The Tunnel at the End of the Light Essays on Movies and Politics [Paperback]

Shepard may be the best lesser-known film critic.Its a pleasure to read Shepards graceful prose, and the insights just seem to flow from his pen. [These essays] remain vital for precisely the reason that the films they discuss remain vital: they balance entertainment with deeper concerns about morality and society. . . . This collection shows Shepards voice to be as essential as ever.Shepard displays a talent for sharp film criticism laced with equally penetrating political insight. . . . Amid the thumbs up or down style that dominates 21st-century American film criticism, Shepard's provocative engagement with this art form offers a bracing change of pace.Intriguing and surprising . . . [Shepard] finds new relevance in every movie he endeavors to explore.As our new president continues to make fresh breakthroughs in reckless buffoonery, it can be tempting to cast 'a rosy glow backward' on George W. Bush and his policies. In this astringent and witty collection, Shepard argues convincingly that to do so would be a travesty.Fans of Jim?Shepards wonderful fiction will be further entranced by the range, scope and emotion of his nonfiction work. Shepard may be the best lesser-known film critic.