Books in the Contemporary Film Directors series

The first complete study of the protean filmmaker

Argues for Abel Ferrara's place in a line of grand inventors who have blurred distinctions between industry and avant-garde film, including Orson Welles, Monte Hellman, and Nicholas Ray. This work also argues that films such as "Bad Lieutenant" express this evil through visionary characters struggling against the inadmissible.

Traces Wong Kar-Wai's perennial themes of time, love, and loss, and examines the political implications of his films, especially concerning the handover of former British colony Hong Kong to the People's Republic of China. This book covers a range of Wong's work, from his first film, "As Tears Go By", to "2046".

A perceptive analysis of the daring Danish filmmaker's oeuvre

Since the release of Do the Right Thing in 1989, Spike Lee has established himself as a cinematic icon. Lee's mostly independent films garner popular audiences while at the same time engaging in substantial political and social commentary. The author argues that Lee uses excess in his films to intervene in issues of philosophy, politics, and art.