The Asian Influence on Hollywood Action Films

Average Customer Rating: List Price: $35.00 Asia Trips Trips Price: $35.00 Subject To Change Without Notice Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Manufacturer: McFarland
Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 791.436582 EAN: 9780786434039 ISBN: 0786434031 Label: McFarland Manufacturer: McFarland Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 272 Publication Date: 2008-07-21 Publisher: McFarland Studio: McFarland
Editorial Reviews: Filmmakers of the Pacific Rim have been delivering punches and flying kicks to the Hollywood movie industry for years. This book explores the ways in which the storytelling and cinematic techniques of Asian popular culture have migrated from grainy, low-budget martial arts movies to box-office blockbusters such as The Magnificent Seven, Star Wars, The Matrix and Transformers. While special effects gained prominence, the raw and gritty power of live combat emerged as an audience favorite, spawning Asian stars Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan and martial arts-trained stars Chuck Norris and Steven Seagal. As well as capturing the sheer onscreen adrenaline rush that characterizes the films discussed, this work explores the impact of violent cinematic entertainment and why it is often misunderstood.
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Extremely insightful and informative! Comment: I got this book in hopes that it would help me better understand the action adventure genre for my upcoming debate team topic. When my prof first assigned the debate topic, I was dumbfounded because I wasn't even sure how I'd go about researching the topic. Well, a few text messages later with some friends at St. Peter's College, I learned that Dr. Donovan who teaches there was the premier authority on not only the action adventure genre, but also more specifically, the boxing segment of the genre and Asian action-adventure films. Not wasting any time, I got the book. This book doesn't just act to inform and educate, but it also entertains! The writing style is understandable, yet authoritative and accomplished. I felt like I was reading something truly by an expert who not only knows and understands the field but has a deep passion and enjoyment of it. At any rate, the book helped my research in a way that I never thought would be possible when I got the assignment. I got a chance to drill down into quite a bit of detail on the topic as I armed myself with a lot of the analysis Dr. Donovan discusses in the book. In the end, I found myself walking away with a genuine interest in how Asian action film influenced subsequent Hollywood action films. Now I'm just waiting for Dr. Donovan to come out with a fiction action-adventure book! When's that coming? I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Asian action film genre and also its US Hollywood based counter-parts! More Reviews