Read it!
Alfred HitchcockA Life in Darkness and Light
Patrick McGilligan
Harper Collins, $59.95
Patrick McGilligan offers a portrait of Hitchcock as a complex artist who tested the limits of his audience and Hollywood censors with his cocktails of sex and violence. In addition to turning out dozens of the most influential films ever made, he created a persona for himself as a depraved English gentleman with an appetite for icy blondes � a reputation that would come back to haunt him. McGilligan also uncovers the private man, a devoted husband who worked tirelessly for the British war effort. It also includes detailed accounts of the making of each of his movies and 32 pages of black & white photos.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About DVDJim Taylor
McGraw-Hill, $31.95
Compiled by DVD FAQ guru Jim Taylor, this book does offer pretty much everything you want to know about DVDs including general DVD info, technical details, all about DVD and computers and DVD production. If you have a question, you'll probably find the answer in here.
Hollywood, InterruptedInsanity Chic in Babylon
Andrew Breitbart and Mark Ebner
John Wiley & Sons Canada, $39.99
In Hollywood, Interrupted, Breitbart and Ebner let some of Hollywood's biggest names have it right between the eyes, condemning these A-listers and their handlers for their double standards and shameless self-promotion. The authors spare no one including Madonna and Tom Cruise to Eddie Murphy and Courtney Love. The book uncovers how in Hollywood, cults rule, kids are often considered an accessory, and being on medication, under house arrest or in rehab is just part of the job of being famous. Fans of particular stars may find this one hard to swallow, but it's a fascinating look at celebrity culture.
The LadykillersDMZ/Columbia/Sony Music Soundtrax
Make no mistake, T Bone Burnett is a genius. The producer behind the stellar soundtracks for O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Cold Mountain has done it again, this time assembling a masterful collection of traditional gospel music and hip-hop. Excellent contributions from The Soul Stirrers and Blind Willie Johnson rest comfortably alongside gospel-influenced hip-hop from the Grammy-nominated Nappy Roots. Burnett and the Coen Brothers have again succeeded in making the music a vital part of the film, not just a companion piece.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless MindHollywood Records
Jon Brion's music is almost effortlessly cinematic in its composition and scope, so it's only natural that he's been working in film for the last decade (Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch-Drunk Love) and now Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Here, Brion offers 17 movements from his bittersweet original score, and peppers the remainder of the film with alternately grandiose and subdued pop moments courtesy of his pal Beck, The Polyphonic Spree and E.L.O. The end result is a soundtrack as stirring and perfect as the film, and in this instance, that's saying something.
The PunisherWind-up Records
Boy, Frank Castle is one angry dude. You would be too if your family had been wiped out by a sadistic mob boss. You might even take to wearing "the uniform" (aka all black, all the time) and listening to the sort of bludgeon-rock this latest Marvel Comics feature film is overstuffed with. The only gems of the disc are a phenomenal cover of Romeo Void's salacious 80's hit "Never Say Never" by Queens of the Stone Age and Finger Eleven's excellent "Slow Chemical". On a side note, what a difference a year makes. Early in 2003, another Marvel film (Daredevil) released a soundtrack on Wind-up that immediately made Evanescence superstars. Now, core members Amy Lee and Ben Moody both contribute to The Punisher, but separately.
--Mike McCann