Kieron Connolly

The History of Hollywood by Kieron Connolly is a book with potential in the right hands, but those hands don't belong to Connolly.

This history is not a film history or cinema history, nor does it claim to be, but a history of the sensationalistic side of the industry. Things that, when about current events, are called gossip but as we move further back in time, and more facts are known, become simply a history of the personal and industry flaws. Nothing more and nothing less. Some of the show more things impacted film history, most are just footnotes. It is, however, all quite interesting.

This isn't so much an attempt to uncover new information but to gather the various stories and rumors together into a single narrative about the underbelly of the film industry. As such the useful aspect is placing these events in relation to each other. What trends, if any, seemed to present themselves? How did what was happening in society at large affect what was happening behind the scenes? The book succeeds to a large extent in this regard.

But Connolly is an annoying writer who insults both the memories of the stars as well as his readers. I am just going to concentrate on one section, namely because he chose to capitalize on Marilyn Monroe's image to entice people to look at his book. First, in this section, he goes out of his way to cite only those sources that denigrate Monroe. When he uses the famous shot with Monroe's billowing skirt to go off about "Knickers," he calls grown women girls. Connolly has been an editor, and editors have to know what is current usage and what is considered insulting, which means this was a choice on his part. Must have to compensate for his shortcomings, I guess. Since he is a boy (I assume if calling a grown woman a girl is acceptable he doesn't mind being called by his mental and emotional label, a boy) I guess maybe it is okay. Then, just to make sure he slams her as much as possible before putting her on his book cover, he claims "[a]part from Some Like It Hot...none of her films is screened much or even rated that highly." The same AFI list that has Some Like It Hot rated number one also has The Seven Year Itch rated number fifty-one. I guess Connolly knows better than AFI about films. And of course Gentlemen Prefer Blondes doesn't have an iconic scene that has been referenced in everything from music videos to other films, not to mention Fassbinder calls it one of the 10 best films ever. But again, Connolly is to be trusted more. NOT!! His misogyny is showing big time, which makes every single comment in this book unreliable.

While I would still recommend this to many readers, I would suggest they use it as a timeline then find reliable sources to get any actual stories or background. Connolly is unreliable and sexist, at best.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

Title: The History of Hollywood: A Century of Greed, Corruptio, an Scandal Behind the Movies
Author: Kieron Connolly
Format: eBook via Netgalley

Happy Publication Day!

Description: It is now over 100 years since Hollywood became the center of American cinema and, while it has always presented itself as a place of glamour and home to the beautiful and talented, from its very creation there was a darker side to Tinseltown. Filmmakers didn’t just move to southern California for its sunny weather, show more they went west to evade the patent laws restricting the use of movie cameras. From its earliest days, Hollywood, the home of fantasy, created a hothouse of excess—too much money, too much adulation, too much expectation, and too much ego. But while stars have always been indulged, once their moment in the limelight has passed, their fall can be cruel. The History of Hollywood covers it all, from the setting up of the studios by the movie moguls to the corporations that run them today, from drug addictions to McCarthy-era witch-hunts to #metoo. Intensively researched and superbly entertaining, the book reveals that the stories behind the silver screen are at least as gripping as many of those on it.

Thoughts: This is a reprint from the 2014 book The Dark History of Hollywood, with updated info such as the MCU and the #MeToo movement. It delves into the MANY scandals, coverups and corruption of Hollywood. Many of these stories I have heard before due to E!'s True Hollywood Story-esque documentaries and docuseries. The stories that I hadn't heard before were a bit of a doozy and the phrase "wtf!?" was uttered many times in reading. It's a good thing for
Old Hollywood stars that the internet and social media didn't exist then because I'm not sure Hollywood would still be around or at least not as powerful as it is today.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

I was given the advanced readers' copy via Netgalley in return for an honest review. show less

Forests by Kieron Connolly is yet another beautiful coffee table book from Amber Books. As usual, great photographs and wonderful tidbits of information.

I have a special fondness for these types of books. I read mostly nonfiction and often on serious topics, so I view these books as an escape. The best give me the visual experience I want as well as enough information, whether in captions or limited text, to let me explore online some of the places (or in other books the things). Forests show more does these things very well.

While the photography varies quite well, from aerials of large expanses to tightly framed images of specific examples or locations, I was particularly taken by several of the aerial shots that looked directly down on the forest, giving each tree a kind of appearance we miss when we are walking under the canopy. There is a type of symmetry from above that gets lost from side or even bottom views. Plus, of course, the large vista shots were spectacular.

I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys large format books that are great for display as well as flipping through.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

A beautifully photographed book of abandoned castles from all over the world. The author describes over 100 of them. I never knew there were so many!
From childhood dreams of living in a castle as a knight or king, to today, when my dreams have reformed into the fantasy of rebuilding one, I have always felt myself drawn to castles. I always assumed that one would have to live in France or England to explore a castle. Wrong! From the U.S. to Canada, Russia to Hungary, the author has found show more abandoned castles all over the world.
The book is light on text, heavy on photographs. Just the perfect book to browse through on a cold winter day!
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me an advance reader copy of this book. And to the author, for reigniting old dreams! show less