"40 YEARS, 40 FILMS" BOOK LAUNCH PARTY!

2 days ago
3 min read

Hey folks, it’s Nick Digilio here, and I’ve got a little question for you:

Why not pick up a copy of my new book 40 Years, 40 Films today?

Seriously, it’s out, it’s real, you can hold it in your hands, and with the holidays upon us, it makes a fabulous, film-nerd-approved gift. You’ve got people in your life. They like movies. They like stories. Buy them the book. Boom: holiday hero.

But listen, while you can absolutely order it online, I’d really love it if you came out to celebrate its official launch with me.

Because on Friday, December 12th, from 6 to 8 pm, we’re throwing a genuine, honest-to-God Book Launch Party at Kaiser Tiger in Chicago.

There will be books. There will be beer. There will be sausages the size of your arm. There may even be curling. Yes, curling.

Why Kaiser Tiger Is the Perfect Venue

Let me tell you about Kaiser Tiger for a second, because this place is a whole vibe.

Located on Randolph Street in the West Loop
Home to bacon, sausage, beer, and more bacon
CNN named their beer garden one of the Top 9 in America
Summer: a 200-seat beer paradise
Winter: that same beer garden becomes ice curling lanes
Fire pits
Bacon-wrapped s’mores
Hot whiskeys
Ping Pong, Füssball, Bocce, Pinball, Giant Jenga
And 24 craft beers on tap

This place isn’t just a bar. It’s an experience.

And in the middle of all that fun? The launch of 40 Years, 40 Films.

This book is the most personal thing I’ve ever written.

For four decades (through movies good, bad, weird, wonderful, life-changing, and occasionally sanity-draining) I’ve been reviewing, recommending, ranting, riffing, and loving film.

This book captures that entire journey: one film per year, from Albert Brooks’ Lost in America (1985) to Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two (2024).

Inside you’ll find:

40 essays: part criticism, part memoir, part behind-the-scenes radio memoir
Top 10 lists from every year since 1985
Bonus picks from my childhood in Wrigleyville
Stories about the movies that shaped me
Stories about the movies that saved me
And, yes, the movies I’ll defend until my last breath

It’s a film book, sure, but it’s also the story of my life. The highs, the lows, the chaos, the reinventions… all at 24 frames per second.

What People Are Saying

Suzanne Vega — Suzanne Vega! — calls it:

“A wonderfully original book… delicious and nostalgic reading… punctuated with anecdotes from his life.”

Stephen Tobolowsky says it’s:

“Magic. Funny. Powerful. Inciteful… a wild and unpredictable ride through our own lives.”

So Here’s the Deal: Come Celebrate With Me

On December 12th, come to Kaiser Tiger. I’ll be there in the main room selling and signing books.

We’ll:

Hang out
Take photos
Talk movies
Talk life
Debate which films deserved Oscars and which deserved restraining orders
And I’ll speak a bit about some of my favorite films from the book, the ones that changed my career or just made me fall in love with movies all over again