Confessions of a Cineplex Heckler: Celluloid Tirades and Escapades

A quirky, often perceptive movie maven, Queenan (Red Lobster, White Trash, and the Blue Lagoon, etc.) returns to book form with a collection of 25 reprinted essays that satirize, spoof and frequently skewer the pomposities of Hollywood. Although his tone is occasionally serious--as when he points out the contradiction between Spike Lee's progressive politics and his endorsement contract with Nike, which allegedly runs sweatshops (""Spike Lee Does Not Bite"")--Queenan more often couches his critiques in sarcasm. When he is describing how directors' visions are often eclipsed by Hollywood star power (""A Complete Lack of Direction"") or the high-toned pretensions of the Merchant-Ivory films (""The Remains of the Dazed""), he usually strikes a balance between being recklessly arch and reasonably insightful. Queenan's insights are often so on-target that readers may find themselves wishing for more. But he is essentially a comic writer who delivers laughs in almost every essay: in ""Hair Force,"" a piece on bad film hair, he claims that John Turturo's ""failed afro... makes him look like a Sicilian Clarence Williams."" Queenan fans will rejoice. (Feb.)