I wasn’t surprised when the nice people at Universe asked me to take a look at, ‘Movies; The Ultimate Insider’s Guide’, series Editor Robert Kahn. I used to write for Ain’t it Cool News and that particular website’s primary interest is the movies.
It took me a while to get into the flow of this book; its unique set up and the user friendly size/format are very inviting. But the movie reviews seem a little off beat and sometimes esoteric. It’s entirely made up of short essays, from directors, actors, film critics, producers, film scholars, and other notable figures. I never, ever, read these kinds of books, because they always come from one perspective, usually Maltin, Ebert, or another talking head who is giving their fifteen word summation on a movie I’ve already seen. This book is very cool and will fit into your pocket for your trips to the video store. Oh right, who goes to video store anymore? Just set this down next to your computer and load up your Netflix with the copious suggestions from all kinds of people.
James Frey tells us why he loves ‘Conan the Barbarian’, and since I think his writing is pretty damn good; I’ll take his word on it. Paging through a little further I see a longer piece from Wes Anderson about two Peter Hyams movies, my favorite, ‘Capricorn One’, which is a great movie, and another called ‘Busting’, which I’d never heard of. Anderson talks about a little get together in his home where he screened both movies for his best friends, to be a fly on the wall…just once.
It really was nice to read Israel Horovitz’s piece about a movie that I actually worked on when I was just starting out after college called ‘Federal Hill’. Michael Corrente’s debut, made for pennies (I worked for free as a production assistant), and shot on location in Providence, RI, where I grew up. Then I found a gem, as David Pogue talks about how good Gattaca is, and how overlooked. I remember seeing it in the theater, at the old worn out multiplex on 18th street and Broadway in New York City.
Since becoming a father I’ve had almost no time to go to the theaters to see movies and usually wait for everything to come to my mailbox. It’s a perfect way to watch movies, certainly takes away from the original concept of seeing them on the big screen, but free time is rare. I was thrilled to read about ‘Light Sleeper’, the Paul Schrader masterpiece, with a great cast led by Willem Dafoe, and a little review of ‘The Leopard’, which I saw in college, starring Burt Lancaster. At $19.95, Movies; The Ultimate Insider’s Guide is a perfect gift for the movie lover in your life, and for the cynic in your life who says they have seen everything. This book shines the light on movies I’ve never seen, and offers great insights from a wide range of interesting people.
-Jason Rice
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