"The Lost City of Z" - Action Adventure of 2017

The Lost City of Z is an American action-adventure biographical film written and directed by James Gray. This film was based on the 2009 book "The Lost City of Z" by David Grann. It was about British explorer Percy Fawcett who made several attempts to find an ancient lost city in the Amazon and disappeared in 1925 along with his son on an expedition. The film had its world premiere as closing night film on October 15, 2016, at the New York Film Festival.

 

Storyline

 

The Lost City of Z tells the incredible true story of British explorer Percy Fawcett, who journeys into the Amazon at the dawn of the 20th century and discovers evidence of a previously unknown, advanced civilization that may have once inhabited the region. Despite being ridiculed by the scientific establishment who regard indigenous populations as "savages," the determined Fawcett - supported by his devoted wife, son and aide de camp returns time and again to his beloved jungle in an attempt to prove his case, culminating in his mysterious disappearance in 1925. 

  

Development

James Gray was hired by Paramount Pictures and Plan B Entertainment to write and direct the film based on David Grann's 2009 book and the film remained in development stage for six years. 

The project went through numerous casting changes for the lead role. Initially Brad Pitt was to star as Colonel Percy Fawcett. In November 2010, Pitt withdrew from the lead role due to scheduling conflicts, but remained attached as the producer to the film. Finally Charlie Hunnam stars as Fawcett along with Robert Pattinson as his fellow explorer and Sienna Miller as his wife.

Based on 2009 best-seller, writer-director James Gray's screenplay can include only a fraction of the arcane historical and cultural information conveyed in a nonfiction book. The film is a new take on the adventure romp that looks great and features some thrilling action sequences too. The picture was shot by Darius Khondji on 35mm, even though that added over half a million dollars to the budget it was worth it. The jungle scenes are full of threat — tribes with their whizzing and slashing weapons, wild beasts, the muddy isolation of it all.

“The Lost City of Z,” more than most of Gray’s films, is its own organic creation, and Gray catches the audience up in the fervor of Fawcett’s desire to locate that city and connect with the epiphany he’s seeking.

Cast

 

Charlie Hunnam as Colonel Percy Fawcett 

Robert Pattinson as Corporal Henry Costin

Sienna Miller as Nina Fawcett

Tom Holland as Jack Fawcett, the oldest son of Percy and Nina

Daniel Huttlestone as Brian Fawcett

Angus Macfadyen as James Murray

Ian McDiarmid as Sir George Goldie

Franco Nero as Baron de Gondoriz

Harry Melling as William Barclay

John Sackville as Simon Beauclerk

Crew

Directed by James Gray

Produced by Dede Gardner, Brad Pitt

Screenplay by James Gray

Cinematography by Darius Khondji 

Music by Christopher Spelman

Edited by John Axelrad

 Official Trailer of The Lost City of Z

 

In Theatres

The film is scheduled to be released in the United States on April 14, 2017. The film was released in France on March 15, 2017 and in the UK on March 24, 2017.

Ebook Sales Statistics

Ebook Sales Statistics of 2016

Nowadays technology and mobility have influenced every step of consumer’s life, they also influencing the way they read books. Book readers have started to change their reading habits, opting for different types of formats of books, such as e-books, audiobooks. An e-book, also known as an electronic or digital book, is a digitally released version of a book, often consisting of text and images and available on electronic devices, such as specifically designed e-book readers. This shift in media consumption habits has a direct impact on the book industry.

2016 vs. 2015, sales of ebooks were down 20 percent (to 579.5 million). This decline does not confirm that people don’t want to read and access content in digital format. Instead, they confirm that they simply do not want to pay for it. The Codex survey also found that 25% of book buyers, want to spend less time on their digital devices.

When it comes to formatting preferences among book buyers, consumer research shows small gains for paperbacks in 2016 and a minor decrease for ebooks, with hardcovers and audiobooks seeing little to no change.

