The Complete Matinee Junkie

Film entertains and enlightens in this whimsical tribute to the magic of the movies. Jeffries chronicles five years of cinema-going through short diary/review comics that explore his feelings toward the productions he takes in, the impact they made on him, and how they connect to his life at the time. His range is tremendous: he devours breezy comedies, animated classics, fantasy adventures, and arthouse masterpieces alike, and his commentary is uniformly erudite and insightful. But it’s how he connects screen narratives to his personal day-to-day beyond and between stints in dark theaters that makes this collection a joy to read. Inside Out inspires Jeffries to contemplate his own mortality. Get Out strikes during a moment of intense political consciousness. It Comes at Night distracts him from health problems during a painful wait for insurance to kick in. The delightfully lumpy texture of his inking portrays moments as powerful as his proposal to his wife just as handily as an adorable rendition of a Japanese movie monster. Even the most lackadaisical theatergoer will be moved by Jeffries’s sincere and enduring love of all that makes cinema special. [em](Sept.) [/em]