Readathon

Ta da!

After nearly two months of reading, I have finally finished the most recent book decreed from my random book list generator, The New Biographical Dictionary of Film by David Thomson (2002). All 963 pages of it, baby.

This book is much more like a book of short essays on directors, actors, producers, screenwriters, and other people involved in film than a strict reference book. This made it a very engaging and occasionally infuriating read. I don't always agree with Thomson -- there are people he doesn't like that I like quite a bit (John Cassavetes, Lars von Trier, Billy Wilder), and people he loves that I just can't explain (Taylor Hackford? Zuh?). And yet, even if I violently disagree with his opinions, I like that he has them, and it is fun to read them. This book ends up being more of a biography of Thomson as a filmwatcher than a set of facts about people in the movie business.

Plus it introduced me to my new favorite film title and the possible name of my band if I ever had a band (which I never will, so feel free to steal it): Tillie's Punctured Romance (Mack Sennett, 1914). The movie sounds pretty great too.

And I had to wait till the very end, but I did get a little biographical taste of Darryl F. Zanuck, the mogul behind 20th Century Fox who just happened to be born in the small town of Wahoo, Nebraska, where my mother was born and where my grandparents live. Zanuck seems like a real jerk, but its still cool that he was born in Wahoo.

And now that I've plowed through all 963 pages, I am filled with trivial information such as this that qualifies me for the label of: movie genius. Watch out world!