The B List: The National Society of Film Critics on the Low-Budget Beauties, Genre-Bending Mavericks, and Cult Classics We Love PDF
Preview The B List: The National Society of Film Critics on the Low-Budget Beauties, Genre-Bending Mavericks, and Cult Classics We Love
W hat kind of collection could DAVID STERRITT is chairman of possibly fi nd common the National Society of Film ground among The Son of Critics and a fi lm professor at Kong, Platoon, and Pink Columbia University. He lives Flamingos? What kind of fevered minds near Santa Barbara, California. could conceive of such a list? What are the unheard-of qualities that tie them JOHN ANDERSON writes regularly all together? for Variety, the New York Times, MATHTH The answers: This book. The and Newsday. He lives in VERE LOE N National Society of Film Critics. And Los Angeles. ICWAT tmhoe vfiaer -itrseealcf.hing enticements of the B THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FILM KS, AND C-BUDGET BIONAL SOC woodO sntceep,c thhield B, tmheo vuine dwearsb tehlley H ofo tllhye- oCrRgITanICiSza itsi oan w coormldp-oresnedo wofn ed ULT CLEAUTIEIETY O ASF double feature. Today it is a more inclu- America’s most distinguished SSIC, GEN FILM soiuvtes icdaete tghoer my, aeimnsbtrraecaimng b fiy ldmins tt hofa tt hfaelilr critics. S WERE-BE CRIT LNIC bfruedqgueetns,t ltyh—esiro mviseitoimnse,s t hesesire ngrtiiat,l layn—d OVEDING S ON their lack of what the culture cops call “good taste.” Featuring the choicest noir, neo- noir, science fi ction, horror, western, ALSO AVAILABLE midnight movies, and more—from critics like David Ansen, Jami Bernard, RSiawnncoe hdT gli heodcrveke eEBce it lbLdh,e iaeesrndtmt ,adl y.Cr K eiad eroinrfoifnesbey eRntahictc ,rTk auuetnryicap, .nRr Te—ihdcthiahctaet’rsa fid b w llmhe,ys SREDNA NHOJRRETS DIVAD YB DETIDE MTTHHAEEV ELNROAIWTCI-OKBNSUA,D LGA NESTOD C BCIEEUATLUYTT OICEFLS A,F SIGLSEMINC RCSER -WIBTEEICN LSDO IOVNENG $D1a5 .C95a p/ o£ 9P.9r9e s/ s$17.00 CAN FAI LDMa Capo Original NO& TTI DAVID STERRITEDTI T&ED JBOY HN ANDERSON A Member of the Perseus Books Group Cover design by Georgia A. Feldman www.dacapopress.com Cover photograph by J. R. Eyerman/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images 01_0306815669_sterritt.qxd 7/28/08 10:10 AM Page i T B L H E I S T 01_0306815669_sterritt.qxd 8/5/08 11:07 AM Page ii ALSO FROM THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS The A List: The National Society of Film Critics’ 100 Essential Films (edited by Jay Carr) The X List: The National Society of Film Critics’ Guide to the Movies That Turn Us On (edited by Jami Bernard) 01_0306815669_sterritt.qxd 8/5/08 11:07 AM Page iii T B L H E I S T The National Society of Film Critics on the L O W- B U D G E T B E AU T I E S , G E N R E - B E N D I N G M AV E R I C K S , A N D C U LT C L A S S I C S W E L O V E E D I T E D B Y D A V I D S T E R R I T T A N D J O H N A N D E R S O N DA CAPO PRESS A Member of the Perseus Books Group 01_0306815669_sterritt.qxd 8/5/08 11:07 AM Page iv Copyright © 2008 by David Sterritt and John Anderson All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America. For infor- mation, address Da Capo Press, 11 Cambridge Center, Cambridge, MA 02142. Set in 10.5 point Berkeley Book by the Perseus Books Group Published by Da Capo Press A Member of the Perseus Books Group www.dacapopress.com Da Capo Press books are available at special discounts for bulk purchases in the U.S. by corporations, institutions, and other organizations. For more information, please contact the Special Markets Department at the Perseus Books Group, 2300 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, or call (800) 810-4145, ext. 5000, or e-mail [email protected]. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data The B list : the National Society of Film Critics on the low-budget beauties, genre-bending mavericks, and cult classics we love / edited by David Sterritt and John Anderson. