Alan Sepinwall

Matt Zoller Seitz

David Chase

A mobster walked into a psychiatrist's office.... No, it wasn't the start of a joke: it was the start of a program that changed TV history. By shattering preconceptions about the kinds of stories the medium should tell, The Sopranos launched our current age of prestige television. Television critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz were among the first to write about the series before it became a cultural phenomenon. To celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the show's debut, they reunite to produce a collection of recaps, conversations, and critical essays covering every episode, as well as new interviews with series creator David Chase. They explore the shows artistry, themes, and legacy, examining its portrayal of Italian Americans, its graphic depictions of violence, and its deep connection to other cinematic and television classics.

The Sopranos Sessions

Wes Anderson is one of the most influential voices from the past two decades of American cinema. A true auteur, Anderson is known for the visual artistry, inimitable tone, and idiosyncratic characterizations that make each of his films- 'Bottle Rocket', 'Rushmore', 'The Royal Tenenbaums', 'The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou', 'The Darjeeling Limited', 'Fantastic Mr. Fox', and 'Moonrise Kingdom'- instantly recognizable as "Andersonian." 'The Wes Anderson Collection' is the first in-depth overview of Anderson's filmography, guiding readers through his life and career. Previously unpublished photos, artwork, and ephemera complement a book-length conversation between Anderson and award-winning critic Matt Zoller Seitz. The interview and images are woven together in a meticulously designed book that captures the spirit of his films: melancholy and playful, wise and childish - and thoroughly original.

The Wes Anderson Collection

Examines the noteworthy film, providing information about the film's conception, presenting personal anecdotes about the making of the film, and describing the wide variety of sources that inspired it.

Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Is The Wire better than Breaking Bad? Is Cheers better than Seinfeld? What's the best high school show ever made? Why did Moonlighting really fall apart? Was the Arrested Development Netflix season brilliant or terrible? For twenty years-since they shared a TV column at Tony Soprano's hometown newspaper-critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz have been debating these questions and many more, but it all ultimately boils down to this: What's the greatest TV show ever? That debate reaches an epic conclusion in TV (THE BOOK). Sepinwall and Seitz have identified and ranked the 100 greatest scripted shows in American TV history. Using a complex, obsessively all- encompassing scoring system, they've created a Pantheon of top TV shows, each accompanied by essays delving into what made these shows great. From vintage classics like The Twilight Zone and I Love Lucy to modern masterpieces like Mad Men and Friday Night Lights, from huge hits like All in the Family and ER to short-lived favorites like Firefly and Freaks and Geeks, TV (THE BOOK) will bring the triumphs of the small screen together in one amazing compendium. Sepinwall and Seitz's argument has ended. Now it's time for yours to begin!

Two Experts Pick the Greatest American Shows of All Time

TV (The Book)

"This book is a time machine. It goes backwards and forwards through all seven seasons. It takes longtime fans to a place where they ache to go again. It guides new viewers on their first trip to 1960s Madison Avenue. It lets us think about the show the way a TV critic does. Around and around and back home again, to a place where we know why it's loved."--Jacket.

The Complete Critical Companion

Mad Men Carousel

Mad Men Carousel is an episode-by-episode guide to all seven seasons of AMC's Mad Men. This book collects TV and movie critic Matt Zoller Seitz's celebrated Mad Men recaps--as featured on New York magazine's Vulture blog--for the first time, including never-before-published essays on the show's first three seasons. Seitz's writing digs deep into the show's themes, performances, and filmmaking, examining complex and sometimes confounding aspects of the series. The complete series--all seven seasons and ninety-two episodes--is covered. Each episode review also includes brief explanations of locations, events, consumer products, and scientific advancements that are important to the characters, such as P.J. Clarke's restaurant and the old Penn Station; the inventions of the birth control pill, the Xerox machine, and the Apollo Lunar Module; the release of the Beatles' Revolver and the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds; and all the wars, protests, assassinations, and murders that cast a bloody pall over a chaotic decade. Mad Men Carousel is named after an iconic moment from the show's first-season finale, "The Wheel," wherein Don delivers an unforgettable pitch for a new slide projector that's centered on the idea of nostalgia: "the pain from an old wound." This book will soothe the most ardent Mad Men fan's nostalgia for the show. New viewers, who will want to binge-watch their way through one of the most popular TV shows in recent memory, will discover a spoiler-friendly companion to one of the most multilayered and mercurial TV shows of all time. It's the perfect gift for Mad Men fans and obsessives. Also available from Matt Zoller Seitz: The Oliver Stone Experience, The Wes Anderson Collection: Bad Dads, The Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The Wes Anderson Collection.

