One of the funniest, most incisive tell-all’s in Hollywood history, FINAL CUT is written by a former executive who served on the front lines of HEAVEN’S GATE. Populated by monstrous egos, insane cash and a corporate apocalypse, FINAL CUT is ridiculously entertaining as it exhibits a runaway production’s train wreck effects, ultimately serving as a cautionary primer about the ambrosia of success.

The Movie: Like THE PLAYER, there is room aplenty for star-studded cameos and wicked Tinseltown satire. This would be right up David O. Russell or Paul Thomas Anderson’s alley, filmmakers who understand old-fashioned movie magic but also appreciate the sometime absurdity of their profession. Cast wildman Vincent Gallo in the role as Michael Cimino and let the fur fly.

WHEN FIRST WE DECEIVE – Charles Wilson

Let Wilson be exhibit A that there is more joie de vivre in your local dime store than at the mall’s googolplex. That other famous writer from Mississippi, Wilson hews extreme mystery, sci-fi and horror fables, blending genres in a winning and chilling style. DECEIVE concerns the hunt for a serial killer in a sleepy Gulf Coast town. Our heroes are a husband-and-wife law enforcement team who begin to suspect the worst about the madman’s identity. As tangled as a bayou swamp, this is a sleek ride, hard-and-fast right up to the totally unforeseen ending.

The Movie: A scorcher waiting to be made. We haven’t been treated to a real Deep South humdinger in quite some time. Hollywood seems content to make tepid Grisham “thrillers” rather than sizzlers like THE BIG EASY and ANGEL HEART. Wilson has been crafting sweaty crime novels for years and it’s time LA-LA-land took note. How about Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston as crime-fighting lovers with the Coen Brothers – who routinely showcase their strong endearment for the South – at the helm and behind the keys? Sound good? It certainly does to me.

DECEPTIONS – Michael Weaver

What happened to Michael Weaver? He fired off two incredible thrillers followed by an acceptable third in a span of six years then completely disappeared. A shame, because DECEPTIONS is an exciting yarn of the highest caliber. Distinguished by varying points of narrative, Weaver layers incredible personalities on top of astonishing twists in this tale of mobsters, international assassins, Old Testament revenge, Old Testament sex and political power brokering. It is impossible to stop turning the pages.

The Movie: Look at those characteristics: action, eroticism, globetrotting, backroom politicking. Tell me those aren’t the hallmarks of electrifying cinema. DECEPTIONS is not just a nuts-and-bolts thriller; Weaver is too smart for that. Instead, the novel paints a gritty face on a story of epic ramifications. It manages to connect on an emotional level while suggesting worldly consequences. Andy Garcia would be perfect for the role of Gianni Garetsky and I can’t think of anybody but Francis Ford Coppola – who perfected “family” crime sagas over thirty years ago—to adapt and direct.

THE WHO: MAXIMUM R&B – Richard Barnes & Pete Townsend

The Who embodied the rough and tumble spirit of ‘60s & ‘70s rock more so than any other band. All right, maybe not the MC5, but these Brit ass-kickers were THE tabloid band in the history of rock and roll. That they managed to record some of the greatest albums in the history of music remains a minor miracle. While Led Zeppelin navel-gazed over Tolkien, The Beatles pleaded for spiritualism and world peace and The Stones drunkenly searched for their car keys, The Who tore down hotels, broke decibel barriers and stood at the center of deadly gate-crashing riots. The only must-see live performers between the Summer of Love and Keith Moon’s death in 1978 were The Who. Barnes’s tome chronicles every note of joy and tragedy in the heyday of the greatest rock band who ever smashed their instruments.

The Movie: The time has come. Moon is dead, so is Entwistle. Daltrey and Townsend still make music but never as raw as in their glory days. The last of their true rage was spent the day Moon passed. What is the greatest musical documentary of all time? No contest: THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT. Why? Because it summarizes The Who’s massive impact in resplendent fashion. Now imagine this musical paradigm shift combined with a dramatic representation of the larger-than-life oddballs behind it. The results would be nothing less than a blistering cinematic symphony. Who to cast? You have to go with unknowns. Any known actor brings too many preconceived expectations to the role. Director? You ready? Spike Lee. There isn’t another filmmaker around who uses music as effectively as Lee. One of the best trailers I’ve ever seen was SUMMER OF SAM, scored, naturally, to The Who’s WON’T GET FOOLED AGAIN.

