For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond at the Imperial War Museum

London's Imperial War Museum is the location for a major Ian Fleming and James Bond exhibition - For Your Eyes Only.

A look at the man and the character, it features a large amount of material on show for the first time, including  a selection of annotated Bond manuscripts and Fleming’s Colt Python .375 Magnum revolver, along with material from the films including the ‘blood–splattered’ shirt worn by Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, Rosa Klebb’s flick–knife shoes in From Russia With Love and Halle Berry’s bikini from Die Another Day.

There's also a number of events and family activities relating to Bond, plus free screening of some early Bond classics - Dr No, From Russia With Love and Goldfinger. The exhibition opens on 17th April 2008, running until 1st March 2009. See the website for full listings.

Find out more at the Imperial War Museum website

Via Retro To Go

Coming in January: James Bond postage stamps

It takes a lot to get me excited about postage stamps, but the Royal Mail's James Bond stamp collection just about does it.

Unveiled today and available to buy and use from January 8th 2008, the James Bond collection marks the centenary of the birth of Bond creator Ian Fleming and includes six 'extra-long' stamps, each featuring different covers of six of his most famous Bond novels.

The two 1st Class stamps feature Fleming’s first novel Casino Royale (1953) and Dr No (the first novel to be filmed). The 54p stamps shows the covers of Goldfinger and Diamonds are Forever, while the final 78p pairing features For Your Eyes Only and From Russia with Love.

All can be ordered now as collector's packs from the Royal Mail website.

Find out more at the Royal Mail website

McQueen's Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Legend

It's stating the obvious somewhat to say that Steve McQueen had an interest in cars and bikes - it was probably more of an obsession. And now you can share that obsession with McQueen's Machines: The Cars and Bikes of a Hollywood Legend.

Journalist Matt Stone was given access to the McQueen family albums to create this 176-page hardback book, packing each page with images of vehicles driven, owned, and raced by Steve McQueen. And to give it continuity, there's plenty of facts too - including his obsession with Triumph motorbikes (James Dean introduced them to him apparently), the disappointing news that he didn't do the motorcycle jump in the Great Escape and the ever-increasing value of his vehicles - his 1963 Ferrari Lusso, which sold last summer for a massive $2.3 million.

This book is available for a more modest price - £10.19 from Amazon.

Find out more about the book at Amazon.co.uk

Taschen's Cinema Now - book and DVD set

Lacking a good knowledge of contemporary film? Cinema Now from Taschen could fill the gaps.

Cinema Now examines the work and key themes of 60 filmmakers working around the world today, from Hollywood to the new wave of Asian directors and new movie men (and women) in Europe and Latin America, including the likes of Pedro Almodóvar, Wong Kar-Wai, Alejandro González Iñárritu and Carlos Reygadas, Guy Maddin, Matthew Barney, and Tsai Ming-Liang.

As well as facts and photos, the book also features an exclusive DVD containing exclusive short films, extracts, trailers, and much more, so you can see for yourself the work in question. Combined, the book and DVD sell for £24.99 (and probably less if you shop around.

Find out more at the Taschen website

10 Questions with Tom Lisanti

Above: Author Tom Lisanti with actress Francine York

Author Tom Lisanti has written numerous books about sixties-era screen starlets including Fantasy Femmes of 60's Cinema, Drive-In Dream Girls, Film Fatales and Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959-1969. Tom's latest book is called Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood: Seventy-Five Profiles and it features many profiles of beautiful actresses from that decade who are often overlooked such as Edy Williams, Lee Meredith, Melodie Johnson, Lisa Seagram, Tura Sutana, Susan Denberg, Sharon Tate, Beverly Adams, Victoria Carroll, Joy Harmon, Inga Neilson, Yvonne Craig and Ann Morell. I recently got the chance to ask Tom a few questions.

Cinedelica: Your latest book is called Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood and it features profiles on 75 actresses as well as some fascinating interviews. Were there any actresses that you especially enjoyed interviewing for your book?

Tom Lisanti: All the actresses were great but I have to say Lisa Seagram and Victoria Carroll kept me laughing throughout the interviews. They were a lot of fun.

10 Questions with Tim Lucas

The name Tim Lucas should be familiar to many movie fans. His film reviews have appeared in countless magazines such as Film Comment, Cahiers du Cinema, Fangoria and Cinefex, and you can find his insightful essays and audio commentary included with many popular horror DVDs. He's also a novelist and comic book author. Tim currently writes for Sight & Sound and he has published and edited the award winning magazine Video Watchdog for many years.

His recent project is an impressive 1128 page book called Mario Bava - All the Colors of the Dark. This "12-pound labor of love" delves deeply into the rich life and fascinating film career of the Italian fantasy and horror director Mario Bava who's responsible for many genre classics including Black Sunday (1960), Danger: Diabolik (1968), Blood and Black Lace (1964), Kill... Baby, Kill! (1966), Planet of the Vampires (1965) and Bay of Blood (1971). Tim was kind enough to answer some of my questions about Mario Bava - All the Colors of the Dark in the first of a new on-going feature here at Cinedelica called 10 Questions.

