Sticking to the topic of books, I politely implore you to check out the brilliant fake book jacket series, “I Can Read Movies”, by the graphic artist, Spacesick.

In addition to the above, Mr. Sick gives the worn, 1960’s high school science treatment to Highlander, Teen Wolf, Ernest Goes to Camp, and many others.

Of course, from a business perspective, I understand why they do this…but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

For years, I have refused to purchase a book with movie adaptation imagery on the front cover.  Yes, yes, I know reading in America is on the decline, so anything that helps sell a book (i.e., actors’ touched-up faces) should be employed, but I still find it crass and distracting.  What do ya’ll think?

Hal Ashby is one of those directors that I hold dear to my heart.  

Harold and Maude has a permanent place in my “Top Five.” The Last Detail is endlessly watchable, subtle, and heartfelt. Being There is one of the smartest comedies of all time, and perhaps, Peter Sellers finest hour. Coming Home is one of the most honest portraits of Vietnam ever committed to film. And, The Landlord, is an underrated cult masterpiece.

Not to mention, he was an Oscar-winning editor of such films as In the Heat of the Night, The Thomas Crown Affair, and The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming.

Thank the cinema gods that Hal is finally getting his due in a new book, “Being Hal Ashby,” by Nick Dawson. If you’re a fan of great movies, and you’d like to learn about this fascinating Hollywood outsider, pick it up. And if you want to hear more, KCRW’s Elvis Mitchell recently interviewed Dawson on his fantastic show, “The Treatment.”