Customer Reviews

Movies as Politics

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Rosenbaum is easily the most interesting film critic writing in english these days, and this is the most accessible collection of his work available. Refusing to succumb to the mindless thumbs-up-or-thumbs-down tactic so common among non-academic critics, while avoiding the endless mire of carrying on a dialogue within the confines of the Ivory Tower, Rosenbaum's writing and analyses are engaging and pursuasive. I certainly don't find myself agreeing with each turn of his discourse -- but nor do I feel insulted. Rather, as often as not, such disagreements serve to inspire thought -- a pleasure that too little writing about film seems to induce.

Jonathan Rosenbaum is a rare film critic. He writes with an understanding of film theory and history, and also with a perspective of culture and politics, which is emphasized in the selection of these essays. At the same time, he never gets academic to the point of dryness, though many complain precisely about this point. Always, there is a respect for the intelligence of the reader, and he does what I think a film critic should do, which is to teach the reader something about a film, and to help him/her see it in a deeper way. This is not the method of "I recommend this movie / I do not recommend this movie" critiquing.

The films he covers in this book range from those that most moviegoers have seen (Schindler's List, Star Wars) to those that even dedicated film lovers may have missed (Black Girl, Tih-Minh). Of course, it helps a lot to actually see the film before reading the essay on the film, and it's worthwhile to try doing so. Still, some of the films are hard to come by, and even reading Rosenbaum's essays without seeing the film(s) referred to can be a learning experience. He supplies you with information about the film, the director, history and culture, and the film production process, and in reading him, you can't help but begin to integrate all these elements into your film viewing experience.

This book is entertaining and informative, and has deepened my appreciation for film. The Chicago Reader's film column has gained a fan.

This is the second collection (after 1995's Placing Movies: The Practice of Film Criticism) of criticism by Jonathan Rosenbaum, "Chicago Reader" critic from 1987-2008; all of the reviews collected herein date from his first few years (1987-96) on that paper, though a few of the pieces come from elsewhere during the same period. The "Reader" has long been one of the best sources for serious film criticism in the USA, employing the fine Dave Kehr before Rosenbaum. But JR really put himself on the map during his 20-year stint and helped make Chicago one of the liveliest film communities around with his consistent championing of the lesser-known cinematic worlds outside of the borders of mainstream, current, blockbuster-bound Hollywood.

The reviews here are presented just as they were in the paper; most range from 2000-3000 words or so though there are a few that stretch those boundaries. The format here is the same used in the preceding book, but as the title suggests the writings tend to be a bit more political/provocative, including his attacks on STAR WARS and ACE VENTURA. Though I always appreciate the alternative point of view, I personally don't find JR's attacks on the Hollywood mainstream to be his strongest work, for the most part - though his issues with Miramax over the cutting and distribution of Charles Burnett's THE GLASS SHIELD and some of the other more angry polemics are often enlightening.

Still, for the most part, it's the stuff that he champions that is the most interesting to read about. My favorite single piece is probably "On the nonreception of two French serials", on Louis Feuillade's TIH MINH (1918) and Jacques Rivette's OUT 1 (1971); other fine reviews include those on Jean-Luc Godard's essay video HISTOIRE(S) DU CINEMA, Orson Welles' MR. ARKADIN (called "The Seven Mr. Arkadins, in reference to the many "texts" of the film in existence), Terry Zwigoff's terrific documentary CRUMB, on the underground comix creator, Hou Hsiao-hsien's THE PUPPETMASTER, and American expatriot director Cy Endfield.

As with the earlier volume, essential not just for fans of the writer, but for those interested in serious film criticism of the past couple of decades in general.

This guy is a hack.

In spite of what you might hear to the contrary, you are better off to simply obtain a copy of the Chicago Reader - a free newspaper and this guy's primary vehicle - or see it on the web: chireader. Simply find any of his reviews and read backwards and you will quickly spot patterns. He generally uses history as a crutch and typically attacks directors and actors directly rather than addressing the actual films - ESPECIALLY when the films might be more politically oriented.

His examples are generally trite and frankly you'd be better finding out about this guy's politics before you bother reading anything he writes claiming to be "political". I feel sorry for any film students out there that have this as course material and more so for anyone who was self-motivated to seek this out.