Book review: London Film Location Guide

As a film nerd buff, I don't just like some films, I get obsessed with them. And on the evidence of the London Film Location Guide, author Simon R.H. James is very much from the same mould.

This is detail over and above the call of duty. 276 pages and something like 750 films about London featured, dating from the 1920s through to the present day - an exercise that's taken the author the best part of 10 years to complete. And if that sounds a little too much to deal with, you'll be pleased to know that there's a film index, postcode index and even a street index to help you through the mass of movies featured.

The Notorious Ph.D.'s Guide to the Super Fly '70s

Author and commentator Dr. Todd Boyd has recently written an interesting account of the rise of black culture during the seventies that takes a thoughtful look at black cinema and some of the era's best performers, athletes and musicians.

His book, The Notorious Phd's Guide to the Super Fly '70s, is a great introduction for anyone who's interested in the decade that brought us terrific groundbreaking films like Shaft (1971), Coffy (1973) and Wattstax (1973), as well as talented musical artists such as George Clinton and cutting edge performers like Richard Pryor.

The book is broken down into four different sections which include An Introduction to the Superfly ‘70s, Blaxploitation Without Apology, Soul Music Soul Power and TV and Sports Icons of the Superfly ‘70s. Each section covers the author’s favorite films, records and key figures that were elemental in the development of black popular culture. It also features a 'Notorious Glossary' that offers brief explanations for terms often heard in blaxploitation films.

Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide

On May 15th FAB Press will be releasing a new book about blaxploitation films made during the seventies called Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide by Josiah Howard. The book promises to be the first truly comprehensive examination of the genre, its films, its trends and its impact.

Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide will include detailed A-to-Z reviews of more than 240 blaxploitation films made between 1970-1980, as well as interviews with important genre directors such as Jack Hill (Coffy (1973), Foxy Brown (1973), etc.), Larry Cohen (Bone (1972), Black Caesar (1973), Hell Up in Harlem (1973), etc.), Jamaa Fanaka (Welcome Home Brother Charles (1975), Emma Mae (1976), Penitentiary (1979), etc.) and Arthur Marks (Detroit 9000 (1973), Friday Foster (1975), J.D.'s Revenge (1976), etc.).

The book will also feature reproductions of many colorful movie posters that were used to promote the films, as well as stunning stills and original newspaper ads.

Author Josiah Howard is an avid 1970s pop culture enthusiast and the author of Donna Summer: Her Life and Music. He has also written for Parade magazine, the Village Voice and Motion Picture Review.

Blaxploitation Cinema: The Essential Reference Guide will be available from the official FAB Press website when it's released and you can currently pre-order the book from Amazon for $18.96.

For more information please visit Amazon.

Nightmare USA May 5th

On May 5th FAB Press will be presenting the Nightmare USA Film Festival with 10 Hours of Grindhouse Movie Mayhem! The Film Festival will be taking place at Riverside Studios, Hammersmith, London from 12 noon till 11 p.m.

The films being featured at the festival include Don't Go In the House (Joseph Ellison, 1979), Pigs (aka Blood Pen, Marc Lawrence, 1972), Squish (Frederick Friedel, 2007), Bloody Brothers (Frederick Friedel, 2003), Victims (Daniel DiSomma, 1977) and Boardinghouse (John Wintergate, 1982). Many of the movies presented will be making their UK theatrical debuts.

There will also be many special guests such as Frederick Friedel (director of Bloody Brothers and Squish), Joseph Ellison (director of Don't Go in the House) and Oliver Wood (director of photography for Don't Go in the House and The Honeymoon Killers).

The Female Hero in Popular Cinema 1970–2006

McFarland Publishers has recently released an interesting book with a somewhat disparaging title and terrible cover called Super Bitches and Action Babes: The Female Hero in Popular Cinema, 1970-2006 by Rikke Schubart, who’s the director of media and cultural studies at the University of Southern Denmark. The book offers an interesting look at how female roles in action films have evolved over the past 35 years.

Action cinema is most often considered a male dominated genre, but the book demonstrates how women have carved out powerful roles for themselves in important crime, science fiction, horror, war, martial arts and western films.

This book contains an in-depth study of the female hero in films made during 1970 to 2005, and critically examines five typical female archetypes: the dominatrix, the Amazon, the daughter, the mother and the rape-avenger.

Some of the beautiful and powerful actresses featured in the book include Pam Grier (Coffy, Foxy Brown, etc.), Meiko Kaji (Female Prisoner Scorpion, Lady Snowblood, etc.), Dyanne Thorne (Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS, Ilsa - The Wicked Warden, etc.), Michelle Yeoh (The Heroic Trio, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, etc.), Sigourney Weaver (Alien, Aliens, etc.), Cynthia Rothrock (Rage and Honor, Lady Dragon, etc.) and Milla Jovovich (The Fifth Element, Resident Evil, etc.).

