Book Review: Shoot It!

In college, I took a bunch of film studies classes. It was clear from the beginning that my professors did not like Hollywood or Hollywood movies, favoring instead to teach us about the French New Wave, cinema vérité and experimental documentaries. They would rebuff or refuse to answer questions pertaining to Hollywood studio movies. Their unspoken feeling was clear: commercialism and art do not and should not mix.

I was reminded of this when reading David Spaner's Shoot It!: Hollywood Inc. and the Rising of Independent Film, just published from Arsenal Pulp Press. It's clear that Spaner has somewhat of a chip on his shoulder when it comes to Hollywood movies, favoring anything independent over anything forged from the major studios, and he makes little effort to bury his disdain for Hollywood in the book (the first part is subtitled: Why Are Movies So Bad These Days?).

After a rather biting forward laying out the mission of the book, the bulk of Shoot It! traces the history of the movie business from the rise of the Hollywood studio system, to the creation of the unions, the Production Code, the dark Blacklist period all the way to the present. Throughout Spaner keeps his focus on independent filmmakers, and how the ever-growing reach of Hollywood studios affected their ability to make and market their films. The second half of the book explores filmmaking outside of America--Europe, South Korea, Romania--sharply contrasting their artistic approach with the corporate machine of Hollywood.

Book Review: The Hunger Pains

I am a big fan of Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games. There's a lot of hype surrounding the big movie adaptation coming out in a couple months, and judging from the trailers, it's going to be great. But Collins's dystopian novel is filled with action and enough teen angst and love triangles to keep adults and teens turning the pages.

And of course, as with anything that's immensely popular, leave it to The Harvard Lampoon to make fun of it. Really, you haven't made it big until your work is made into a parody. First, they took on Twilight with their own version, Nightlight. And then there was Bored Of The Rings, a funny take of Lord Of The Rings. And their latest comedic creation, The Hunger Pains (Simon & Schuster), is sure to make all you Hunger Games fans crack up.

Before I even cracked the book, I was already laughing at The Hunger Pains' caricature of all the characters from the original.

The Hunger Games: Katniss Everdeen
The Hunger Pains: Kantkiss Neverclean

The Hunger Games: Peeta Mellark
The Hunger Pains: Pita Malarkey

The Hunger Games: Gale Hawthorne
The Hunger Pains: Carol Handsomestein

The Hunger Pains follows the same basic story of the original, with the country divided into districts and ruled by the authoritarian government known as The Capital. They hold the Hunger Games, an event that involves throwing a bunch of kids into an arena in order to kill each other until only one remains.

Katkiss and Pita come from District 12, which is the telemarketing district. Fans of The Hunger Games will easily recognize many of the events, people, and places the Harvard Lampoon is poking fun of. But it's obvious this book is targeting all that teen melodrama prevalent in Young Adult Literature these days.

For example, my favorite quote from this book: "In the back of my mind, I wonder who my heart will belong to in the end. Will it be Carol, with his perfect body and unparalleled hunting skills? Or Pita, with his giant head and flabby stomach? It's a tough call."

Obviously, Kantkiss isn't very smart. When she sees Badge Underwear wearing a pin that says, "THE CAPITAL SUCKS," she wonders if it means anything.

If you loved The Hunger Games, you will certainly have a lot of fun with The Hunger Pains. You can grab your own copy February 7th.

Book Review: Postcards From Divine

Who among us didn't love Divine? The hair, the sequin-encrusted frocks, the stiletto heels, the meticulously teased wigs, the... wait, do I see a hand raised in protest in the back?

Someone throw a lucite shoe at that dissenter!

Did you feel that, Negative Ned? That is the sensation of complete wrongness righted with the power of violence. Now sit down and keep that hand placed firmly at your side while we all bask in the warm glow of my review.

Where were we? Ah yes, Noah Brodie, Dan Marshall, Frances Milstead, and Michael O'Quinn's Postcards From Divine, the newly released book that features never before seen postcards and photos collected over the years by family and friends while the outrageously popular and magnificent Glenn Milstead traveled the world and entertained the masses.

The Twelve Days Of Christmas, Day II: Books

Welcome to Day Two of our Twelve Days Of Christmas gift guide spectacular. In case you didn't read the title, today we're going to cover books.

I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story Of The Music Video Revolution by Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum
This is the best book I read all year. It deals with MTV's video years, from the pre-launch to The Real World. Along the way, we're treated to quotes from the people who created MTV, the VJs, and a lot of the musicians back in the day. It's told as a series of quotes and at nearly 600 pages, it's a fascinating look back at the glory days of MTV and there's a lot of information and fun to be found inside.

