This is our final round-up before the end of 2024, and it’s a good one. There are plenty of gift ideas lurking here––some choices to enjoy during time off, too. Note also that The Film Stage Holiday Gift Guide includes a list of my favorite cinema books from the last 12 months. One of those picks kicks off this column, and it is written by none other than the great Al Pacino.
Sonny Boy by Al Pacino (Penguin Press)
Al Pacino’s memoir, Sonny Boy, is easily one of the most eagerly awaited books of 2024. And for me, this look at the actor’s life and career more than lives up to the hype. Many highlights have already earned some social-media chatter––most notably young Al’s penis trauma (!), a near-death experience after a recent bout with COVID, and the reasons behind his decision to do Adam Sandler’s Jack and Jill. There are plenty of other stories that may raise eyebrows, and that’s a testament to Pacino’s honesty and wit. Especially fascinating is his analysis of what went wrong with Hugh Hudson’s Revolution, and why it inspired him to retreat from cinema for several years: “These are the walls you run into in our business sometimes. This is the wire you walk on up there. It’s risky doing this thing––when you take chances, you can fall. And then you have to decide to get up or not.” The book offers anecdotes aplenty, including some gems featuring the late John Cazale. And it may inspire readers to seek out some of Pacino’s passion projects, most notably his insightful 1996 documentary, Looking for Richard. Sonny Boy is an engrossing account of a legend who has fallen and risen several times over, and reading it made me thankful that Pacino keeps going. “When the clock stops ticking, I’ll stop. And as far as I can tell my clock is still ticking.”
David Cronenberg: Clinical Trials by Violet Lucca (Abrams)
Clinical Trials is the book long-time devotees of David Cronenberg have been waiting for––large, smartly designed, filled with interviews (including composer Howard Shore, production designer Carol Spier, cinematographer Peter Suschitzky, and producer Jeremy Thomas). It also features cogent analysis from Lucca, a gifted writer who makes even oft-told Cronenberg tales feel fresh. Consider the author’s take on the shooting locations for 2022’s Crimes of the Future: “The ruins of Athens––dating back to antiquity or the 2008 financial crisis––litter the landscape of a film preoccupied with the physical and psychological debris people intentionally or unintentionally leave behind.” Clinical Trials also includes illustrations courtesy of Little White Lies and a foreword from Croneberg’s most frequent late-period acting collaborator, Viggo Mortensen. “Working with him is not like working with anyone else,” says the star of A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, A Dangerous Method, and Crimes of the Future. “I recommend it, if you are lucky enough to be invited.” Most of us will not have that honor, but reading David Cronenberg: Clinical Trials might be the next best thing.
My First Movie: Vol. 3: Sci-fi Movie, Kung Fu Movie, and Midnight Movie by Cory Everett (Cinephile LLC)
The latest entries in the My First Movie books for budding cinephiles are sweet, humorous, and intelligent. In other words: perfect additions to this ongoing series from the makers of Cinephile: A Card Game. Sci-fi Movie features a few expected selections, like 2001: A Space Odyssey (“supercomputers”) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (“firelights”), but also more offbeat choices like Logan’s Run, The Man Who Fell to Earth, and Zardoz. This is a hallmark of the series, and it’s especially evident in Midnight Movie. With Eraserhead on the cover and entries on “valley vixens,” “divine transgression,” and “nunsploitation,” Midnight just might be the best yet. To paraphrase Seymour Skinner: the kids have to learn about Videodrome sooner or later.
Nora Ephron at the Movies by Ilana Kaplan (Abrams)
Like the aforementioned Abrams release David Cronenberg: Clinical Trials, Nora Ephron at the Movies is a lovingly crafted appreciation of a filmmaker’s life and career. (Abrams excels at these; see past books on Paul Thomas Anderson, David Fincher, and others.) Ilana Kaplan breaks down each film Ephron wrote and / or directed, identifying why we’re still so enamored of the rom-com worlds she created. “She revived a genre that had long been silent,” Kaplan writes. “Through generations, her influence has loomed large, whether it’s with a touch of wit, chaos, or a larger take on human nature. After all, they’re called ‘Nora Ephron rom-coms’ for a reason.”
