Causes Won, Lost, and Forgotten by Gary Gallagher

This book presents an even-handed and entertaining account of the way the Civil War appears in Hollywood movies and visual art. Focusing most specifically on the last twenty years, Gallagher identifies four responses to the Civil War (Lost Cause, Unionist, Emancipation, and Reconciliation) and tracks Hollywood's increasingly Emancipationist films in contrast to Lost Cause visual art. He concludes that the most remarkable aspect of the nation's memory of the Civil War is its disregard of the strong Unionist sentiments of the North. Altogether a very enjoyable read.

The Frodo Franchise: The Lord of the Rings and Modern Hollywood by Kristin Thompson

I really enjoyed this look at the Lord of the Rings movie phenomenon. Thompson does a meticulous job tracing all sorts of aspects associated with the movie and its franchise. If you are looking for a cinematic assessment of the film, you will probably be disappointed, but I was very impressed by the care which Thompson takes detailing all aspects of the franchise from the factors that led to the production of the film at all to its associated publicity and merchandise and ending with its impact on the New Zealand film industry. At times I felt like she went into unnecessary detail providing background information on things like the connections between the video game and movie industries, but overall a fun read.