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Book Review of Above the Line: Conversations about the Movies

Above the Line: Conversations about the Movies
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Helpful Score: 1


Above the Line is a dazzling gathering of insights and anecdotes from all corners of the film industry. The interviews (portions of which have originally appeared in Playboy and Movieline) explore from the inside the skills, intelligence, experiences, and emotions of eleven key players who produce, write, direct, act, and review the movies, including Oliver Stone, Anthony Hopkins, Jodie Foster, Robert Evans, Lily Tomlin, Jean Claude Van Damme, Harrison Ford, Robert Towne, Sharon Stone, and Siskel and Ebert. Witty, scathing, gossipy, generous, the interviewees show just what make the movies work from "above the line"--from the perspective of those whose names go above the title. These are the "talent"--the gifted individuals, often with inflated egos, often torn by doubts--each representing a piece of the puzzle that somehow gives rise to the best in moviemaking today.