From one of the most iconic actors in the history of film, an astonishingly revelatory account of a creative life in full
To the wider world, Al Pacino exploded onto the scene like a supernova. He landed his first leading role, in The Panic in Needle Park, in 1971, and by 1975, he had starred in four movies-The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon-that were not just successes but landmarks in the history of film. Those performances became legendary and changed his life forever. Not since Marlon Brando and James Dean in the late 1950s had an actor landed in the culture with such force.
But Pacino was in his midthirties by then, and had already lived several lives. A fixture of avant-garde theater in New York, he had led a bohemian existence, working odd jobs to support his craft. He was raised by a fiercely loving but mentally unwell mother and her parents after his father left them when he was young, but in a real sense he was raised by the streets of the South Bronx, and by the troop of buccaneering young friends he ran with, whose spirits never left him. After a teacher recognized his acting promise and pushed him toward New York's fabled High School of Performing Arts, the die was cast. In good times and bad, in poverty and in wealth and in poverty again, through pain and joy, acting was his lifeline, its community his tribe.
Sonny Boy is the memoir of a man who has nothing left to fear and nothing left to hide. All the great roles, the essential collaborations, and the important relationships are given their full due, as is the vexed marriage between creativity and commerce at the highest levels. The book's golden thread, however, is the spirit of love and purpose. Love can fail you, and you can be defeated in your ambitions-the same lights that shine bright can also dim. But Al Pacino was lucky enough to fall deeply in love with a craft before he had the foggiest idea of any of its earthly rewards, and he never fell out of love. That has made all the difference.
Just in time for the whimsical holiday classic film's 30th anniversary comes a deep-dive reflection about the making of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas! This enchanting coffee table book features new interviews with the filmmakers and rare images from the Disney and Burton art collections!
Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas was crafted as a piece of art: a visual masterpiece that blended together the genius of Tim Burton's simple story and endearing characters with Danny Elfman's eclectic music; Henry Selick's stop-motion brilliance; Caroline Thompson's heartfelt script; and the painstaking efforts of hundreds of artists, animators, and technicians-all wrapped in a world that only Burton could conjure up. Paired with stunning and never-before-released art and photography, this book transports readers into a one-of-a-kind, retrospective journey detailing how Nightmare was thoughtfully crafted and all the ways in which the fan community worldwide has embraced the film ever since.
This beautiful volume serves as the must-have book for fans of the film, artists and art collectors, and anyone who appreciates some frightfully good movie magic.
A radical history of trans images in film, and an exploration of the political possibilities of the new trans cinema movement.
There have been trans images in cinema for over a century - very often bad cultural objects and very often inspired by the cultural zeitgeist, from Christine Jorgensen to Candy Darling to a guest on The Jerry Springer Show. But now, trans cinema as a movement is slowly emerging from the margins to create a new film language, often in reaction to these historical trans film images that cast the trans body in abject form; a corpse, a foolish joke, a tragic martyr, or even a monster.
Corpses, Fools, and Monsters is a new radical history of these trans film images, and an exploration of the political possibilities of the new trans cinema movement. Analysing the work of trans cinema directors Isabel Sandoval, Silas Howard, and the Wachowski Sisters, it also discusses the trans film image in everything from pre-talkie films and Ed Wood B-movies to Oscar-winners, body horror and slashers.
Going beyond reassessing notable films, performances, and portrayals, Corpses, Fools, and Monsters instead brings to light films and artists not given their due, along with highlighting filmmakers who are bringing trans cinema out of the margins in the twenty-first century.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER An unprecedented look into the personal and creative life of the visionary auteur David Lynch, through his own words and those of his closest colleagues, friends, and family
Insightful . . . an impressively industrious and comprehensive account of Lynchs career.--The New York Times Book Review
In this unique hybrid of biography and memoir, David Lynch opens up for the first time about a life lived in pursuit of his singular vision, and the many heartaches and struggles hes faced to bring his unorthodox projects to fruition. Lynchs lyrical, intimate, and unfiltered personal reflections riff off biographical sections written by close collaborator Kristine McKenna and based on more than one hundred new interviews with surprisingly candid ex-wives, family members, actors, agents, musicians, and colleagues in various fields who all have their own takes on what happened.
Room to Dream is a landmark book that offers a onetime all-access pass into the life and mind of one of our most enigmatic and utterly original living artists.
With insights into . . .
Eraserhead
The Elephant Man
Dune
Blue Velvet
Wild at Heart
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me
Lost Highway
The Straight Story
Mulholland Drive
INLAND EMPIRE
Twin Peaks: The Return
Praise for Room to Dream
A memorable portrait of one of cinemas great auteurs . . . provides a remarkable insight into [David] Lynchs intense commitment to the art life. --The Guardian
This is the best book by and about a movie director since Elia Kazans A Life (1988) and Michael Powells A Life in Movies (1986). But Room to Dream is more enchanting or appealing than those classics. . . . What makes this book endearing is its chatty, calm account of how genius in America can be a matter-of-fact defiance of reality that wont alarm your dog or save mankind. Its the only way to dream in so disturbed a country.--San Francisco Chronicle
For decades, amidst the bright lights, studio-audience laughs, and absurdly large apartment sets, the real-life story of American LGBTQ+ liberation unfolded in plain sight in front of millions of viewers, most of whom were laughing too hard to mind.
From flamboyant relatives on Bewitched to closely-guarded secrets on All in the Family, from network-censor fights over Soap to behind-the-scenes activism on the set of The Golden Girls, from Ellen's culture clash to Modern Family's primetime power-couple, Hi Honey, I'm Homo! is the story not only of how subversive queer comedy transformed the American sitcom, from its inception through today, but how our favorite sitcoms transformed, and continue to transform, America.
Accessible, entertaining, and informative, Hi Honey, I'm Homo! is filled with exclusive commentary and interviews from celebrities, behind-the-scenes creators, and more.
