Movies in Our Time : Hollywood Mirrors and Mimics the Twentieth Century - A Book Review

Author and film blogger, Jacqueline T. Lynch has recently released a collection of articles from her blog, Another Old Movie Blog, in her latest book entitled Movies in Our Time: Hollywood Mirrors and Mimics the Twentieth Century available to purchase at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

This hefty paperback features reviews of over 50 films in the context of the time in which they were made, with a focus on Hollywood-made pictures. Gold Diggers of 1933, History is Made at Night, Shadow of a Doubt, Old Acquaintance, Love Letters, Since You Went Away, The Best Years of Our Lives, A Foreign Affair, I Want You, Storm Center, Peyton Place, and Strangers When We Meet are all reviewed and grouped into chapters such as "Before the Storm", "World War II", "Strange New World" and "The Fabulous, Frightening Fifties".


The Jeer : The articles should have been edited for this book edition and many read like a real-time blog, making you wonder what the author was referring to by "tomorrow" or "last week". It also would have been nice to see longer chapter introductions describing how the films fit in with the changing times. While the cover design is great, the back side leaves more to be desired and many of the photographs are highly pixelated. 

The Cheer : Lynch has an easy-flowing style of writing that keeps you entertained throughout numerous chapters. The majority of her reviews are just a few pages in length making it great for nightly reading. The reviews are very insightful and she sheds new light on some old classics. Among the more popular films ( King Kong, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Mrs.Miniver ), are thrown in some obscure titles too ( Keep Your Powder Dry, Dreamboat, Witness to Murder)....always a boon! 

The Skinny : Check out Jacqueline Lynch's blog Another Old Movie Blog first and if you like her reviews then you may definitely want to consider buying the book. Otherwise, try it in the ebook edition instead.