Friday, February 18, 2011

Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies by Michael Adams

I love books about bad movies (more than I love bad movies, actually), and this one's a real winner. Australian film critic Michael Adams comes up with the idea of finding the worst movie ever made, and embarks on a year-long journey to watch at least one bad movie a day. And oh my goodness, does he watch some stinkers.

The book is fast-paced, funny, and always interesting. I would have liked more details on a lot of the movies mentioned, but I realize there just wouldn't have been room. I enjoyed Adams' interviews with various directors, actors, and fellow critics about their favorite bad movies (or their own bad movies), and I especially liked the way Adams' own life progresses during the year. He worries that he's spending too much money on awful movies, and that he's becoming obsessed with the project far beyond the one-year mark he set for himself.

Best of all, this isn't a razzfest making fun of bad movies (although there's a healthy, and funny, dose of razzing where appropriate). Adams genuinely enjoys movies, bad or good. He finds something to appreciate in even the most horrible film, and he discovers many guilty pleasures in his hunt for the world's worst.

This book is a great addition to any bad-movie enthusiast's collection, although it'll make you want to rush out and buy a lot of DVDs. If there's a weak spot in the book, it's the lack of very many animated bad movies, although that may just be my personal preferences showing. (While Freddie the Frog as F.R.O.7 may not be the worst movie ever made, it's in my personal bottom 10.)

B&N link

No comments: