Recommended reading - Balboa Films (2007):

Balboa Films

A History and Filmography of the Silent Film Studio

By Jean-Jacques Jura & Rodney Norman Bardin II.

Published by McFarland.

Published 2007.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0786430982

ISBN-13: 9780786430987

Description:

From 1913 through 1918, Long Beach, California, was home to the largest independent film company in the world, the largely forgotten Balboa Studio. Founder Herbert M. Horkheimer bought the studio from Edison Company in 1913, and by 1915 Balboa's expenses exceeded $2,500 a day and its output hit 15,500 feet of film per week. Bert Bracken, Fatty Arbuckle, Henry King, Baby Marie Osborne, Thomas Ince, and William Desmond Taylor began their careers with the studio.

In 1918, Horkheimer stunned the industry by declaring bankruptcy, shutting down Balboa, and walking away from moviemaking. The closing of the studio effectively ended Long Beach's runs as a major film location and left many wondering about the true reasons behind Horkheimer's decision. Most of Balboa's films have been lost, and little has until now been written about the studio. This book first explores the history of filmmaking in Long Beach and then fully details the story of Balboa. The extensive filmography includes length, copyright date when available, cast and credits, and a plot summary.

On this day in music history - Key of Sea, by Jennifer Thomas (2007):

Key of Sea

Album by Jennifer Thomas,

released January 9, 2007.

Track list:

A Beautiful Storm; Prelude in F; Release; You By My Side; Suite Dreams; Will's Song; Old Movie Romance; Pure; O Mio Babbino Caro; The Red Aspens; Somewhere; The Tempest; Sospiro.

Recommended reading - The Stop-motion Filmography (2007):

The Stop-motion Filmography

A Critical Guide to 297 Features Using Puppet Animation

By Neil Pettigrew.

2-Volume Set.

Published by McFarland & Company.

Published 2007.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0786431075

ISBN-13: 978-0786431076

Description:

This is a major McFarland reference work providing in-depth analyses of all puppet animation sequences in every film that has featured the process, including King Kong and Jason and the Argonauts. The focus is on how effective the sequence was and how it was executed. In addition to the analysis, each entry provides title, year of release, cast and production credits including producer, director, screenplay, director of photography, art director or production designer, music, stop-motion animators, armature builders, puppet makers, stop-motion cameramen, sequence supervisors, and more. Ratings of the film and of the effectiveness of its stop-motion sequences are also given.

“Gargantuan...an insightful and affectionate tribute to [puppet animation] films. Brilliant color photographs shine out alongside numerous black and white photos...recommended.” – Choice.

“Well-researched, well-written and a solid addition.” – Video Watchdog.

“Detailed…a ‘must have’.” – Famous Monsters of Filmland.

“Amazing...thousands of details...an important work.” – Association Internationale du Film d'Animation (ASIFA) / The International Animated Film Association.

“A mightily impressive tome...exhaustive...an essential book for stop motion fans.” – SFX Magazine.

“Staggeringly comprehensive study...provides shot-by-shot analysis of every stop-motion sequence in every known feature film that uses the process...Pettigrew’s thoroughness and accuracy border on the astounding...a work of impeccable scholarship.” – Scarlet Street.

“A treasure-trove of information.” – Ani-Mato.

“Superbly researched and informative text and illustrations...provides in-depth analyses of all puppet animation sequences...a valuable source of information...immaculately researched and written in a lucid and very readable manner” – Talking Pictures Magazine.

Recommended reading - Silent Movies (2007):

Silent Movies

The Birth of Film and the Triumph of Movie Culture

by Peter Kobel.

Preface by Martin Scorsese.

Foreword by Kevin Brownlow.

Published by Little, Brown and Company.

Published 2007.

Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 0316117919

ISBN-13: 978-0316117913

Description:

Drawing on the extraordinary collection of The Library of Congress, one of the greatest repositories for silent film and memorabilia, Peter Kobel has created the definitive visual history of silent film. From its birth in the 1890s, with the earliest narrative shorts, through the brilliant full-length features of the 1920s, Silent Movies captures the greatest directors and actors and their immortal films.

Silent Movies also looks at the technology of early film, the use of color photography, and the restoration work being spearheaded by some of Hollywood's most important directors, such as Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola.

Richly illustrated from the Library of Congress's extensive collection of posters, paper prints, film stills, and memorabilia – most of which have never been in print – Silent Movies is an important work of history that will also be a sought-after gift book for all lovers of film.

"If you ever wondered why film buffs get weak in the knees about the movies made before talkies, this book can help you understand. . . . it is beautifully designed with a dazzling array of movie stills, posters and promo material drawn from the Library of Congress' memorabilia collection." – San Francisco Chronicle.

"The definitive visual history of silent film." – New York Daily News.

"A handsomely designed and illustrated pictorial history of the voiceless cinema." – Los Angeles Times.

"A ravishing, oversize, million-pound study of the silent movie era, not just its films, but its promotion, its culture and the way these movies changed how we think about the world." – Washington Post Express.

"Kobel has lovingly detailed this world-from the zany publicity campaigns to the lavish scripts to the decadent star lifestyles. SILENT MOVIES is an essential addition to any film or design lover's library." – Encore magazine.

"Spectacular." – The New York Times.

"This isn't a coffee table book, though any coffee table would be lucky to be graced by it. The excellent text manages the trick of being exhaustive without being exhausting, while the photos – and stills, and posters, and lobby cards – are enchanting." – Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal Online.

On this day in music history - Inside I'm Singing, by Secret Garden (2007):

The album Inside I'm Singing,

by Secret Garden,

was released on November 26, 2007.

On this day in movie history - The Mist (2007):

The Mist

directed and written by Frank Darabont,

based on the novella by Stephen King,

was released in the United States on November 12, 2007.
Music by Mark Isham.

Cast:

Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher, Toby Jones, William Sadler, Jeffrey DeMunn, Frances Sternhagen, Nathan Gamble, Alexa Davalos, Chris Owen, Sam Witwer, Robert C. Treveiler, David Jensen, Melissa McBride, Andy Stahl, Buck Taylor, Brandon O'Dell, Jackson Hurst, Brian Libby, Susan Malerstein-Watkins, Mathew Greer, Juan Gabriel Pareja, Walter Fauntleroy, Amin Joseph, Kelly Collins Lintz, Ginnie Randall, Tiffany Morgan, Kim Wall, Julio Cesar Cedillo, Ron Clinton Smith, Gregg Brazzel, Sonny Franks, Dodie Brown, Taylor E. Brown, Jay Amor, Kristin Barnhart, Kevin Beard, Derek Cox-Berg, Kip Cummings, John F. Daniel, Tammy Eaton, Ron Fagan, Ted Ferguson, Travis Fontenot, Cherie Gierhart, Louis Herthum, Walt Hollis, Brian Scott Hunt, R. Todd Jones, Jimmy Lee Jr., Cherami Leigh, Mike Martindale, Cindy McBride, Eric Kelly McFarland, Amy McGee-Harrell, Ritchie Montgomery, Michaela Morgan, Darrick Mosley, James Paul, Mark Robin Price, Charles Sutherland, Chuck Vail, Steven E. Williams.

On this day in movie history - No Country for Old Men (2007):

No Country for Old Men

directed and written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen,

based on the novel by Cormac McCarthy,

was released in the United States on November 9, 2007.
Music by Carter Burwell.

