07 August 2006

Book Log 2006 # 32: Fiasco: A History of Hollywood's Iconic Flops by James Robert Parish.

Parish picks 15 flops - from Cleopatra to Town & Country and gives a history of why each failed, often being doomed to failure at the start. Not surprisingly, a combination of ego and money figures prominently in each.

Which is kind of the problem with the book - the failiures get repetitious. Each has its own details, of course, but rampant ego is still rampant ego. And while there are details, the length of any given chapter isn't quite long enough to give the depth of detail - or some of the juicy tidbits that often give these failures added color - that would make each failure truly unique.

If you're interested in any of the films covered in the book, you're probably better off finding something written specifically about the film. If you're just looking for basics or an overview, this book would suffice

No comments:

 Book Log Extra: New York Times 100 Best Books of the 21st Century The New York Times  took a break from trying to get Joe Biden to drop out...