For the Love of Movies
The Story of American Film Criticism
First screened in April 2009
Director: Gerald Peary. Documentary about the origins of American film criticism, trends over time, key figures, and current concerns of the field. Includes interviews with Jami Bernard, Richard Corliss, Roger Ebert, Owen Gleiberman, Molly Haskell, J. Hoberman, Harlan Jacobson, Stanley Kauffmann, Stuart Klawans, Harry Knowles, Karina Longworth, Janet Maslin, Elvis Mitchell, Wesley Morris, John Powers, Rex Reed, B. Ruby Rich, Jonathan Rosenbaum, Andrew Sarris, Richard Schickel, Lisa Schwarzbaum, A.O. Scott, David Sterritt, Kenneth Turan, and Michael Wilmington. Narrated by Patricia Clarkson.
Twitter Capsule:
A missed opportunity: boilerplate assembly, scattershot interviews. Corroborates AFI-style canon of US film.
VOR:
②
Potentially more eye-opening to viewers newer to the topic, and fun to put faces with names. But the bar is set so low! Why not pose richer questions? Phillip Lopate's anthology a better bet.
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| Photo © 2009 AG Films |
Not yet reviewed in full. Grade: D