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amcloughlin's review against another edition
3.0
The authors each write a very short story after seeing a classic film. Each chapter is one pair of stories inspired by the same film, and while I haven't seen most of the movies in question, the theme or mood or setting that the stories share is enough to make each chapter feel coherent. That being said, the stories don't hit more than a few emotional notes. They hit them powerfully and beautifully, but it's one long bittersweet nostalgic ode to this cruel life we all lead.
kafkand's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
himynameisroe's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting concept: two writers watch the criterion collection and then write flash fiction responses to each film. It sounds like a fun project.
I fee like I missed out on something for the stories in response to films I hadn't seen. Some pieces didn't really have enough time to breathe, but I thought the concept alone made it worth reading.
I fee like I missed out on something for the stories in response to films I hadn't seen. Some pieces didn't really have enough time to breathe, but I thought the concept alone made it worth reading.
yosistachrista's review against another edition
3.0
I had to jump around to get through this. If you haven’t seen the films (which I’m assuming a lot of us haven’t?), it feels a bit difficult to follow. A handful of them were great because they didn’t rely heavily on the quirky details of the film and existed fiercely on its own. I think I enjoyed the concept more than the execution. The writing of course is beautiful and vivid. I think that counts a lot more, but maybe that’s just me. Sometimes I’ll read something and think, “that was super pretty” and not even understand it. I think this was a lot of that.
alanfederman's review
3.0
An interesting collection of vignettes by two authors, each based on a film they just saw. To be honest, I had seen very few of the films, but it didn't hinder my enjoyment of the great writing. Though there was no story arc per se, themes of "coming of age" in the 80s permeated the book along with basic tales of human sorrow and a few glimmers of hope.
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