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Categories: Science fiction Fantasy Mystery Romance Business Classic Sports Young adult Humor Memoirs See all categories... |
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Categories: Science fiction Fantasy Mystery Romance Business Classic Sports Young adult Humor Memoirs See all categories... |
Found this as a teenager on the shelf at the local library, sat down cross-legged and did not get up for an hour. It was the first book to make me realise that you could actively engage critically with the films you watched, both those you loved and those you hated. I have not stopped reading and re-reading Kael since then and I still find myself laughing out loud, being infuriated by some of her judgements and loving the clarity and precision of her language and thoughts. This is probably the best collection she wrote, at the point where American cinema mattered most to her. Her job on "Dirty Harry" is spot-on, her love for "Murmur of the Heart" infectious, and the review of "Cabaret" pinpoints exactly how important that film is in revitalising the moribund, bloated form of the movie musical.In 1991 I was in New York City and made a pilgrimage to the New Yorker, taking a punt that maybe I could speak to her and gush stupidly. The man at reception looked at me wide-eyed and said, "Sir, the lady, she works from home."A lady and a broad and one of the world's great writers on film.