Overview

From a personal obsession with film, to an unorthodox mentorship with the legendary Pauline Kael, to establishing himself with the upstart Entertainment Weekly, Movie Freak is the memoir by veteran film critic Owen Gleiberman that will speak to anyone whose life has been changed by a great film. What molds a critic? Perhaps it takes parents willing to buy nine-year-old Gleiberman drive-in tickets for Rosemary's Baby. Like millions of us, Gleiberman loves movies and in this frank and funny memoir he not only reveals the details of how he became a critic but attempts to show why we find cinema so defining as a society. As one of the premiere tastemakers for more than three decades, Gleiberman, a self-confessed movie freak, explains why he, and so many others, equate film with life. Readers will revel in the juicy details of the behind-the-scenes life of a critic and cheer as he lifts the curtain on life along the red carpet.

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9780316382960

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Reviews

With Movie Freak, Owen Gleiberman reminds us why he's remained one of the most incisive American critics working today. Pairing his burgeoning romance with motion pictures alongside various private and professional developments, he delivers a bracing cultural history of American movies through the intimate lens of his personal experiences. Along the way, he explores the subtle forces that contribute to the development of sharp, provocative opinions about cinema, art and life itself, illustrating that process through his typically engrossing prose and individualistic stances. Yet Movie Freak deepens its cause by extending beyond the limited arena of American film culture to capture its impact on Gleiberman's maturation as a human being. This is a coming of age drama as moving and profound as the big screen achievements that inspired its author. Eric Kohn, Indiewire

A chronicle of his love affair with films...a story of societal change, rich in cultural as well as personal history. Kirkus Reviews

Movie Freak mixes ideas and autobiography in a totally riveting way. Smart, gossipy, and entertaining, it's a flashback to a time when movies mattered and an insider's look at how that moment ended. Peter Biskind, author of Easy Riders, Raging Bulls

Author Information

Owen Gleiberman is an American film critic. He wrote for The Boston Phoenix and is best known as the founding movie writer for the then-startup Entertainment Weekly, where he was the lead critic for 24 years. Today Gleiberman continues to write for BBC.com and lives in New York City with his wife Sharon and two daughters.

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