Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Book Nerd League: Prepare your bookmarks

The first book suggested for BOOK NERD LEAGUE members dishes the dirt and educates in equal measure.
"Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-And-Rock n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood" traces Hollywood's late-60s, early-70s rejuvenation beginning with "Bonnie and Clyde," the Arthur Penn-directed, star-making vehicle for Warren Beatty.
Author Peter Biskind paints vivid portraits of Dennis Hopper, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Billy Friedkin and other ground-breaking filmmakers.
Biskind knows how to keep readers turning the page: There is plenty of spice liberally included among the film history.
"The Film Snob's Dictionary" calls "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls" a "landmark history of the co-called American New Wave," profiling "the denimy, sideburned mavericks who bucked the crumbling, top-heavy studio system by making inexpensive, idiosyncratic films.
If you wish to participate in this initial BOOK NERD LEAGUE recommended reading exercise, simply find the book -- ISBN 0-684-80996-6 -- read it, and drop us a line to share your thoughts.