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2.92 AVERAGE
2.92 AVERAGE
It’s alright, definitely not as bad as these other reviews make it out to be. I enjoyed explanations of the cultural and historical context of movies throughout the ages but it did roll off into its own tangents a lot
informative
reflective
slow-paced
So slow, more about him reminiscing than the topic, also not a fan of his writing style
I read this in preparation for my interview on the podcast Writers on Film with David. His work is forever insightful, wittily written and profound in a way that goes beyond movies and touches almost everything else. Learning to watch a movie is learning to be alive, as it is imbued with the same energy and needs. There are numerous taut observations and delightful moments. Highly recommended.
slow-paced
I finished this book because I kept hoping it would get better, but it didn’t. The author is clearly very knowledgeable about film, but he also has to bring sex into every movie and discussion, and it was gross the way he talked about it. I also have not seen the majority of the movies he mentioned, so that also probably made the book less enjoyable.
reflective
slow-paced
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Couldn’t get to the end of this one. What I hoped would be an expert’s eye-opening advice about how to consider film more fully turned out to be a bunch of disjointed memories and reminiscences by the author about films he’s seen and not much else. At nearly the 100-page point I realized there wasn’t going to be much else here. Disappointing, particularly for how much the tiny book cost when I bought it new in 2015.
A strange book. Always stimulating and highly readable - whatever else you think, David Thomson writes beautifully; but the title is not descriptive of the book. It's a guide to how the author watches movies, and the opinions he holds. Some of them are engaging; some of them are odd (e.g. the idea that Empire of The Sun is Steven Spielberg's best film). Not bad - but not as good as I had hoped.
Merged review:
A strange book. Always stimulating and highly readable - whatever else you think, David Thomson writes beautifully; but the title is not descriptive of the book. It's a guide to how the author watches movies, and the opinions he holds. Some of them are engaging; some of them are odd (e.g. the idea that Empire of The Sun is Steven Spielberg's best film). Not bad - but not as good as I had hoped.
Merged review:
A strange book. Always stimulating and highly readable - whatever else you think, David Thomson writes beautifully; but the title is not descriptive of the book. It's a guide to how the author watches movies, and the opinions he holds. Some of them are engaging; some of them are odd (e.g. the idea that Empire of The Sun is Steven Spielberg's best film). Not bad - but not as good as I had hoped.