Jonathan Lack, Associate Editor and film critic for We Got This Covered, has just announced publication of his first book, available now from Amazon.com.
Titled Fade to Lack: A Critic’s Journey Through the World of Modern Film, the book is an extensive critical survey of contemporary American cinema, filtered through the experiences of an author who has been reviewing films professionally since the age of ten. Before joining We Got This Covered in 2011, Lack wrote film criticism for subsidiaries of The Denver Post, including the youth reporting outlet Colorado Kids and community journalism initiative YourHub, dating all the way back to 2002. Fade to Lack – named for his weekly YourHub print column in The Denver Post – is in part a chronicle of these experiences, of lessons learned and observations made from a lifetime studying the medium.
In addition to substantial new material, including a section on Lack’s favorite films and retrospective or educational commentary throughout, Fade to Lack is comprised of over 50 movie reviews – many of which first appeared at We Got This Covered – numerous analytical essays, and major, multi-chapter explorations of pop-culture phenomena like Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games. The focus is on contemporary American cinema from 2008 to 2012, including modern classics like Borat, The Dark Knight, Inception, The Artist, and the Harry Potter films, along with less commercial but equally important work such as Shame, Melancholia, A Separation, and The Tree of Life. Several beloved classics from American and International cinema – including Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, My Neighbor Totoro, Seven Samurai, and Miracle on 34th Street – also receive their own essays, and there are a healthy number of negative reviews and scathing critiques as well.
In total, over 100 films are covered in depth across 516 pages. No matter what one’s taste in cinema, the book offers something substantial to all types of film fans, having been designed both for casual readers seeking compelling writing about film as well as those in need of scholarly, critical reference on modern movies.
Interested readers can visit the book’s official website for further details and links to retailers, including Amazon branches in Europe and the United Kingdom. Fade to Lack is currently available in paperback, with a Kindle e-book version arriving in April.
Author Jonathan Lack can be contacted at [email protected] with comments or questions.