Mad Men Carousel (Paperback Edition)

On January 10, 1999, a mobster walked into a psychiatrist’s office and changed TV history. By shattering preconceptions about the kinds of stories the medium should tell, The Sopranoslaunched our current age of prestige television, paving the way for such giants as Mad Men, The Wire, Breaking Bad, and Game of Thrones. As TV critics for Tony Soprano’s hometown paper, New Jersey’s The Star-Ledger, Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz were among the first to write about the series before it became a cultural phenomenon. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the show’s debut, Sepinwall and Seitz have reunited to produce The Sopranos Sessions, a collection of recaps, conversations, and critical essays covering every episode. Featuring a series of new long-form interviews with series creator David Chase, as well as selections from the authors’ archival writing on the series, The Sopranos Sessions explores the show’s artistry, themes, and legacy, examining its portrayal of Italian Americans, its graphic depictions of violence, and its deep connections to other cinematic and television classics.

A Lie Agreed Upon

Deadwood Bible

Simon Abrams

Explore the creation of Guillermo del Toro’s early masterpiece through this visually stunning and insightful look at the spine-chilling classic. Released in 2001, Guillermo del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone announced the director as a singular talent with a unique ability to mix the macabre with the sublime. A spiritual companion piece to his Oscar-winning Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), the film shares similar themes and is also set against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, a brutal conflict that turned ordinary men into monsters. Through a series of in-depth and extremely candid interviews with the director, this deluxe volume not only explores the shooting of the film but also delves into a range of other topics with del Toro, including his influences, his uniquely nuanced approach to filmmaking, and the traumatic personal events that colored the creation of The Devil’s Backbone. The book also draws on interviews with key contributors in the film’s creation, including cinematographer Guillermo Navarro and composer Javier Navarrete, to give readers an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at how this gothic horror masterpiece was crafted. Featuring a wealth of exquisite concept art and rare unit photography, Guillermo del Toro’s The Devil’s Backbone is the ultimate behind-the-scenes look at an unforgettable Spanish-language classic.

Guillermo del Toro's The Devil's Backbone

Stone himself serves as guide to this no-holds-barred retrospective—an extremely candid and comprehensive monograph of the renowned and controversial writer, director, and cinematic historian in interview form. Over the course of five years, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone (Midnight Express, Scarface, Platoon, JFK, Natural Born Killers, Snowden) and New York Times bestselling author Matt Zoller Seitz (The Wes Anderson Collection) discussed, debated, and deconstructed the arc of Stone's outspoken, controversial life and career with extraordinary candor. This book collects those conversations for the first time, including anecdotes about Stone's childhood, Vietnam, his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, and his continual struggle to reinvent himself as an artist. Critical commentary from Seitz on each of Stone's films is joined by original essays from filmmaker Ramin Bahrani; writer, editor, and educator Kiese Laymon; writer and actor Jim Beaver; and film critics Walter Chaw, Michael Guarnieri, Kim Morgan, and Alissa Wilkinson. At once a complex analysis of a master director’s vision and a painfully honest critical biography in widescreen technicolor, The Oliver Stone Experience is as daring, intense, and provocative as Stone’s films—it's an Oliver Stone movie about Oliver Stone, in the form of a book. Both this book and Stone’s highly anticipated film, Snowden, will be released in September 2016 to coincide with Stone’s seventieth birthday (September 15, 1946). Also available from Matt Zoller Seitz: Mad Men Carousel, The Wes Anderson Collection: Bad Dads, The Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The Wes Anderson Collection.

The Oliver Stone Experience (Text-Only Edition)

Rahmin Bahrani

Oliver Stone is one of the grand masters of American cinema. A multiple Academy Award winning screenwriter and director ("Midnight Express," "Scarface," "Platoon," "JFK," "Natural Born Killers," "Snowden"), he is as well known for his outspoken, controversial political beliefs as he is for his innovative films. Here, Stone and author Matt Zoller Seitz discuss the arc of Stone s life and work with extraordinary candor. The cinematic mastermind shares anecdotes about Vietnam, his childhood, his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, and his continual struggle to reinvent himself as an artist. The book includes never-before-seen material that dates back to Stone s childhood in the 1950s, personal snapshots, private correspondence, annotated script pages and storyboards, and behind-the-scenes photography. At once a complex analysis of a master director s vision and a painfully honest autobiography, "The Oliver Stone Experience" promises to be as daring, intense, and provocative as Stone s films. Both this book and Stone s highly anticipated film, "Snowden," will be released in September 2016 to coincide with Stone s seventieth birthday (September 15, 1946). Also available from Matt Zoller Seitz: "Mad Men Carousel," "The Wes Anderson Collection: Bad Dads," "The Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel"," and ""The Wes Anderson Collection.""