Formats	2015	2016
Paperback	51.10 %	54.20 %
Ebook	19.00 %	16.80 %
Hardcover	22.80 % *	23.90 %
Audiobooks	2.60 % *	2.60 %

* - approximate value

Ebook Stores

The reading devices that first ignited the e-book category—dedicated e-readers such as Nook and Kindle—still remain the most important factor affecting e-book reading and sales.

We all know Amazon leads the world in book sales–and since it’s an online company, it makes sense that it has a huge advantage in ebook sales. As you can see from the graph, the next highest selling ebook stores in order are Apple, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, and Google Books.

 2017 Forecast

The U.S. has over 50% of the world market for ebooks (compared to 30% globally for all book formats), about 90 % of physical book publisher were started to offer ebooks for their consumers. The United Kingdom is the world’s second largest market for ebooks.

Readers are already used to consuming massive amounts of information for free online, and their expectations will gravitate in the direction of ‘free’ even when it comes to books. Now, most of the ebook publishers are ready to provide the content for free. This makes the user access a wide range of information at free of cost.

It is expected that the U.S. eBook market will surpass the printed book market in 2017. By 2017, e-book sales are forecast to account for about a quarter of global book sales. Consumer e-books alone are projected to generate nearly 20 billion U.S. dollars in revenue by 2017.

To increase our literacy level, buy books on Demand and books behind oscar nominees.

 

Books Reading Statistics

Books play an important role in our life. It is said that books are our best companions. Books are our friends in a real sense. Great books help you understand, and they help you feel understood. Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him.

Why reading books are important?

Reading books help you imagine many things which you wouldn’t have even thought of before. A book communicates knowledge, and not only knowledge but the wisdom of all kinds.

Reading different books in itself is a journey. When you are a kid you start with story books, then educational, technical, management, spiritual and so on. Books help you turn your journey growing up into a journey where you start improving yourself and learning new things.

In our daily routine, everyone gets so tired. And when we get even a bit of relaxation we always prefer to give relaxation to our body. But we always forget even our mind needs rest.

Reading is something which makes us forget all our stress and gives complete relaxation to our mind. Books are packed with knowledge, insights into a happy life, life lessons, love, fear, prayer and helpful advice.

One can read about anything under the sun. Books have been here for centuries and without them, today’s knowledge of our past ancestors, cultures, and civilizations would have been impossible.
 

Statistics On Books Sales

Unit sales of print books rose 3.3% in 2016 over the previous year, making it the third-straight year of print growth. Despite a less-than-ideal environment—no breakout bestsellers on the adult fiction side and a lengthy, brutal election cycle that sucked nearly all of the air out of the cultural conversation—unit sales of print books were up 3.3% in 2016 over 2015. Total print unit sales hit 674 million, marking the third-straight year of growth, according to Nielsen BookScan, which tracks about 80% of print sales in the U.S.

Most print formats had an outstanding year, with hardcover up 5.4%, trade paperback up 4%, and board books up 7.4%. The mass market has been on the wane since the introduction of e-books, and its slide continued in 2016 with a 7.7% drop in unit sales. Physical audio, where sales were down 13.5% on the year, also took a big hit from digital.

EL James’s Fifty Shades spin-off, Grey, sold more than 1 million copies in paperback, while To Kill A Mockingbird writer Harper Lee’s eagerly anticipated second novel, Go Set A Watchman, sold 360,000 copies.

 

Unit Sales of Print Books By Format (in thousands), 2013–2016

	2013	2014	2015	2016	Change 2015–2016
Hardcover	168,250	173,483	178,255	187,940	5.43%
Trade Paper	324,701	338,940	355,737	370,019	4.01%
Mass Market	80,020	71,758	64,318	59,357	-7.71%
Board Books	23,069	27,092	30,978	33,280	7.43%
Audio	5,116	5,128	4,434	3,836	-13.49%

 

Statistics On Books Category

The largest gains came in the adult nonfiction category, where sales were up 6.9% from 2015. Several subcategories posted substantial increases, among them crafts and hobbies, where the adult coloring book boom though slowing down from 2015’s continues to have a large impact. The religion and self-help areas also saw boosts, though for different reasons. Adult fiction had an off year, with sales down 1%. Juvenile fiction was up 3.8 percent from 2015 and was led by the year’s far-and-away bestselling title overall, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: Parts 1 and 2, which sold 4.5 million print copies.

