If you?ve ever stumbled across a painfully bad action movie while channel surfing and wondered, ?Who would create such unwatchable trash?? Film Is Hell has your answer. Film Is Hell: How I Sold My Soul to Make the Crappiest Movies in History chronicles the outrageous exploits of Sultan Film Productions, a small band of rebel filmmakers who risk death and arrest to produce movies so awful they set the international standard for bad. In their heydey, Sultan?s founders helped create a lucrative niche for low-budget action films during the 1980s home video boom. But when big-budget powerhouses flooded the market in the 1990s, Sultan found itself struggling to survive. Limited resources forced the company to pursue a new strategy?substituting grit, stamina and ingenuity for a reasonable budget. At the heart of Film Is Hell is the narrator?s tale of his personal journey, which is strangely tragic and utterly hilarious. In his literary debut, cinematographer Matthew Howe relates a brutally honest and gripping account of the toll his work takes on his finances, his life and most of all, his psyche. Film Is Hell is both a poignant memoir and a guided tour through the underbelly of the low-budget action film business. The book follows the Sultan crew?s reckless and comedic adventures as they scam their way on board nuclear submarines, hang precariously out of biplanes, get run over by tanks, brave cattle stampedes, and infiltrate Navy SEAL exercises. Howe also recounts his run-ins with such celebrities as Samuel L. Jackson, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, John F. Kennedy, Jr., and Julie Andrews. Writing, producing and shooting for Sultan, Howe endures harrowing, 20-hour workdays and frustrating waits for elusive back-end fees. His desperation and despair escalate each time he has to sacrifice quality due to budget and time constraints. So why would he pass up the opportunity to shoot the critically acclaimed indie film Judy Berlin and the Oscar winning Boys Don?t Cry to stick with Sultan? In Film Is Hell, Howe explores his fateful missteps and makes his peace with them.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
fact: every culinary student or anyone with any interest in food have read and loved and laughed so hard reading Kitchen Confidential.
fact: every banker / aspiring banker/finance student or anyone with any interest in the crazy world of banking and finance have read and loved and laughed so hard reading Monkey Business.
fact: every film person or anyone with any remote interest of the world of film making should read Matthew Howe's Film is Hell and will love and laugh harder than any of the above.
fact: every banker / aspiring banker/finance student or anyone with any interest in the crazy world of banking and finance have read and loved and laughed so hard reading Monkey Business.
fact: every film person or anyone with any remote interest of the world of film making should read Matthew Howe's Film is Hell and will love and laugh harder than any of the above.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By W. J. Cohen
Format:Paperback
From the very first sentence I fell into this book and could not stop reading, and when I got to the end I was ready to start again on page one. It's one of those stories that you find yourself consuming gluttonously, like a delicious hot fudge sundae with whipped cream and nuts and a nice big cherry on top. Truly, each page is more delectable than the last. It is at once fascinating, hilarious, and full of heart. What other works can I compare this book to? "Catch 22", "Don Quixote", and "A Confederacy of Dunces" come to mind. Oh, but right... "Film is Hell" is nonfiction! Well, then, I guess I'd have to go with Augusten Burroughs' "Running with Scissors" and David Sedaris' "Holidays on Ice." Like those two gems, Mr. Howe throws you into an outrageous vortex of total insanity... insanity made all the more fascinating by the knowledge that it all really happened. And like Burroughs' and Sedaris' tales, the core of Howe's story is utterly touching and moving, and oh-so-painfully human. There is really nothing quite as satisfying as reading about people who, against all odds and with little hope of success, willfully throw themselves into an endeavor that can only lead to disaster... and who despite it all, repeat the process over and over again as they are inescapably drawn to grab for a brass ring that exists only in their minds. Mr. Howe so brings this compulsion to life that after reading his book you may well be inspired to chuck it all and go off on some mad and hopeless quest of your own. I really can't recommend "Film is Hell" enough!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
My friendly UPS man dropped this book on my doorstep this morning. I could NOT put it down! I know nothing about the film industry except the tripe I see in the "news". It matters not- this book will blow you away It is hysterically funny- I mean, laugh out loud, double stuff Oreo cookie coming out your nose funny! It is also very touching.At several points I was moved to tears, and then was back to laughing.
Howe has a very engaging writing style. He will suck you in with the first few sentences and then you will not want to put this book down.
"Film is Hell" is poignant,funny,touching,informative...too many adjectives to list. I have recomended this book to all my friends.
You will enjoy "Film is Hell". And you will probaly want to slap all the whiney Hollywood types we hear about constantly. Howe truly captures his love of his craft, his devotion to his family and his journey of self discovery. Buy this book!
Howe has a very engaging writing style. He will suck you in with the first few sentences and then you will not want to put this book down.
"Film is Hell" is poignant,funny,touching,informative...too many adjectives to list. I have recomended this book to all my friends.
You will enjoy "Film is Hell". And you will probaly want to slap all the whiney Hollywood types we hear about constantly. Howe truly captures his love of his craft, his devotion to his family and his journey of self discovery. Buy this book!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
I couldn't put it down
A must read for anyone in the video/film business...BUT, even if you're NOT, and you just love movies...you'll love this book. Well written and hilarious.
Published on January 31, 2010 by M. Meyerson
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Truth behind why some movies are just really really really bad.
This is pretty dang funny. The technical terminology at times is geared toward folks in the "business", but it really didn't matter. Read more
Published on August 25, 2009 by S. Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read it and weep...from laughing.
A well written account of young film school kid becoming a responsible adult. Deceptively told in a easygoing episodic way, the book pulls you in as a co-conspirator as the joy of... Read more
Published on August 6, 2009 by Robert J. Gosse
5.0 out of 5 stars
from the horse mouth
i read the manuscript years ago when i was a assistant cameraman for a sultan film.
i laughed the whole way through and enjoyed every page. Read more
i laughed the whole way through and enjoyed every page. Read more
Published on July 21, 2009 by Michael A. Simmonds
5.0 out of 5 stars
I am Blown Away-The MUST READ book of the summer!
This is a book that you will not lend to anyone-you will be afraid that they won't give it back! I saw the link to this book on a friend's Facebook page, began reading the excerpts... Read more
Published on July 10, 2009 by Michael R. Mond
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