Andrei Tarkovsky - Sculpting in Time It's Tarkovsky, need I say more? But, I probably should, no less. It's a fascinating book, one of the best I've ever read, on any topic. Tarkovsky is as good a writer as he is a filmmaker, maybe because his ideas were all distilled into this one book, much like his film output is represented in only 7 features. He covers not only filmmaking, but all forms of art, and its very nature. It's not an easy read, I find I need to devote total concentration to comprehending his writing, and even taking time afterwards just to digest it. But, it's definitely worth it, as his writing is very intellectual and never short of fascinating.

Michaelangelo Antonioni - The Architecture of Vision I really love Antonioni's films, so it's interesting to read this, a collection of interviews and writings. But, at the same time, his style of speaking is very dry and straightforward, so it makes for a somewhat boring read. Though, this might also be blamed on the translation job, I'm not sure. I'm sure there's some kind of joke to be made about the dryness of his films in relation, but I'm too tired for that.

Roger Ebert - Great Movies It's surprising to see the negative stigma surrounding Roger Ebert, especially among cinephiles, mainly because no other critic has made as much of a case for film as art as much as Ebert has. That said, this collection of 100 essays is a great read. Ebert's writings are concise, but at the same time, very insightful. A sure recommendation for film buffs and casual viewers alike.

Roger Ebert - I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie This is a fairly funny book. It's a collection of Ebert's reviews of films that he, get ready for this, hated! This is the one time that I have no problem reading about films that I've never seen, because I don't plan on seeing many in this collection. Although it's great to hear him rip on some of my 'favorites' like I Am Curious, it is pretty annoying to see him tear into a film you like, like Blue Velvet. In fact, the reasons he cites for disliking Blue Velvet aren't even related to the film itself, so it's very off-putting to hear him dissing a great film for reasons that are purely personal. Luckily, most of the rest of the book is pure crap, so it's still pretty fun.

Donald Richie - The Films of Akira Kurosawa I never thought a filmmaker whose appeal is so broad like Kurosawa's would benefit much from an in-depth analysis, but thank goodness Mr. Richie has proved me wrong. Simply put, this book is a nearly-essential asset to understanding Kurosawa's work. Richie goes very deep into every single film, and the amount of information he presents is almost overwhelming. Highly recommended

Frank Thompson - Lost Films: Important Movies that Disappeared - It really sucks when you're reading about film and half the titles you come across you simply can't find anywhere, DVD or otherwise. So, I saw this book on the shelf and it was a great moment- films that NOBODY can see! This book covers almost thirty films from the silent era that have been completely lost, and in pretty good detail. Thompson has gathered from plenty of sources and gives plenty of information about each film's production, plot and critical reception. Although sometimes the films themselves aren't too interesting sounding, just the fact that a book like this (and others, I'm told) exists is great, and makes a great resource as well as a great argument for the preservation of film.

Geoff Andrew - The Director's Vision: A Concise Guide to the Art of 250 Great Filmmakers - I didn't much like this book. I suppose when you've got 250 filmmakers to cover, you really can't go too in depth, which is the book's largest flaw. Andrew chooses one film from each filmmaker to focus on, and that takes up half of the text on the page (which, by the way, isn't much, considering the photos on each page are huge), with the rest of the text covering mostly biographical info. C'mon man, I can get that stuff from IMDB!

Jonathan Rosenbaum - Essential Cinema: On the Necessity of Film Canons - I didn't get a chance to read more than a few chapters of Rosenbaum's book, but it seems to be a pretty good read. I've always been into canons and lists, despite what some might say, so Rosenbaum's collection seems to be something that'd be right down my alley. He covers a very wide spread of film, judging from the table of contents. Hopefully I can get around to reading the rest of the book soon.

Frank Miller - A Dame to Kill For- I loved Sin City, so it's only natural I'd check out some of Miller's original works sooner or later. A Dame to Kill For isn't one of the stories adapted in the film, but it does, of course, take place in the world, and features a few of the same characters. What surprised me most was how true to the art Rodriguez's film really is. I've heard it plenty before, but once you see Miller's stories on the page for yourself, it's striking how well the essence was captured in the film.

Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - This book has nothing to do with film, but I'm including it for two reasons: 1. Because it's just a great read, and 2. because it might help to illustrate how watching too many films can potentially be a problem. Most of the time, when I read a novel, I'll tend to imagine it in my head like a movie, for the most part. I suppose this is normal, because that's just imagination bringing the story to life. But, after a while, usually, I begin to imagine the story as a real movie, if and how it would play out, how the narrative might work. This book struck me because of its narrative- it takes place entirely through the eyes of an autistic child. I really can't see it working well as a film, just because the story depends so much on its particular style of narration, the little quirks that the child has and how they affect the way he sees things and the way he reacts to the world around him. It's really a fascinating and very entertaining book, and as a welcome change of pace here, one that everyone can enjoy, film nerd or not.