Global Publishing and Reading Statistics

If we measure publishing markets in terms of titles released rather than publishers’ revenue, however, we get a slightly different ranking of the biggest markets. There is a clear tendency to stabilization or decrease in the mature markets, compared to a steady growth in the ‘young’ or industrializing economies. 

India's Book Market Is Poised for Growth

India’s literacy rate has seen a significant improvement over the past decade, thanks in part to government investments in education. According to the 2009 National Youth Readership Survey, three out of four youths in the country are literate, and a quarter of the youth population (an astonishing 83 million) identify themselves as book readers. By 2020, the country’s literacy level is projected to reach 90%.

To increase our literacy level, buy books on Demand and books behind oscar nominees.

The Grand Book Fair In London

The London Book Fair is the global marketplace for rights negotiation and the sale and distribution of content across print, audio, TV, film, and digital channels. More than 25,000 publishing professionals arrive in London for the week of the Fair to learn, network and kick off their year of business. Certainly, few cities can lay claim to as many great writers. Home to Shakespeare’s Globe theater, Charles Dickens’ Museum, and Sherlock Holmes’ Baker Street, London is an unparalleled draw for everyone interested in books, stories, culture, and creativity. There are over 300 languages spoken in the city, more than any city in the world. It has 800 bookshops and over 380 public libraries, including the renowned British Library, which holds the Magna Carta. Countless film greats feature this glorious city, from A Clockwork Orange, and Harry Potter to Notting Hill.

Who Exhibits

Today, the entire international publishing industry is represented, from the giant houses with which we are all familiar to the smallest independent. There are the publishers of blockbuster novels and academic texts, and the producers of children’s books and graphic novels. A key part of the exhibition is the increasing number of tech players who explore the myriad ways in which content can now be treated and delivered. So there are mobile companies, gaming start-ups, and content-hungry tech companies. This is where you feel the zeitgeist. The international reach is breathtaking. More than 60 countries regularly exhibit, visitors from 118 countries and there are around 1,500 global companies represented. 56 Indian Publishers are going to participate in London Book Fair 2017.

Who Visits

Visitors include anyone who is involved with the creation, distribution, sale or treatment of content. Authors, talent scouts, editors, designers and digital gurus, all walk the floor, meeting, talking, observing and discovering. Typically, the Fair welcomes more than 25,000 professional visitors from more than 118 countries. For a sense of where the industry is and where it is going, The London Book Fair is essential.

For Registration 

To Know about LBF 2017 - Log in

Booking Tickets - Book Fair Events

Author of The Day

The Author of the Day program is an established, and constantly buzzing feature of the Fair. Writers so honored in the past include David Nicholls, Hilary Mantel, William Boyd, Julia Donaldson and Bi Feiyu. Author interviews in the PEN Literary Salon attract large crowds annually.

The London Book Fair International Excellence Award 2017

Global Winners celebrate their success in the following categories:

• The Academic and Professional Publisher Award
• The Educational Initiatives Award
• The Educational Learning Resources Award supported by China Education Journal
• The Literary Agent Award
• Literary Translation Initiative Award
• The Market Focus Poland Adult Trade Publisher Award
• The Market Focus Poland Children’s and Young Adult Publisher Award
• The Bookstore of the Year Award
• The Quantum Publishing Innovation Award
• The London Book Fair Lifetime Achievement Award
• Accessible Books Consortium (ABC) International Excellence Award
• The Brand Licensing Award
• The Literary Festival Award, supported by the International Literary Showcase
• The Rights Professional Award
• The Diversity in Publishing Award, supported by Equip
• The Market Focus Poland Outstanding Contribution Award

The awards, which are held in partnership with the UK Publishers Association (PA) and sponsored by Hytex, celebrate excellence in sixteen categories, including international publishing, academic and scholarly publishing, children’s publishing, literary translation and digital innovation. In each award category, the judging panel was comprised of experts in that sector. 

