On this day in movie history - The Place Beyond the Pines (2012):

The Place Beyond the Pines

directed by Derek Cianfrance,

written by Derek Cianfrance, Ben Coccio and Darius Marder,

was released at the Toronto International Film Festival, in Canada, on September 7, 2012.

Music by Mike Patton.

Cast:
Ryan Gosling, Craig Van Hook, Eva Mendes, Olga Merediz, Ray Liotta, Angelo Anthony Pizza, Mahershala Ali, John Facci, Ben Mendelsohn, Tula (the dog), Penny (the dog), Cynthia Pelletier-Sullivan, Mackenzie Trainor, Nicole Califano, Shannon Plumb, Tracey Agustin, Ean Egas, Bob Dieterich, Thomas Mattice, Adam Nowicki, Mark J. Caruso, G. Douglas Griset, Vanessa Thorpe, Gail Martino, Brian Smyj, Bradley Cooper, Dorothy Rutherford, Paul Steele, Gabe Fazio, Rose Byrne, Travis Jackson Campbell, Harris Yulin, Jan Libertucci, Robert Clohessy, Bruce Greenwood, Subrina Dhammi, Heather Chestnut, Greta Seacat, Luke Pierucci, Jessica Layton, James J. Gleason, Patrick Husted, Emory Cohen, Joe B. McCarthy, Jefrey Pollock, Lynette Howell Taylor, Sarah Curcio, Dane DeHaan, Ephraim Benton, Mark McCracken, Adriel Linyear, Kevin Green, Jennifer Sober, Melissa Mills, Alex Pulling, Dante Shafer, Kayla Smalls, Frank J. Falvo, Leah Bliven, Whitney Hudson, Breanna Dolen, Hugh T. Farley, Michael Cullen.

On this day in movie history - Lawless (2012):

Lawless,

directed by John Hillcoat,

written by Nick Cave,

based on the novel The Wettest County in the World by Matt Bondurant,

was released in the United States on August 29, 2012.
Music by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.

Cast:
Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke, Guy Pearce, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Dane DeHaan, Chris McGarry, Tim Tolin, Gary Oldman, Lew Temple, Marcus Hester, Bill Camp, Alex Van, Noah Taylor, Mark Ashworth, Tom Proctor, Bruce McKinnon, Eric Mendenhall, Toni Byrd, Robert T. Smith, Jake Nash, William J. Harrison, Joyce Baxter, Jeff Braun, Malinda Baker, Tom Turbiville, Chad Randall, Terry Keasler, Duncan Nicholson, Ron Clinton Smith, Anna House, Ricky Muse, Peter Krulewitch, Chance Bartels, Darryl Booker, Charles Casey, Samantha Gillies Cox, Hannah Defler, Randall Franks, David Fritsch, Ronnie Kantorik, Larry Mainland, Wilson Moore, Joel Rogers, J.T. Seidler, Steve Warren, Jacqueline Marie Zwick.

Recommended reading - Danse Macabre (2012):

Danse Macabre (2012).

By Stephen King.

Published by Hachette Book Group.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 9781444723267

ISBN-13: 978-1444723267

Description:

From the author of dozens of #1 New York Times bestsellers and the creator of many unforgettable movies comes a vivid, intelligent, and nostalgic journey through three decades of horror as experienced through the eyes of the most popular writer in the genre. In 1981, years before he sat down to tackle On Writing, Stephen King decided to address the topic of what makes horror horrifying and what makes terror terrifying. Here, in ten brilliantly written chapters, King delivers one colorful observation after another about the great stories, books, and films that comprise the horror genre—from Frankenstein and Dracula to The Exorcist, The Twilight Zone, and Earth vs. The Flying Saucers.

With the insight and good humor his fans appreciated in On Writing, Danse Macabre is an enjoyably entertaining tour through Stephen King’s beloved world of horror.

The author whose boundless imagination and storytelling powers have redefined the horror genre, from 1974’s Carrie to his new epic Under the Dome, reflects on the very nature of terror – what scares us and why – in films (both cheesy and choice), television and radio, and, of course, the horror novel, past and present.

