For the Love of Movies

What leads otherwise sane writers to pursue careers as movie reviewers? This documentary, directed by Gerald Peary, veteran film critic of The Boston Phoenix, provides a clue. FOR THE LOVE OF MOVIES chronicles the history of film criticism, beginning in the early 20th century – when neither making movies nor writing about them was a terribly legitimate profession – through the decades when reviewers such as Bosley Crowther reigned supreme at The New York Times. The legendary debate between Andrew Sarris and Pauline Kael over auteurism in the 60s and 70s is described in humorous detail. The popular influences of television personalities such as Siskel and Ebert, the waning of print-based professional film reviews, and the recent dawn of consumer reviews on the internet are also discussed. Peary offers a unique insider's view of his highly influential trade, interviewing colleagues whose faces are less well-known than their bylines: A.O. Scott of The New York Times, Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times, Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly, and young Web voices like ainitcool.com's Harry Knowles and spout.com's Karina Longworth. You'll never read a movie review the same way again. – B.B.