{"product_id":"a-reluctant-film-critic-hardcover","title":"A Reluctant Film Critic - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eGerald Peary\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA sharp, funny, and deeply engaging memoir, \u003cem\u003eA Reluctant Film Critic\u003c\/em\u003e traces Gerald Peary's unlikely journey from a bookish, movie-obsessed boy in small-town America to one of the country's most distinctive critical voices. Told in vivid, fast-moving vignettes, it's a story of curiosity, rebellion, and discovery, of a life spent both inside and outside the darkened cinema, forever questioning what it means to watch, to feel, and to judge.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDon't think of Gerald Peary as a film critic, but rather as a highly singular thinker and writer about cinema. And if he has been branded a contrarian or provocateur, he comes by honestly and with a big heart. In this wonderful, witty, frank memoir, Gerry paints a vivid picture of growing up in America as a Jewish Southerner, his lifelong passion for movies and his adventures in the film world. I couldn't put it down. - Alexander Payne\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI've always admired Gerald Peary's boldness as a critic, his political savvy, deep knowledge of film history, and contrarian aesthetic judgment. Over more than fifty years we've also had many spirited disagreements, which I value in a critic and friend who, as he does, teaches me to think in fresh ways. The readers of this lively, engaging book will discover the multicultural roots that helped form Peary's provocative insights about life and the movies. - Joseph McBride, author of biographies of Frank Capra, John Ford, and Steven Spielberg\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGerald Peary has been a much-published film critic in Cambridge, Massachusetts for more than 45 years, writing for the \u003cem\u003eReal Paper \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eBoston Phoenix\u003c\/em\u003e and now the on-line magazine, \u003cem\u003eThe Arts Fuse\u003c\/em\u003e. His articles have appeared in international cinema journals including \u003cem\u003eFilm Comment\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eFilm Quarterly\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eSight and Sound\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eCineaste\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003ePositif, \u003c\/em\u003e and\u003cem\u003e The Velvet Light Trap\u003c\/em\u003e. He is the author or editor of nine books on cinema, and the writer-director of three feature documentaries, \u003cem\u003eFor the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism \u003c\/em\u003e(2009), \u003cem\u003eArchie's Betty\u003c\/em\u003e (2015), and, with Amy Geller, \u003cem\u003eThe Rabbi Goes West\u003c\/em\u003e (2019). He has served on film juries around the world, including Venice, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Rotterdam, Edinburgh, Moscow, Locarno, Buenos Aires. He acted in the 2013 feature film, \u003cem\u003eComputer Chess.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 226\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.56 x 8 x 5 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 05, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52960219201843,"sku":"9798899760402","price":50.2,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/CcxEId8Ci69798899760402.webp?v=1768481613","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/products\/a-reluctant-film-critic-hardcover","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}