Aaron Baker

Steven Soderbergh's feature films present a diverse range of subject matter and formal styles: from the self-absorption of his breakthrough hit Sex, Lies, and Videotape to populist social problem films such as Erin Brockovich, and from the modernist discontinuity of Full Frontal and filmed performance art of Gray's Anatomy to a glossy, star-studded action blockbuster such as Ocean's Eleven. Using a combination of realism and expressive stylization of character subjectivity, Soderbergh's films diverge from the contemporary Hollywood mainstream through the statements they offer on issues including political repression, illegal drugs, violence, environmental degradation, the empowering and controlling potential of digital technology, and economic inequality. Arguing that Soderbergh practices an eclectic type of moviemaking indebted both to the European art cinema and the Hollywood genre film, Aaron Baker charts the common thematic and formal patterns present across Soderbergh's oeuvre. Almost every movie centers on an alienated main character, and Soderbergh has repeatedly emphasized place as a major factor in his narratives. Formally, he represents the unconventional thinking of his outsider protagonists through a discontinuous editing style. Including detailed analyses of major films as well as two interviews with the director, this volume illustrates Soderbergh's hybrid flexibility in bringing an independent aesthetic to wide audiences.

Steven Soderbergh

Ian Smith

Owen Warnock

Authoritative and accessible, Smith & Wood's Employment Law provides detailed and well-explained coverage on the core areas and key case law. Critique and contextual treatment engages students and helps them to develop a well-rounded and deep understanding of the subject.

Smith and Wood's Employment Law

A debut compilation of poetry from the winner of the 2007 Bread Loaf Writers' Conference Bakeless Prize reflects on the poet's childhood as the son of missionaries in Papua New Guinea in works imbued with the traditions, spirituality, and culture in which he came of age. Original.

Mission Work

Reliably updated by Ian Smith and Aaron Baker, the 11th edition of this popular text maintains its reputation for comprehensive yet accessible coverage of the essential employment law topics, presenting students with a reader-friendly yet thorough guide to this fast-moving subject.

Smith & Wood's Employment Law

Baseball has long been viewed as the Great American Pastime, so it is no surprise that the sport has inspired many Hollywood films and television series. But how do these works depict the game, its players, fans, and place in American society? This study offers an extensive look at nearly one hundred years of baseball-themed movies, documentaries, and TV shows. Film and sports scholar Aaron Baker examines works like A League of their Own (1992) and Sugar (2008), which dramatize the underrepresented contributions of female and immigrant players, alongside classic baseball movies like The Natural that are full of nostalgia for a time when native-born white men could use the game to achieve the American dream. He further explores how biopics have both mythologized and demystified such legendary figures as Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinson and Fernando Valenzuela. The Baseball Film charts the variety of ways that Hollywood presents the game as integral to American life, whether showing little league as a site of parent-child bonding or depicting fans’ lifelong love affairs with their home teams. Covering everything from Bull Durham (1988) to The Bad News Bears (1976), this book offers an essential look at one of the most cinematic of all sports.

A Cultural and Transmedia History

The Baseball Film

Steven Soderbergh's feature films present a diverse range of subject matter and formal styles: from the self-absorption of his breakthrough hitSex, Lies, and Videotapeto populist social problem films such asErin Brockovitch, and from the modernist discontinuity ofFull Frontaland filmed performance art ofGray's Anatomyto a glossy, star-studded action blockbuster such asOcean's Eleven. Arguing that Soderbergh practices an eclectic type of moviemaking indebted both To The European art cinema And The Hollywood genre film, Aaron Baker charts the common thematic and formal patterns present across Soderbergh's oeuvre. Almost every movie centres on an alienated main character, and he represents the unconventional thinking of his outsider protagonists through a discontinuous editing style. Including detailed analyses of major films as well as two interviews with the director, this volume illustrates Soderbergh's hybrid flexibility in bringing an independent aesthetic to wide audiences.

Reliably updated by Ian Smith and Aaron Baker, this popular textbook maintains its reputation for balancing authority with accessibility. Providing comprehensive coverage of all the key employment law topics the 12th edition continues to offer unrivalled support for undergraduate and postgraduate students alike. Smith & Wood's Employment Law draws on the extensive teaching and practical experience of its authors to provide students with a clear explanation of essential legislation and case detail while also offering incisive academic commentary and critical detail to help with essay preparation and class work. Throughout the book topics are carefully explained in their social and historical context, providing readers with an insight into the fast-paced development of employment law and offering perceptive analysis of its future direction. This book is also accompanied by an Online Resource Centre which includes further reading suggestions and useful weblinks to support independent study plus self-test questions with instant feedback to help consolidate learning and prepare for exams.

A Companion to Martin Scorsese is a comprehensive collection of original essays assessing the career of one of America's most prominent contemporary filmmakers. Contains contributions from prominent scholars in North America and Europe that use a variety of analytic approaches Offers fresh interpretations of some of Scorsese’s most influential films, including Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, Gangs of New York, and Hugo Considers Scorsese's place within the history of American and world cinema; his work in relation to auteur theory; the use of popular music and various themes such as violence, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, gender, and race in his films, and more

Aaron Baker

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