De Palma on De Palma: Conversations with Samuel Blumenfeld and Laurent Vachaud (Sticking Place Books)
Several essential books on De Palma have hit shelves in recent months, including The World Is Yours: The Story of Scarface by Glenn Kenny and The De Palma Decade: Redefining Cinema with Doubles, Voyeurs, and Psychic Teens by Laurent Bouzereau. De Palma on De Palma more than holds its own with these heavyweights. Decades in the making, the book features De Palma at his candid best, dishing on his childhood, career, and many ups and downs. Especially insightful are the interviews focusing on some lesser-discussed works, e.g. The Black Dahlia and Passion. (Sadly, his most recent film, 2019’s underrated Domino, is not covered.) “I like to be able to walk around incognito,” De Palma states near the book’s end. “But I also like it when someone comes up to me and tells me that one of my films made an impression on them. I realize that I’ve made something of an impact. The films will outlive me.”
Quick hits
I recently came upon Carol Reed’s The Third Man on TCM, and as usual, this noir classic drew me in. Anyone who adores the film will enjoy The Third Man: The Official Story of the Film by Simon Braund (Titan), which commemorates the film’s 75th anniversary. The hardcover is full of fascinating details, many involving Orson Welles and, of course, the zither. Check out some exclusive photos from the book here.
The heaviest, longest book in this column––clocking at a whopping 650 pages––is Alfred Hitchcock: All the Films by Bernard Benoliel, Gilles Esposito, Murielle Joudet, and Jean-François Rauger (Black Dog & Leventhal). This indispensable guide to every project of Hitch’s career, including all the episodes he directed of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, follows the format of 2023’s Spielberg: All the Films.
Speaking of entertaining filmmakers: cinematographer (Blood Simple, Miller’s Crossing) and director (The Addams Family, Men in Black) Barry Sonnenfeld’s Best Possible Place, Worst Possible Time (Hachette Books) is packed with amusing stories. Many involve some of the “difficult” stars Sonnenfeld directed––Will Smith, Gene Hackman, John Travolta––and all are told with the filmmaker’s self-deprecating wit.
Author Dan Jolin’s written two filmmaker guides that would make great stocking-stuffers. The Coen Brothers: The Complete Unofficial Guide and Quentin Tarantino: The Complete Unofficial Guide (Greenfinch), are quite comprehensive, and take readers from the start of both careers all the way to Ethan Coen’s Drive-Away Dolls and Tarantino’s aborted “final” film, The Movie Critic. The Worlds of Wes Anderson by Adam Woodward (Frances Lincoln) is a different type of filmmaker guide. Worlds is all about the influences on Anderson’s work, from old issues of The New Yorker to films like Paper Moon. (More on that one later.) Author Woodward even finds the Eyes Wide Shut connection in Moonrise Kingdom.
Josh Brolin seems to get better with age, and as he explains in his new memoir, From Under the Truck (Harper), his wife and children are a big reason why. This is a remarkably candid book, with Brolin sharing details of some of the most difficult parts of his life. As he puts it, “I’ll take my memories of adventurous experiments that put me right where I am now, the forest of my own making, and settle.”
One of the most likable actors to ever grace the screen is the subject of Bruce Willis: Celebrating the Cinematic Legacy of an Unbreakable Hollywood Icon by Sean O’Connell (Applause). We needed this detailed study of Willis’ work, and I especially enjoyed O’Connell’s analysis of the actor’s staggeringly plentiful DTV entries. Above all, it reminds us of what made Willis such a unique star––most notably his ability to move between action spectacles and character-driven indies. “Willis’s counterparts, outside of possibly Harrison Ford, can’t brag about that range,” O’Connell writes. “His fearless approach to projects helped make him bankable, highly sought after, and respected.”
