Helen O'Hara

A fascinating history of motion pictures through the lens of the Academy Awards, the Best Picture winners, and the box-office contenders.In Best Pick: A Journey through Film History and the Academy Awards, John Dorney, Jessica Regan, and Tom Salinsky provide a captivating decade-by-decade exploration of the Oscars. For each decade, they examine the making of classic films, trends and innovations in cinema, behind-the-scenes scandals at the awards ceremony, and who won and why. Twenty films are reviewed in-depth, alongside ten detailed “making-of” accounts and capsule reviews of every single Best Picture winner in history. In addition, each Best Picture winner is carefully scrutinized to answer the ultimate question: “Did the Academy get it right?” Full of wonderful stories, cogent analysis, and fascinating insights, Best Pick is a witty and enthralling look at the people, politics, movies, and trends that have shaped our cinematic world.

Master the ideas that have shaped the world of film today.In a series of 50 accessible essays, Helen O'Hara introduces and explains the central ideas, eras and genres of film, beginning with the invention of cinema to the theories and genres that have emerged and evolved since.From concepts such as the mise-en-scène and special effects to Queer Film Theory and the #MeToo movement, 50 Film Ideas You Really Need to Know is a complete introduction to the most important tenets of film and cinema history.

Explore an A-Z of everything you need to know about the masterful movies of Quentin Tarantino, from AK-47 to "Zed's dead, baby" and everything in between.With hundreds of entries covering every facet of Tarantino's work - from inspiration and influences to his most frequent collaborators and little-known cameos - A Quentin Tarantino Dictionary is a stylish guide to the wonderful world of this visionary filmmaker.Written by author and film critic Helen O'Hara (Empire, BAFTA, the Telegraph) and with bespoke illustrations that bring the director's vision to life, this is a one-stop shop for all things Tarantino.

'A fascinating polemic' Sunday Times 'A powerful, sobering and vital work' The Mail on Sunday 'A page-turning read, peppered with humour' Sight & Sound'A must read' Edgar WrightA call to arms from Empire magazine's 'geek queen', Helen O'Hara, that explores women's roles - both in front of and behind the camera - since the birth of Hollywood, how those roles are reflected within wider society and what we can do to level the playing field. Hollywood was born just over a century ago, at a time of huge forward motion for women's rights. With no rules in place to stop them, there were women who forged ahead in many areas of filmmaking. Yet, despite the work of early pioneers like Dorothy Arzner, Mabel Normand, Mary Pickford and Alice Guy-Blache, it soon came to embody the same old sexist standards. Women found themselves fighting a system that fed on their talent, creativity and beauty but refused to pay them the same respect as their male contemporaries - until now . . . The tide has finally begun to turn. A new generation of women, both in front of and behind the camera, are making waves in the industry and are now shaping some of the biggest films to hit our screens. In Women vs Hollywood: The Fall and Rise of Women in Film, film critic Helen O'Hara takes a closer look at the pioneering and talented women of Hollywood and their work in film since Hollywood began. And in understanding how women were largely written out of Hollywood's own origin story, and how the films we watch are put together, we can finally see how to put an end to a picture that is so deeply unequal - and discover a multitude of stories out there just waiting to be told.

The Ultimate Superhero Movie Guide is a thrilling journey through the history of the world's favourite movie genre. From the early glories of Superman and Tim Burton's Batman, to the modern dominance of Marvel and DC's cinematic universes, this book celebrates the stars, stunts and special effects that have brought dozens of legendary comic book heroes to the big screen. Featuring a blend of reviews, lists, features and interviews covering everything from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to cult classics like Dredd and The Rocketeer, this is a celebration of superhero movies unlike anything else in the market.