On this day in movie history - Gran Torino (2008):

Gran Torino

directed by Hal Ashby,

written by Nick Schenk,

was released in the United States on December 12, 2008.
Music by Kyle Eastwood and Michael Stevens.

Cast:

Clint Eastwood, Christopher Carley, Bee Vang, Ahney Her, Brian Haley, Geraldine Hughes, Dreama Walker, Brian Howe, John Carroll Lynch, William Hill, Brooke Chia Thao, Chee Thao, Choua Kue, Scott Eastwood, Xia Soua Chang, Sonny Vue, Doua Moua, Greg Trzaskoma, John Johns, Davis Gloff, Thomas D. Mahard, Cory Hardrict, Nana Gbewonyo, Arthur Cartwright, Austin Douglas Smith, Conor Liam Callaghan, Michael E. Kurowski, Julia Ho , Maykao K. Lytongpao, Carlos Guadarrama, Andrew Tamez-Hull, Ramon Camacho, Antonio Mireles, Ia Vue Yang, Zoua Kue, Elvis Thao, Jerry Lee, Lee Mong Vang, Tru Hang, Alice Lor, Tong Pao Kue, Douacha Ly, Parng D. Yarng, Nelly Yang Sao Yia, Marty Bufalini, My-Ishia Cason-Brown, Clint Ward, Stephen Kue, Rochelle Winter, Claudia Rodgers, Sean Baligian, Darline Bucchare, Shelagh Conley, Jeffrey Feingold, William C. Fox, Vong Lee, Arnold Montey, Rio Scafone, Jeffrey Scott Basham, Tony Stef'Ano, Carey Torrice, Kevin Walsh.

Recommended reading - Tech-Noir: The Fusion of Science Fiction and Film Noir (2008):

Tech-Noir: The Fusion of Science Fiction and Film Noir

By Paul Meehan.

First published 2008.
Published by McFarland & Company.
Paperback.
ISBN-10: 1476672350
ISBN-13: 978-1476672359

Description:

This critical study traces the common origins of film noir and science fiction films, identifying the many instances in which the two have merged to form a distinctive subgenre known as Tech-Noir. From the German Expressionist cinema of the late 1920s to the present-day cyberpunk movement, the book examines more than 100 films in which the common noir elements of crime, mystery, surrealism, and human perversity intersect with the high technology of science fiction. The author also details the hybrid subgenre's considerable influences on contemporary music, fashion, and culture.

Recommended reading - The Man Who Invented Christmas (2008):

The Man Who Invented Christmas:

How Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol Rescued His Career and Revived Our Holiday Spirits

By Les Standiford.

Published 2008.

Paperback.

Published by Crown.

ISBN 13: 9781524762469

ISBN 10: 1524762466

ASIN: 1524762466

Description:

As uplifting as the tale of Scrooge itself, this is the story of how Charles Dickens revived the signal holiday of the Western world.

Just before Christmas in 1843, a debt-ridden and dispirited Charles Dickens wrote a small book he hoped would keep his creditors at bay. His publisher turned it down, so Dickens used what little money he had to put out A Christmas Carol himself. He worried it might be the end of his career as a novelist.

The book immediately caused a sensation. And it breathed new life into a holiday that had fallen into disfavor, undermined by lingering Puritanism and the cold modernity of the Industrial Revolution. It was a harsh and dreary age, in desperate need of spiritual renewal, ready to embrace a book that ended with blessings for one and all.

With warmth, wit, and an infusion of Christmas cheer, Les Standiford whisks us back to Victorian England, its most beloved storyteller, and the birth of the Christmas we know best. The Man Who Invented Christmas is a rich and satisfying read for Scrooges and sentimentalists alike.

On this day in music history: Strange Toys, by Joan Jeanrenaud (2008):

The album Strange Toys,

by Joan Jeanrenaud,

was released on November 18, 2008.

On this day in music history - A Celtic Dream, by Michele McLaughlin (2008):

The album A Celtic Dream,

by Michele McLaughlin,

was released on November 14, 2008.

On this day in music history - And Winter Came..., by Enya (2008):

The album And Winter Came...,

by Enya,

was released on November 7, 2008.

On this day in music history - Close to Home, by Laura Sullivan (2008):

The album Close to Home,

by Laura Sullivan,

was released on November 7, 2008.

On this day in music history - No Love for the Poisonous, by Roxanne Potvin (2008):

The album No Love for the Poisonous,

by Roxanne Potvin,

was released on October 28, 2008.

On this day in music history - The Ry Cooder Anthology: The UFO Has Landed, by Ry Cooder (2008):

The album The Ry Cooder Anthology: The UFO Has Landed,

by Ry Cooder,

was released on October 28, 2008.

On this day in music history - Heavy Rotation, by Anastacia (2008):

The album Heavy Rotation,

by Anastacia,

was released on October 24, 2008.

On this day in movie history - Loft (2008):

Loft

directed by Erik Van Looy,

written by Bart De Pauw,

was released in Belgium on October 22, 2008.

Music by Wolfram de Marco.

