Frank Pierson, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has written a commentary on the movie industry. Its title describes it better than I could: Blockbuster mentality killed movie creativity.

I read a terrific book called Making Movies that discusses what goes into making a film. It covers in more detail some elements of the above article. Roger Ebert liked it, too.

Invaluable. . . . I am sometimes asked if there is one book a filmgoer could read to learn more about how movies are made and what to look for while watching them. This is the book.
--Roger Ebert, The New York Times Book Review

I snurched that bit from the cover.

Driving school was tedious and mostly unremarkable. It'll all be worth it, though; insurance won't cost as much, and I bet I'll learn something. Their car is a great deal easier to drive than mom's. My relief abounds.