Ain't It Cool? Hollywood's Redheaded Stepchild Speaks Out

Rating:
Summary: Malcom X? Einstein? Forget those losers!
Review: Oh wow! I've just finished reading this wonderful book and I have to say - seriously - I've never read a more moving life story in all my years of breathing . . . except maybe when I read that book about Ghandi once. I forget which one. Forget it. Look, all you need to know is that Mr. Knowles is the new name for God. I mean if I saw him in the street I think that I'd forget how to breath or something. No joke. My friend met him once and apparently he actually glows. He glows!!! Like Jesus or something. Probably better than Jesus though.
So I guess I'm trying to say is that this book is the modern day Bible. In fact as soon as I finished reading I actually started self-harming because I knew there and then that I could never ever aspire to the greatness of this man. I found this very depressing. I don't know why I'm bothering to write this review, I'm sure Harry would write it much better. God I hope he reads this! I hope all of the spelling is okay.
I never thought I could love another man and feel so comfortable with it (sighs).
So if you hadn't guessed all ready this book is a whole load of bunk (the five stars being ironic and all . . . geddit?).

Rating:
Summary: How did Harry Knowles get his fame?!
Review: How scary has this world become when someone like Harry Knowles gets this much attention in Hollywood?

I could only read this book halfway through until I decided I needed to move on with my life. This man has received far more attention than he deserves. He obviously has no talent as a journalist and he certainly cannot run a website.

This world has gone whacky if people like Harry Knowles is deserving of this much attention.

Rating:
Summary: A book of ignorant views.
Review: I enjoyed Harry's book. I've been a reader at his site for several years and it was fascinating to hear his take on so many varied topics.

The book did run a little long, but for a first time effort, it really was quite good.

Rating:
Summary: I love Harry but...
Review: I love Harry Knowles but... I was dissapointed with this book. When he writes about his life... evocative... powerful... achingly beautiful. The part about his mother being killed for the insurance money moved me to tears. I really can really identify with his struggle. See I used to have some friends and we used to communicate on a website. But then one of them made a joke about me and played me like I was his two bit punk. I was so ashamed of myself. I ran away and could not face them anymore. This book gave me hope! Now I am going to make movies. I can't make excuses anymore. It's time.

But when he writes about movies... boring. I can see the movies myself. I want to know more about the man. Especially his romances. It was also way way too short. Dont worry folks, I am sure that his second book will be better.

Rating:
Summary: Pretty cool first effort
Review: I picked up on the Harry Knowles phenomenon pretty late -- only about the time he started appearing with Roger Ebert. Since then, I've enjoyed reading his reviews both for their soap-opera quality about his life and his unbridled, geeky love of movies. His scatalogical "Battlefield Earth" review made me laugh out loud; his "Toy Story 2" review made me weep a little. He and Web site compatriot Moriarty keep me abreast of many of the films I care about.
So I ordered his book off the Amazon link from his Web site, and I finished it in about three days (this isn't heavy reading). I was troubled by the two co-authors -- why does someone who writes for a living need help? Nevertheless, the book is a reasonable facsimile of his singular writing voice. Essentially, the book is half-memoir, half-rant. The memoir part, especially the chapter about his bizarre, sad mother and grandmother, is fascinating. I just wish there had been more of it. He lets us in to how movies affected him in his childhood, but I wanted more detail. Maybe I wanted too much -- another "Ghost Light," Frank Rich's marvelous exploration of what it is to love theater. I did enjoy, however, the rundown of his Web site "spies," whom he cares a lot about and owes a lot to. His blow-by-blow account of the growth of his Web site is a little sketchy and self-congratulating.
The rest of the book is a jeremiad about the sorry state of Hollywood. The rant is long, windy and not all that original. What's more, his reviews undercut his arguments. In the book, he rails against badly plotted, unoriginal explosion-fests, yet he's liked some of the worst culprits -- "X-Men" for one. He does hit on one big factor -- how many people feel shut out of movies. I go through weeks during the summer when there simply isn't anything for me to see. I remember going to the movies with my parents when I was in elementary school to see big-screen epics that could entertain adults and kids -- "Lawrence of Arabia," "Ben-Hur," the original "Planet of the Apes." Now movies are either gross or dumb or both. Harry Knowles wants better movies, but I'm not sure we want the same better movies. Certainly there must be room for both of us.
So do I recommend the book? Sure, why not. It's fun spending three days inside Harry's head. For his next book, perhaps, I'd like to see him explore movie themes the way he does in the back -- his top 10 and bottom 10 movie lists are absorbing and insightful.

Rating:
Summary: A lesson in self indulgence
Review: I was looking forward to reading this book when it was first announced as I was a frequent visitor to Knowles' 'Aint It Cool News' website at the time and wanted to find out more about the development and history behind the site. Once I had purchased the book, any enthusiasm I had quickly evaporated upon reading it. And I had stopped visiting AICN regularly by the time I finished it.

There's a wearying sense of self-importance throughout the book. For example, Harry recounts the story of having conversations with 'Batman And Robin' director Joel Schumacher after the film bombed, and suggesting to Schumacher that he take on more personal projects. Harry is quick to point out that he's not taking credit for Schumachers subsequent career turnaround, but it sure reads like he is as he portrays himself as Yoda to the directors Luke Skywalker. That's just one example of Knowles painting a picture of himself as someone whose opinions are highly valued and acted upon by Hollywood players.

And then there's Harry as journalist. He justifies using the label by reeling off a list of films about newspapers and reporters he's seen. I actually laughed out loud when I read Harrys attempts to portray himself as a real journalist. He then goes on to destroy any credibility he may have had by admitting to posting positive reviews for 'Gods And Monsters' under false names at his site in order to get folks to see the film. If a real journalist did something that dishonest, they'd be out of a job real quick. However, Harry is his own boss. And as long as traffic remains high at his site and he keeps getting interviewed by the mainstream media and offered film cameos, I'm sure he's not too concerned about any criticism that may come his way. It's also worth asking the question...how many real journalists need the help of not one but two co-writers to write a book?

There is some good stuff in this book, but unfortunately most of it is negated whenever Harry gets on his high horse about the movie industry. He expresses his views as though they are gifts for movie fans and industry insiders handed down from Heaven Above. Was he watching Charlton Heston as Moses when he was writing this book? I don't take his views too seriously as this is a guy who can spew bile about a movie project one day and then play nice the next in order to keep important Hollywood players happy after they complain. This happened (after the book was published) when writer J J Abrams called Knowles after reading a negative review of his Superman film script and a rant from Knowles which included a suggestion to readers that they boycott Warner Brothers stores until the Abrams script was ditched. Knowles then removed his negative comments and replaced them with a plea to Superman fans to be positive and adopt a "wait and see" attitude towards the film. That's a real journalist at work, folks ;-)

I haven't given this one star because I enjoyed Harry's lists of favourite and least favourite films at the end of the book. It doesn't save the book, but at least the man can write about film in a knowledgable, passionate and entertaining manner. Unfortunately he can sometimes be too passionate...if you have a strong stomach, visit his website and search for his review of Blade 2. Ugh. Fortunately Knowles reigns himself in here and doesn't give way to his worst excesses as a reviewer.

Rating:
Summary: A lesson in self indulgence
Review: Unless you enjoying reading a book from someone who chooses what movies to review and is biased because of his "friendship" with people in the industry, avoid this book. Harry is a self-induldent, holier than-thou geek that lucked out by getting a good domain name and rubbing shoulders with the right people. Hey, it is a free country and he can captitalize how he wishes, but we as consumers should be aware that his opinion is not 100% honest as he says it is.