Andrew J. Rausch

Mark Slade

Joe R. Lansdale (b. 1951), the award-winning author of such novels as Cold in July (1989) and The Bottoms (2000), as well as the popular Hap and Leonard series, has been publishing novels since 1981. Lansdale has developed a tremendous cult audience willing to follow him into any genre he chooses to write in, including horror, western, crime, adventure, and fantasy. Within these genres, his stories, novels, and novellas explore friendship, race, and life in East Texas. His distinctive voice is often funny and always unique, as characterized by such works as Bubba Ho-Tep (1994), a novella that centers on Elvis Presley, his friend who believes himself to be John F. Kennedy, and a soul-sucking ancient mummy. This same novella won a Bram Stoker Award, one of the ten Bram Stoker Awards given to Lansdale thus far in his illustrious career. Wielding a talent that extends beyond the page to the screen, Landsdale has also written episodes for Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series. Conversations with Joe R. Lansdale brings together interviews from newspapers, magazines, and podcasts conducted throughout the prolific author’s career. The collection includes conversations between Lansdale and other noted peers like Robert McCammon and James Grady; two podcast transcripts that have never before appeared in print; and a brand-new interview, exclusive to the volume. In addition to shedding light on his body of literary work and process as a writer, this collection also shares Lansdale’s thoughts on comics, atheism, and martial arts.

Conversations with Joe R. Lansdale

David Walker

Chris Watson

This is a collection of interviews with many of the men and women who defined blaxploitation--a genre of films produced mainly in the 1970s that were marketed to a predominantly black audience. Among those interviewed are such icons as Jim Brown, Antonio Fargas, Gloria Hendry, Jim Kelly, Rudy Ray Moore, Ron O'Neal, William Marshall, Glynn Turman, M

Actors and Directors Speak

Reflections on Blaxploitation

American crime novelist Elmore Leonard (1925-2013) has a voice that is original and immediately recognizable. This collection of original interviews with fellow authors, filmmakers, collaborators and critics covers all things Leonard, from analyses of characterization and dialogue in his writing to his many screen adaptations. What makes Leonard's work more cinematic than that of other talented contemporaries is his deceptively simplistic method of description that still manages to paint a vivid picture in the reader's mind. The unique perspectives in this collection discuss many of Leonard's 44 novels, including those that have been adapted to television and motion pictures like Get Shorty, Out of Sight, and Jackie Brown.

Conversations with Authors, Experts and Collaborators

Perspectives on Elmore Leonard

"This is a cool idea for a book." -- Quentin Tarantino My Best Friend's Birthday: The Making of a Quentin Tarantino Film is the story of a group of friends who set out to make their own movie in 1983, financing it with Tarantino's minimum wage earnings from his job at a video store. In most biographies and Tarantino histories, this unfinished $5,000 film is mentioned only in passing and is looked upon as little more than a curiosity. But with this oral history, author/editor Andrew J. Rausch details how each of the friends came together, other early film projects they worked on, and how they ended up making (or trying to make) a black-and-white screwball comedy. He also makes the argument that My Best Friend's Birthday is something far more meaningful than a curiosity. Not only did it mark the screenwriting and directorial debut of Quentin Tarantino, one of the greatest filmmakers in history, but it also launched the careers of two other professional filmmakers, Craig Hamann and Roger Avary. My Best Friend's Birthday: The Making of a Quentin Tarantino Film provides an in-depth look at the film from its conception to its eventual demise and proves that even at the young age of 20, Tarantino already possessed the talent (in a still rough, unpolished form) that would lead him to make classic films such as Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Django Unchained, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The film and screenplay for My Best Friend's Birthday, rough as they may be, provide us a glimpse of an artist on the verge of real success, still trying to find and hone his voice.

The Making of a Quentin Tarantino Film

My Best Friend's Birthday

Hard-to-find interviews with the ten-time Bram Stoker Award-winning writer of the Hap and Leonard short stories, Bubba Ho-Tep, and episodes of Batman: The Animated Series and Superman: The Animated Series

Charles E. Pratt, Jr.

Tim Burton's Ed Wood (1994), a critically acclaimed film starring Johnny Depp that earned two Academy Awards, only told part of the fascinating story of the strange American screenwriter, director, producer, actor, author, and film editor. Now, authors Andrew J. Rausch and Charles E. Pratt Jr. unreel the unreal back stories of the much-maligned “Worst Filmmaker of All Time” and his 29 films that sometimes outshone Wood’s off screen shenanigans. In the 1950s, audiences cringed at Glen or Glenda, Jail Bait with Steve Reeves, Bride of the Monster and Plan 9 From Outer Space with Bela Lugosi, The Violent Years, and Night of the Ghouls. In the 1960s, moviegoers winced at The Sinister Urge and Orgy of the Dead. Though his films sometimes shocked the delicate sensibilities of post-war audiences, modern moviegoers often love the good, bad, and ugly movie millstones. The authors share a passion for all things Ed Wood and wanted to explore, deplore, and implore the always unvarnished facts about the born loser, who continually defied odds to achieve each scrap of success in Hollywood. Wood refused to allow his dreams to die, despite the seemingly-insurmountable hurdles he faced in life and with his own lack of talent, yet he found a way to continue making movies. Discover his daring deeds in detail, from the crowd favorites to the more obscure nudie films that Wood made late in life. Illustrated. 293 pages, 42 chapters, and 10 interviews with a variety of people involved with Ed Wood films. “A lot of movies are simply lousy – created by two-bit hacks who obviously didn’t give a damn about the outcome. But it takes a filmmaker with singularly unique sensibilities to create such sincerely passionate, wondrously lousy films as Edward D. Wood, Jr. Paying tribute to his long and memorable career as both director and screenwriter, the majority of this engaging 293-page softcover consists of separate chapters devoted to each Ed Wood screen project, from ‘classics’ like GLEN OR GLENDA and PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, to surprisingly competent B-movies (JAIL BAT, THE SINISTER URGE) and his most pathetic paychecks (SHOTGUN WEDDING, LOVE FEAST). In the process, Rausch and Pratt deftly critique every film – respecting Wood’s overall vision, while acknowledging the laughs found in Ed’s overripe dialogue, nonsensical stories, half-baked production values, and penchant for stock footage. But while Wood’s early projects were both earnest and engagingly ridiculous, his later (often pseudonymous) gigs became increasingly uninspired and embarrassing, with our authors justifiably ripping apart pathetic ‘70s-era smut like NECROMANIA. Rounding out this terrific book are ten interviews, including actor/stuntman Gary Kent (who played caveman Olaf in the Wood-scripted ONE MILLION AC/DC), ED WOOD screenwriter Larry Karaszewski, author Rudolph Grey, director Aris Iliopulos (I WOKE UP EARLY THE DAY I DIED), and THE NYMPHO CYCLER starlet Casey Larrain.” -- Shock Cinema

