Rating: 
Summary: If you like insider Hollywood stories, this is for you.
Review: I'm a Hollywood junkie, so I enjoyed this book. Art Linson isn't nearly the natural storyteller that William Goldman is, meaning the book isn't quite the joy Goldman's books were to read, but, on the other hand, Art is a PRODUCER and he sees films further through than Goldman and his stories are a deeper vision. The device used in the book, of the author talking to another has-been, is (as it was noted) very, VERY annoying and I suggest you just skip it by (it adds nothing). The book is a quick, one-sitting read, and it's as frivolous as a cookie wafer. Art certainly whines -- and I'm sure "Great Expectations" bombed because it was a bad movie, not because "Titanic" had the same scene in it (Art even implies the naked-drawing idea was stolen!) -- but if Art wasn't a whiny guy who took no responsibility...he wouldn't have written this book. So the trade-off is okay with me.
Rating: 
Summary: If you like bitter, you'll love this
Review: I'm assuming Art has officially checked out of the biz, because after this book he'll certainly never eat that proverbial lunch in this town again.After tale after tale of bitterness, one is left with this overwhelming question: Why'd you ever bother with it, Art?
Rating: 
Summary: You can miss this sequel
Review: Unfortunately a very disappointing read. "What Just Happened" feels slapped together and the good bits get lost in the unimaginative writing. It opens with the author talking to a deposed studio head about hard times in the industry. Linson then uses this device of telling his story to the studio head as the justification for the story. It's a weak contrivance and adds nothing to the story. Sorry, Art, it's not even a ground rule double. I can't recommend Linson's first book highly enough, "A Pound of Flesh" is a wonderful insightful and amusing book but this sequel gets a thumb's down.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, Bitter Pamphlet
Review: What Just Happened consists of behind the scenes tales of the making of The Edge, Great Expectations, Pushing Tin, and Fight Club from film producer Art Linson. The stories are pretty great. Bitter and specific to a degree not usually found in Hollywood books not written by Julia Phillips, these have the nasty ring of truth, and are very funny. The only problem with this book is that it barely qualifies as one. There's barely enough text here to fill an ambitious pamphlet. Surely there was more to be written about the making of the wildly controversial Fight Club (like how it managed to get made in the first place) than just describing how the finished product power-freaked the Fox marketing department. Also padding out the length is a bizarre framing story wherein Linson is telling these tales to a memorably creepy ex-studio head. Pitch black as these segments are, they feel both repetitive and vaguely untrue, a bit of theatricality whipped up to hammer home Linson's bitter points. The book doesn't need them, but I guess they added a few more pages.
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