Film critic Rex Reed has passed.
Reed was one of the stable of popular film critics of my youth, occupying his own niche as what struck me as the New York branch of film criticism, where Siskel and Ebert were our reviewers in Chicago. I was unfamiliar with Pauline Kael until college, just for the record.
Reed appeared on television and in print as a movie reviewer. I confess, I'd read him occasionally, but as one of many voices. Still, he had a reputation as someone you should consider.
That said - Reed had plenty of well-documented gaffes - including an apparent psychotic break when Marisa Tomei won the Oscar. Like, I get his surprise, but doubling down and then tripling down?
Rex, my guy. Take the L.
In Superman: The Movie, he's working with The Daily Planet enough that he's chummy with Lois Lane. Really, the highest goal any of us could achieve. It's a fun moment in the movie, and adds to the Big City Paper-vibe of the first movies.
Well, he lived a good long life! 88 is pretty great, good for him!
ReplyDeleteI watched the original Superman a year or two ago, but I missed Reed. I had no idea he was already an established critic by 1978.
I always think of him as a guy in the 80s on TV in a Cosby sweater saying something on the morning shows like "it will make you laugh, it will make you cry, and it’s my Oscar favorite for 1985." Like Gene Shalit without the ridiculous facial/head hair. But I'm glad he had a long life! Hopefully it was a happy one.