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A review by canadiantiquarian
Brat Pack America: A Love Letter to '80s Teen Movies by Kevin Smokler
4.0
This is, as the cover attests, "A love letter to '80s teen movies."
But it is NOT a solo, one-dimensional, self-serving exploration of movie locations in '80s teen movies. Instead, Kevin Smokler's love letter is the beginning of a great and thought-provoking correspondence. He offers no shortage of facts and insights into the cinematic world, but he never dares to suggest these 326 pages are the be-all and end-all of the topic.
The "what about ___," problem -- which many nonfiction writers face when they try to balance expertise and limitation -- is easily sidestepped because Brat Pack America feels like a book that encourages you to ask, respond, and expand upon the information within. This is the engaging teacher rather than the repetitive, droning bore. Rather than being a "forgettable noisemaker" like some movies he talks about that are forgotten, the book lingers because it has made us active spectators of the films, and participants of the conversation.
This approach allows BPA to thrive beyond the limitations of his experience, and be a jumping off point not only for the importance of location in film, but how the films' locations he mentions (and omits) interact in different ways.
Never before has a book made me want to write addendum chapters, which I consider a great feat.
But it is NOT a solo, one-dimensional, self-serving exploration of movie locations in '80s teen movies. Instead, Kevin Smokler's love letter is the beginning of a great and thought-provoking correspondence. He offers no shortage of facts and insights into the cinematic world, but he never dares to suggest these 326 pages are the be-all and end-all of the topic.
The "what about ___," problem -- which many nonfiction writers face when they try to balance expertise and limitation -- is easily sidestepped because Brat Pack America feels like a book that encourages you to ask, respond, and expand upon the information within. This is the engaging teacher rather than the repetitive, droning bore. Rather than being a "forgettable noisemaker" like some movies he talks about that are forgotten, the book lingers because it has made us active spectators of the films, and participants of the conversation.
This approach allows BPA to thrive beyond the limitations of his experience, and be a jumping off point not only for the importance of location in film, but how the films' locations he mentions (and omits) interact in different ways.
Never before has a book made me want to write addendum chapters, which I consider a great feat.