Cast:

Koen De Bouw, Filip Peeters, Matthias Schoenaerts, Bruno Vanden Broecke, Koen De Graeve, Veerle Baetens, Tine Reymer, An Miller, Charlotte Vandermeersch, Wine Dierickx, Maaike Cafmeyer, Marie Vinck, Jan Decleir, Gene Bervoets, Sara de Roo, Dirk Roofthooft, Laura Verlinden, Ruth Beeckmans, Barbara Dzikanowice, Ina Geerts, Sophie Van Peel, Olivier De Smet, Carl Van Baelen, Ben Mouling, Veronique Boubane, Lindsay Bervoets, Tiffany Van den Brande, Pam Borgoo, Sara Giulini, Tessa Van Winkel, Sylvie Kruppa, Els Talloen, Imke Courtois, Véronique Billon, Marianne Bolle, Nana Jans, Adia Panteleeff, Britt Van Driessche, Bente De Graeve, Elise Regaert, Cindy Ghijsel, Patrick Roef, Renée Fokker, Cela Yildiz.

On this day in movie history - Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film (2008):

Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film

documentary directed and written by Constantine Nasr,

was released in the United States on October 21, 2008.

Narrated by Alec Baldwin.

Cast:

Alec Baldwin, Rudy Behlmer, Robert Benton, Sheri Chinen Biesen, Joan Blondell, Humphrey Bogart, John Bright, Daniel Bubbeo, James Cagney, Drew Casper, Bernard Dick, Christopher Frayling, Alan Gansberg, Patricia King Hanson, Molly Haskell, Howard Hawks, Foster Hirsch, Richard B. Jewell, Eric Lax, Mervyn LeRoy, Joan Leslie, Tony Maietta, Leonard Maltin, Gregory W. Mank, Mardik Martin, Virginia Mayo, Colin McArthur, John McCarty, Glenn Mitchell, Mike Newell, Kim Newman, Nicholas Pileggi, Dana Polan, George Raft, Richard Schickel, Martin Scorsese, Alain Silver, Robert Sklar, Anthony Slide, Peter Travers, James Ursini, Jeffrey Vance, Mark Vieira, Raoul Walsh, William A. Wellman, Terence Winter.

On this day in music history - Un frisson français: A Century of French Song, by Susan Graham (2008):

The album Un frisson français: A Century of French Song,

by Susan Graham,

was released on September 29, 2008.

On this day in movie history - The Brothers Warner (2007):

The Brothers Warner

documentary directed and written by Cass Warner,

was released in the United States on September 25, 2008.
Narrated by Cass Warner.
Music by David Campbell.

Cast:

Dennis Hopper, Cass Warner, Bette-Ann Warner, Harry M. Warner, Tab Hunter, Norman Lear, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Leo Braudy, Nancy Snow, Steven J. Ross, Samuel Goldwyn Jr., Benjamin Warner, Betty Warner Sheinbaum, Michael Birdwell, John Steel, Albert Warner, Angie Dickinson, George Segal, Haskell Wexler, Debbie Reynolds, Jack Warner Jr., Lina Basquette, Stephen Farber, Johanna Blakey, Sam Warner, Lita Heller, Jack L. Warner, Roy Edward Disney, Lewis Warner, Sherry Lansing, Frank Pierson, Eddie Bockser, Lois McGrew, Robert Greenwald, Jim Meskimen, Heinrich Himmler, Frank Sinatra.

On this day in movie history - 2:22 (2008)

2:22

directed by Phillip Guzman,

written by Mick Rossi, Phillip Guzman and Eric Saavedra,

was released in the United States on September 24, 2008.
Music by Danny Saber.

Cast:

Mick Rossi, Robert Miano, Aaron Gallagher, Jorge A. Jimenez, Peter Dobson, Val Kilmer, Bruce Kirby, Sile Bermingham, Sean Power, Luis Caldeira, Brian Foyster, Eric Shani, Tom Knight, Laura McLean, Cheryl Meyer, Sandy Duarte, Maja Mandzuka, Manny Barbosa, Vicki Rivard, Dan Fox, Steve Boyer, Andrew Robichaud, Jean-Marc Fontaine, Christian Bako, Beverley Ellis, Kelly Ames, Donald Mitchell, Domenic Bitondo, Mathew Bitondo, James LaMarr, Angela Froese, Darrel Gamotin, Louis Rossetti, Zach Humphreys, R Austin Ball, Roberto Caprara, Mike Guzzo, Philip Roy, Phillip Guzman, Katelyn Vanier, Mike Woodbridge, Alex J. Campbell, Richard Hasan, Matthew Campbell, David M. Frost, Billy Barbosa, Frank Consiglio, Vincent Tedesco, Diego Caprara, Anna Caprara, Rolando Marcello, Katie Spencer, Serena Karson, Andrew Risi, Loraine Guzzo, Michelle Guzzo, Manuel Brito, Salvatore Cangialosi, Seymour Abramovitz, Tommy Massis, Nikola Caloger, Natali Jones, Justin Kelly, Matt Greyson, Gene Burns, Gabriel Byrne.

Recommended reading - Pulp Fiction: The Dames (2008):

Pulp Fiction: The Dames

Omnibus.