Sensational Mexican Movie Posters 1957-1990

On March 29th Chronicle Books will be releasing the second volume in their Cine Mexicano series of movie poster books called Mas! Cine Mexicano: Sensational Mexican Movie Posters 1957 - 1990 by Rogelio Agrasánchez Jr.

Author Rogelio Agrasánchez Jr. is the son of film producer Rogelio Agrasánchez Sr. and he has devoted much of his life to promoting the appreciation of Mexico's rich cinematic history. He is the director & curator of the Agrasánchez Film Archives, which contain thousands of original Mexican movie posters and he has published numerous books about Mexican cinema, including the companion volume to Mas! Cine Mexicano: Sensational Mexican Movie Posters 1957 - 1990 called Cine Mexicano: Poster Art from the Golden Age 1936-1956.

Both of these impressive volumes feature reproductions of hundreds of colorful movie posters from a wide variety of films including monster movies, wrestling pictures, crime films and romances. The books also both contain bilingual artist biographies about the poster creators, as well as informative discussions about the role of cinema in Mexican popular culture, and the ups & downs of the countries film industry.

British Film Posters: An Illustrated History

British Film Posters: An Illustrated History is an impressive new book by Sim Branaghan and edited by Steve Chibnall that examines the emergence and decline of illustrated movie posters in Britain. The book is published by the BFI and was released in Britain late last year, but it’s only recently found it’s way into American bookshops.

British Film Posters: An Illustrated History is the first complete history of the subject ever published and it covers every aspect of British movie poster design as well as printing and display. It also includes detailed biographies of all the major artists involved and should appeal to film enthusiasts, as well as anyone who appreciates eye-catching graphic design.

The book is available in hardback as well as paperback and contains 288 pages. Chapters include A Commercial History of British Film Posters, Ealing Studios - Art vs Commerce, Nasty! - Outrageous Artwork and Censorship Scandals, Collecting - From a Hobby to a Business, and more.

Book of the film: Quadrophenia (1979)

These days, most films seem to start their lives as books - but a few years back, films were more often original creations, with the book an after-thought, or rather, a cash-in for the few months the movie was in the public eye.

That doesn't mean they are all rubbish, there's some very good ones - including Quadrophenia.

Quadrophenia the novel is written by Alan Fletcher, a sixties mod and in more recent years, a successful author of mod-themed fiction. The Quadrophenia book was Fletcher's first novel, written with the help of Pete Townshend and pretty much faithful to the movie - although like the movie, it's not necessarily always faithful to the era.

Unfortunately, the continued popularity of the movie and the lack of a reprint has seen the price of this paperback rise continually. For a copy in excellent condition, expect to pay £20 - £25.

International Film Guide 1970

Without wishing to sound like your grandparent, you've really never had it so good. If you want to find out about movies outside the mainstream today, there are websites, YouTube-style video sites, specialist magazines, not to mention video, DVD and cable channels.

Spin back to 1970 - and with the exception of a few film magazines, you had none of the above. To find out about cinema, you probably had to be a member of a film club or have enough money to buy 8mm and 16mm movies. Or alternatively, pick up a book like the International Film Guide 1970.

I found this copy in a vintage bookstore for £2 - and it's worth every penny. Packed with an endless number of movies and shorts up to 1970 from all over the world, features on key directors (including a great piece on Lindsay Anderson), 200 illustrations, period ads and an exhaustive list of films made available on reel.

For Ever Godard

If you missed the flexicover version of For Ever Godard, you'll have a second chance to enjoy the paperback version of this excellent book when it's released again in March. For Ever Godard contains 22 gorgeously illustrated chapters as well as photo essays and a visual filmography tracing the impressive career of filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard.

This 320 page book presents a wide variety of important materials by film scholars, historians, and many others who provide a wide-ranging and detailed analysis of the director’s films that can easily be enjoyed by longtime Godard enthusiasts as well as newcomers to his work.

For Ever Godard is an impressive collection that celebrates one of the most influential members of the 'French New Wave' and the book should make a nice addition to any cinephile's library.

- Kimberly Lindbergs

Taschen's Movies of the 30s

Cinema in the 1930s was very different in the US and Europe. The American industry chose to distract the public from the depression with comedies such as Chaplin’s Modern Times (1936) and the Marx Brothers’ Duck Soup (1933), feel-good films like Capra’s Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) or thrillers such as Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps (1935) or Hawks’s Scarface (1932). In Europe, things were much more experimental, creating classics like Fritz Lang’s M (1931), Jean Renoir’s anti-war masterpiece La Grande Illusion (1937) and Leni Riefenstahl’s visually stunning Olympia (1936-38).

If the decade is still an unknown quantity, it might be worth chekcing out Taschen's latest release, Movies of the 30s. Like previous volumes, it picks out the highlights of the decade and for each movie, lists the film's synopsis, cast and crew, technical information, trivia and actor/director biographies. There's also still and production photos for each film.

Available now, it's officially priced around £20, but you should be able to get a discounted version nearer £15.

More on the book at Amazon.co.uk