Perfect For: Anyone who grew up in the '80s

Recommended By: Chris


Stays Crunchy In Milk by Adam P. Knave
Adam P. Knave is a friend of mine, and also one hell of a writer. His mind is all bendy and twisty in ways that make for an amazing story; he has great ability with both language and emotion. He has a good catalog and I'm waiting eagerly for a collection of "stories I'd tell you in a bar" to come out later this month. Since that book isn't out yet, I'm gonna recommend you pick up Stays Crunchy In Milk, because you are sentimental, you believe in loyalty, and you love the pop culture of your childhood, just like me.

Recommended By: Jett Superior

Book Review: The Cult Of LEGO

As a parent, I'm more guilty than most of forcing the toys and activities of my childhood onto my daughter. As a daughter, she has shown a remarkable degree of resistance. She has grown up in a different world than I did, surrounded by electronic stimulation I only dreamt of, and since she's only six she has no appreciation of the retro-coolness of Slinkies or Operation. To complicate matters, she has embraced the aspects of girliness a marketer could hope for: princesses, makeup, cute fuzzy animals, blah blah blah. And I'm not exactly the person I was when I was that age either; my patience for the games and toys she likes to play with is tested daily by my own roaming attention.

But there's one thing we both agree upon. LEGOs.

LEGOs are the perfect toy. Colorful, sturdy, infinitely creative, and utterly immersive. She and I spend hours recreating everything in the instructions and on the box, then exploring every permutation of houses, cars, and living things we can imagine. When dinner is called, I'm just as likely to be the one who calls, "in a second!" as she is.

We are members of the Cult of LEGO. And we are not alone.

Nowhere is this more clear than in a new book, the aptly titled The Cult Of LEGO (John Baichtal and Joe Meno), which explores the myriad ways in which LEGO has permeated our culture and become an obsession for brick lovers around the globe. Packed with articles, interviews, and images of some of the most eye-opening uses for LEGOs you've ever seen, it's at once both a fascinating exploration of how a simple little brick, properly assembled, can offer endless possibilities, and a testament to the diversity and ingenuity of the human imagination.

All Access: Our Interview with Ken Regan

I am a sucker for rock photography.

I'm not talking about the finely-managed images of Lady Gaga or Coldplay that get sprayed across the Internet as if from a fire hose. I'm talking about images of the titans of music, at the height of their powers, that defined what rock and roll meant to a generation. Imagine Freddie Mercury with arm raised before the crowds at Live Aid. Or Jimmy Page, hair flopping across his face, channeling primal sounds from his fingertips. Or four boyish lads from Liverpool grinning into the cameras upon their first arrival in America. Those are the images that still stick in our collective consciousness as the essence of youth, music, and the our own teenage memories of AM radio blasting through tinny speakers in our parents' cars.

And Ken Regan was there. He is an award-winning photojournalist who has taken some of the most memorable photos of the last 50 years, ranging from sports icons to war zones. And he's also had the good fortune to have traveled with, photographed, and becomes friends with the legends of rock and roll. He has just published a new retrospective, All Access: The Rock 'N' Roll Photography Of Ken Regan, which showcases his decades of work capturing the likes of the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and virtually everyone else of significance at their most intimate and accessible. It's a must have for any fan of rock, and I had the pleasure of speaking with him at length about it.

Your career has spanned decades and spans so many subjects. Why a retrospective on rock and roll, and why now?
Yeah, I started out as a sports photographer then I started doing music, then I started doing politics, then I did wars and then I did food and fashion. I've done a little bit of everything, and I've always wanted—when I got into photography—not to be pigeonholed as a rock photographer or a sports photographer, but to be someone who is diversified and can walk into all different elements of life and have the pleasure of photographing them.

I had done a book with the publisher, Insight Editions, about four years ago that was a retrospective of boxing, and they wanted to do another book with me. I wanted to do a full retrospective, but they felt we'd be better off doing a music book since I'd done so much music over the years. We were supposed to do it two years ago, but the recession hit and the publisher felt like the timing wasn't good to put out a big expensive holiday book. So here we are.

Book Review: Mini Weapons Of Mass Destruction 2

Growing up, I would daydream of being a super secret agent. James Bond and MacGyver were my heroes. 007 had the most incredible gadgets, like the briefcase that concealed fun stuff like tear gas and throwing knives. MacGyver could take everyday items one could find around the house or terrorist prison cell and create the most useful weapons and tools. Who can forget the hand glider he made with duct tape? Or the garden hose flamethrower?

John Austin, an award winning toy designer and author, has a brand new book for my fellow wannabe-spies: Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction 2 (Chicago Review Press). When I got an advance copy of this easy-to-follow manual, my mind conjured up diabolical schemes to torture my coworkers with these "deadly" weapons.

The book has clear and concise illustrations to go along with instructions that take you step by step through the MacGyver-izing of normally innocuous objects into real-working gadgets you can use to defend yourself in any dangerous situation. Who knew a box of mints, a tape dispenser, binder clip, or even a pen cap could become a deadly weapon or instrument for surveillance?

