Anthony Lane on Joe Eszterhas’s “shy and blushing” Hollywood memoir: He sold his first screenplay, “F.I.S.T.,” in 1974, and since then the Eszterhas style has bestrewn the world with gems: “Flashdance,” “Jagged Edge,” “Basic Instinct,” “Sliver,” “Showgirls,” and “Jade.” If that list makes you want to hide in the attic, you should hear some of… Continue reading

William Safire recalls a time when U.S. Intelligence made James Bond look like a banker: The technology topping the Soviets’ wish list was for computer control systems to automate the operation of the new trans-Siberian gas pipeline. When we turned down their overt purchase order, the K.G.B. sent a covert agent into a Canadian company… Continue reading