Recommended reading - The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir, by Foster Hirsch (2008):

The Dark Side of the Screen: Film Noir

By Foster Hirsch.

Published by Da Capo.

2nd edition.

Published 2008.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0306817721

ISBN-13: 978-0306817724

Description:

Foster Hirsch's Dark Side of the Screen is by far the most thorough and entertaining study of the themes, visual motifs, character types, actors, directors, and films in this genre ever published. From Billy Wilder, Douglas Sirk, Robert Aldrich, and Howard Hawkes to Martin Scorsese, Roman Polanski, and Paul Schrader, the noir themes of dread, paranoia, steamy sex, double-crossing women, and menacing cityscapes have held a fascination. The features that make Burt Lancaster, Joan Crawford, Robert Mitchum, and Humphrey Bogart into noir heroes and heroines are carefully detailed here, as well as those camera angles, lighting effects, and story lines that characterize Fritz Lang, Samuel Fuller, and Orson Welles as noir directors.For the current rediscovery of film noir, this comprehensive history with its list of credits to 112 outstanding films and its many illustrations will be a valuable reference and a source of inspiration for further research.

“Wonderfully readable: Hirsch is clear, knowledgeable, and concise….[The Dark Side of the Screen] is a visual as well as literary pleasure.” – Martin Jackson, Cineaste.

“There has been no extended work as good as Foster Hirsch’s The Dark Side of the Screen, a well-written, imaginatively illustrated book that sees the brief, true heyday as between Wilder’s Double Indemnity (1944) and his Sunset Boulevard (1950), but looks at the prelude and the aftermath, and sets the genre in its larger social and cultural context.” – Philip French, The Observer (London).

“An important examination of what film noir is…The 264-page treatise is not a review source; rather, Hirsch’s academic work delves deeply with a scholarly but not dry approach.” – Skyscraper, Spring 2009.

On this day in music history - Miss Understood, by Carolyn Wonderland (2008):

Miss Understood

Album by Carolyn Wonderland,

released February 5, 2008.

Track list:

Misunderstood; I Found the Lions; Bad Girl Blues; Walk on; Still Alive and Well; Long Way to Go; Trouble in the City; Throw My Love; I Live Alone with Someone; The Farmer Song; Feed Me to the Lions; I Don't Want to Fall for You.

Recommended reading - Videodrome: Studies in the Horror Film by Tim Lucas (2008):

Videodrome

Studies in the Horror Film

By Tim Lucas.

Published by Centipede Press.

First Edition.

Published 2008.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 1933618280

ISBN-13: 978-1933618289

Description:

Released in 1983, David Cronenberg's Videodrome is one of his most original and provocative works, fusing social commentary with shocking elements of sex and violence. Crossing the boundary between science fiction, horror, and social criticism, Videodrome remains a unique and brilliant work in the oeuvre of cinema's greatest maverick.

Tim Lucas had behind-the-scenes access to every facet of production when Videodrome was filmed in 1981. His unique perspective provides interviews with cast and crew, including exclusive, never-before-published interviews with Cronenberg, commentary and analysis of the film, and over sixty black-and-white and color photographs, many never before seen.

Videodrome is the first in the Studies in the Horror Film series, which aims to present critical and popular discussion of the great horror films in affordable, attractive packages.

Tim Lucas is the editor of Video Watchdog magazine, which specializes in critical discussions of popular and obscure horror, fantasy, and science fiction films. He is also a renowned and astute film critic and award-winning writer.

On this day in movie history: Rambo (2008):

Rambo

directed by Sylvester Stallone,

written by Art Monterastelli and Sylvester Stallone, 

was released in the United States on January 25, 2008.

Music by Brian Tyler.

Cast:

Sylvester Stallone, Julie Benz, Paul Schulze, Matthew Marsden, Graham McTavish, Tim Kang, Rey Gallegos, Jake La Botz, Maung Maung Khin, Ken Howard, Supakorn Kitsuwon, Aung Aay Noi, Sornram Patchimtasanakarn.

On this day in movie history - Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (2008):

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson

a documentary directed by Alex Gibney,

written by Alex Gibney,

based on the writing of Hunter S. Thompson,

was released at the Sundance Film Festival in the United States on January 20, 2008.
Music by David Schwartz.
Narrated by Johnny Depp.

On this day in movie history: Cloverfield (2008):

Cloverfield

directed by Matt Reeves,

written by Drew Goddard,

was released in the United States on January 18, 2008.
Music by Michael Giacchino.

Cast:

Lizzy Caplan, Jessica Lucas, T.J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Odette Annable, Anjul Nigam, Margot Farley, Theo Rossi, Brian Klugman, Kelvin Yu, Liza Lapira, Lili Mirojnick, Ben Feldman, Elena Nikitina, Vakisha Coleman, Will Greenberg, Rob Kerkovich, Ryan Key, Hooman Khalili, Rasika Mathur, Baron Vaughn, Charlyne Yi, Roma Torre, Rick Overton, Martin Cohen, Jason Cerbone, Billy Brown, Scott Lawrence, Jeffrey De Serrano, Tim Griffin, Chris Mulkey, Susse Budde, Jason Lombard, Jamie Martz.

On this day in movie history - In Bruges (2008):

In Bruges

directed and written by Martin McDonagh,

was released at the Sundance Film Festival in the United States on January 17, 2008.
Music by Carter Burwell.

Cast:

Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes, Brendan Gleeson, Clémence Poésy, Thekla Reuten, Elizabeth Berrington, Rudy Blomme, Olivier Bonjour, Mark Donovan, Ann Elsley, Jean-Marc FavorinEric Godon, Zeljko Ivanek, Sachi Kimura, Anna Madeley, Louis Nummy, Jordan Prentice, Jérémie Renier, Theo Stevenson, Inez Stinton, Emily Thorling, Angel Witney, Bonnie Witney, Ran Yaniv, Stephanie Carey, Jamie Edgell, Susan Ateh, Sommer Garcia, Ciarán Hinds, Liz Imperio, Arnold Montey, Carmen Osbahr, Robert Roldan, Bomber Hurley Smith.

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.