Cast:

Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Woody Harrelson, Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Tess Harper, Barry Corbin, Stephen Root, Rodger Boyce, Beth Grant, Ana Reeder, Kit Gwin, Zach Hopkins, Chip Love, Eduardo Antonio Garcia, Gene Jones, Myk Watford, Boots Southerland, Kathy Lamkin, Johnnie Hector, Margaret Bowman, Thomas Kopache, Jason Douglas, Doris Hargrave, Rutherford Cravens, Matthew Posey, George Adelo, Mathew Greer, Trent Moore, Marc Miles, Luce Rains, Philip Bentham, Erik V. Reeves, Josh Meyer, Chris Warner, Brandon Smith, Roland Uribe, Richard Jackson, Josh Blaylock, Caleb Landry Jones, Dorsey Ray, Angel H. Alvarado Jr., David A. Gomez, Milton Hernandez, John Mancha, Scott Flick, Albert Fry Jr., Angelo Martinez, James Rishe, Elizabeth Slagsvol.

On this day in music history - Christmas Dreams, by 2002 (2007):

The album Christmas Dreams,

by 2002,

was released on November 7, 2007.

On this day in music history - Long Road Out of Eden, by the Eagles (2007):

The album Long Road Out of Eden,

by the Eagles,

was released on October 30, 2007.

On this day in movie history - Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007):

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

directed by Sidney Lumet,

written by Kelly Masterson,

was released in the United States on October 26, 2007.
Music by Carter Burwell.

Cast:

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Albert Finney, Marisa Tomei, Aleksa Palladino, Michael Shannon, Amy Ryan, Sarah Livingston, Brían F. O'Byrne, Rosemary Harris, Blaine Horton, Arija Bareikis, Leonardo Cimino, Lee Wilkof, Damon Gupton, Adrian Martinez, Patrick G. Burns, Jordan Gelber.

On this day in movie history - View from the Overlook: Crafting The Shining (2007):

View from the Overlook: Crafting The Shining

documentary directed by Gary Leva,

was released in the United States on October 23, 2007.

Cast:

John Baxter, Paul Duncan, Diane Johnson, Jan Harlan, Roy Walker, Jack Nicholson, David Hughes, Garrett Brown, Ernest R. Dickerson, Caleb Deschanel, Milena Canonero, Sydney Pollack, Barbara Daly, John Calley, Steven Spielberg, Charles Champlin, William Friedkin, Hugh Hudson, David Baxt, Lisa Burns, Louise Burns, Scatman Crothers, Barry Dennen, Shelley Duvall, Norman Gay, Stanley Kubrick, Danny Lloyd, Barry Nelson, Manning Redwood, Philip Stone.

On this day in movie history - Lost Kubrick: The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick (2007):

Lost Kubrick: The Unfinished Films of Stanley Kubrick

directed by Gary Leva,

written by Gary Leva and Pi Ware,

was released in the United States on October 23, 2007.
Narrated by Malcolm McDowell.

Cast:

Malcolm McDowell, Jack Nicholson, Sydney Pollack, Jan Harlan, John Calley, John Baxter, Anthony Frewin, Paul Duncan, Stuart McDougal, Daniel Richter, Louis Begley, Joseph Mazzello, Barbara Daly, Roy Walker, Stanley Kubrick.

On this day in music history - It Is Always Now, by Kathy Raimey (2007):

The album It Is Always Now,

by Kathy Raimey,

was released on October 16, 2007.

On this day in movie history - Lars and the Real Girl (2007):

Lars and the Real Girl

directed by Craig Gillespie,

written by Nancy Oliver,

was released in the United States on October 12, 2007.
Music by David Torn.

Cast:

Ryan Gosling, Emily Mortimer, Paul Schneider, R. D. Reid, Kelli Garner, Nancy Beatty, Doug Lennox, Joe Bostick, Liz Gordon, Nicky Guadagni, Patricia Clarkson, Karen Robinson, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, Billy Parrott, Sally Cahill, Angela Vint, Liisa Repo-Martell, Boyd Banks, Darren Hynes, Víctor Gómez, Tommy Chang, Arnold Pinnock, Joshua Peace, Aurora Browne, Alec McClure, Tannis Burnett, Lauren Ash, Lindsey Connell.