The collected reviews of Anthony Lane, one of the finest critics of his generation.
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'Lane is the most entertaining writer in the New Yorker . . . the ant's pants, the bee's knees, the king of the hill. Some people can just do it; the rest of us only wish we could' Observer 'Nobody's Perfect, a cornucopia of the fruits of Anthony Lane's nigh-on decade as film critic with the New Yorker magazine, is a superb collection' Guardian 'Frequently prowling miles away from film - into Legoland for instance - he consistently surprises and delights with a heady blend of erudition and effervescence' Books of 2002, Independent on Sunday 'A glory: Throughout, Lane upholds the sterling virtue of good writing combined with wit and emotional engagement . . . Nobody's Perfect is a gorgeous plum pudding of a book' Spectator 'Dapper prose, erudite allusions and blithe spirit' Time Out 'An outstanding collection of jourmalism' Daily Telegraph 'A treat . . .Throughout, [Lane] reveals his integrity, culture, and unremitting wit' Herald
Book Description
Nobody's Perfect, the much anticipated collection from the New Yorker critic, brings together a generous selection of Lane's film criticisms, profiles, book reviews, and essays on art and culture. In the manner of Edmund Wilson and Kenneth Tynan, Lane embraces high and low with equal gusto, clearly having a marvelous time. Whether he's writing about T. S. Eliot or Judith Krantz, Alfred Hitchcock or Andre Gide, to read him-or better yet, to reread him-is to be carried along on a current of passionate declamation and urgent inquiry, wry reflection and penetrating wit. Taken together, these pieces reflect some of the most brilliant writing and thinking to have graced the pages of the New Yorker, and they impart a cultural and artistic literacy of the highest order.This, Lane's first book, is an exhilarating volume for fans old and new. 'Frequently prowling miles away from film - into Legoland for instance - he consistently surprises and delights with a heady blend of erudition and effervescence' Independent on Sunday 'Lane is the most entertaining writer in the New Yorker . . . the ant's pants, the bee's knees, the king of the hill. Some people can just do it; the rest of us only wish we could' Observer 'Nobody's Perfect, a cornucopia of the fruits of Anthony Lane's nigh-on decade as film critic with the New Yorker magazine, is a superb collection' Guardian 'A glory. Throughout, Lane upholds the sterling virtue of good writing combined with wit and emotional engagement . . . Nobody's Perfect is a gorgeous plum pudding of a book' Spectator 'An outstanding collection of journalism' Daily Telegraph 'Dapper prose, erudite allusions and blithe spirit' Time Out 'Readers will realise with delight that here is a critic quite prepared to snack happily on the lower slopes of Parnassus as on its heights, urbane enough to trust his own judgement on when art house cinema needs a good kicking, and knowledgeable enough without making his readers feel that they are in the presence of a show-off' Scotsman
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Film crit, profiles and journalism from the New Yorker over the last ten years - what the UK has been missing since Tina Browne snaffled Anthony Lane from the Independent. Highly commended for its wit and erudition, (and for propping open doors - it's 800 pages) but be warned that it's a kind of depressing read. I've been wasting my time on all this stuff all my life, but I now realise that I actually know nothing and have not a solitary idea worth the name in my empty head. The guy's just too smart, not just on the cultstuds stuff but on Eliot, Waugh, Shakespeare - the big guys - and maddeningly witty and charming with it. Had this one next to the loo for a couple of days thinking I would spin it out over a year or so - after all how many reviews do you want to read at a stretch ? - but it was soon out and by my bedside, and soon after that seemed to be following me round the house. I finally finished it off over a couple of days solid reading. And laughing. Haven't had this experience since Pauline Kael's mighty 'For Keeps', next to which it now sits, a worthy companion.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By Machiavelli
Format:Hardcover
I bought this yesterday - I picked it off the shelf because I vaguely remember seeing it (very positively) reviewed late last year. In the shop I read his review of "The Saint" (with which I agreed) and of "Stealing Beauty" (with which I disagreed largely, I admit, out of lazy sentimentality), but both made me laugh out loud such that other customers started edging away with sidelong looks. So I bought it and spent the evening with my wife, both of us howling with laughter at "Best-Sellers I" which is like a literary tour written by Bill Bryson (in one of his earlier books) - and I mean that as a compliment to both Messrs Lane and Bryson. His re-writing of Robert Frost in the style of Clive Cussler is simply brilliant, as is his Judith Krantz haiku. For any intelligent film- or book-lover, this is a must-buy.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Dazzlingly elegant style, wickedly funny, as they say, and fit to stand on the shelf alongside Pauline Kael and Clive James. This book marks a real find for those of us who haven't been managing to read the New Yorker.
Moreover, his judgment is crystal clear, in my own view - I found myself nodding assent to what Lane had to said about The New Hollywood, Star Wars, Orson Welles, Guy Ritchie, Ang Lee, and just about everything else.
I couldn't help noticing how this British writer (because I had to check he actually was)has perfected a style that is, seemingly effortlessly, both American and British at the same time (a kind of Cary Grant prose) with all the urbanity, all the snappy rhetoric which that suggests.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
This is a compilation of articles written by the author for a US publication called the New Yorker. Some comments are short and sharp whilst others take over a few pages. Read more
Published on 11 Sep 2004 by stuartl2
5.0 out of 5 stars
Every single page is great.
I'm still not quite sure why I bought this book. I find the New Yorker really boring. And it's a huge book, vastly inconvenient. Read more
Published on 13 Mar 2003 by Jennifer Colgan
5.0 out of 5 stars
wonderful
A great book to have around for dipping into. Lane likes most of the same things I do (Alfred Hitchcock, Where Eagles Dare, Billy Wilder, Cameron Diaz), and when he likes... Read more
Published on 4 Mar 2003 by S. Matthews
5.0 out of 5 stars
revel in the wit, the intelligence, the style...
...To some, a collection of old reviews may seem as unappetising as warmed-up porridge, and if so, they'd miss what has been the treat of the Xmas season. Read more
Published on 14 Dec 2002 by A. Craig
Listmania!
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