I'm with you on these three...if Peary ever forsook sports writing and got back into film, watch out! Now, if only WE could get paid. By the way, great to see you in NYC in October! Hope to see you again real soon!
I still look at Guide for the Film Fanatic on a daily basis. It's the book I blame most for my movie obsession.
November 7, 2010 at 5:17 PM
Sam Juliano said...
Yes, Guide to the Film Fanatic is here with me too continuously. I'd add George Sadoul's Dictionary of Films and David Thomson's (who I met last week at a book signing at the Film Forum for a showing of PSYCHO)Biographical Dictionary of Films as essentials.
95 year-old Stanley Kauffmann (still penning reviews for The New Republic) and Kael are my absolute favorites.
Jeez, 2 out of 3. Who would have thought MSN Movies would become the nexus of mainstream professional criticism online? Kudos to them anyway...
November 27, 2010 at 2:16 PM
by Tony Dayoub
I don't discuss it enough here, but there are three film critics who have held the most sway over me since I was young: Danny Peary, best known for his Cult Movies books, whose long out-of-print Guide for the Film Fanatic (1986) is still an essential tome to keep on the nightstand; Glenn Kenny (now a friend), who I grew up reading in the now defunct Premiere magazine, writes for his own blog Some Came Running, and has just recently become chief film critic for MSN Movies; the last is a gentleman who edited Film Comment during what I consider to be its most fascinating period, 1990 through 2000, Richard T. Jameson.
For a taste of his wonderful writing, I highly recommend his archived post on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, which I was once fortunate to have personally sent to me by Mr. Jameson after receiving a missive in which we bonded over our mutual love of Cutter's Way. Here's a bit of what I wrote about Jameson here back in May 2009: Under Jameson's watch, [Film Comment's] annual roundup of the best films and notable performances (as put forth by numerous critics polled) was frequently upstaged by "Moments Out of Time," a roundup of the best cinematic moments of the previous year, by Jameson and Kathleen Murphy (both now contribute to Parallax View) which they now publish over at MSN Movies.I am now happy to report Mr. Jameson is now writing on a regular basis for the Queen Anne and Magnolia News at his new online movie magazine, Straight Shooting. I'll be reading it, and so should you.
All we need is for Danny Peary to join the fray, and I'll be set.
"Two Down, One to Go: Must-Read Recommendations"
5 Comments -
I'm with you on these three...if Peary ever forsook sports writing and got back into film, watch out! Now, if only WE could get paid. By the way, great to see you in NYC in October! Hope to see you again real soon!
November 6, 2010 at 9:33 AM
I still look at Guide for the Film Fanatic on a daily basis. It's the book I blame most for my movie obsession.
November 7, 2010 at 5:17 PM
Yes, Guide to the Film Fanatic is here with me too continuously. I'd add George Sadoul's Dictionary of Films and David Thomson's (who I met last week at a book signing at the Film Forum for a showing of PSYCHO)Biographical Dictionary of Films as essentials.
95 year-old Stanley Kauffmann (still penning reviews for The New Republic) and Kael are my absolute favorites.
November 10, 2010 at 7:01 PM
Great to meet you, Dean. Let me know next time you're in the ATL.
I really have been remiss in reading Thomson. But the challenging quiz he wrote making the rounds right now has definitely piqued my curiosity.
Don't know much Kauffmann I'm sorry to say. As for Kael, we greatly disagree on a lot of things, but I always love her writing.
November 11, 2010 at 9:06 AM
Jeez, 2 out of 3. Who would have thought MSN Movies would become the nexus of mainstream professional criticism online? Kudos to them anyway...
November 27, 2010 at 2:16 PM