The London Book Fair itself is one of the world's best gatherings of publishers, booksellers, and others in this industry. For the full shortlist of London Book Fair (LBF) International Excellence Awards finalists, click here.

The Trailblazer Award

The winners of the second London Book Fair Trailblazer Awards were announced by The London Book Fair last night at an inspiring and stylish event at Soho House in London.

Celebrating young talent under the age of 30 in publishing, the winners of the 2017 Trailblazer Awards are:

•  Anna Russo, Sales Executive at Hodder Education
• Caroline Tatam, Platform Marketing Executive at Cambridge University Press
•  Claire O’Neill, Business Affairs Manager at Audible
•  Željka Marošević, Co-Publisher at Daunt Books Publishing
•  Heather McDaid, Publisher at 404 INK / Scot Lit Fest

Conferences

The London Book Fair Conferences place the spotlight on a specific aspect of the industry offering exciting keynote speakers, future-gazing presentations, heated debate and unrivaled networking opportunities.

Visit London Book Fair

Date - 14th March 2017 - 16th March 2017

Location - Olympia London, Hammersmith Road, Kensington, London.

Winners of Oscar Awards 2017

The celebration of the 89th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) have came to an end. The grand event took place on February 26, 2017, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, 5:30 p.m. PST honored the best films of 2016.

During the ceremony, AMPAS presented the Oscar Awards in 24 categories. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd and directed by Glenn Weiss. Comedian Jimmy Kimmel hosted the ceremony for the first time.

Important Events :

Date	Event
Monday, February 13, 2017	Final voting begins
Tuesday, February 21, 2017	Final polls close at 5:00 p.m. PST (01:00, 22 Feb. UTC) (8:00 p.m. EST)
Sunday, February 26, 2017	89th Annual Academy Awards presentation

Venue :  Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center
Date   : Sunday, February 26, 2017


Winners of the 89th Annual Academy Awards :

These are the Winners of the 89th Annual Academy Awards. iMusti congratulates All the Winners of Oscars.

Best Picture : Moonlight (Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner)

Actor in a Leading Role :  Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea)

Actress in a Leading Role : Emma Stone (La La Land)

Actor in a Supporting Role :  Mahershala Ali (Moonlight)

Actress in a Supporting Role : Viola Davis (Fences)

Animated Feature Film :  Zootopia (Byron Howard, Rich Moore and Clark Spencer)

Cinematography : La La Land (Linus Sandgren)

Costume Design : Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Colleen Atwood)

Directing : La La Land (Damien Chazelle)

Documentary - Feature :  O.J.: Made in America (Ezra Edelman and Caroline Waterlow)

Documentary - Short Subject : The White Helmets (Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna)

Film Editing : Hacksaw Ridge (John Gilbert)

Foreign Language Film : The Salesman (Iran; Directed by Asghar Farhadi)

Makeup and Hairstyling : Suicide Squad (Alessandro Bertolazzi, Giorgio)

Music Original Score : La La Land (Justin Hurwitz)

Music Original Song : City Of Stars from La La Land (Music by Justin Hurwitz)

Production Design : La La Land (David Wasco)

Short Film - Animated : Piper (Alan Barillaro and Marc Sondheimer)

Short Film - Live Action : Sing (Kristof Deák and Anna Udvardy)

Sound Editing : Arrival (Sylvain Bellemare)

Sound Mixing : Hacksaw Ridge (Kevin O'Connell, Andy Wright)

Visual Effects : The Jungle Book (Robert Legato, Adam Valdez, Andrew)

Writing - Adapted Screenplay : Moonlight (Screenplay by Barry Jenkins)

Writing - Original Screenplay : Manchester by the Sea (Written by Kenneth Lonergan)

Books Behind OSCAR Nominees :

Want to know about the books which forms a lead for the movies to showcase in big screens? Here is the list of such books which you may be intersted to have in your shelves.