The Spamalot Diaries (Crown) by Monty Python legend Eric Idle is a unique look into the making of the Broadway hit based on Monty Python and the Holy Grail. It also offers a fascinating glimpse into what it was like to work with the late Mike Nichols, who directed the musical. And Sidney Poitier: The Great Speeches of an Icon Who Moved Us (Running Press) is a collection of some of the late icon’s memorable words at various events––commencement addresses, awards shows, memorials––servig as a reminder of his intelligence, poise, and influence.
Opening Weekend: An Insider’s Look at Marketing Hollywood’s Hits and Flops by Jim Fredrick (University Press of Mississippi) is an engaging first-hand account of its author’s work in movie marketing. Frederick even tells of being summoned to England to create the trailer and poster for Eyes Wide Shut in the wake of Stanley Kubrick’s passing. Meanwhile, the delightful Box Office Poison by Tim Robey (Hanover Square Press) shares the backstories of flops we all remember vividly (Freaks, The Magnificent Ambersons, 1984’s Dune) and some we’ve all tried to forget (Supernova, 2002’s Rollerball, Pan).
In The Rebirth of Suspense: Slowness and Atmosphere in Cinema (Columbia University Press), author Rick Warner explores “slow cinema’s relationship to minimalism,” while Movies With Balls by Kyle Bandujo and Rick Bryson (Quirk) is a smart analysis of some of the greatest sports films ever made.
I always enjoy behind-the-scenes glimpses into the business side of the entertainment world, and this column highlights two good ones. Disney High: The Untold Story of the Rise and Fall of Disney Channel’s Tween Empire by Ashley Spencer (St. Martin’s Press) amusingly chronicles a specific time in pop culture history: the 2000s rise of the Disney Channel machine. Spencer is a wonderfully entertaining writer, and the book’s cast of characters (including Mickey Mouse Club revival stars like Ryan Gosling and Britney Spears) is gob-smacking. Just as involving is Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment by Jason Schreier (Grand Central), a warts-and-all look at the company behind gaming favorites Diablo and Warcraft.
There’s two very different coming-of-age tales. Do Something: Coming of Age Amid the Glitter and Doom of’ 70s New York by Guy Tremblay (Knopf) sees its author share enticing stories of Warhol’s Factory and harrowing accounts of the AIDS crisis. In the graphic novel Boy vs. Shark (Tundra), Paul Gilligan journeys back to the summer of 1975 to show the impact of Jaws on a fearful suburban 10-year-old.
I’m a sucker for books like Star Wars Encyclopedia, a wonderfully involving 400-pager by Dan Brooks, Megan Crouse, Amy Richau, Amy Ratcliffe, Brandon Wainerdi, Dan Zehr, and Kelly Knox (DK). There is a staggering level of detail here, with more than 2,000 total entries, 1,200 character histories, and nearly 300 locations. Similarly, Marvel Encyclopedia (New Edition) by Alan Cowsill, Melanie Scott, and James Hill (DK) and LEGO Marvel Character Encyclopedia by Shari Last (DK) are stuffed with oodles of Marvel tidbits.
Marvel fans should also be interested in three new entries in Titan Books’ Infinity Saga art book series: The Art of Thor: The Dark World, The Art of Captain America: Winter Soldier, and The Art of Guardians of the Galaxy. And Godzilla: The Encyclopedia by Shinji Nishikawa (Titan Books) is an illustrated romp that covers everything from the 1954 original to recent animated endeavors.
Lastly, my Pride and Prejudice-loving wife doesn’t know this yet, but her presents will include two new releases from Titan Books, Jane Austen: Visual Encyclopedia and Jane Austen Oracle. The latter features a 40-card oracle deck and an accompanying guidebook. Both are perfect for those wishing for a winter visit to Pemberley.
