Rosenbaum's book is simply a great introductory read into the failures of how the American audience, and the distributors of cinema in the States are leading to a 'possible' decline in quality of film being seen in the United States. Rosenbuam points to America as being the leader and champion of exported culture (regardless if this a good thing or not is not the point), and the cause of a dumbing down of cinema all over the world, as great works get pushed to the side seemingly never meant to be appreciated.
One of the best things that comes across in the book is Rosenbaum's passion. Simply put he waxes poeticaly talking back to the days of his past and finding films on his own, be it an odd trek to see John Carpenters 'The Thing', or about his education with film in his years in Paris, or his insight about how the festival of Cannes has chaned, to his reaction of a critic during the first hour of a seven hour film masterpiece (the name right now escapes me and I don't have the book with me to quote the name it starts with an 'S'). The other side is filled with not so much venom as 'concern' if I could say with the concept of how America is not getting the film education and greatness it deserves.
He highlights this in several ways, such as his dicussions about Miramax (He points out that if Miramax gets a film chances of you seeing it are even LESS than if they didn't, and if you do chances are it's going to be chopped/altered in someway), the myth of independent film (he points out that Sundance and Telluride is just a cover and is in no way an independent showcase), and how most film critics are more in-debt to their papers and editors who call the shots (he highlights that with one critic as his popularity grew his word count and column got less real-estate space).
It's an absolutlely FASCINATING look at cinema and the state that it is heading in. This is a MUST have film book if you are passionate about film.
Some criticism's of the book though come from some of Rosenbaums overly-long wordy sentences, and his use of examples with films that can be for the most part with many first time readers, unknown. When he starts using films that he has seen for his arguments chances are you are not going to guess where he is coming from due to the fact you haven't seen the films yourself. But he certainly does point you in some interesting directions. However, with the films he does point out that you may know you get exactly where he is coming from.
Secondly, even though the book is merely only 4 years old, it is a little dated. Rosenbaum likes to bring up the obscurity of director Ozu (one of my personal favs) as a problem, however there has lately been a renaisance of his work and he is already starting to become quite a well known name (Criterion DVD releases are already proving that, and a recent tribute festival that I saw that came through DC).
Even with all that said, the book is a fascinating insight into the realm of how cinema is marketed and distributed to the mass American public. Rosenbaum throws in examples of dumbed down culture, coroporate marketing, distributor strangleholding and numerous other things that will keep you intrigued about the workings of the film process.
Great book, ecspecialy if you are a film nut like myself.
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