Edited by Otto Penzler.

Introduced by Laura Lippman.

Published 2008.

Published by Quercus.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 1847242316

ISBN-13: 978-1847242310

Description:

Laura Lippman introduces 23 dames, femmes fatales, avenging angels, broads, molls and dolls from the golden age of pulp fiction and the dawn of modern crime writing.

From Sally the Sleuth to The Girl Who Knew Too Much, these women knew how to steal a guy’s heart – or his gun – and they weren’t afraid to use their fists if their charms couldn’t get them what they wanted. Risking their lives and ending others, these dames are certain to set your heart racing, whether you’re a pulp novice or a hard-boiled fan.

With stories from Raymond Chandler, Cornell Woolrich and Dashiell Hammett, and a strip cartoon from Adolphe Barreau, Pulp Fiction: The Dames shows that some writing has an edge that time just can’t dull.

Contents: Preface, by Otto Penzler; Introduction, by Laura Lippman; Angel Face, by Cornell Woolrich; Chosen to Die, by Leslie T. White; A Pinch of Snuff, by Eric Taylor; Killer in the Rain, by Raymond Chandler; Sally the Sleuth, by Adolphe Barreaux; A Shock for the Countess, by C. S. Montanye; Snowbound, by C. B. Yorke; The Girl Who Knew Too Much, by Randolph Barr; The Corpse in the Crystal, by D. B. McCandless; He Got What He Asked For, by D. B. McCandless; Gangster's Brand, by P. T. Luman; Dance Macabre, by Robert Reeves; The Girl with the Silver Eyes, by Dashiell Hammett; The Jane from Hell's Kitchen, by Perry Paul; The Duchess Pulls a Fast One, by Whitman Chambers; Mansion of Death, by Roger Torrey; Concealed Weapon, by Roger Torrey; The Devil's Bookkeeper, by Carlos Martinez; Black Legion, by Lars Anderson; Three Wise Men of Babylon, by Richard Sale; The Adventure of the Voodoo Moon, by Eugene Thomas; Brother Murder, by T. T. Flynn; Kindly Omit Flowers, by Stewart Sterling.

On this day in music history - Richard Strauss: Four Last Songs, by Renée Fleming and Christian Thielemann (2008):

The album Richard Strauss: Four Last Songs,

by Renée Fleming and Christian Thielemann,

was released on September 16, 2008.

Recommended reading - L.A. Noir: Nine Dark Visions of the City of Angels (2008):

L.A. Noir: Nine Dark Visions of the City of Angels

By William Hare.

Published by McFarland & Company.

Published in 2008.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0786437405

ISBN-13: 978-0786437405

Description:

Los Angeles is an ideal city for film noir for both economic and aesthetic reasons. The largest metropolitan area in the country, home to an ever-changing population of the disillusioned and in close proximity to city, mountains, ocean, and desert, the City of Angels became a center of American film noir.

This detailed discussion of nine films explores such topics as why certain settings are appropriate for film noir, why L.A. has been a favorite of authors such as Raymond Chandler, and relevant political developments in the area. The films are also examined in terms of story content as well as how they developed in the project stage. Utilizing a number of quotes from interviews, the work examines actors, directors, and others involved with the films, touching on their careers and details of their time in L.A. The major films covered are The Big Sleep, Criss Cross, D.O.A., In A Lonely Place, The Blue Gardenia, Kiss Me Deadly, The Killing, Chinatown, and L.A. Confidential.

On this day in movie history - Righteous Kill (2008):

Righteous Kill

directed by Jon Avnet,

written by Russell Gewirtz,

was released in the United States on September 12, 2008.
Music by Edward Shearmur.

Cast:

Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson), Carla Gugino, John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, Brian Dennehy, Trilby Glover, Saidah Arrika Ekulona, Alan Rosenberg, Sterling K. Brown, Barry Primus, Melissa Leo, Alan Blumenfeld, Oleg Taktarov, Shirly Brener, Frank John, Terry Serpico, Liza Colón-Zayas, Malachy McCourt, Ajay Naidu, Charles F. Krichman Jr., Rob Dyrdek, James Shanahan, Terrell J. Ramsey, Mia Barron, Andre B. Blake, Chris Cenatiempo, John Cenatiempo, Judy Del Giudice, Bryan Chatlien, Shalaya Patty Ford, Shaun Kelvin, Merritt Wever, Les Chantery, Katie Bukovsky, Tyrone Smith, Jim Jones, Darryl Pittman, Margaret Head, Katarzyna Wolejnio, Tony Borea, Harold Bridgeforth, Taylor E. Brown, Edrick Browne, Gail Bruno, Franco Bulaon, Jon Dainty, Kim Donovan, Kimberly Dorsey, Tanisha Grant, Catie Lazarus, Paul Lucenti, Kimberly Magness, Adrian Martinez, Laura Maselli, Antonino Paone, Peter Riga, Harry L. Seddon, Brian Stapf, Cindi Woods.

On this day in music history - One Kind Favor, by B.B. King (2008):

The album One Kind Favor,

by B.B. King,

was released on August 26, 2008.