New music books: Tomes for Taylor Nation, disco mania, and more
One of the many joys of being the parent of a 10-year-old daughter is seeing her deep love of pop music. And no one thrills or delights her more than Taylor Swift. Make no mistake: ours is a Swiftie household. I spent several weeks in October and November trying to finagle tickets to an Eras Tour stops in Toronto; I was ultimately unsuccessful, and that’s a shame. My daughter adores everything about Taylor, and, well, I’m nearly as big a fan as she is. Reading Heartbreak Is the National Anthem: How Taylor Swift Reinvented Pop Music by Rob Sheffield (Dey Street Books) makes me even sadder about missing out on the experience. The longtime Rolling Stone writer is the perfect person to analyze what Swift has become, how she got there, what it all means. “The Eras Tour is a journey through her past, starring all the different Taylors she’s ever been, which means all the Taylors that you’ve ever been. Taylor designs each tour to be the best night of your life. But she designed this one to be the best night of all your lives, with every era you’ve ever lived through.” Beautiful thoughts, and lovely writing. It will be a few years before my daughter is ready for Heartbreak Is the National Anthem, but she’s the right age for Taylor Swift Style by Sarah Chapelle (St. Martin’s Griffin). This gorgeously designed hardcover is bursting with photos of Swift’s fashion evolution, and it’s written by Chapelle with enthusiasm and wit; the chapter titled “Bloopers: Seven Times Taylor Should’ve Said No” should make even Swifties giggle.
The Name of This Band Is R.E.M. by Peter Ames Carlin (Doubleday) is the R.E.M. book I’ve been wanting for, oh, three decades or so. Covering the entirety of the band’s career as well as members’ early lives, Carlin documents (no pun intended) how a group of initially terrified college kids became one of the world’s best and biggest bands. The book also delves into their later work and decision to call it quits six months after 2011’s Collapse Into Now. “They started out as college kids and ended up as rock ’n’ roll superstars,” Carlin writes. It was an extraordinary career and Name is an extraordinary biography.
The McCartney Legacy Volume 2: 1974-80 by Allan Kozinn and Adrian Sinclair (Dey St.) follows the same format as The McCartney Legacy: Volume 1: 1969–73, following every major career and life event during a defined stretch of Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles days. Volume two tackles the time between the release of McCartney’s mega Band on the Run and his infamous Japanese pot bust in 1980. It’s difficult to put down and you can bet I’m eagerly awaiting volume three.
McCartney makes some eye-opening cameos in We All Shine On: John, Yoko, & Me by Elliot Mintz (Dutton). The friend / confidant / employee of John Lennon and Yoko Ono was in close proximity to the couple for the majority of the 1970s, and shares some incredible, funny, occasionally sad stories. One of the most memorable is an awkward Christmas when Paul and Linda McCartney showed up at the Dakota. Dinner at Elaine’s was, well, odd: “They remained silent for long stretches, until awkwardness forced one of them to take a stab at conversation.”
Forever Changes: The Authorized Biography of Arthur Lee and Love by John Einarson (Jawbone Press) is a detailed appreciation of the legendary founder of the band behind 1967’s great Forever Changes. Lee was a troubled genius who found some measure of redemption before his death in 2006.
Arriving just before the release of A Complete Unknown is Talkin’ Greenwich Village: The Heady Rise and Slow Fall of America’s Bohemian Music Capital by David Browne (Grand Central Publishing). Bob Dylan is, of course, a central figure in this tale, but so are Dave Van Ronk, Ornette Coleman, and even Suzanne Vega. Though Dylan looms largest. I love Browne’s account of some of his surprise visits in the 1970s, as Bob returned to the downtown area that played such an important part in his life: “Dylan himself wouldn’t be in town much longer. His nights at the Other End stopped as mercurially as they’d begun.”
Other noteworthy recent music releases include A Thousand Threads: A Memoir (Scribner), in which the great Neneh Cherry delves into her childhood (as the step-daughter of jazz legend Don Cherry), moments of personal tragedy, and her many successes (most notably the worldwide hit “Buffalo Stance”); Disco: Music, Movies, and Mania Under the Mirror Ball by Frank Decaro (Rizzoli New York) is a gorgeous hardcover gem packed with stunning photos (including the likes of Liza Minnelli, Halston, and Andy Warhol); and The Chemical Brothers: Paused in Cosmic Reflection (White Rabbit) marks a phenomenal oral history of electronic kingpins Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons. And one of music’s most unique, offbeat figures is subject of A Few Words in Defense of Our Country: Randy Newman by Robert Hilburn (Hachette Books). The book is as colorful as Newman himself and spends a great deal of time on his soundtrack work; as Barry Levinson admits, “The Natural is not The Natural without that music.”
