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| “[F]rank and refreshingly impartial. . . . reigned in with a funny, conversational style and eye for detail that propel all ten of these fascinating nuts-and-bolts essays. . . . Cox’s honest, detailed account will appeal to anyone with an interest in his work. . . . Cox’s war stories will also benefit eager up-and-comers, as well as anyone who appreciates the fringe-dwelling, indie-film tradition." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) |
| “Cox's arrogance, temerity and political conviction spill onto the page, and have led to a lot of excitement on the set, even if none of his films have made money. For a dedicated leftist like Cox, the lack of profit sometimes seems like the point. . . . There’s also an inspiring sense of possibility to the story of his years in the trenches as an independent filmmaker's independent filmmaker: Armed with no money, little support from producers, a practically feral aesthetic, and an antagonistic relationship to promotion and income, he still made some terrific movies." —Salon |
| “Cox notes that dreams, like films, last about 90 minutes, and he writes accordingly, telling his tales of guerrilla moviemaking quickly, with breezy good humor and flashes of radical outrage.” —LA Times |
| “Alex Cox’s highly readable career diary is—like his output—inspiring, cheeky and maddeningly brief. Utterly dedicated to the indie ethos, the guy hasn’t made a halfway mainstream (read: easy to see) movie in a decade and a half. So we’re lucky to have this book. . . . It’s Cox’s disciplined flexibility and belief that “too much time, money, and effort” diminish art that make his movies, and X Films, such a treat. . . . Cox exemplifies grandeur without hype.” —Time Out New York |
| “X Films is a caustic and funny look at the studios, [Cox’s] own friends, and himself. Poignant moments intrude and are then got past—his grotesque and entitled decision to keep shooting rather than attend the funeral of a Nicaraguan boy who was killed by his convoy in the making of Walker is examined briefly; he scourges himself; he moves on.” —L.A. City Beat | |
| Paper | 6 x 9 | 304 pgs. | ISBN: 1-59376-193-7 | List: $17.95 | 09/1/2008 |
Available on Powells.com, Amazon.com, from your local BookSense store, and bookstores everywhere!
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About the book: Alex Cox is the genuine article: a radical, international, independent filmmaker who is also a good writer, an insightful commentator on contemporary cinema, and an expert critic of the power of Hollywood.
X-Films has as its center the filmmaking autobiography of a fine director, the journey through all his major films and how they were made, including his new film, now in production. Cox takes us to varied locations, including the US, Mexico, and Nicaragua, where he made Walker with the cooperation of the Sandinista government. His book is full of fresh ideas and rare insights into many films of different genres and the people he has worked with, including such greats as Dennis Potter and Harry Dean Stanton.
X-Films not only contains the confessions of a radical filmmaker, it is also the most readable working manual yet for the independent filmmaker. Enfant terrible he may be, but Alex Cox is also ahead of the game and is a pioneer and promoter of new forms of filmmaking for the cultural revolutionaries of the 21st century. He advocates work that is visual, visceral but interactive, with multiple narrative possibilities.
About the author: Alex Cox’s best-known films, Sid and Nancy and Repo Man, are often credited as the first truly independent movies. He is also an actor and author of a number of screenplays. He has written extensively on film for publications such as Sight and Sound, The Guardian, and Film Comment. He lives in Ashland, OR.
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