2MORE

From master filmmaker to Master Planner…

THE PATH TO PARADISE ★★★★★

In his 70s pomp, Francis Ford Coppola was a god-like visionary who, via personal fiefdom American Zoetrope, sought nothing less than a creative, communal utopia. Sam Wasson’s successor to his Chinatown-inspired The Big Goodbye charts the crumbling of that dream, the draining trials of Apocalypse Now serving as an appetiser to the fiasco of One from the Heart. For Wasson, Coppola’s life is a ‘colossal project of experimental self-creation’. Fitting, then, that it ends with Megalopolis, a 40-year passion project now finally nearing completion. NEIL SMITH

SPIDER-MAN VOL.2: 1965-1966 ★★★★★

It’s easy to forget just how pioneering Peter Parker was when he first swung into comic books. The idea of a teenage superhero who lived with his aunt, got bullied at school and was rubbish at romance was revolutionary, as Jonathan Ross notes in his intro. The stories were pretty special, too: Taschen’s lavish (if pricey) reprint of The Amazing Spider-Man issues 20-38 covers the latter half of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s seminal run. Among the gems is the three-part Master Planner saga (the one where Spidey’s trapped for several agonising pages under heavy machinery). TIM COLEMAN

BOOKS

SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND: ACENTURY OF SCARFACE

★★★★★ NAT SEGALOFF CITADEL

Recently marking its 40th anniversary, Brian De Palma’s opus is now rightly revered as a gangster-movie great. But, as Nat Segaloff’s spirited tome recalls, its hostile reception in 1983 had the director fearing the worst at the opening-night party: ‘I thought they were going to skin me alive.’ Prefacing the film’s cultural renaissance, Segaloff asks, ‘When would Brian De Palma be able to utter one of the biggest “I told you so”s in Hollywood history?’

If such lapses into hyperbole serve as a reminder of Segaloff’s past as a publicist, his passionate prose is in keeping with the film’s excesses. And it’s tempered by impressive critical rigour and a flair for contextual colour. Digressions cover everything from Hollywood’s fixation on the Mob to the influence of the Borgias on the incestuous relationship between Al Pacino’s Tony Montana and his sister Gina (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). The movie’s controversial depiction of Cubans also comes under scrutiny.

Due consideration is paid, of course, to Howard Hawks’ 1932 original. Segaloff spotlights the similarities between the two: both featured heavily reshot finales, while De Palma’s run-ins with the MPAA mirrored the way Hawks’ film fell afoul of the restrictive Hays Code. Offering several such revelations, this is a fine way to mark a century (well, near enough) of Scarface.

HARRY DEAN STANTON: HOLLYWOOD’S ZEN REBEL ★★★★★

JOSEPH B. ATKINS UNIVERSITY PRESS OF KENTUCKY

In the first biography of the late actor, veteran writer Atkins champions Stanton as a singular voice in American cinema. Charting his early years in Kentucky and fractious relationship with his parents, through to his time in the Navy and roles in Cool Hand Luke, Alien, Repo Man and Lucky, what emerges is an affectionate portrait of Stanton as artist, philosopher and punk hero.

BLACK TV ★★★★★

BETHONIE BUTLER BLACK DOG & LEVENTHAL

Journalist Butler curates a comprehensive and celebratory guide to 50 years of Black storytelling on the small screen. Opening with influential sitcom Julia, Butler traces a path through the 60s and 70s - a time of unprecedented representation - to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and other Black-led comedies of the 90s and beyond. Fully decked out with on-set photos and production stills, this vibrant tribute to a host of groundbreaking Black talent is long overdue.

THE GOLDEN SCREEN ★★★★★

JEFF YANG BLACK DOG & LEVENTHAL

Spanning more than 100 years, this coffeetable tome charts the rise of Asian American representation on the silver screen. With a foreword by Michelle Yeoh, plus interviews with other big names (Daniel Kwan, Simu Liu, John Cho…), it offers a wide-ranging history of cinematic depictions, both positive and problematic. Yang also celebrates the stand-outs - including hits like Crazy Rich Asians and Everything, Everywhere… that have brought Asian stories to the mainstream.