The past year has brought a wonderful trilogy of seemingly unrelated books that expose the downward spiral of Hollywood. Open Wide: How Hollywood Box Office Became a National Obsession by Dade Hayes and Jonathan Bing explores the unfortunate importance of marketing in the movie business by examining multiplex history and its cultural effect, test screenings and their conciliatory effect, and the deceptiveness of press junkets and the ability to pass off publicity as news. Edward Jay Epstein's The Big Picture more completely examines the economics of Hollywood and how, as part of trans-global media clusters, studios are less concerned with quality and more intent on cross-merchandizing. Epstein also gives a competent history of the business, particularly its competitive issues with television and video, and discusses the present attention to cable and DVD exploitation as opposed to the less profitable theatrical run. The first book is extremely fluffy, while the second can make laymen's heads spin during its exposition of financial juggling.

Darknet completes the arc, despite a larger interest than movies alone. By reading the other books prior to Lasica, though, a deeper disdain for Hollywood contributes to the more cynical cautionary side to the digital argument. Epstein bares the apprehensions studios had toward VHS, and the parallels become apparent to their mishandling of Internet possibilities presented in Darknet. The most conclusive quote that Lasica includes comes from former Warner Home Entertainment president Warren Lieberfarb; he states that pornography always leads new media trends. However, the downsides of illegal activity (whether kiddie porn or more innocent music sampling) in underground networks are also similar to other media, yet even easier, more abundant and more anonymous. The debate of whether unavoidable vices are a small price to pay for free speech and fair use protection becomes something to think about in the end.

Lasica doesn't delve into non-Internet issues like Technicolor's recent decision or the current controversy with visibly marking film prints to identify bootleg sources, but he points out that even Hollywood is aware that the majority of piracy comes from inside their own industry long before hitting theatres. For some reason, they continue to ignore the facts. While it must be pointed out that Hollywood is continuing to antagonize those individuals and businesses and organizations with which it has for a century built strong relationships, Darknet exposes more malignant plans that Hollywood has for our entertainment, in order to supposedly protect us all, but more materially to protect themselves; and it might only take you 270 pages of awareness to fight back before all those schemes are implemented.