Novelist and screenwriter Roger Simon--whose blog is particularly good--clued me in to the website of film critic Henry Sheehan, whom some of you might know from KPCC and film magazines.

His reviews are wonderful to read. Smart, insightful, and informed as much by sensitivity for narrative and plot as by a convincing fluency in the more technical aspects of filmmaking. More than that, his opinion on certain movies feels just about right to me. I haven't seen Kill Bill but his review of it articulates everything I expect and fear about it (Emmanuelle you're not alone!). I've also not seen Clint Eastwood's Mystic River yet, but Sheehan's review is almost as much a critically smart appreciation of Eastwood's career as it is a detailed and patient review of the movie.

The stunning highlight of reading his page was seeing the title Sans Soleil among the other titles reviewed. Sans Soleil! What a sparkling thing to wake up to: a brilliant review of a movie I adore, so unexpectedly placed on the front page of a current collection of reviews. The review originally appeared in the Boston Phoenix in 1985. It's a fabulous piece in its own right. Again, detailed, patient, insightful, and attentive to the film. I'm not sure what thrills me more: that a favorite film by an adored favorite director is getting some late career attention, or that it's simply a strong review of a masterful film. Maybe it's really just the coincidence of it crossing my path, as I could easily just go Google any number of appreciations.

So it was a pleasure to start the day's reading with Henry Sheehan's reviews and articles. Absolutely first rate writing on film; neither too ideological and self-absorbed (hello Cineaste!), nor populist fawning. Just very smart, informed writing that's not afraid to counter prevailing attitudes (see his review of Gigli and the aformentioned Tarantino movie).