The Films of the Eighties

Do you enjoy reading big words used for the sake of using big words? Do you want to read a book written by someone who enjoys the sound of her own voice? Go read Pauline Kael. However, if you enjoy interesting points-of-view on films from the 1980s, this is the book for you. Brode lays things out in a way that the average film-goer can understand, while simultaneously exposing that film-goer to cinematographic techniques they have never seen. Another outstanding project.

Having purchased this book in 1991, before enrolling at Syracuse University and having the pleasure of taking a class with the author, I can recommend his book independently of my admiration for Mr. Brode. It is a fun synopsis of the films of our decade of greed - you may not agree with all the picks, but you'll enjoy reading his critiques. And as for any critique that it's not Pauline Kael, well good! This book ain't for self-anointed intellectuals. It's for the average film fan, and I'd rather be in the latter group any day.