Another Book

Film Snob- reference term for the sort of movie obsessive for whom the actual enjoyment of motion pictures is but a side dish to the accumulation of arcane knowledge about them

While I would never consider my accumulation of film knowledge paramount in importance to the act of viewing, the so-titled Film Snob’s Dictionary boasts quite an assortment of definitions that are right up my alley. As if amalgamation of senior movie buff and web-trained fanboy, the Snob exists in a state of perpetual acquisition of anything and everything movie related. Written wittily by David Kamp and Lawrence Levi, this dictionary provided a valid introduction to the fringes of filmdom. At times cynical and always accusatory, the writers manage to inject enough film history, trivia, and information to make it an interesting read for cinephile and common citizen alike.

Injected throughout are the occasional cheat sheets to help boost one’s lexicon when talking to a Snob. The most entertaining of these clarifies the distinction between ‘Films’ and ‘Movies’ by stating that Tom Waits will never, ever star in a movie and Tom Hanks will never, ever star in a film. Additionally, the occasional caricature identifies certain personages of relevance. In whole, this book is a quick and appropriately entertaining read as well as an off-hand reference for clarification.