DEN OF THIEVES – James B. Stewart

On the outside, it appears to be a book about the Milken, Boesky, Siegel and Levine trading scandals but like all great works, manages to be about so much more. In setting up the framework of this spectacular legal battle, Stewart details the cause and effect of what is undoubtedly America’s greediest hour. Certainly, these four cretins deserved everything they got and more, but their crimes were also atmospheric outgrowths of the 1980’s quest for the almighty dollar. Of course, greed has always existed but it was perhaps never as celebrated or openly embraced as during the Reagan years. Milken, Boeskey, Siegel and Levine were but a few corporate crooks wreaking incredible damage while Stewart’s volume furthers a subtle and sobering reminder that such motivations were shared by many more.

The Movie: A single motion picture could never do it justice, there is simply too much information. I’m thinking an HBO miniseries but one without the soft-pedaled approach of BARBARIANS AT THE GATE. Has the potential of achieving NETWORK-level verisimilitude without the fictitious histrionics of WALL STREET. Features some wonderful underdog protagonists and enough penthouse boardroom drama to compel for two to three nights. It screams for the sharp, verbal brevity and sober direction of David Mamet.

THE WOLF’S HOUR – Robert R. McCammon

I can’t possibly heap enough praise on this author. His masterwork, A BOY’S LIFE, was included in one of my previous wish list columns. THE WOLF’S HOUR is perhaps the most genre defying of his works. A World War II special agent struggles to prevent the Nazis from formalizing a massive counterstrike against the D-Day invasion. A series of Jack Higgins-styled quests ensues. It seems pretty straightforward, except for one twist: our hero, Michael Gallatin, is a werewolf. Perhaps what’s most noteworthy of this novel is the level of care McCammon invests in such an improbable tale. A cheap pulp novel in a lesser author’s hands, THE WOLF’S HOUR reaches romantic heights rarely seen in such manuscripts. Gallatin embodies a tragic figure as well as a dashing hero as his present exploits and mythical past are explored in an overwhelming, alt-history journey.

The Movie: The potential is through the roof as long as the project is imbued with the level of care and sincerity that McCammon generates. Melding two favorite screen subgenres – WWII adventure and werewolf action – THE WOLF’S HOUR suggests box office gold but the adaptation must be respectful and not simply crafted for thrills alone. Delving into Gallatin’s background as he embarks on a world-saving endeavor doesn’t just up the visceral ante but the all-important emotional investment as well. Hugh Jackman is the obvious choice but only because of his lupine performance as Wolverine in the X-MEN movies. I’d suggest Guy Pearce. And it’s too bad old warhorses like John Sturges, Bryan Hutton and J. Lee Thompson are no longer around because they once made unique WWII thrillers with panache. One filmmaker who springs to mind is Danis Tanovic, who made the incredible NO MAN’S LAND. He obviously knows how to wage a war without sacrificing character.

NIGHTEYES– Garfield Reeves-Stevens

Isn’t it about time we were treated to a serious sci-fi novel? Well, this ain’t it. Then again, it is perhaps the first science-fiction novel I’ve ever read with the courage to offer a reason for alien abductions. I’ve always wondered why those pesky E.T.’s keep probing the fine residents of trailer parks and campers in the woods. Doesn’t one redneck’s asshole look the same as any other? Reeves-Stevens seeks to provide some answers and his premise is an audacious one. After a deliberate set-up, the novel speeds into high gear, detailing the revelation of those…out there.

The Movie: It’s the X-FILES without all of the needless plotting. Reeves-Stevens manages to answer in one exciting novel what Chris Carter could not in 10 years of TV and motion pictures: Why? NIGHTEYES offers interesting scientific underpinnings for the abductions while rousing us with enormously frightening conflicts. Take some of the spectacle of INDEPENDENCE DAY, add the brains of CONTACT and the intrigue of Carter’s early zeal and you have NIGHTEYES. I think Alex Proyas would embrace such a project to help him regain his status as one of the leading sci-fi directors in Hollywood. Or perhaps Shyamalan. After all, the final explanation for UFO’s and human abductions bears one killer twist.

Well, that’s all for now. I’ll be back in two weeks with a review of a new FROM PRINT TO SCREEN. Until then, check out these Lucky 7. I assure you they will make for superior entertainment in the theater of your mind.

“I busted a mirror and got seven years bad luck, but my lawyer thinks he can get me five.” – Steven Wright

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