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Combining philosophy of art with film criticism, Strohl flips conventional notions of "good" and "bad" on their heads and makes the case that the ultimate value of a work of art lies in what it can add to our lives. By this measure, some of the worst movies ever made are also among the best.
List of contents
1. The Good, the Bad, and the Good-Bad 2. Artists’ Intentions and Bad Movie Greatness 3. A Beautiful Rainbow of Badness 4. Taste and Twilight 5. Nicolas Cage and the Limits of the Critical Imagination 6. Bad Movies and the Good Life
About the author
Matthew Strohl is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Montana. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton University and blogs about movies, food, and philosophy of art at strohltopia.com and aestheticsforbirds.com.
Summary
Combining philosophy of art with film criticism, Strohl flips conventional notions of "good" and "bad" on their heads and makes the case that the ultimate value of a work of art lies in what it can add to our lives. By this measure, some of the worst movies ever made are also among the best.
Additional text
"It’s difficult to think of any book on films in the last couple of decades that would combine such rigorous argumentation with an amazingly wide range of examples as Matt Strohl’s book. If you have ever had cinematic guilty pleasures, this book is sure to free you from any sense of guilt when indulging in them."Bence Nanay, University of Antwerp"I was sipping cocktails with my bourgeois friends and didn’t know what I was missing. Matt Strohl’s mash note to the rule breakers of cinema (and, by extension, life) is funny, personal and wise. I downloaded The Core and Troll 2 immediately. Twilight is next. Down with Ridicule—let Love rule!"Aaron Meskin, University of Georgia
