Geek Gear: Harlan Ellison’s Watching

Geek Gear- Something so absolutely geeky you have no choice but to acquire one as quickly as possible.

Writer Harlan Ellison has been called a lot of things over the years,

Spanning over 25 years of criticisms, Harlan Ellison’s Watching collects his numerous ruminations of film into one handy volume. Starting with a review he wrote while still in high school and spanning all the way through the regular review column he wrote for The Magazine Of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Ellison focuses on his targets for praise or derision with a laser-like accuracy, wit and intelligence that makes this a must-read for anyone, even if you wind up disagreeing with what he says. From his famous eviscerations of Star Wars (“Luke Skywalker Is A Nerd And Darth Vader Sucks Runny Eggs”) and Star Trek (“Star Trek: The Motionless Picture”) to him calling Spielberg a sadist for producing Gremlins and directing Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom, no one is spared. Having worked in the belly of the Hollywood beast, Ellison approaches his critiques with an experience few other writers have and it sharply informs his work.

An earlier edition of this book has sat on my shelf for over 10 years, and on occasion I still pull it down to randomly read a section. It’s not just essential reading for anyone who writes about film but essential reading for any film lover.