Following THE A LIST and THE X LIST, one highly respected group of critics moves back to the beginning of the alphabet for THE B LIST: THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS ON THE LOW-BUDGET BEAUTIES, GENRE-BENDING MAVERICKS, AND CULT CLASSICS WE LOVE. (Ugh, they said “mavericks.”) Edited by David Sterritt and John Anderson, the collection offers reviews of nearly 60 B movies.
From film noir to neo-noir and grindhouse to arthouse, THE B LIST covers all genres, including Westerns, horror, science fiction and musicals. It even singles out subgenres like the road movie and political dramas, with each deserving of its own chapter.
Taste is relative, of course, but the book makes some interesting arguments. Perhaps most notably, THE NATION‘s Stuart Klawans calls THE RAGE: CARRIE 2 as “a far richer, more absorbing film” than Brian DePalma’s classic CARRIE. Can’t say I agree, but I enjoyed reading his point.
Similarly, Charles Taylor makes a case for the disaster film — and box-office disaster — THE CORE, and it’s much easier to swallow. Then again, he’s not exactly praising it and stacking it up against something that has withstood the test of time, but “its mix of decency and craft make you remember it with affection and gratitude.”
To read the work of critics who truly got it, read Chris Fujiwara’s take on 1958′s THE FLY, Matt Zoller Seitz’s appreciation for William Friedkin’s TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. and Eleanor Ringel Carter’s evaluation of the Donald E. Westlake-penned THE STEPFATHER. But — Pulitzer Prize be damned — Roger Ebert’s reviews (which here includes 1972′s TALES FROM THE CRYPT) are remarkably curt, too short to be substantive.
Ironically, the least interesting part of THE B LIST is the section on midnight movies — perhaps the genre that most personifies the spirit of the Bs. If I read one more essay on how great THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW supposedly is, I’ll … well, that’s just it: I won’t read it.
Like many of the movies it discusses, THE B LIST may not quite be one for the permanent shelf, but it’s fun for a couple of hours. —Rod Lott
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THIS SERIES:
• THE X LIST: THE NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS’ GUIDE TO THE MOVIES THAT TURN US ON edited by Jami Bernard
Related posts:
- The X List: The National Society of Film Critics’ Guide to the Movies That Turn Us On
- Mavericks of the Sky: The First Daring Pilots of the U.S. Air Mail
- Horror Isn’t a 4-Letter Word: Essays on Writing & Appreciating the Genre
- Prime Books announces BEST OF genre anthologies
- BOOKS 2 FILM >> Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
The ‘burbs better be in there somewhere. It deserves some sort of recognition!
I’m in agreement with you, but it’s not.
I actually love Rocky Horror (it’s a camp horror musical that features Susan Sarandon’s breasts for cryin’ out loud–it was freakin’ made for me!), but absolutely hate the midnight shows and the assholes who attend them.
Sarandon’s the only reason I would watch any scene of it ever again.