Heck, even a piece of paper can be a weapon. I followed Austin's instructions in constructing a "throwing star." This thing was awesome! And from the cries of my eleven-year old, a very effective weapon that is capable of inflicting serious damage when you enemy refuses to fold his socks and underwear.

My other favorite spy tools were the 44 Marker Magnum, Mini Tin Catapult, Assassin Blade, and Gift Card Coin Launcher. Not only does Austin teach you how to build this cool stuff, he even shows you creative ways to conceal them!

This book is fantastic. Not only were the weapons easy to make, they actually worked! This is the perfect book for any ambitious spy/assassin.

Utilizing the techniques in this incredible book, I will soon conquer the workplace with my awesome weapons of mass destruction. My coworkers will think I'm just reaching for an ordinary bottle of soda, when I'm actually retrieving my hidden Cotton Swab .38 Special!

Book Review: Duff McKagan, It's So Easy And Other Lies

I often avoid reading autobiographies by artists because they're generally

1. clearly ghostwritten (does anyone actually think that Snooki or The Situation can actually read, much less sit down long enough to write a whole, more than 5 page, book?)
2. so self-serving they make me nauseous (Kardashian Konfidential anyone? Like the Kardashians have kept anything confidential at this point.)
3. written by someone I flat out don't care about, or who is way too young to be writing a reflection on their life (I'm looking at you Miley Cyrus, on both counts.)
4. don't actually get into the stuff you'd want to read about (I'm thinking of you, Katharine Hepburn. Glossing over Bogey was lame.)

But when I was offered the chance to read the autobiography of Duff McKagan, the bassist from Guns N' Roses, I thought, "Yeah, that might be interesting."

And man is it. It starts with a quote from Upton Sinclair's novel, The Jungle. About 50 pages in I thought "ghostwritten" but I did some digging and, you know what? Duff's a pretty bright dude. He writes regular columns for Seattle Weekly and a financial column for Playboy.com. Seriously.

A few highlights from the book:

Soccer Balls And Soap: Our Interview With Henry Rollins

I once heard a colleague refer to Henry Rollins as a Jack of all trades while we sat across from each other in a dismal office cubicle.

At the time I didn't really give it much thought, but if I had I might have countered with the remainder of the old saying that clearly doesn't apply, "master of none." And while I agree that he moves between mediums and projects at a breakneck pace, you have to understand that when Mr. Rollins gets his teeth into something, he goes at it full throttle until it's either perfect or lying there with its throat ripped out.

Either way, you never end up with something half-baked.

Hey, thanks for taking the time to talk to us about the book today.
No problem.

Before I start congratulating you on a job well done, let me just say that Occupants is not at all what I expected.
No matter what your reaction was, that pleases me. I've done a lot of books and I tried to make this one really different. I mean, I've never done a photo book but I tried to take it a little further than that, hence all the writing. That was way more time intensive than the photos, actually. The photos, you kind of put your finger on the button but the writing was a real bear to kind of drag myself through. I was trying to do something where there are people who dig what I do who go, "OK, this is different, I didn't know what I was getting." We sent out two thousand of the books last week and I had signed up all the preordered and I guess that they are arriving because I am getting hit with lots of emails now from all the people and their reactions. I'm getting some "Wow, this was worth it. Nice going."

Book Review: Henry Rollins, Occupants

One of the most appealing things about modern photography is its almost magical ability to level the playing field for those of us not having spent years fiddling around in a dark closet transferring film out of its metal cartridge and into the tank for development. Its mass appeal in this age of click, shoot, and upload is also tempered by the ability of a select few individuals to provide us with images that stop us in our tracks long enough to astonish and educate. Skill levels may vary from polished longtime professional to rank amateur, but the ability to really see, document, and deliver is rare. So it was with skeptical eyes I began paging through Henry Rollins new book of photography, Occupants.

There is a jolting, matter-of-fact quality to the images he's shot here and strange rolling commentary provided to go along with the photos.

From the bleak (I found the Man Down picture from Thailand 2008 [left] more than a little upsetting) to the downright uplifting, he's covered his travels all over this world and he's obviously not been spending all his time hunkered down in plush hotel rooms listening to the Stooges on his IPod. The bold, colorful faces of smiling children surrounded by devastation are followed by piles of bleached out skulls and hooded mannequins, with the results being both funny and frightening. My emotions suffered some whiplash while turing the pages.

He is clearly not an impartial observer either and sticks around to get some of the story after the click of the shutter. Rather than being just a mere recorder of events and people, he makes you feel better that you might now know what happened to the smiling children playing on the mound of filth after the picture was downloaded.

This book is a compelling portrait of a man perpetually in motion and the people and places he visits. It serves as a very powerful reminder of what makes this great big world and its inhabitants unique.

Occupants will be released on October 1st, 2011.