Bound Together 2023: Nonfiction: Film
From an oral history of Hollywood to an examination of the merits of bad movies, these books will delight the film buff on your gift list.
HOLLYWOOD: THE ORAL HISTORY, By Sam Wasson and Jeanine Basinger
HARPER • NOVEMBER 2022 • 768 PAGES • $37.50 HARDCOVER
An air of mystique has long shrouded Hollywood. Author Sam Wasson and film scholar Jeanine Basinger separate the movie industry’s many facts from its even more fictions by patching together thousands of insider interviews—from the early 20th century through today. Legends like Frank Capra, Bette Davis, and Steven Spielberg offer their observations alongside hundreds of actors, screenwriters, cinematographers, art directors, and musicians.
JUNK FILM: WHY BAD MOVIES MATTER, By Katharine Coldiron
CASTLE BRIDGE MEDIA • MAY 2023 • 190 PAGES • $16.99 PAPERBACK
Not all films are created equal. Some are even painful to watch. But critic Katharine Coldiron insists that bad movies are a gift for aspiring filmmakers and creative professionals alike. Instead of snubbing cinematic failures, Coldiron analyzes them carefully in this collection of 13 essays, offering fresh perspectives on why movies like Staying Alive and Death Bed: The Bed That Eats don’t resonate with viewers. Through Coldiron’s lens, one learns a valuable lesson: what not to do when making art.