Informal, engaging, tremendous fun, and tremendously informative, Danse Macabre is an essential tour with the master of horror as your guide; much like his spellbinding works of fiction, you won’t be able to put it down.

Recommended reading - American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America (2012):

American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America (2012).

By Michelle Obama.

Published by Crown.

1st edition.

Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 0307956024

ISBN-13: 978-0307956026

Description:

The former First Lady, author of Becoming, and producer and star of Waffles + Mochi tells the inspirational story of the White House Kitchen Garden and how gardens can transform our lives and the health of our communities.

Early in her tenure as First Lady, despite being a novice gardener, Michelle Obama planted a kitchen garden on the White House’s South Lawn. To her delight, she watched as fresh vegetables, fruit, and herbs sprouted from the ground. Soon the White House Kitchen Garden inspired a new conversation all across the country about the food we feed our families and the impact it has on the nutrition and well-being of our children.

In American Grown, Mrs. Obama invites you inside the White House Kitchen Garden, from the first planting to the satisfaction of the seasonal harvest. She reveals her early worries and struggles – would the new plants even grow? – and her joy as lettuce, corn, tomatoes, collards and kale, sweet potatoes and rhubarb flourished in the freshly tilled soil. She shares the stories of other gardens that have moved and inspired her on her journey across the nation. 

And she offers what she learned about planting your own backyard, school, or community garden.

American Grown features:

A behind-the-scenes look at every season of the garden’s growth.

Unique recipes created by White House chefs.

Striking original photographs that bring the White House garden to life.

A fascinating history of community gardens in the United States.

From a modern-day vegetable truck that brings fresh produce to underserved communities in Chicago, to Houston office workers who make the sidewalk bloom, to a New York City school that created a scented garden for the visually impaired, to a garden in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, that devotes its entire harvest to those less fortunate, American Grown isn’t just the story of a single garden. It’s a celebration of the bounty of our nation and a reminder of what we can all grow together.

Recommended reading - Pulp Fiction to Film Noir: The Great Depression and the Development of a Genre (2012):

Pulp Fiction to Film Noir: The Great Depression and the Development of a Genre (2012)

By William Hare.

Published by McFarland.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0786466820

ISBN-13: 978-0786466825

Description:

During the Great Depression, pulp fiction writers created a new, distinctly American detective story, one that stressed the development of fascinating, often bizarre characters rather than the twists and turns of clever plots. This new crime fiction adapted brilliantly to the screen, birthing a cinematic genre that French cinema intellectuals following World War II christened "film noir." 

Set on dark streets late at night, in cheap hotels and bars, and populated by the dangerous people who frequented these locales, these films introduced a new antihero, a tough, brooding, rebellious loner, embodied by Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon and Philip Marlowe in The Big Sleep. This volume provides a detailed exploration of film noir, tracing its evolution, the influence of such legendary writers as Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler, and the films that propelled this dark genre to popularity in the mid-20th century.

Recommended reading - Pittsburgh Film History: On Set in the Steel City (2012):

Pittsburgh Film History: On Set in the Steel City (2012).

By John Tiech.

Published by The History Press.

Hardcover.

ISBN-10: 1540207331

ISBN-13: 978-1540207333

Contents: The Genesis of Pittsburgh Film; Pittsburgh Classics; Chilly Billy; Fred Rogers and His Legacy; Night of the Living Legends; The Straggling Seventies; Dawn of the Pittsburgh Film Industry; Diverse Filmmaking; Day of the Dead; Hollywood of the East; Demme God; The Remake; The Pittsburgh Film Office; Five Years of Full Time; The Canadian Effect; Lights! Camera! Life Support!; Perseverance; Pittsburgh Rises.

