I expected to adore this book. It’s Patton Oswalt — who I love — talking about film, one of my favorite subjects. But it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. Oswalt talks about film a fair amount, but usually as a springboard to talking about himself and his career as an actor and stand-up comedian. When he came to Los Angeles, he became obsessed with the Beverly Movie Theater and saw his frequent visits as a form of education. He began as an aspiring director, […]
Shooting up Celluloid
This will be either the most interesting or the most boring addiction memoir you’ve ever read. I can’t promise it ever gets “harrowing,” but I can promise that I tried- I really tried- to make it funny. In the mid to late 1990s Patton Oswalt, who had recently moved to Los Angeles, had a debilitating addiction. It wasn’t booze or drugs but it was equally crippling- Movies. More specifically, although not exclusively, classic films; he had five ‘encyclopedias’ of Film Noir and Cult movies that […]
Wonderful Book Goodies from Joemyjoe
A big thank you to Joemyjoe (with the assist from scootsa1000) for the CBR Book Exchange goodies! I’ve always loved how obsessively-detailed Patton Oswalt can become with his take on pop-culture, so when I saw this in a bookstore once, I knew immediately that I wanted to read it. And “21” is the only book in Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin series that I did not own. Thank you for completing my collection! I can’t wait to read both of them!
I get the obsession, if not the subject
I like Patton Oswalt — his guest spots on various shows (Parks & Rec, for one) have always cracked me up, and while I don’t do the Twitter, I always enjoy seeing his funny tweets when they go viral. Sadly, a general like for a funny dude did not translate to great love for his book about film — but if you’re a film buff (I am not, although I do love a good — meaning bad — disaster movie), you might want to check this […]