Acknowledgments. Introduction. 1 Cleopatra (1963). 2 The Chase (1966). 3 Paint Your Wagon (1969). 4 The Wild Party (1975). 5 Popeye (1980). 6 The Cotton Club (1984). 7 Shanghai Surprise (1986). 8 Ishtar (1987). 9 Last Action Hero (1993). 10 Cutthroat Island (1995). 11 Showgirls (1995). 12 Waterworld (1995) and The Postman (1997). 13 Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (2000). 14 Town & Country (2001). Afterword. Appendix A: Filmography. Appendix B: Hollywood Feature Films That Were Box-Office Disappointments in Domestic Theatrical Release (1960aAA"2004). Bibliography. Index.
JAMES ROBERT PARISH (jamesrobertparish.com) is a former entertainment reporter and publicist and the author of numerous books on Hollywood, including The Hollywood Book of Breakups and It's Good to Be the King.
Not only instructive, but intensely pleasurable." --Wall Street
Journal "A gleefully readable, well-researched study of hubris in
Hollywood." --Publishers Weekly "A smart, well-researched account
of Hollywood's 'iconic flops.'" --Peter Bart, Variety "Writing with
informative dispassion, Parish avoids the easy temptation to turn
his book into bitchy gossip. He even has you cheering for those who
narrowly elude impending doom." --Washington Post Book World
"Fiasco is a know-it-all backstory of infamous film flops, wittily
reminding us how often, and in so many ways, Hollywood can screw up
the best laid plans." --Patrick McGilligan, author of Alfred
Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light
Not only instructive, but intensely pleasurable." -Wall Street
Journal "A gleefully readable, well-researched study of hubris in
Hollywood." --Publishers Weekly "A smart, well-researched account
of Hollywood's 'iconic flops.'" --Peter Bart, Variety "Writing with
informative dispassion, Parish avoids the easy temptation to turn
his book into bitchy gossip. He even has you cheering for those who
narrowly elude impending doom." --Washington Post Book World
"Fiasco is a know-it-all backstory of infamous film flops, wittily
reminding us how often, and in so many ways, Hollywood can screw up
the best laid plans." --Patrick McGilligan, author of Alfred
Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light
What actually constitutes a flop? According to Parish (Katharine Hepburn: The Untold Story), films that are flops have big-name stars (Cleopatra), an idea without substance (The Last Action Hero), or a lot of hype prior to release (Showgirls). Examining a broad selection of bombs, from Shanghai Surprise to Ishtar, he profiles 14 films and furnishes detailed background on their production history, along with entertaining anecdotes. This is a good source for information on The Wild Party (1975), Popeye (1980), and The Cotton Club (1984); different genres are represented, including science fiction (Waterworld), swashbucklers (Cutthroat Island), and musicals (Paint Your Wagon). Ishtar was considered a "modern-day successor to road pictures" and known as "Warrengate," alluding to Heaven's Gate and Warren Beatty. A bit of a novelty, this book will mainly interest cinephiles. Recommended for libraries serving their ranks.-Barbara Kundanis, Batavia P.L., IL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
"Not only instructive, but intensely pleasurable." -Wall Street
Journal"A gleefully readable, well-researched study of hubris in
Hollywood." --Publishers Weekly"A smart, well-researched account of
Hollywood's 'iconic flops.'" --Peter Bart, Variety"Writing
with informative dispassion, Parish avoids the easy temptation to
turn his book into bitchy gossip. He even has you cheering for
those who narrowly elude impending doom." --Washington Post Book
World"Fiasco is a know-it-all backstory of infamous film
flops, wittily reminding us how often, and in so many ways,
Hollywood can screw up the best laid plans." --Patrick McGilligan,
author of Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light
"Not only instructive, but intensely pleasurable." --Wall Street
Journal"A gleefully readable, well-researched study of hubris in
Hollywood." --Publishers Weekly"A smart, well-researched account of
Hollywood's 'iconic flops.'" --Peter Bart, Variety"Writing
with informative dispassion, Parish avoids the easy temptation to
turn his book into bitchy gossip. He even has you cheering for
those who narrowly elude impending doom." --Washington Post Book
World"Fiasco is a know-it-all backstory of infamous film
flops, wittily reminding us how often, and in so many ways,
Hollywood can screw up the best laid plans." --Patrick McGilligan,
author of Alfred Hitchcock: A Life in Darkness and Light
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