Aaron Baker – författare

A Hollywood director who blends substance with the mainstream

Steven Soderbergh''s feature films present a diverse range of subject matter and formal styles: from the self-absorption of his breakthrough hit Sex, Lies, and Videotape to populist social problem films such as Erin Brockovich, and from the modernist discontinuity of Full Frontal and filmed performance art of Gray''s Anatomy to a glossy, star-studded action blockbuster such as Ocean''s Eleven. Using a combination of realism and expressive stylization of character subjectivity, Soderbergh''s films diverge from the contemporary Hollywood mainstream through the statements they offer on issues including political repression, illegal drugs, violence, environmental degradation, the empowering and controlling potential of digital technology, and economic inequality.

Arguing that Soderbergh practices an eclectic type of moviemaking indebted both to the European art cinema and the Hollywood genre film, Aaron Baker charts the common thematic and formal patterns present across Soderbergh''s oeuvre. Almost every movie centers on an alienated main character, and Soderbergh has repeatedly emphasized place as a major factor in his narratives. Formally, he represents the unconventional thinking of his outsider protagonists through a discontinuous editing style. Including detailed analyses of major films as well as two interviews with the director, this volume illustrates Soderbergh''s hybrid flexibility in bringing an independent aesthetic to wide audiences.

A Companion to Martin Scorsese

“This valuable book brings the exceptional scale of Martin Scorsese’s film work into clear view. His achievements are monumental, and the essays collected in this work provide wonderfully detailed and vivid analyses of his oeuvre. A comprehensive study of the most exciting filmmaker working today.”Robert Burgoyne, University of St Andrews

A Companion to Martin Scorsese, Revised Edition is a comprehensive collection of original essays assessing the career of one of America’s most prominent contemporary filmmakers. The first reference work of its kind, this book contains contributions from influential scholars in North America and Europe. The essays use a variety of analytic approaches to study numerous aspects of Scorsese’s work, from his earliest films to his place within the history of American and world cinema. They consider his work in relation to auteur theory, the genres in which he has worked, his use of popular music, and his recent involvement with film preservation. Several of the essays offer fresh interpretations of some of Scorsese’s most influential films, including Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, GoodFellas, Gangs of New York, Hugo, and The Irishman. Others take a broader approach and discuss the representation of violence, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, gender, race, and other themes across his work. With insights that will interest film scholars as well as movie enthusiasts, this is an important contribution to the scholarship of contemporary American cinema.

A Companion to Martin Scorsese

“This valuable book brings the exceptional scale of Martin Scorsese’s film work into clear view. His achievements are monumental, and the essays collected in this work provide wonderfully detailed and vivid analyses of his oeuvre. A comprehensive study of the most exciting filmmaker working today.”Robert Burgoyne, University of St Andrews

A Companion to Martin Scorsese, Revised Edition is a comprehensive collection of original essays assessing the career of one of America’s most prominent contemporary filmmakers. The first reference work of its kind, this book contains contributions from influential scholars in North America and Europe. The essays use a variety of analytic approaches to study numerous aspects of Scorsese’s work, from his earliest films to his place within the history of American and world cinema. They consider his work in relation to auteur theory, the genres in which he has worked, his use of popular music, and his recent involvement with film preservation. Several of the essays offer fresh interpretations of some of Scorsese’s most influential films, including Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, GoodFellas, Gangs of New York, Hugo, and The Irishman. Others take a broader approach and discuss the representation of violence, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, gender, race, and other themes across his work. With insights that will interest film scholars as well as movie enthusiasts, this is an important contribution to the scholarship of contemporary American cinema.

DON''T EVER LET SOMEONE COUNT YOU OUT.

Life can change in an instant. For twenty-year-old Aaron Baker, not only did a neck injury leave him paralyzed from the chin down-it also nearly killed him. The doctors told him he''d never feed himself again.

Until he did.

Instead of giving up, Aaron went all in and rebelliously achieved things he was told would never be possible.

The Rebellious Recovery follows Aaron on a mind-expanding, odds-defying journey from quadriplegic to inspirational figure riding a bicycle across the country-twice-training for the Paralympics, starting a business and a family, and more.

The emotional story of failure, success, heartbreak and accomplishment has something for every reader.

From Aaron''s story, we see an optimistic truth: even on the darkest days, we hold the power in our minds to overcome anything.

What will you do when life happens to you? Follow Aaron in this memoir and see how opportunities rise from ashes.

Are you ready for the ride of your life?