La La Land (9781495088247)

Fences (9780452264014)

 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (9781338109061)

Arrival (9781101972120)

Zootopia (9781988032870)

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (9781455582273)

A Man Called Ove (9781476738024)

Florence Foster Jenkins (9781509824687)

Hidden Figures (9780062363602)

I Am Not Your Negro (9780525434696)

Life, Animated (9781423180364)

Lion (9780425276198)

Nocturnal Animals (9781478970637)

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (9780399178450)

Silence (9781250082275)

Star Trek Beyond (9781785860096)

Sully (9780061924699)

OSCAR STATUETTE DESIGN

A stylized figure of a knight holding a crusader's sword standing on a reel of film with five spokes signifying the five original branches of the Academy (actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers).

NOMINATIONS & SELECTION

Regular awards are presented for outstanding individual or collective film achievements in a wide variety of categories. Most categories are nominated by the members of the corresponding branch–actors nominate actors, film editors nominate film editors, etc. However, certain categories such as Foreign Language Film and Animated Feature Film have special voting rules. All voting members are eligible to select the Best Picture nominees. Nominations voting is conducted using both paper and online ballots.

LIVE TELECAST :

You can watch the OSCAR Live on Star Movies and Star Movies Select HD on February 27, LIVE at 5:30 AM with a Repeat at 8:30 PM.

The Shack - Movie Based On A Novel

The Shack is a Christian novel by Canadian author William P. Young. The novel was self-published but became a USA Today bestseller, having sold 1 million copies as of June 8, 2008. It was the No. 1 paperback trade fiction seller on The New York Times Best Seller list from June 2008 to early 2010. In 2009 it was awarded the "Diamond Award" for sales of over 10 million copies by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.

Top Reviews

The Shack is a one of a kind invitation to journey to the very heart of God. With every page, the complicated do’s and don’t that distort a relationship into a religion were washed away as I understood Father, Son, and Holy Ghost for the first time in my life..” - Patrick M. Roddy, Emmy Award Winning Producer of ABC News.

When the imagination of a writer and the passion of a theologian cross-fertilize the result is a novel on the order of The Shack. This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress did for his. It’s that good! - Eugene Peterson, Professor Emeritus Of Spiritual Theology, Regent College, Vancouver, B.C.

Film adaptation

A grieving man receives a mysterious, personal invitation to meet with God at a place called "The Shack." Nine years and more than 22 million copies later, “The Shack” has been turned into a movie. The film opens in theaters nationwide on March 3. It stars in Sam Worthington as Mack Phillips, who faces a tragedy that shakes his faith to the core. Later, Mack receives a letter inviting him to an abandoned shack in the Organ wilderness. He meets a trio led by Papa (Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer) who helps Mack better understand his tragedy, changing his life forever.

According to Young, the big screen adaptation of his book offers a positive perspective in a time of political division and doubt. “It will help start authentic conversations about faith and humanity,” he said. “God becoming human is a high view of humanity, and right now, we have a low view of humanity.”

Plot

The Shack takes us on a father's uplifting spiritual journey. After suffering a family tragedy, Mack Phillips spirals into a deep depression causing him to question his innermost beliefs. Facing a crisis of faith, he receives a mysterious letter urging him to an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Despite his doubts, Mack journeys to the shack and encounters an enigmatic trio of strangers led by a woman named Papa. Through this meeting, Mack finds important truths that will transform his understanding of his tragedy and change his life forever.

Crew - The Shack

Director	:	Stuart Hazeldine
Producer	:	Brad Cummings & Gil Netter
Executive Producer	:	Mike Drake
Co Producer	:	Lani Netter
Writer	:	William P. Young
Screenplay	:	John Fusco, Andrew Lanham & Destin Daniel Cretton.
Music Director	:	Aaron Zigman
Cinematography	:	Declan Quinn

Cast - The Shack

Sam Worthington	As	Mack Phillips
Octavia Spencer	As	Papa
Radha Mitchell	As	Nan
Tim McGraw	As	Willie
Ryan Robbins	As	Emil Ducette

Official Trailer of The Shack 

In Theatres 

The Shack is now playing in theatres from March 3rd, 2017.  In the United States and Canada, The Shack opened on March 3, 2017, was projected to gross around $10 million from 2,888 theaters in its opening weekend. It made $850,000 from Thursday night previews and $5.5 million on its first day. It went on to open to $16.1 million, finishing above expectations.