Description:

Pittsburgh has been part of the film industry since the days of silent film. Yet, it was not until the 1951 classic Angels in the Outfield – set at Forbes Field – that the Steel City had its first major role on the silver screen. Greater Pittsburgh’s film and television industry has since produced everything from the beloved children s program Mister Roger’s Neighborhood to the cult classic Night of the Living Dead. Most recently, Christopher Nolan has chosen to set the conclusion to his Batman trilogy in the city. From the first nickelodeon and “film row” of those early days to the locations and cutting-edge sets of today, local author John Tiech takes a behind-the-scenes tour of Pittsburgh cinema.

Recommended reading – The Cocktail Waitress (2012).

The Cocktail Waitress (2012).

by James M. Cain.

Hard Case Crime.

Published posthumously.

Hardcover.

First edition.

ISBN-10: 1781160325

ISBN-13: 978-1781160329

Description:

Grieving widow … or black widow?

The day Joan Medford buried her husband was a fateful one – because before the day was out she’d meet the two men who would change her life forever. Forced to take a job waitressing yo support herself and her child, Joan finds herself caught between the handsome young schemer whose touch she comes to crave and the wealthy older man whose touch repels her … but who otherwise would make a tempting husband number two. It’s a classic Cain triangle – brutal sexual and stark – that can only end in death. But for whom, the guilty … or the innocent?

The final novel written by James M. Cain and never before published, The Cocktail Waitress is a testament to the enduring power of one of the most acclaimed novelists of the twentieth century. The author of unforgettable noir classics such as Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce, and The Postman Always Rings Twice, Cain’s work remains as impossible to put down today as when first written, and will leave even jaded modern readers breathless. Featuring an afterword by Edgar and Shamus Award-winning editor Charles Ardai. One of the most celebrated and notorious crime writers of all time, James M. Cain launched his career with the publication of two back-to-back masterpieces – The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity – selling millions of copies worldwide and inspiring classic movies. Cain continued with an unmatched run of noir novels including Mildred Pierce which inspired both the Academy Award-winning film starring Joan Crawford and the Emmy-winning HBO miniseries starring Kate Winslet. Cain died in 1977. And that’s where everyone thought the story ended. But James M. Cain had one more story to tell – one last blistering tale of sex and greed, betrayal and deception, written at the end of his life but never published – The Cocktail Waitress. Destined to take its place alongside his other classics, The Cocktail Waitress is Cain at his brutal and seductive best.

"Here, long after anyone would have expected it, is the voice of James M. Cain, as fresh and as relevant as ever. The Cocktail Waitress will involve you, and then shock you with an ending you'll never forget. A true rarity: a reader’s novel that’s also a literary event." – Stephen King.

On this day in music history - Illumination, by Jennifer Thomas (2012):

The album Illumination,

by Jennifer Thomas,

was released on July 16, 2012.

On this day in music history - Sensual Journeys, by Fiona Joy Hawkins (2012):

The album Sensual Journeys,

by Fiona Joy Hawkins,

was released on May 8, 2012.

On this day in movie history - The Raven (2012):

The Raven,

directed by James McTeigue,

written by Ben Livingston and Hannah Shakespeare,

was released in the United States on April 27, 2012.
Inspired by the poem The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe, published in 1845.
Music by Lucas Vidal.

Cast:
John Cusack, Luke Evans, Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson, Kevin McNally, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Jimmy Yuill, Sam Hazeldine, Pam Ferris, Brendan Coyle, Adrian Rawlins, Aidan Feore, Dave Legeno, Michael Cronin, Michael Poole, Michael Shannon, Ian Virgo, Michael J. Fourticq, Jasmina Ilic, Teodora Uveric, Kristof Farkas, Luka Mijatovic, József Tálos, Matt Devere, Sergej Trifunovic, Milos Djuricic, Mike Kelly, Bojan Peric, Ana Sofrenovic, Steve Agnew, Malina Nikolic, Miklós Kapácsy, Andrew Hefler, Pierre Boris Jaurdin, Tamara Krcunovic, Jason Ryan, Antal Publik, László Konter, Mark C. Phelan, Krisztián Peer, Annamaria Ordog, Ádám Földi, Dejan Cubrilov, Máté Haumann, Péter Fancsikai, Sava Rapic, Charity Wakefield, John Warnaby, Matt Slack.