The Xanax of My TBR Pile: Companion Books to Spike Lee Joints!

Jeff Balsmeyer's storyboard from Do the Right Thing: A Spike Lee Joint; companion book to the Universal Pictures film.Popping a Xanax -- the miracle chill pill for symptoms of stress and anxiety -- will dissolve all your worries, according to NYMAG. Although I’m no medical expert, I would argue that listening to music is also an effective alternative solution for those of us trying to get out of the funky mood we find ourselves dealing with from time to time. Speaking of alternative remedies, reading books can be just as beneficial to combatting periods of stress and anxiety, as music.

Besides being cheaper than Xanax, books last longer and have more user-friendly side effects. This is one of the reasons why I look forward to each title in my (growing) TBR pile, such as books written by famous director Spike Lee; chronicling what it took to get a number of his films including She’s Gotta Have It, School Daze and Malcolm X off the ground. I’m currently working my way through one of them and enjoy Lee’s journal entries about how the movie characters were developed, viewing pages from the storyboards for a major scene and learning about the impact that making his film(s) had on actors.

• Spike Lee’s Gotta Have It: Inside Guerilla Filmmaking (1987)

• Uplift the Race: The Construction of School Dace (1988)

• Do the Right Thing: A Spike Lee Joint (1989)

• Mo’ Better Blues (1990)

• By Any Means Necessary: The Trials and Tribulations of Making Malcolm X (1993)

At times on this blog, I’ve been clear about my frustrations with the experiences I’ve had so far pursuing a career in the film industry. Sometimes just the mere thought of going through the stages of production budgets, casting, location scouting, post-production, etc. again makes me want to hurl. That’s not to even mention the uncertainty that comes when a movie is in the can and there’s another uphill battle of distribution, promotion and all that comes with getting people to watch it. So, I have a good feeling that reading the companion books to Spike Lee joints will help me take a step back to understand that every single film production comes with its own sets of challenges.

Something borrowed...For some reason when I read about other people’s movie making journey, especially someone as accomplished as Spike Lee, there’s a new sense of excitement for how they put a film together out of ideas in their heads and legal pad scribblings.

Suddenly, movies don’t seem too far out of reach and are fascinating again like they once were before I was logging hours of video footage into a cohesive document for the editing stage, and sitting in empty movie theaters.

Thanks to people like Spike Lee who pull back the curtains on show business from time to time, I have a good reminder that movies -- although a grueling undertaking from start to finish – are a powerful medium when treated as such. So the next time I’m feeling bad about filmmaking and the many challenges that come with this path, it’s nice to know there’s relief at the library or bookstores like Barnes and Noble rather than the nearest pharmacy.

X is for Xanax

How many books are in YOUR TBR pile?

Regardless of genre, what movie would YOU recommend to cure stress and anxiety?

Comments

[J Lenni Dorner]

J here, stopping by from the #atozchallenge - where I am part of Arlee's A to Z Ambassador Team.
Welcome to "Z-day"!
Don't forget about the after party. The Reflections Linky List will open on Monday May 4th. (For links directly to posts, not to general blog addresses.)
Do The Right Thing was a really interesting movie. Very thought provoking.
I think Finding Nemo is good to cure stress.
My TBR pile is over 500 books. LOL. Whoops.
-J @JLenniDorner

[Nicole]

J Lenni Dorner,
Thanks for stopping by! It's been a while since I watched Finding Nemo and although I doubt I'd watch it again, I do understand the appeal of it. 500 books OMG more power to you and your reading adventures! I hope you have some yummy cups of coffee or tea nearby to get you through that TBR...you're gonna need it, lol. Also yes I'm aware of the Reflections "after party"....being one of the co-hosts of the A-to-Z Challenge gives me the perks of getting the 411 on these things good and early ;)

Cheers to you and thanks for all of the work you've been doing as one of Arlee's Ambassadors to help with this year's April challenge!

[Debs]

A big TBR pile is my version of a comfort blanket - and the wider ranging the subject matter and level of "seriousness" the better. It depends if I just want quiet time or whether I'm ill and in recovery mode. The latter is when I'll feel vulnerable and frustrated so the reading choices are so carefully made. I'm not always lucky enough to have sufficient light or uplifting reads that are new to me, so I tend to re-read old favourites. My father has long been a fan of thrillers and of flat horse racing, so has read every Dick Francis written. He lends them to me when I'm recovering from back injury. I've been pondering on why they feel so comforting in such circumstances, but I guess they feel like a personal gift from him to me, a reinforcement of the fact that he's still here - and that feels comforting in itself.

[Debs]

Oh & you do realise you've added more books to my TBR pile - I'll be looking out the Spike Lee. Many years ago, I worked at Goldcrest Films and found the whole business fascinating. Much success and enjoyment to you!