‘The Shack’: Film Review

The Shack, the story of a grief-stricken dad coping with the death of his daughter. In the film, Oscar winner Octavia Spencer plays God. She says the film presents a message of inspiration and faith. Mack Phillips (Sam Worthington) doubts the existence of God after his daughter is kidnapped and killed, but he ends up having a life-changing experience: He spends the weekend with the Holy Trinity, as personified by three people (including Octavia Spencer). There's no iffy language, drinking/smoking, or sex, but there are some disturbing scenes. Two children nearly drown while camping one requires CPR and a young girl goes missing and is presumed dead. The movie has inspiring messages about everything from seeking help/counsel to processing grief in a healthy way to the power of forgiveness. That said, the ideas related to God's role in people's lives will particularly resonate with Christians/those open to faith-based questions. Read Full Review in Hollywood Reporter.

Dunkirk (2017) - An Epic war thriller by Christopher Nolan

Dunkirk is an upcoming 2017 British-French-American epic war thriller written, co-produced, and directed by Christopher Nolan the director of INTERSTELLAR and THE DARK KNIGHT. Filming began on 23 May 2016 in Dunkirk, France in the same location as the real historical evacuation. The movie was shot on IMAX 65 mm and 65 mm large format. In the course of shooting, Dunkirk operated under the code name “Bodega Bay”.

Catch the action on screen on July 21

The film depicts the dramatic and true story of the Dunkirk evacuations from a war torn beach and harbor in France, following the seemingly doomed plight of allied soldiers in World War II. Recently this movie received PG-13 rating by MPAA film rating system for “intense war experience and language.”

Tom Hardy, Kenneth Branagh, and Mark Rylance were in talks to join the ensemble as supporting characters in late 2015. Fionn Whitehead was cast as the lead in March 2016, and Jack Lowden, Aneurin Barnard and Harry Styles have added to the list shortly after. The most eye-catching casting decision comes in the form of One Direction singer Harry Styles.

Nolan is known for going beyond the extra mile to use practical effects for his films because the real thing isn’t the same as cooking up the same thing with 1s and 0s in a computer. In order to avoid the use of computer generated imagery, the production had cardboard cut-out props of soldiers and military vehicles placed in the far background of shots to create the illusion of a large army.

Filmmaker Christopher Nolan took to the stage this week to introduce clips from his upcoming World War II drama, Dunkirk. The footage showed three shots running concurrently set in three different locations – on land, sea and in the air. The hype around Harry Styles’ acting debut, alongside Tom Hardy and Mark Rylance, has been heightened once more after exhibitors at CinemaCon give a clip from the movie a standing ovation.

The film, a riveting account of the defense and evacuation of British and Allied forces on the shores of Dunkirk, France during the Second World War, might well be Nolan’s masterpiece. At a swift 106 minutes, it’s his leanest, most driven film to date, as well as the strongest case he’s made yet for utilizing the Imax format. But, as a trio of stories taking place within separate timelines that cascade together in a feat of structural bravado few would even conceive for a film like this, let alone attempt, “Dunkirk” also stands as one of the director’s most fascinating experiments with time so far.

Cast :

Tom Hardy as Farrier
Harry Styles as Tommy
Jack Lowden as Alex
Aneurin Barnard as Gibson
Fionn Whitehead as Collins

Crew : 

Director                  : Christopher Nolan
Producer                 : Emma Thomas
Executive Producer : Jake Myers
Cinematographer     : Hoyte Van Hoytema

Dunkirk 2017 Official Trailer

Dunkirk Survival Teaser