The Observer book review of Philip French's "I Found It at the Movies" (which ran in The Japan Times on May 8 under the headline "Confessions of a movie maniac") reminded me that I used to watch five movies a week so that I could write reviews for The Film Buff, which was read by the famous San Francisco columnist Herb Caen and the Kawakitas of Towa.
In retrospect, I was a poor critic because I went to the cinema to enjoy films, not to analyze or nitpick. If I were asked to jot down a dozen films that first come to mind, they'd be "The Seven Samurai," "The Thing From Another World," "The Crimson Pirate," "The Day the Earth Stood Still," "The Seventh Seal," "King Kong," "Stagecoach," "The Bicycle Thief," "Helen of Troy," "Land of the Pharaohs," "Batman" and "Sahara."
This list advertises my inability to evaluate, but the movies remain green in my memory. Hooray for celluloid, sprockets and the silver screen.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.