« Help Indian prostitutes save | Main | Why is revaluing the degree of liquidity so tough? »
Assorted links
1. Who are the best book critics?
2. Who are the best movie critics?
3. The real victims of the subprime crisis
4. Which books are stolen most often?
5. Planets for Alpha Centauri?
6. The ideological migration of David Mamet
Posted by Tyler Cowen on March 12, 2008 at 07:19 AM in Web/Tech | Permalink
Comments
Anthony Lane? ugh. this vote in his favor from the link says it all: "The Rolls-Royce of film critics. Never mind the film, you read Lane for the sheer quality of the prose".
in other words, Lane is the perfect critic for people who don't care about watching movies, they just care about witty writing. He's a great writer, but does that make him a great critic?
Posted by: DK at Mar 12, 2008 8:29:42 AM
No Roger Ebert? That's a crime.
Posted by: jason voorhees at Mar 12, 2008 9:37:37 AM
Tyler,
I don't read Spanish and so the link to #3, the real victims of the subprime crisis, didn't work for me at all.
Best,
David
Posted by: David R. Henderson at Mar 12, 2008 10:03:21 AM
#3 is in Portuguese but I believe the photo suffices, also search for cognates "abandonado" if you wish.
Posted by: Tyler Cowen at Mar 12, 2008 10:10:55 AM
DK & jason: How does it feel to be a film critic critic critic? (Sorry, couldn't resist.)
Posted by: Vasi at Mar 12, 2008 10:17:38 AM
If you don't read Portuguese, try any of these similar stories, which Tyler could have linked to if Tyler wasn't Tyler :)
If you already know Spanish, picking up Portuguese is easier than you think: the unusual sounds of Portuguese and some grammatical quirks are the main barrier. Here's a great English-language site that shows pronunciation and other differences between the two languages, especially useful for English-speakers who already know some Spanish.
Posted by: at Mar 12, 2008 10:50:24 AM
Regarding #4, yes, if you go to the Twice Sold Tales used bookstore near the University of Washington, and head to the "K" section in fiction, there's a little sign that says (not verbatim) "Kerouac and other Beat writers are behind the counter, please ask for assistance."
Posted by: JMR at Mar 12, 2008 11:43:16 AM
Tyler, what is your favorite book critic(s)?
Posted by: Andrew at Mar 12, 2008 12:20:26 PM
Wow, that Mamet guy is a good writer.
Not only a good writer, but a good mind it seems. At the very least he outlined (without smacking you on the head with it) in part why I am a libertarian, namely that government intervention universally seems to fail, while whenever there is an absence of government involvement in our lives we all mostly seem to muddle along in spite of, or in my mind because of, the absence of such government meddling.
We may, or may not, need government to set and enforce a legal framework whereby people can't force themselves on each other via murder, rape, theft or assault (and their cousins). But to actually live life and observe government at work and still root for more government intervention (beyond those basic rule setting and enforcing mechanisms ) seems to be "brain dead" and blind.
Posted by: happyjuggler0 at Mar 12, 2008 12:44:50 PM
Coming from a playwright, you must consider this statement a small step towards a much better world:
"So, taking the tragic view, the question was not 'Is everything perfect?' but 'How could it be better, at what cost, and according to whose definition?'"
Posted by: Bertolt at Mar 12, 2008 12:45:03 PM
That site misses the operative distinction between a critic and a reviewer. Jonathan Rosenbaum is perhaps the most mainstream critic-cum-reviewer, and truly deserves high regard for his criticism.
Posted by: Mike Weitz at Mar 12, 2008 1:36:23 PM
That site misses the operative distinction between a critic and a reviewer. Jonathan Rosenbaum is perhaps the most mainstream critic-cum-reviewer, and truly deserves high regard for his criticism.
Posted by: Mike Weitz at Mar 12, 2008 1:38:13 PM
And don't forget Mamet is making a mashup UFC-Samuria flick, due out this year.
"I like my women like my coffee... murky and bitter"
Posted by: burger flipper at Mar 12, 2008 1:53:52 PM
And I have a quick question: is Sowell really that good and well respected?
I'm only familiar with him from his role as one of the ringers in the Q/A sessions from Free to Choose (where he was quite good) and from reading about half of Economic Truths and Fallacies at the book store.
Is there a particular title anyone would suggest I seek out?
Posted by: burger flipper at Mar 12, 2008 2:38:02 PM
Read Sowell's 'Knowledge and Decisions'.
Posted by: Patrick R. Sullivan at Mar 12, 2008 6:55:46 PM
From my days in the book trade, I remember the Bible being one of the most stolen books. Go figure.
Posted by: Max at Mar 13, 2008 2:42:58 AM
