Scarface Nation: The Ultimate Gangster Movie and How it Changed America author Ken Tucker understands the maxim: "You gotta write the book first, then you get the money, then you get the power, then you get the women." We're not sure how much money, power, and women Tucker's rolling in, but we do know he has the book at least.

A TV and DVD critic for Entertainment Weekly, Tucker attempts to put the legendary Brian De Palma/Al Pacino film into perspective not only as a movie, but as a cultural phenomenon. Written in conversational style and intricately-researched (Tucker even mentions a Scarface reference on the G4 Network's Attack of the Show, a program you need a team of Sherpas to find on your cable guide), Scarface Nation is loaded with enough trivia to make you the king of your next Al Pacino-themed dinner party.

Tucker's book excels when it focuses on the drama behind the scenes and the movie's old school origins. He dedicates an entire chapter to Howard Hawks' 1932 Scarface, revealing cool things like Hawks' use of  "X's" throughout the movie to indicate that something bad was going to happen - a thematic element Martin Scorsese would lift wholesale for The Departed. The book, unfortunately, is not as strong when it delves into the cultural impact on a larger scale. Because rappers and various wannabes co-opt Scarface on a purely superficial level, Tucker's explanation for Tony Montana's endless appearances on MTV's Cribs and lowrider mudflaps tends to become repetitive: They ignore the real lesson of the movie, they just think he's cool, rinse, repeat.

But it's a minor complaint - Tucker's book is perfect for the movie buff, Pacino freak, and homey in your life. You know, the kind of guy who might own, say....