age of vomit-into-the-void celebrity culture is perhaps what stands out and pleases the most) restraint...that makes this such a refreshing read...she gives us the facts - and photographs - from a life astonishingly rich in experience.' -- Sarah Vine THE TIMES
Tim Burton is one of the most popular and innovative creative forces working in Hollywood today. From his first films as a cinema obsessed adolescent to his most recent Hollywood blockbusters like Sweeney Todd and Alice in Wonderland, this new monograph by acclaimed author and film critic Antoine de Baecque, takes readers on a behind the scenes journey through Burton's eccentric career. Featuring interviews with Burton himself that reveal quirky personal anecdotes, exhaustively researched and gorgeously illustrated with film stills, set photographs and a wide selection of Burton's drawings, this vivid account of one of American cinema's greatest stars will delight fans and critics alike.
Author Biography: Antoine de Baecque is a critic and film historian. He has been Editorin-Chief both of Cahiers du cinema and, later, of the cultural pages of Liberation. He is the author of many books on the relationship between cinema and history and on filmmakers such as Truffaut, Pialat and Godard.
