[We most often think of writer David Thomson as one of our most perceptive writers about the movies. When EDF asked him if we could publish an excerpt from his newest book, How to Watch a Movie, he offered, as a bonus, the following piece that he was writing when we called. It is both touching and witty, reminding us that he should step outside our expectations more often in addition to enlightening us about cinema.
Tag Archives: David Thomson
Eat My Shorts – Trains on Film
“In their first appearance together at the Smith Rafael Film Center since their initial “dialogue” series in 2009, David Thomson, celebrated film critic and historian, will join award-winning novelist and poet Michael Ondaatje for an entertaining weekend of screenings and discussions around trains as cinematic subject and stimulus.
How to Watch a Movie
Discerning, funny, and utterly unique, How to Watch a Movie is a welcome twist on a classic proverb: Give a movie fan a film, she’ll be entertained for an hour or two; teach a movie fan to watch, his experience will be enriched forever.
From one of our most admired critics, brilliant insights into the act of watching movies and an enlightening discussion about how to derive more from any film experience we present Chapter Two for your pleasure.
Brando in the Making: An Excerpt From WHY ACTING MATTERS by David Thomson
One of the 58th San Francisco International Film Festival‘s Marquee Presentations is Steven Riley’s documentary Listen to Me Marlon, in which a treasure trove of audio tapes—augmented by home movies, film clips and other archival materials—yields a unique autobiographical portrait of one of cinema’s greatest actors, Marlon Brando.
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Daniel Day-Lewis and the Ghosts of Hamlet: An Excerpt from WHY ACTING MATTERS by David Thomson
Join the Roxie Theater and film critic, writer and historian David Thomson on Wednesday, March 11 for a book signing, film screening and discussion celebrating the release of Thomson’s new book Why Acting Matters (from Amazon, Indiebound or Yale University Press). Continue reading
David Thomson at SFIFF and Moments That Made the Movies: The Shining
Writer and critic David Thomson will be awarded the Novikoff Award by the San Francisco Film Society on Sunday, May 4. See more details and read an excerpt from his book “The Moments That Made the Movies.” Continue reading