Harlan Ellisons Watching, Harlan Ellison
Harlan Ellisons Watching, Harlan Ellison
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Harlan Ellison's Watching
Essays and Criticism

Author: Harlan Ellison

Narrator: Luis Moreno

Unabridged: 20 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Recorded Books

Published: 03/26/2024


Synopsis

“An enjoyable, irascible collection” of smart and sometimes-scathing film criticism from a famously candid author (Library Journal).

Everyone’s a critic, especially in the digital age—but no one takes on the movies like multiple award-winning author Harlan Ellison. Renowned both for fiction (A Boy and His Dog) and pop-culture commentary (The Glass Teat), Ellison offers in this collection twenty-five years’ worth of essays and film criticism.

It’s pure, raw, unapologetic opinion. Star Wars? “Luke Skywalker is a nerd and Darth Vader sucks runny eggs.” Big Trouble in Little China? “A cheerfully blathering live-action cartoon that will give you release from the real pressures of your basically dreary lives.” Despite working within the industry himself, Ellison never learned how to lie. So punches go unpulled, the impersonal becomes personal, and sometimes even the critics get critiqued, as he shares his views on Pauline Kael or Siskel and Ebert. Ultimately, it’s a wild journey through the cinematic landscape, touching on everything from Fellini to the Friday the 13th franchise.

About Harlan Ellison

Harlan Ellison (1934-2018) wrote or edited 75 books and more than 1700 stories, essays, articles, and newspaper columns as well as two dozen teleplays and a dozen motion pictures. He won the Hugo award nine times, the Nebula award four times, the Bram Stoker award six times (including The Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996), the Edgar Allan Poe Award of the Mystery Writers of America twice, the Georges Méliès fantasy film award twice, and was awarded the Silver Pen for Journalism by PEN, the international writer’s union.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Scott on December 02, 2008

Harlan Ellison is a bitter old crumudgeon, but that's why I love his writing. His poison pen is somehow full of charm and wit. He has a uniquely direct style, conversationally straight to the reader. And he is very convincing, he truly writes from his heart - in what he believes and what he believes......more

Goodreads review by Craig on February 08, 2018

Ellison challenges the reader to think about entertainment (and life!), to try to learn something from it, and to try to understand and weigh myriad labeling concepts like worthwhile, enriching, mindless, educational, and on and on and on. It's like when you pay the dentist to do stuff to you that's......more

Goodreads review by Louis on February 25, 2015

Ellison is primarily known as a writer of speculative fiction as well as TV shows, including the original Star Trek and The Outer Limits. His name comes up often as the inspiration for other writers. He’s the writer that other writers respect for his intellect and craft. So, I wanted to try out some......more

Goodreads review by Dianne on July 06, 2008

If you admire Harlan Ellison because he dares utter all the criticisms of what is stupid and mindless in our popular culture that you, yourself, would utter if you were not so timid or polite, you will like this book. If you liked the biopic "Dreams With Sharp Teeth," you'll like this book. Ellison w......more

Goodreads review by Jemiah on February 14, 2012

Essential for all lovers and students of film criticism, Ellison's humor, wit, intelligence, and vitriol are on fine display in these essays, starting with his earliest film reviews in the mid-1960s. You will want to see every film he mentions, even if his response is vicious and demeaning - you'll......more