Blog Spotlight: Apocalypse Later

The Blog: Apocalypse Later: Welcome to my journey of through a hundred and some years of cinema

The URL: http://www.apocalypselaterfilm.com/

The Blogger: Hal Astell

Why it's a Great Blog: Hal Astell has been blogging about film for several years. His blog actually dates back to 2000, but it really begins in earnest in 2007. Astell describes himself as a "transplant from the rain and beauty of northern England to the sun and desolation of Phoenix, AZ." He loves cinema and it shows. His output is extremely prolific and the entries are often detailed and thorough. In 2007 alone, he posted 542 times. He posts almost daily, sometimes several times a day. His film reviews are perceptive, fair and he has a great eye for detail. And he's a splendid writer to boot. He is especially into classic Hollywood cinema, which is near and dear to my heart. But his tastes are quite eclectic and he often reviews foreign films and more contemporary movies as well. His knowledge of film is encyclopedic, to say the least. And the Blog is often a sumptuous feast for the eyes, as he makes excellent use of numerous movie posters and lobby cards. Astell has, for all intents and purposes, created a masterful film reference guide which, if it were to appear in book form, would take up numerous volumes and cost a fortune. But the purpose of a Blog is to share thoughts and insights with people for free, and to that end, Astell has performed an invaluable service.

Bottom Line: Apocalypse Later might be the finest film blog I have ever encountered. I highly recommend that you take a look at it. You, like me, will probably end up spending a great deal of time there.

Movie Mavens: Leslie Halliwell

Who: Leslie Robert James Halliwell (1929-1989).

What: British film critic, author of numerous books, including The Filmgoer's Companion (originally published in 1965, but revised countless times), Halliwell's Film Guide (originally published in 1977, also revised too many times to count), Double Take and Fade Away: Halliwell on Comedians (1987), the list goes on. 

His influence on me: Halliwell's film writings were among the first film criticisms I've ever read. Halliwell taught me a lot about watching films. When I was about 11, I read him for the first time (my then-stepfather was a huge fan). Turns out, Halliwell was extremely picky. He hated a lot more movies than he loved. He definitely was NOT a movie slut. He panned a lot of movies, and when he went after a film, he could be very caustic. Sometimes, I thought he was hard on movies. For instance, he hated Abbott and Costello movies and at the time, I worshipped Abbott and Costello (I still love Bud and Lou, for the record -- Halliwell failed to convince me on that one). Halliwell was especially fond of movies made in the 1930s and 1940s. The farther you get beyond the '40s, the more likely he is to hate the movie. By the time you get to the 1970s, he loathes most of the cinema. He wrote a column on film for The Daily Mirror. He rated films up to four stars -- a four-star film being a masterpiece -- and I think the very most recent film ever made to get a four-star rating from Halliwell was Bonnie and Clyde (1967). When he loved a film, which was rare, he heaped praise on it. For instance, he wrote of The Grapes of Wrath (1940): "A superb film which could scarcely be improved upon. Though the ending is softened from the book, there was too much here for filmgoers to chew on. Acting, photography, direction combine to make this unforgettable experience, a poem of a film." Halliwell was a gifted writer with a keen eye for great cinema. I didn't always agree with him, especially his refusal to accept more modern motion pictures. But he challenged me to defend why I liked certain movies and disliked others. He taught me about the language of film. And he deepened my appreciation, in general, of the art. 

Other Odds & Ends: According to the Website on Leslie Halliwell, LeslieHalliwell.com, Michael M. Binder is at work on a biography of Halliwell. If he ever publishes it, I'll be the first to read it. Here was Halliwell's Top 10 (his 10 favorite films of all time):

1. Citizen Kane
   
2. Trouble in Paradise
   
3. The Bride of Frankenstein
   
4. Le Million
   
5. A Matter of Life and Death
   
6. Lost Horizon (1937)
   
7. Sons of the Desert
   
8. The Philadelphia Story
   
9. The Maltese Falcon
   
10. The Lady Vanishes

Hunt's verdict: One of the greatest film critics of all time. A gentleman who simply loved movies and helped countless readers -- including me -- appreciate them as art.