Santa Vs The Snowman

When an innocent, lovable Snowman accidentally discovers Santa’s Village, he does what anyone would do—he goes exploring! As he peers into Santa’s workshop, he finds just what he’s been wanting: a shiny new flute. But it’s against the rules to take any gifts before Christmas. Much to the Snowman’s dismay, he is chased away from the Village by Santa’s loyal elves. The disheartened Snowman begins to wonder what it would be like to take over Santa’s job. It’s Santa vs. the Snowman—and the winner takes Christmas!

 Santa Claus is in trouble! Who will save Christmas? This A-to-Z guide to holiday films, television movies and series specials provides cast, credits, production information and commentary for 228 cinema Christmases that were almost ruined by villains, monsters, spirits, secularism, greed, misanthropy or elf error—but were saved by helpful animals, magic snowmen, selfless children or compassionate understanding. Reviews and references are included.

The Adventures of Cinema Dave is a celebration of films from the turn of the recent century. Dave Montalbano, alias Cinema Dave, wrote over 500 film reviews and interviewed Hollywood Legends such as Fay Wray, Louise Fletcher, Dyan Cannon and new talent like Josh Hutcherson, Jane Lynch and Courtney Ford. With South Florida as his home base, Cinema Dave details his growing involvement with the Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach and Delray Film Festivals, while covering local interest stories about individuals who contribute to the film culture. Featuring a fun introduction from Cindy Morgan, actress from Caddyshack and Tron fame, and an extensive appendix of Literary Cinema, The Adventures of Cinema Dave is a saga about one mans bibliomania and his pursuit of an entertaining story in the big cave known as cinema.

Since the early 20th century, animated Christmas cartoons have brightened the holiday season around the world--first in theaters, then on television. From devotional portrayals of the Nativity to Santa battling villains and monsters, this encyclopedia catalogs more than 1,800 international Christmas-themed cartoons and others with year-end themes of Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and the New Year. Explore beloved television specials such as A Charlie Brown Christmas, theatrical shorts such as Santa's Workshop, holiday episodes from animated television series like American Dad! and The Simpsons, feature films like The Nutcracker Prince and obscure productions such as The Insects' Christmas, along with numerous adaptations and parodies of such classics as A Christmas Carol and Twas the Night before Christmas.

Two weeks before Christmas, Kevin and Sally decide to build a snowman. One night they look out the window and are amazed to see Mr. Snow—their snowman—making snow angels, sledding, and even skating on the pond. But when the weather warms up just before Christmas and Mr. Snow starts to melt, Kevin and Sally come up with a plan to save their friend by imploring the help of Santa Claus. Johanna Westerman’s elegant drawings compliment Margery Cuyler’s touching story to create a book that is perfect for children and parents to share during the holiday season. Ages 4-8.

Ideal for the weeks leading up to Christmas.

A thoroughly entertaining exploration, this book travels back in time to shed light on the snowman's enigmatic past -- from the present day, in which the snowman reigns as the King of Kitsch, to the Dark Ages, with the creation of the very first snowman. Eckstein's curiosity began playfully enough, but soon snowballed into a (mostly) earnest quest of chasing Frosty around the world, into museums and libraries, and seeking out the advice of leading historians and scholars. The result is a riveting history that reaches back through centuries and across cultures -- sweeping from fifteenth-century Italian snowballs to eighteenth-century Russian ice sculptures to the regrettable "white-trash years" (1975-2000). The snowman is not just part of our childhood memories, but is an integral part of our world culture, appearing -- much like a frozen Forrest Gump -- alongside dignitaries and celebrities during momentous events. Again and again, the snowman pops up in rare prints, paintings, early movies, advertising and, over the past century, in every art form imaginable. And the jolly snowman -- ostensibly as pure as the driven snow -- also harbors a dark past full of political intrigue, sex, and violence. With over two hundred illustrations, The Illustrated History of the Snowman is a truly original winter classic -- smart, surprisingly enlightening, and quite simply the coolest book ever.

La 4e de couv. porte : "In '3-D filmmakers : conversations with creators of stereoscopic motion pictures', stereographer and film historian Ray Zone presents the insights of twenty-one professionals who have worked in this specialized field. In this collection of interviews, Zone explores the art and craft of 3-D filmmaking with producers, screenwriters, directors, and cinematographers. Interviewees range from Arch Oboler - producer of Bwana Devil, the 1952 feature that triggered the boom of 3-D films - to producers and cinematographers who have worked with single-strip 3-D film production in the 1970s and '80s, 3-D films in theme parks, current IMAX films, and the new and still-evolving format of digital 3-D cinema. These interviews provide a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at more than five decades of this unique medium. This one-of-a-kind book will interest aspiring filmmakers, stereo photography enthusiasts, cinema buffs, devotees of popular culture, and film historians."