Movie Love: Complete Reviews 1988-1991

Movie Love: Complete Reviews 1988-1991 contains Pauline Kael's film criticism from her final years writing for The New Yorker magazine. The collection includes over 150 reviews covering major theatrical releases from this period. Kael's direct writing style and strong opinions come through in reviews of films like Do the Right Thing, Goodfellas, The Silence of the Lambs, and other significant works of the era. Her pieces range from brief capsule reviews to extended essays analyzing performances, direction, and cultural context. As one of America's most influential film critics, Kael brings her decades of experience and knowledge to assessments of both mainstream Hollywood productions and independent films. The reviews maintain consistent attention to craft, storytelling, and the relationship between movies and their audiences. This collection documents shifts in American filmmaking during a transitional period, capturing both the end of the 1980s and start of the 1990s through Kael's distinctive critical lens. Her writing explores how films of this time reflected and shaped cultural attitudes while setting new directions for cinema.

Readers view this as one of Kael's weaker collections, covering her final years at The New Yorker before retirement. Many note her sharp observations remain but see less passion and insight compared to earlier works. Likes: - Reviews of films like Do the Right Thing and GoodFellas show her characteristic bite - Useful historical snapshot of late 80s cinema - Writing style maintains clarity and personality Dislikes: - More repetitive themes and arguments than previous collections - Some find her increasingly disconnected from changing film culture - Reviews feel rushed or less developed One reader noted: "You can sense her winding down - the fire isn't quite there anymore though the technical skill remains." Ratings: Goodreads: 4.1/5 (89 ratings) Amazon: 4.3/5 (12 reviews) Limited review data exists online for this specific collection compared to her more popular works like I Lost It at the Movies or When the Lights Go Down.

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🎬 Pauline Kael became the first woman to earn a National Book Award nomination in the Arts and Letters category for her film criticism collection "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" (1968) 📝 This collection covers Kael's reviews during her final years at The New Yorker, where she served as film critic from 1968 to 1991, helping establish film criticism as a respected art form 🎥 Kael famously never watched a movie twice, believing that initial reactions were the most authentic and that rewatching would only lead to over-intellectualizing the experience 🌟 During the period covered in this book, Kael championed several then-emerging directors including Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, and Steven Soderbergh, whose careers would later flourish 📚 The title "Movie Love" reflects Kael's passionate, often controversial writing style - she believed that emotional response to films was just as important as technical analysis, and frequently clashed with other critics over this approach