Film Writer Brian J. Robb
New Books, Available Now
Silent
Cinema
(Kamera Books, February 2007)
A study of the earliest
origins of cinema to the stars, comedians and directors who became
popular from the late-Victorian era to the end of the 1920s,
and including a look at the earliest Hollywood scandals of the
time, Silent Cinema is a handy guide to the art of cinema's
silent years in Hollywood and across the globe. 160 pages.
(Kamera Books, February 2007)
A study of the earliest origins of cinema to the stars, comedians and directors who became popular from the late-Victorian era to the end of the 1920s, and including a look at the earliest Hollywood scandals of the time, Silent Cinema is a handy guide to the art of cinema's silent years in Hollywood and across the globe. 160 pages.
Counterfeit
Worlds: Philip K. Dick on Film
(Titan Books, July 2006)
Counterfeit Worlds is the definitive history of all the
dramatic adaptations of Philip K. Dick's work, not only the films
but also TV series, radio plays, even operas and computer games.
Beginning with a concise biography of Dick, the book looks at
the evolution and production of each project in depth, along
the way uncovering a wealth of new information, including the
stories behind the fascinating unmade film Ubik (with
a screenplay by Dick himself), and the stillborn sequels to Total
Recall and the legendary Blade Runner. 320 pages.
(Titan Books, July 2006)
Counterfeit Worlds is the definitive history of all the dramatic adaptations of Philip K. Dick's work, not only the films but also TV series, radio plays, even operas and computer games. Beginning with a concise biography of Dick, the book looks at the evolution and production of each project in depth, along the way uncovering a wealth of new information, including the stories behind the fascinating unmade film Ubik (with a screenplay by Dick himself), and the stillborn sequels to Total Recall and the legendary Blade Runner. 320 pages.
"Comprehensive...
Robb has successfully reawakened an awkward, prophetic voice."
Tom Dewe Matthews, Sight & Sound
Tom Dewe Matthews, Sight & Sound
"Well researched
and passionately written... absorbing..." Total Film
"As a collective
resource, this is a valuable one." Danny Graydon,
Empire
"Studiously researched
and intelligently written..." Film Review
"...extensivley
researched and well-written..." SFX magazine
"An absorbing
read... a must for aficionados..." Interzone
"If you're a
lover of science fiction films, you're going to want this book."
Sci Fi London
About the Author
Brian J. Robb is the author of a series of Hollywood biographies, including an international best-seller on Leonardo DiCaprio. Other subjects have included Scream director Wes Craven and Hollywood stars Keanu Reeves, Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Ewan McGregor, Nicolas Cage, Will Smith and River Phoenix. He's also written books on Silent Cinema, Laurel & Hardy and the films adapted from the novels of cult author Philip K. Dick (Counterfeit Worlds).
He is currently Managing Editor at Titan Magazines, a publisher of film and TV related titles. He edits the official Star Wars Insider Magazine, and oversees magazines for Lost, Stargate, Smallville, Star Trek, 24 and Prison Break, as well as being Managing Editor on Dreamwatch, an international cult film and television web site.
He is a journalist of almost 20 years standing who has held a variety of film-related jobs, including Publications Editor of the British Film Institute, editing publications for the 1990 London Film Festival, as well as publications for the 1991 Edinburgh Film Festival and the 1991 British Film Festival in Washington DC.
He was film and video critic for the Edinburgh Evening News for eight years and has contributed film reviews to Scot FM and BBC Radio Scotland. He has worked for the Radio Times and TV Guide, ran a local newspaper group in Edinburgh and was the Founding Editor of Scottish Arts Monthly.
In addition, he has worked on The Scotsman and Scotland on Sunday newspapers and contributed freelance work to The Guardian, The Daily Record, Scotsman Magazine, Fear, Fantasy Zone, Doctor Who Monthly, Film Monthly, Dreamwatch and Starburst, as well as regular columns for ZX Computing magazine while still a teenager in the mid-1980s.
Brian J. Robb has an MA in Film & TV Studies from the University of Glasgow and a postgraduate diploma in Journalism Studies from University College, Cardiff.