Even when you disagree with some of Brian Fairbanks' reviews in Writings, you still can't help thinking, "Damn, that's a fine piece of writing!" So, read it. Disagree with him, be ticked off by him, stomp your feet at him, but read the book nonetheless!

An excellent collection that demonstrates the breadth and depth of Brian W. Fairbanks' talent. The film reviews are sassy and insightful, and the profiles of such figures as John Wayne and Robert Mitchum are among the best you'll ever read, as is his exceptional look at film noir and the impact of Alfred Hitchcock's "Psycho."

Equally fine are his essays on literture and music, including a lengthy piece called "Rediscovering America" that provides an intriguing overview of what it means to be an American, as seen through the literary works of Benjamin Franklin, James Baldwin and others, and "Singer of Mercy," perhaps the finest analysis yet of the career of Canadian poet-songwriter Leonard Cohen.

Also worth reading are his commentaries on modern day society. He slams both right wingers and left wingers with equal relish in "Commander-In-Grief" and "State of the Union 2004," and tears apart television news in "The Spreading Infection of Trash TV." You may not agree with his decidedly controversial take on 9/11 (Fairbanks is obviously a conspiracy minded type), but he provides food for thought just the same.