This week sees the release of Independent Ed, a hardback book detailing the 20 years in film for actor and film-maker Edward Burns.

Hardback Book: Independent Ed

At the age of twenty-five, Ed Burns directed and produced his first film The Brothers McMullen on a small $25,000 budget. It went onto win the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 1995, and established the working-class Irish American filmmaker as a talent to watch. In the twenty years since, Edward Burns has made ten more films including She’s the One, Sidewalks of New York, and No Looking Back, while also acting in big budget Hollywood films such as Saving Private Ryan, Man on a Ledge and the Christmas classic, The Holiday.

In Independent Ed, which has the sub-title Inside a Career of Big Dreams, Little Movies and the Twelve Best Days of My Life, Burns tells the story of his two extraordinary decades in the film business and he recounts stories of the lengths that he has had to go to secure financing for his films as well as the discovery of the up and coming stars Jennifer Aniston and Cameron Diaz who both agreed to work in his film, She’s the One, a film about the lives and relationships of married brothers Mickey and Francis Fitzpatrick, who are disrupted by the presence of Heather, Mickey's ex-girlfriend. Heather has just re-entered Mickey's life, but at the same time she's also sleeping with Francis. Romantic entanglements, marital woes, and sibling rivalries result and teach the brothers Fitzpatrick a few things about the game of life.

Film: She's the One

Cameron Diaz and Edward Burns (She's the One)

At the time, Aniston had just finished her first season on the television show Friends, whereas Diaz had already appeared two other films, the big-budget production, The Mask alongside funny-man Jim Carrey and where she made her opening appearance walking through the lobby of a downtown bank in what can only be best described as a painted-on dress. Wanting to avoid the mistakes of other model-turned-actresses and becoming a typecast blond, Diaz made a conscious decision to prove her acting skills and following the success of The Mask, opted for indies such as The Last Supper, Head Above Water and Feeling Minnesota. Her character Heather was completely different to her previous roles, as she portrayed the mistress, stockbroker and former girlfriend of Mickey's who had worked her way through college as a call girl, and although her screen time was limited, film critics rewarded her efforts with complimentary comments.

She's the One was a film that didn’t need car chases, digital special effects or heart-stopping action sequences. Instead, it set out to explore real issues and real people and, through swift scene changes and spiky dialogue, is both entertaining and funny in the process. In conjunction with the release of Independent Ed, otsoNY will be revisiting She’s the One and adding new screen grabs as well as extra film locations.

On 1st October 2012, a feature was run within the News Section of otsoNY asking the question if Edward Burns would be the next Woody Allen having seen the similarity in their approach to movie-making. Much like Allen, Burns writes, directors and often stars in his own small budget productions which often have a New York setting. More recently, Burns as an actor has opted for the small screen appearing in US television show, Mob City as Bugsy Siegel, one of the most infamous mobsters in Los Angeles.

Special thanks to Roshe Anderson from Penguin Random House for bringing this book to our attention. It will soon be reviewed and on first reflection is obviously a must-read for Ed Burns fans as well as budding film students.