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In his astute and deeply informed film reviews and essays, Jonathan Rosenbaum regularly provides new and brilliant insights into the cinema as art, entertainment, and commerce. Guided by a personal canon of great films, Rosenbaum sees, in the ongoing hostility toward the idea of a canon shared by many within the field of film studies, a missed opportunity both to shape the discussion about cinema and to help inform and guide casual and serious filmgoers alike.
In Essential Cinema, Rosenbaum forcefully argues that canons of great films are more necessary than ever, given that film culture today is dominated by advertising executives, sixty-second film reviewers, and other players in the Hollywood publicity machine who champion mediocre films at the expense of genuinely imaginative and challenging works. He proposes specific definitions of excellence in film art through the creation a personal canon of both well-known and obscure movies from around the world and suggests ways in which other canons might be similarly constructed.
Essential Cinema offers in-depth assessments of an astonishing range of films: established classics such as Rear Window, M, and Greed; ambitious but flawed works like The Thin Red Line and Breaking the Waves; eccentric masterpieces from around the world, including Irma Vep and Archangel; and recent films that have bitterly divided critics and viewers, among them Eyes Wide Shut and A.I. He also explores the careers of such diverse filmmakers as Robert Altman, Ra伃 Ruiz, Frank Tashlin, Elaine May, Sam Fuller, Terrence Davies, Edward Yang, Hou Hsiao-hsien, and Orson Welles. In conclusion, Rosenbaum offers his own film canon of 1,000 key works from the beginning of cinema to the present day. A cogent and provocative argument about the art of film, Essential Cinema is also a fiercely independent reference book of must-see movies for film lovers everywhere.
Jonathan Rosenbaum is film critic for the Chicago Reader and the author or editor of fourteen books, including Movie Wars: How Hollywood and the Media Limit What Films We Can See, Movies as Politics, and Placing Movies: The Practice of Film Criticism.
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Most authentic book compilation on the Oregon Trail I ever read. The way the diaries are brought to life from over 170 years ago is a remarkable achievement. Top book of year so far for me for today June 01, 2024 review Candice
This author is a breathe of fresh air in a world of lies and coverups. He brings ancient writings and new science to bring light to mankind. In this amazing work, the well known plato stories from antiquity are now put alongside this new discovery of tablets from beginning of time. This is the most complete explanation of Atlantis every brought to the public. Shame on the governments of Egypt and the world for hiding WHO BUILT THE PHYRAMIDS OF GIZA AND THE SPHINX. Once I read this book I knew why they hid this knowledge. They don't want a population to know how great the world used to be compared to know.
Randomly stumbled upon this book and I am shocked that I haven’t heard about it before. It’s hands down the best story I’ve read in years. People need to read this book. It needs to be turned into a book. This story is just plain awsome. M
This soulful book of personal poetry brought me into the past and into the present---and into my heart.
Read the first book and this 2nd one did not disappoint! Loved every chapter. More please!