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-306-81566-9 (alk. paper) 1. Motion pictures—Reviews. I. Sterritt, David. II. Anderson, John, 1955 March 10– III. National Society of Film Critics. PN1995.N354 2008 791.43'75—dc22 2008011055 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 01_0306815669_sterritt.qxd 7/28/08 10:10 AM Page v Contents INTRODUCTION xi PART 1: OUT OF THE SHADOWS—FILM NOIR 1 DETOUR (1945) 3 by J. Hoberman GUN CRAZY (1950) 7 by Richard T. Jameson OUT OF THE PAST (1947) 11 by Stephanie Zacharek PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET (1953) 14 by Ty Burr KISS ME DEADLY (1955) 17 by Desson Thomson CRIME WAVE (1954) 19 by Richard Schickel MURDER BY CONTRACT (1958) 22 by Jay Carr THE WELL (1951) 26 by David Sterritt PART 2: NIGHTMARES IN TECHNICOLOR—NEO-NOIR 29 RESERVOIR DOGS (1992) 31 by Jami Bernard THE LAST SEDUCTION (1994) 35 by John Anderson 01_0306815669_sterritt.qxd 7/28/08 10:10 AM Page vi vi • Contents ONE FALSE MOVE (1992) 38 by Sheila Benson POINT BLANK (1967) 41 by Charles Taylor TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. (1985) 45 by Matt Zoller Seitz CROUPIER (1998) 49 by Kenneth Turan PART 3: FROM GRINDHOUSE TO ART HOUSE— MADNESS AND MELODRAMA 51 GRINDHOUSE (2007) 53 by Stephanie Zacharek PEEPING TOM (1960) 59 by Roger Ebert THE CONVERSATION (1974) 63 by Peter Keough THE STEPFATHER (1987) 67 by Eleanor Ringel Cater PRETTY POISON (1968) 70 by Peter Rainer PART 4: THE ALLURE OF THE UNKNOWN— SCIENCE FICTIONS 73 INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956) 75 by Michael Sragow THE BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET (1984) 77 by Carrie Rickey PRIMER (2004) 79 by Amy Taubin RED PLANET MARS (1952) 83 by J. Hoberman THE SPACE CHILDREN (1958) 87 by Chris Fujiwara 01_0306815669_sterritt.qxd 7/28/08 10:10 AM Page vii Contents • vii PART 5: DARK AND DISTURBING DREAMS— FILMS OF HORROR AND TERROR 91 TALES FROM THE CRYPT (1972) 93 by Roger Ebert THE FLY (1958) 95 by Chris Fujiwara THE RAGE: CARRIE 2 (1999) 99 by Stuart Klawans THE SON OF KONG (1933) 103 by Gerald Peary I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE (1943) 107 by Carrie Rickey MAY (2002) 110 by Roger Ebert PART 6: BURNING UP THE BLACKTOP—ROAD MOVIES 113 STRANGER THAN PARADISE (1984) 115 by Amy Taubin TWO-LANE BLACKTOP (1971) 119 by Sam Adams VANISHING POINT (1971) 122 by Stephanie Zacharek THE BIG BUS (1976) 125 by Kevin Thomas PART 7: GUNFIGHTER NATION—THE WILD WESTERN 127 THE NAKED SPUR AND MAN OF THE WEST (1953, 1958) 129 by Jonathan Rosenbaum WILL PENNY (1968) 134 by David Sterritt SEVEN MEN FROM NOW (1956) 137 by Richard T. Jameson FORTY GUNS (1957) 140 by Peter Travers 01_0306815669_sterritt.qxd 7/28/08 10:10 AM Page viii viii • Contents PART 8: UP AGAINST THE WALL!— POLITICAL PICTURES 143 PLATOON (1986) 145 by Eleanor Ringel Cater SALVADOR (1986) 148 by John Powers THE PRESIDENT’S ANALYST (1967) 153 by James Verniere MAN ON A STRING (1960) 156 by David Sterritt HEROES FOR SALE (1933) 159 by Jay Carr PART 9: WHOLE LOTTA SHAKIN’— ROCK, POP,AND BEYOND 163 THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY (1978) 165 by David Ansen KING CREOLE (1958) 168 by Gerald Peary AMERICAN HOT WAX (1978) 171 by Charles Taylor THE GIRL CAN’T HELP IT (1956) 175 by Carrie Rickey GREENDALE (2003) 177 by Sam Adams PART 10: PROVOCATION AND PERVERSITY— CULT CLASSICS 181 VIDEODROME (1983) 183 by Dennis Lim VAMPIRE’S KISS (1989) 186 by Rob Nelson THE CORE (2003) 189 by Charles Taylor BEAT THE DEVIL (1953) 192 by Roger Ebert MONA (1970) 196 by Richard Corliss 01_0306815669_sterritt.qxd 7/28/08 10:10 AM Page ix Contents • ix PART 11: TRANSGRESSIVE CHIC—THE WORLD OF MIDNIGHT MOVIES 199 PINK FLAMINGOS (1972) 201 by Roger Ebert THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975) 203 by Kevin Thomas TARGETS (1968) 205 by David Sterritt NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1968) 210 by Desson Thomson ERASERHEAD (1977) 212 by David Sterritt NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS 217 PERMISSIONS 225 INDEX 229
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