The Best of Knight at the Movies, 2004-2014: Film Criticism from a Queer Perspective

Richard Knight, Jr.

Fade In – I was a big fan of Richard Knight, Jr. long before I ever met him. I read just about every one of these reviews when they were originally published in the Windy City Times. Richard also has written for the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Reader, and New City. Revisiting his work collected here showed me to what extent Richard’s insights and perspectives on the movies (which I love) have shaped my gay sensibility. I’ve stated elsewhere that in this area, Richard has had the most effect on me since I saw Tallulah Bankhead star in “Lifeboat” when I was 12 years old. That sounds like a joke, but it’s not. Richard’s essays, interviews, and reviews – here and in such books as, “Haunted Houses, Porn Stars, and Toy Collectors: My Encounters with Remarkable People, Places and Things” – have done more to help me better understand my own queer outlook on the world than any other books. And, at the same time, Richard’s work is immensely entertaining. In fact, some of these reviews are more entertaining than the films themselves.