David Thomson's 'Have You Seen …'

Oh! To be David Thomson! Love him or hate him, you gotta admire Thomson’s ballsy and unabashedly opinionated approach to film criticism. His renowned prickly/sweet wit is in top form with ‘Have You Seen,’ an eclectic—if not at times esoteric—collection of film reviews that show off Thomson’s panache for rhythmic, rapturous prose. This ain’t your AFI Top-of-the-Pops-so-what-else-is-new roundup of cinematic stalwarts. Sure, Thomson includes the greats, but he also gives us stranger bedfellows like Sansho and the Bailif and Saturday Night Fever. Silent curiosities like Lon Chaney’s disturbing He Who Gets Slapped along with 1980s foreign comedies like Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. It’s a book you will love in spite of yourself … and read and reference and revere for many years to come.  ($39.95, Random House)