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ria_mhrj's review against another edition
4.0
What a treat!
I was leafing through an old copy of Empire this weekend and came across an article about expectations for Summer 2012's box office. The Dark Knight Rises was tipped for the top spot, whilst The Avengers sat pretty in fourth. Funny how things work out. Anyway, it's great fun reading forecasts and comparing what actually happened, and so it was exceedingly enjoyable reading William Goldman's summary of the cinematic landscape of the 1990s.
Mr Goldman pulled these essays into a book at the end of the 90s, right around the time I was embracing my future as a film geek, so references to The Matrix, Fight Club and The Green Mile struck a chord from the start. His journey through each year largely focused on Summer Blockbusters, Holiday Movies and the Oscars, and Goldman's wit and wisdom kept me entertained all the way through.
There are some points that haven't aged well (references to Kevin Costner's star power for a start, along with praise of Mel Gibson) but some are eerily still relevant - such as the essay marvelling at the perception of movies with women in the lead being flukes. In the year when The Hunger Games was a box office smash and there is STILL shock that a non-rom-com with a woman in the lead could draw a sizeable crowd, it makes me wonder how far we've come.
Loved this book, I will happily read more of Mr Goldman's thoughts on movies.
I was leafing through an old copy of Empire this weekend and came across an article about expectations for Summer 2012's box office. The Dark Knight Rises was tipped for the top spot, whilst The Avengers sat pretty in fourth. Funny how things work out. Anyway, it's great fun reading forecasts and comparing what actually happened, and so it was exceedingly enjoyable reading William Goldman's summary of the cinematic landscape of the 1990s.
Mr Goldman pulled these essays into a book at the end of the 90s, right around the time I was embracing my future as a film geek, so references to The Matrix, Fight Club and The Green Mile struck a chord from the start. His journey through each year largely focused on Summer Blockbusters, Holiday Movies and the Oscars, and Goldman's wit and wisdom kept me entertained all the way through.
There are some points that haven't aged well (references to Kevin Costner's star power for a start, along with praise of Mel Gibson) but some are eerily still relevant - such as the essay marvelling at the perception of movies with women in the lead being flukes. In the year when The Hunger Games was a box office smash and there is STILL shock that a non-rom-com with a woman in the lead could draw a sizeable crowd, it makes me wonder how far we've come.
Loved this book, I will happily read more of Mr Goldman's thoughts on movies.
miramanga's review against another edition
2.0
This took me forever to finish, I love The Princess Bride novel which was written by Mr Goldman but we're firmly in reality with this book, not a R.O.U.S. in sight.
This insider's take on Hollywood will certainly delight a true cinema lover, but I found it a little bit figure heavy and that they're just weren't enough celebrity anecdotes for my shallow tastes! (There are still quite a few good ones mind you!)
This insider's take on Hollywood will certainly delight a true cinema lover, but I found it a little bit figure heavy and that they're just weren't enough celebrity anecdotes for my shallow tastes! (There are still quite a few good ones mind you!)
nrfaris's review against another edition
5.0
Picked this up after his recent passing. A respected legend with the passion of a fan and the honesty of someone with nothing to lose (which somehow meant he couldn’t). A gentle reminder that criticism doesn’t have to be obtuse to be good.
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