{"product_id":"dream-state-california-in-the-movies-9781597145312","title":"Dream State: California in the Movies","description":"\u003cb\u003eAn eminent film writer looks behind the curtain of the California dream\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e It hardly needs to be argued: nothing has contributed more to the mythology of California than the movies. Fed by the film industry, the California dream is instantly recognizable to people everywhere yet remains evasive for nearly everyone, including Californians themselves. That paradox is the subject of longtime \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e film critic Mick LaSalle's first book in nine years. The opposite of a dry historical primer, \u003ci\u003eCalifornia in the Movies\u003c\/i\u003e is a freewheeling journey through several dozen big-screen visions of the Golden State, with LaSalle's unmistakable contrarian humor as the guide. His writing, unerringly perceptive and resistant to clich , brings clarity to the haze of Hollywood reverie. He leaps effortlessly between genres and generations, moving with ease from \u003ci\u003eDouble Indemnity\u003c\/i\u003e to the first two versions of \u003ci\u003eInvasion of the Body Snatchers\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eBoyz N the Hood\u003c\/i\u003e to \u003ci\u003eBooksmart\u003c\/i\u003e. There are natural disasters, heinous crimes, dubious utopias, dangerous romances, and unforgettable nights. Equally entertaining and unsettling, this book is a bold dissection of the California dream and its hypnotizing effect on the modern world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLasalle, Mick:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - Mick LaSalle is the film critic for the \u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e. In the late 1990s he was the on-air film critic for the ABC-TV affiliate in San Francisco, KGO. He is the author of three previous books: \u003ci\u003eComplicated Women: Sex and Power in Pre-Code Hollywood\u003c\/i\u003e, a history and critical study of the actresses who worked during the pre-censorship era of 1929-1934; \u003ci\u003eDangerous Men: Pre-Code Hollywood and the Birth of the Modern Man\u003c\/i\u003e; and \u003ci\u003eThe Beauty of the Real: What Hollywood Can Learn from Contemporary French Actresses\u003c\/i\u003e. He wrote and coproduced the \u003ci\u003eComplicated Women\u003c\/i\u003e documentary for Turner Classic Movies, which was narrated by Jane Fonda. He has written introductions to several books, including \u003ci\u003eThe Enduring Star\u003c\/i\u003e, Peter Cowie's biography of Joan Crawford.","brand":"Heyday Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50377171271954,"sku":"9781597145312","price":20.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_92481270-0e50-45f6-b6d7-f89a3af136f1.jpg?v=1728617523","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/dream-state-california-in-the-movies-9781597145312","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}