The Cinematic Misadventures of Ed Wood

In this book, Andrew J. Rausch examines the creative output of director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro: from their initial offering, Mean Streets, to their most recent film together, Casino. Rausch looks at their relationship as individual artists who combined their talents to create cinematic magic, including the recognized classics Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and GoodFellas.

The Films of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro

Gary Graver

In Making Movies with Orson Welles, Graver recounts the highs and lows of the moviemaking business as he and one of the most important and influential directors of all time struggled to get films produced. The two men collaborated on more than a dozen projects, including F for Fake, Filming Othello, and the still-unreleased The Other Side of the Wind. Their close friendship and creative filmmaking partnership would endure for 15 years, until Welles' death in 1985. Also including a filmography of works and 20 photos from Graver's personal collection, this fascinating memoir recalls what it was like to work with the legendary Welles and offers advice and tales of caution for future filmmakers.

Making Movies with Orson Welles

It is frequently said that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and nowhere is this statement more accurate than in the case of obscure bizarro exploitation films. Containing 55 essays on such trash classics as Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS (1975), I Spit on Your Grave (1978), and Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965), Trash CInema: A Celebration of Overlooked Masterpieces celebrates the good, the bad, and the ugly of these so-called “trash” films. Some of the pieces are reverential, some poke fun at the absurdity of the films, and others offer a more critical eye to these proceedings. With essays from more than 40 noted film writers, this collection is a one-of-a-kind treasure for those amongst us with a passion for the seedier side of cinema.

Trash Cinema: A Celebration of Overlooked Masterpieces

“This is a cool idea for a book.” — Quentin Tarantino My Best Friend’s Birthday: The Making of a Quentin Tarantino Film is the story of a group of friends who set out to make their own movie in 1983, financing it with Tarantino’s minimum wage earnings from his job at a video store. In most biographies and Tarantino histories, this unfinished $5,000 film is mentioned only in passing and is looked upon as little more than a curiosity. But with this oral history, author/editor Andrew J. Rausch details how each of the friends came together, other early film projects they worked on, and how they ended up making (or trying to make) a black-and-white screwball comedy. He also makes the argument that My Best Friend’s Birthday is something far more meaningful than a curiosity. Not only did it mark the screenwriting and directorial debut of Quentin Tarantino, one of the greatest filmmakers in history, but it also launched the careers of two other professional filmmakers, Craig Hamann and Roger Avary. My Best Friend’s Birthday: The Making of a Quentin Tarantino Film provides an in-depth look at the film from its conception to its eventual demise and proves that even at the young age of 20, Tarantino already possessed the talent (in a still rough, unpolished form) that would lead him to make classic films such as Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, Django Unchained, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The film and screenplay for My Best Friend’s Birthday, rough as they may be, provide us a glimpse of an artist on the verge of real success, still trying to find and hone his voice.

My Best Friend’s Birthday: The Making of a Quentin Tarantino Film

Stephen King is one of the most successful authors in the history of American literature. His books—including 55 novels, 12 novellas, nine short story collections and a children's book—have sold 350 million copies worldwide. Over the past five decades his broader impact on popular culture has been immense. Most of his works have been adapted for film or television (some of them by King himself) and he may fairly be credited with single-handedly reinventing horror, once considered a B movie genre, for mainstream audiences. This collection of original interviews with fellow authors, collaborators and critics covers all things King, from analysis of his best writing to his many screen adaptations to recurring themes in his stories.

Perspectives on Stephen King

Stephen King is one of the most successful authors in the history of American literature. His books--including 55 novels, 12 novellas, nine short story collections and a children's book--have sold 350 million copies worldwide. Over the past five decades his broader impact on popular culture has been immense. Most of his works have been adapted for film or television (some of them by King himself) and he may fairly be credited with single-handedly reinventing horror, once considered a B movie genre, for mainstream readership. This collection of original interviews with fellow authors, collaborators and critics covers all things King, from analyses of his best writing to his many screen adaptations to recurring themes in his stories.

This book is an extensive collection of original interviews with 50 noted filmmakers. Conducted over a seven-year period expressly for this project, the interviews cover various aspects of film production, biographical information, and the interviewees’ favorite or most influential films. Filmmakers interviewed include highly respected auteurs (Richard Linklater, Wim Wenders), B-movie greats (Roger Corman, Lloyd Kaufman), and well-renowned documentary directors (D.A. Pennebaker, Albert Maysles). Each entry includes a brief biography and filmography, while dozens of personal photographs, promotional materials, and film stills appear throughout the work.

Andrew J. Rausch

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