THE HOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD
by
PHIL BRODY
Medallion Press, Inc.
2012
About the Book . . .
“Hollywood died on me as soon as I got here.
Welles said that, not me, but damn if he didn’t nail it, you know?”
Sam Bateman came to Hollywood to settle a score, but amidst the sunny and 75, his
plans went astray. Everything changed the day he drank in the intoxicating legend of
Meyer Holden, the greatest screenwriter Hollywood has ever known, the one who
pulled a Salinger and walked away. Holden now tacks pseudonyms onto his works
and buries them in the bottomless sea of spec that is Hollywood’s development
process. They’re out there for anyone to find—but at what cost? In his quest,
Bateman severs all ties and sinks into a maddening world of bad writing and flawed
screenplays. Paranoid and obsessive, the belligerent savant encounters an eccentric
cast of characters—each with an agenda—in his search for the one writer in
Hollywood who does not want to be found.
Phil Brody’s The Holden Age of Hollywood is at once a detective novel, an unexpected
love story, and a provocative exposé of a broken industry. With dark humor and
incisive commentary, the novel immerses readers in a neo-noir quest to attain the
Hollywood dream, integrity intact.
love story, and a provocative exposé of a broken industry. With dark humor and
incisive commentary, the novel immerses readers in a neo-noir quest to attain the
Hollywood dream, integrity intact.
About the Author . . .
Phil Brody lives in Los Angeles and writes every day. He began his career in Chicago in advertising. After moving to LA, Brody toiled in development, penned a few spec scripts, and has worked as a writer, producer, and director in
documentary TV. His short film, A Blue Christmas, was the grand prize winner in The Short Film Group’s First Annual Script Competition and was acknowledged in the WorldFest-Houston and Cleveland International Film Festivals. Brody is a graduate of Miami University ThOhio and an alumnus of Writers Boot Camp in Santa Monica, California. The Holden Age of Hollywood is his first novel.
He can be reached at emailphilbrody@gmail.com
documentary TV. His short film, A Blue Christmas, was the grand prize winner in The Short Film Group’s First Annual Script Competition and was acknowledged in the WorldFest-Houston and Cleveland International Film Festivals. Brody is a graduate of Miami University ThOhio and an alumnus of Writers Boot Camp in Santa Monica, California. The Holden Age of Hollywood is his first novel.
He can be reached at emailphilbrody@gmail.com
Phil Brody Online:
Blog: http://philbrodyblah.tumblr.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PhilBrodyAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PhilBrody
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5387713.Phil_Brody
Reader Review . . .
When Sam Bateman was going through his late father's effects, he discovered a whole treasure trove of screenplays. All had been declined by the same Hollywood development company. Fueled by a desire for revenge, Bateman sells everything and relocates to Hollywood where he begins to carry out a plan to get even. His plan for revenge is derailed when he goes on a search for the reclusive Meyer Holden, a screenwriter who after several successes went into hiding and has not been heard from since. Occasionally, a screenplay surfaces that has all the characteristics of a Holden, but it is next to impossible to prove. Sam becomes obsessed to the point of ending almost all relationships.
I couldn't help but wonder if the author was trying to make an ironic, inside joke with the choice of the character's name. Meyer Holden is similar to Holden Caulfield, the protagonist of J. D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye. Meyer Holden is similar to Salinger in that he is a writer who, at the height of his success has decided to go into hiding and refuses to write, despite public protests. There were enough references to Hollywood history to hold my interest and the plot was interesting most of the time, but the characters were not appealing.
3 stars
*Disclosure
of Material Connection: I am a member of Innovative Online Blog Tours
and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although
payment may have been received by Innovative Online Blog Tours, no
payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no
obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are
entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author,
publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in
accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides
Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*
0 comments:
Post a Comment