The Oliver Stone Experience

The official companion to The French Dispatch and the latest volume in the bestselling Wes Anderson Collection series The French Dispatch--the tenth feature film from writer-director Wes Anderson--weaves together stories of an eccentric band of expat journalists working at the titular American newspaper in 20th-century Ennui, France. Broken out into a series of vignettes, this love letter to the New Journalism era is filled with a cast of Anderson's frequent collaborators, including Jason Schwartzman, Bob Balaban, and Willem Dafoe, as well as new players Timothée Chalamet, Jeffrey Wright, Elisabeth Moss, and Benicio del Toro. In this latest one-volume entry in the Wes Anderson Collection series--the only book to take readers behind the scenes of The French Dispatch--everything that goes into bringing Anderson's trademark style, intricate compositions, and meticulous staging to the screen is revealed in detail. The Wes Anderson Collection: The French Dispatch presents the complete story behind the film's conception, anecdotes about the making of the film, and behind-the-scenes photos, production materials, and conceptual artwork.

The French Dispatch

The official companion to The French Dispatch and the latest volume in the bestselling Wes Anderson Collection series The French Dispatch—the tenth feature film from writer-director Wes Anderson—weaves together stories of an eccentric band of expat journalists working at the titular American newspaper in 20th-century Ennui-sur-Blasé, France. Broken out into a series of vignettes, this love letter to the New Journalism era is filled with a cast of Anderson’s frequent collaborators, including Jason Schwartzman, Bob Balaban, and Willem Dafoe, as well as new players Timothée Chalamet, Jeffrey Wright, Elisabeth Moss, and Benicio del Toro. In this latest one-volume entry in the Wes Anderson Collection series—the only book to take readers behind the scenes of The French Dispatch—everything that goes into bringing Anderson’s trademark style, intricate compositions, and meticulous staging to the screen is revealed in detail. The Wes Anderson Collection: The French Dispatch presents the complete story behind the film’s conception, anecdotes about the making of the film, and behind-the-scenes photos, production materials, and conceptual artwork.

The Wes Anderson Collection: The French Dispatch

Stone himself serves as guide to this no-holds-barred retrospective—an extremely candid and comprehensive monograph of the renowned and controversial writer, director, and cinematic historian in interview form. Over the course of five years, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone (Midnight Express, Scarface, Platoon, JFK, Natural Born Killers, Snowden) and New York Times bestselling author Matt Zoller Seitz (The Wes Anderson Collection) discussed, debated, and deconstructed the arc of Stone's outspoken, controversial life and career with extraordinary candor. This book collects those conversations for the first time, including anecdotes about Stone's childhood, Vietnam, his struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder, and his continual struggle to reinvent himself as an artist. Their dialogue is illustrated by hundreds of never-before-seen photographs and documents from Stone's personal archive, dating back to Stone's birth: personal snapshots, private correspondence, annotated script pages and storyboards, behind-the-scenes photography, and production files from all of his films to date—through 2016's Snowden, and including Stone's epic Showtime mini-series Untold HIstory of the United States. Critical commentary from Seitz on each of Stone's films is joined by original essays from filmmaker Ramin Bahrani; writer, editor, and educator Kiese Laymon; writer and actor Jim Beaver; and film critics Walter Chaw, Michael Guarnieri, Kim Morgan, and Alissa Wilkinson. At once a complex analysis of a master director’s vision and a painfully honest critical biography in widescreen technicolor, The Oliver Stone Experience is as daring, intense, and provocative as Stone’s films—it's an Oliver Stone movie about Oliver Stone, in the form of a book. Both this book and Stone’s highly anticipated film, Snowden, will be released in September 2016 to coincide with Stone’s seventieth birthday (September 15, 1946). Also available from Matt Zoller Seitz: Mad Men Carousel, The Wes Anderson Collection: Bad Dads, The Wes Anderson Collection: The Grand Budapest Hotel, and The Wes Anderson Collection.

Armond White

Godfrey Cheshire

A dialogue about cinema's legacy and best directors through essays by three of the best long-form critics out there, collected from the legendary NYPress for the first time. Comprising of the kind of long-form criticism that is all too rare these days, the weekly film columns in the NYPress included polemics, reviews, interviews, festival reports and features. A far cry from what is often derisively termed the "consumer report" mode of criticism, Cheshire, Seitz and White were passionately engaged with the film culture of both their own time, and what had come before. They constituted three distinctly different voices: equally accomplished, yet notably individual, perspectives on cinema. Their distinctive tastes and approaches were often positioned in direct dialogue with each other, a constant critical conversation that frequently saw each writer directly challenging his colleagues. Dialogue is important in criticism, and here you can find a healthy example of it existing under one proverbial roof. This three-way dialogue between Cheshire, Seitz and White assesses the 1990s in cinema, along with pieces on New York's vibrant repertory scene that allow us to read the authors' takes on directors such as Hitchcock, Lean, Kubrick, Welles, Fassbinder and Bresson; as well as topics such as the legacy of Star Wars, film noir, early film projection in New York City, the New York Film Critics Circle, Sundance, the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and the emerging cinema of Iran and Taiwan.

Matt Zoller Seitz

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