Novels in brief
Our first column of 2025 will include many new novels, but before year’s end I want to mention several recommended picks. Available now is the great Haruki Murakami’s latest novel, a typically complex love story called The City and Its Uncertain Walls (Knopf). As with all of Murakami’s work, City is not an easy read, but it is certainly a rewarding one.
Another much-buzzed novel is Batman: Resurrection by John Jackson Miller (Random House Worlds), a bold and highly readable literary follow-up to Tim Burton’s Batman. Set just after the death of the Joker (and prior to the events of Batman Returns), the novel finds Gotham City still recovering from the “Smylex” attacks that plagued its citizens. One of these individuals, a stage actor, becomes one of the Dark Knight’s ickiest villains… but I won’t spoil his identity.
Meanwhile, Ti West’s Mia Goth-starring X series recently wrapped up with MaXXXine, and a series of novelizations have followed. X: The Novel by Tim Waggoner hit the A24 shop in the fall, while Pearl followed in November and MaXXXine is up next.
A few months since the release of Alien: Romulus, Titan Books has released a series of books set in the Xenomorph universe. The Complete Aliens Collection: Living Nightmares (Phalanx, Infiltrator, Vasquez) by Scott Sigler, Weston Ochse, and V. Castro, shares the origin stories of Aliens’ character PFC Jenette Vasquez (memorably played in James Cameron’s film by Jenette Goldstein) and her family across three novels. This trio has been followed by Aliens: Bishop by T. R. Napper. This direct sequel to Aliens and Alien 3 follows the journey of our synthetic friend Bishop; any opportunity to spend time with the character so wonderfully brought to life by Lance Henriksen is appreciated. And coming in January is Alien: Seventh Circle, the story of a family of scavengers facing galactic terror.
Lastly, Star Wars fans have several recent audiobook releases from Penguin Random House Audio to choose from: the new novel Mace Windu: The Glass Abyss by Steven Barnes (read by William DeMeritt), and two “Star Wars Legends” recordings, The Force Unleashed by Sean Williams and Solo Command by Aaron Allston (both read by Marc Thompson).
New to Blu-ray and 4K
The Film Stage Holiday Gift Guide featured plenty of gift-worthy 4K and Blu-ray selections. Read on for a few more from Kino Lorber, Warner Home Entertainment, and, for starters, Criterion.
Harmony Korine’s Gummo is more than deserving of the Criterion treatment. Weird, gross, moving, and often very funny, the film is accompanied by an essay from film critic Carlos Aguilar and appreciation by Belly director Hype Williams. Val Lewton’s terrifying I Walked With a Zombie and The Seventh Victim are paired in a set featuring essays by critics Chris Fujiwara and Lucy Sante, as well as the 2005 documentary Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy. Lewton was surely an influence on Guillermo del Toro, whose elegant 2017 Oscar-winner The Shape of Water arrives with plenty features and an essay by the aforementioned Carlos Aguilar. And the late Peter Bogdanovich’s Paper Moon is his most charming film; its release features an essay by Mark Harris.
New from Warner Home Entertainment on 4K are a trio of classics: North by Northwest, Blazing Saddles, and The Terminator. James Cameron’s franchise-starter looks undeniably stellar in 4K, and remains his nastiest treat.
From Kino Lorber comes my favorite documentary of 2024, Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger (Blu-ray and DVD), lovingly presented by Martin Scorsese; the absurd but enjoyable Daniel Craig-Harrison Ford sci-fi flick Cowboys & Aliens (4K); Abel Ferrara’s Bad Lieutenant (4K), which features one of Harvey Keitel’s most kinetic performances; Rian Johnson’s high school whodunit, Brick (4K); and Kindergarten Cop (4K), a silly thriller that brought me joy as a 10-year-old and now as a 40-something-year-old. Thank you, Arnold.