With confident writing, opinions infused with knowledge, and expressions of sheer ecstasy about the move-going experience,...
The second annual volume in this series is an outstanding collection of essays that takes both movies and writing seriously.
Compiled from an assortment of mass-market magazines and specialty film journals, the essays range widely over a spectrum of film topics. The best are the personal pieces, such as Gore Vidal’s on firing Frank Capra from directing The Best Man and William Zinsser’s about being an extra in Woody Allen’s Stardust Memories. Only a few of the pieces concentrate on modern film topics, such as Mia Mask’s take on Eve’s Bayou and African-American film, and Chris Chang’s essay on the cruelty of Todd Solondz’s work. The rest of the essays, all 22 of them, share a deep dissatisfaction with today’s movies and a corollary nostalgia for movies past. The view comes from established critics Andrew Sarris, Molly Haskell, David Denby, Roger Ebert, Jonathan Rosenbaum, and Terrence Rafferty and it comes from filmmakers Martin Scorsese, James Mangold, and Steven Spielberg. Editor Bogdanovich sets the tone in his introduction, which harks back to a day when writing about moves could actually change the way movies were made for the better. The side jibe is that most writing about movies today is as worthless as the films that are produced. Bogdanovich says it’s all about money now and not at all about art. That is why he selected serious essays and none of the actor profiles or quickie question-and-answer sessions that fill the newsstands. While so much protest can border on whining – and what a common whine it is to complain that things aren’t as good as they used to be – this volume is much more a celebration of the good stuff than a rant on what has been lost since the 1970s.
With confident writing, opinions infused with knowledge, and expressions of sheer ecstasy about the move-going experience, this volume is a joy to read.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-312-24493-2
Page Count: 240
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
