[ebooks] American Splendor: Our Movie Year by Harvey Pekar at Arts-Photography

Review

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful. "Ive picked up some extra gigs because of the movies success. but what happens when thats over?" *By Kerry WaltersHarvey Pekar is famous for chronicling the everyday. and for helping the rest of us take notice of the fact that the ordinary things of life are really quite wondrous. Even in Our Cancer Year. co-written with his wife Joyce Brabner. Pekar focuses on an event that was harrowing for him personally but (alas!) increasingly ordinary from a statistical perspective: the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. But in Our Movie Year. Pekar seems to break stride by focusing on an event thats truly extraordinary: the release of an award-winning film about his life and work.Heres another extraordinary thing: Pekar writes about this event in the way that his fans have come to know and love. Hes obviously pleased that his work has achieved recognition and approval from a wider than usual audience. But what makes the story interesting is that Pekars pleasure is constantly shadowed by his usual cloud of neuroses: anxiety over whether the film will bring future writing gigs or a nosedive into obscurity once the box office hoopla ends; money worries; travel anxieties; and up-and-down moods in response to events. The story is a really intriguing psychological portrait of mixed emotions.As one would expect. the book describes in some detail the high-energy events surrounding the film: scrounging up producers and backers; debuts in Cleveland and NYC (the latter threatened by a blackout); the excitement of the Sundance and Cannes festivals; and film-connected travel to England. Ireland. Australia. and Japan. But wonderfully sandwiched in between these story lines are more typical Pekar stories involving misplaced keys. flat tires in winter. and dealing with bureaucrats. The message seems to be that even when extraordinary events occur. everyday life. with its hassles and small victories. continues.Theres a curious redundancy in the book. The lead story. the multi-part "The American Splendor Movie." illustrated by Mark Zingarelli. is duplicated later on in "My Movie Year." illustrated by Gary Dumm. The latter is less good than the former. and could easily have been omitted. Toward the end of the book. Pekar offers film and book reviews as well as a few Crumb-like biographies of musicians. And speaking of Crumb: theres a wonderful Crumb-illustrated piece. "Reunion" (p. 55). in which Pekar. using his old pal Crumb as a straight man. pokes fun at his own compulsiveness. Its really brilliant.I dont think that Our Movie Year would be a good introduction to Pekar to anyone unfamiliar with his work. But it surely is yet another example of the mans genius. Highly recommended.______Page 18.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. It Takes A Worried ManBy Richard C. GeschkeHeres an extraordinary story teller working in a media which many consider underground and avant guard who finally gets his 15 minutes. Sadly as we see in this graphic depiction. Harvey Pekar spends most of his "movie year" worrying. As we follow Harveys insights about the filming of American Splendor. we see him truly taking everything in and enjoying the experience. His interplay with the Actors and the Director and Producer brings about all he had hoped and dreamed of when writing the American Splendor serial. To Harvey this was the easy fun part of the movie making process which I think he wanted to last forever. It was after the filming that Harvey reverts back to his old worrying self. He worries about the success of the film. He worries about its critical success. He worries about the theaters affected by the East Coast blackout which would force their closure and not show his film. He worries about the excessive travel demands to promote the film. He worries about making enough money. In the end he worries about what will become of him after there is no movie to promote. Lord. fame in Harvey Pekars mind is indeed a worrying thing. I know Harvey goes into great detail and shows his vast knowledge of the world of jazz and goes into the heritage of the beginnings of Rock and Roll with its birth in Cleveland. but in retrospect Harvey should have looked into a particular folk tune made popular by the Kingston Trio. The tune was entitled "A Worried Man" and to my way of thinking this describes the antics of Harvey Pekar in American Splendor Our Movie Year. Harvey continues to amaze me. His Cleveland roots and self effacing demeanor makes his stories all so real and good. Great read!! 6 Stars!!! Oh. Ok Harvey. dont worry! 7 Stars!!!!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Good Ol Harvey PekarBy Tim FieldSomehow this book flew under my radar. but I was fortunate enough to find a used copy for a decent price and Im glad I did because there are many worthy pages in this collection. American Splendor: Our Movie Year is a collection of odd and sods assembled to cash in on the buzz and awareness of Pekar created by the acclaimed film American Splendor. There is some repetition of stories and events in the various accountings of Harveys brush with Hollywood and filmmaking. Most enjoyable for me were the usual slice of life Harvey Pekar stories. his endless worries about finding writing gigs. money worries. and worries about surviving on his pension. I enjoyed Pekar and Gary Dumms short profiles of various jazz and other types of musicians and Pekars appreciation of authors like George Ade and Stephen Crane.This is not the best introduction to Harvey Pekar for the general reader and the book fails to list where each story was originally published. but for those who love Pekar and his idiosyncratic ways there are many gems scattered about for them to enjoy. I miss looking forward to new work by Harvey.