Film-making is pretty straight forward when you get the basics so why not introduce some philosophy as well?

I'll get back to some examples, but it makes sense to check out the theorists of theatre and performance – as they cover a lot of the same ground as the critical film-maker come across.. It's also a good place to start for a deeper look into theorists whose works correlation to film, video and photography isn't apparent – although it is hard to recommend any such reading w/o some kind of starting point.

Check out Bertolt Brecht, Antonin Artaud and do study Godard from a theoretical perspective.. If you are interested in these things (and haven't already done so).

It won't help anyone make or write a movie, but for a subversive take on dramatic cinema, and a rejection of the "Hollywood movie", Raul Ruiz' "Poetics of Cinema".

"Cinematography" by Kris Malkiewicz is the best beginners' book out there. The 3rd edition, co-written by the great teacher M. David Mullen, adds some good digital info, but the older editions (often available used for cheap) have much of the good stuff already.

I highly recommend the master shots editions pointed out by @stip and Film directing shot by shot mentioned by @mrbill.

Here are my picks - for a traditional film approach...

MAKING MOVIES by Sidney Lumet - (start here!)

FILM DIRECTING FUNDAMENTALS by Nicholas T. Proferes

FIVE C's OF CINEMATOGRAPHY by Joseph V. Mascelli

FILM DIRECTING CINEMATIC MOTION by Steven D. Katz

PROFESSIONAL LIGHTING HANDBOOK by Verne Carlson & Sylvia E. Carlson

SET LIGHTING TECHNICIAN'S HANDBOOK by Harry C. Box

FILMMAKER'S HANDBOOK by Steven Ascher & Edward Pincus

I believe that all are available online via both Barnes & Noble and Amazon

In the order of the books I read.

"Light Science and Magic" the 4th edition. Undoubtedly the best lighting book.

"The Creative Digital Darkroom" It doesn't really teach how to become Lightroom/Photoshop wizard overnight. I like.

"Within The Frame" Kinda unnecessarily wordy, but good.

"The Filmmaker's Eye". Very easy to read. And pleasant to learn about the filmmaker's eye. Really like the concepts behind close up shots.

"Master Shots Volume 2: Shooting Great Dialogue Scenes" This is a technical book with lots of case studies about camera angle and movement. A lot of multi camera techniques.

"Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers" This book got high appraisal. I placed an order a month ago... Still waiting!!!

All relatively cheap and easy to read. BTW I prefer paperback copies. Color looks better on real papers I think.

The best and most practical books I've ever got were both 'Master Shots' editions.

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Shots-Techniques-Expensive-Low-Budget/dp/1932907513/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1340060782&sr=8-1&keywords=MASTER+SHOTS

http://www.amazon.com/Master-Shots-Volume-Shooting-Dialogue/dp/1615930558/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1340060782&sr=8-3&keywords=MASTER+SHOTS

They are more like a reference books on how to shoot specific scenes/scenarios with certain motivation in mind, always explained with a popular movie scene. Exellent!

'The Art of Dramatic Writing' - Lajos Egri

Not that any book is going to teach you how to write fiction, but Egri does a great job breaking down what make the greats (Ibsen, Shakespeare) great. It's really the non-fiction that's helped make me a better screenwriter.

p.s. there's a really poorly edited (English) version in print so make sure you read reviews and get a good copy.

Cinematography; Theory and Practice - BEST cinematography book imho The Book of the Dead - Focuses on directing, horror films and technique's

Painting with light by John Alton. Alton was one of the best cinematographers of all time. Check his work on the early films of Anthony Mann, like T-Men and Raw Deal. Preface by Scorsese.

On filmmaking by Alexander Mackendrick. Mackendrick was the director of classics like "Sweet Smell of Sucess" and "The Ladykillers". This book is a compilation of the classes he gave at CalArts. Preface by Scorsese and James Mangold (one of his students).

Scorsese on Scorsese. Eastwood on Eastwood. Both by Michael Henry Wilson (Cahier du Cinema).

Directing the film: film directors on their art by Eric Sherman. Really good compilation of interviews organized by topics. Featuring a great selection of directors, from old masters to modern filmmakers of the 70's. No Christopher Nolan or Aronofsky shit in here.

Hitchcock/Truffaut. This is a classic. Nothing I can really say.

I have a few more to recommend, trying to remember...

@kronstadt selection is absolutely terrific. Watch out for the english translation of Bazin What is Cinema, heard some criticism about it... Don't know if is the edition he pointed out.

I highly recommend: 'Cinematography: Theory and Practice' by Blain Brown. This is an excellent book, in my opinion.

This is a good book, not sure if its been mentioned:

DSLR Cinema: Crafting the Film Look with Video by Kurt Lancaster

http://www.amazon.co.uk/DSLR-Cinema-Crafting-Film-Video/dp/0240815513

Video-capable DSLR cameras give filmmakers a quality previously impossible without high-end cinema cameras. Exploring the cinematic quality and features offered by hybrid DSLRs, this book empowers the filmmaker to craft visually stunning images inexpensively. You can learn to think more like a cinematographer than a videographer, whether shooting for a feature, short fiction, documentary, video journalism, or even a wedding. "DSLR Cinema" offers insight into different shooting styles, real-world tips and techniques, and advice on postproduction workflow as it guides you in crafting a film-like look. Case studies feature an international cast of cutting edge DSLR shooters today, including Philip Bloom (England), Bernardo Uzeda (Brazil), Rii Schroer (Germany), Jeremy Ian Thomas (United States), Shane Hurlbut, ASC (United States), and Po Chan (Hong Kong). Their films are examined in detail, exploring how each exemplifies great storytelling, exceptional visual character, and how you can push the limits of your DSLR. It gives inside perspective from a master class of DSLR shooters. It has emphasis on visual technique related to great stories. It covers the progression from the fundamental tools needed by DSLR shooters to advanced techniques. It offers a wide array of technical information: composition, lighting, camera movement, lenses, audio, postproduction workflow, and more. Lavish, full-color illustrations showcase real world examples from real DSLR videos.

I'll admit DSLR Shooters sound a bit silly and I would not say its the best book ever but it does provide beginners topics with concentrated knowledge with good theoretical and visual presentation.

I second the " The filmmaker's eye" i've got a digital copy, but would also like the hard copy for the bookshelf.

definitely Tarkovsky's "Sculpting In Time"

Pudovkin, V. I. 1958: Film Technique and Film Acting. Translated and edited by Ivor Montagu. London : Vision Press Ltd

Eisenstein, S. 1949: “A Dialectic Approach to Film Form” in Film Form: essays in film theory. London: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

Bordwell, D. 1985: Narration in the Fiction Film. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press.

Robert McKee "Story" (a must have for screenwriters)

Campbell, J. 1949: The Hero with a Thousand Faces. New York: Meridian Books

Bazin, A. 1967: What is Cinema? 2 Vols., Translated by Hugh Gray. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press

Felinni "Felinni on Felinni"

Deleuze "Cinema" & "Cinema 2"

Hill and Church Gibson "Oxford Guide to Film Studies"

Weis & Belton "Film Sound"

"Oxford Dictionary of Media and Communication"