Official Review: Celluloid by Holly Curtis

[bookowlie]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Celluloid" by Holly Curtis.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Celluloid by Holly Curtis takes an offbeat look at the world of independent cinemas. It is categorized in the Other Fiction genre and is certainly “other,” as in smart and wacky. Jimmy Clifford is almost thirty years old, but is not much of a success. He runs Celluloid, a film memorabilia shop in England where the objects rarely sell and the DVD rentals of old movies barely keep him afloat. His free time is spent with his buddies who hang out, drink, and play mash-up board games. Jimmy takes pills for depression and is a little agoraphobic; fortunately, his shop is right below his apartment. Still, he finds joy in going to the movies at The Crypt, a local indie theatre.

When Jimmy learns that The Crypt is going to be demolished, he springs into action to plan a cabaret benefit to save the building. Organizing the fundraiser becomes therapeutic as Jimmy goes out to find entertainment acts and gets a bit of his mojo back. A few obstacles crop up along the way, including Drake, a businessman with a sketchy past, and some temperamental artists (Kid Scaramouche, I’m looking at you).

I enjoyed reading this well-written book. The plot is all kinds of creative and there is a nice combination of wise observations and zany content. There is a dash of old and new romance, but the author does a good job of keeping this in the background in favor of the main storyline. The book is written in first person with movie-obsessed Jimmy as the narrator. In fact, he often relates situations to movies, including comparing people to movie actors or characters.

The real highlight here is the smart, funny dialogue. The scene where Jimmy cajoles the band Terrapin into headlining the cabaret for free is priceless, no pun intended. The author has a knack for writing believable dialogue even for the most eccentric characters in the story.

Jimmy is an endearing, layered character. He is a nice blend of witty and smart, with a touch of sadness and heartbreak. Above it all, he is a film connoisseur who appreciates old movies. In Jimmy’s words, he can sometimes get in “full movie-bore flow.” All of the characters are vividly written, including the numerous acts that he tracks down. Jimmy and his friends remind me of The Big Bang Theory’s characters, only working class, slightly less nerdy, and without supersized IQ’s. The focus on detail is a mixed bag. The author spends so much time introducing new characters and describing their many facets that the plot gets bogged down by the excess. Each chapter brings the introduction of a character or two in all their wacky glory. I enjoyed reading every inventive description (the psycho sisters, Kid Scaramouche, Ben the pet shop flautist, etc.), but there were just so many minor characters. After a while, I became antsy waiting for the storyline to move along.

Beneath the laugh-out loud moments and zany characters, the story carries a wonderful, relatable message. Haven’t we all cared so deeply about something that we wished we could get involved to save it, if necessary? It might be a favorite TV show in danger of cancellation or a local bookshop losing sales to the chain stores. I admired the main character for standing his ground for the theatre he loved.

The story is relatively clear of the common errors often seen in indie books. One important exception is the frequency of white squares in the middle of sentences throughout the story. It’s appears that there should be a punctuation mark in these spots instead of a square. Whatever the reason, these squares are distracting.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Movie lovers and really anyone who likes books with offbeat characters would find this an enjoyable read. It’s a love letter to movies and old independent theatres. When the undercurrent of a funny book contains thoughtful commentary, it’s an unexpected bonus. The book is worth reading for the witty conversations alone, but don’t forget to read between the lines.

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Celluloid
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[gali]

Sounds like a cool book. Thank you for the well-written review.

[bookowlie]

Thanks Gali! It was definitely a fun, quirky read.

[rachel_bruhn]

After reading your review, which I found a bit "zany" in ways, I believe this book was probably a good fit for you. It doesn't sound like a book that I would pick up, but possibly a movie I would watch. It may be a bit slow of a read for me, even if the quirkiness keeps it interesting. The review itself is well-written.

[bluemel4]

Fun review! I really enjoyed reading it. This book sounds great! I am adding it to my to-read list.

[PashaRu]

Thanks for a well-written review. I almost chose this book myself, but I wasn't sure from the description if I'd like it. Your review has helped, and I'll add this to my TBR list. Old cinema and quirky characters sounds like a winning combination.

[chytach18-]

Jimmy looks very British to me. We used to go to "the pictures" when we went to the cinema. My neighbour still goes to "the pictures" once a week. Very well-written review, bookowlie.

[bookowlie]

After reading your review, which I found a bit "zany" in ways, I believe this book was probably a good fit for you. It doesn't sound like a book that I would pick up, but possibly a movie I would watch. It may be a bit slow of a read for me, even if the quirkiness keeps it interesting. The review itself is well-written.

Thanks. Actually, I could see this story being a better movie than a book. The main thing I didn't care for was the slow pacing due to the constant introduction of new characters with detailed descriptions. A movie scriptwriter would probably edit out some of the excess. Still, it was a very good book. As for whether it was a good fit for me, I don't know about that since I tend to like faster-paced books.

-- 23 Sep 2015, 11:23 --

Thanks Bluemel! The author did a great job of creative such unique, interesting characters, even the minor ones.

Thanks Chytach for the kind words. I enjoy reading books that are set in England and this one didn't disappoint.

Thanks Pasharu! There are a lot of cool movie references throughout the book - characters, actors, even songs. I am not a big fan of old movies, but I still appreciated the tie-ins.

[Tanaya]

Sounds like an enjoyable read. Great review!

[Kappy]

Excellent review! Few authors can write truly first-rate dialogue.

[bookowlie]

Thanks Tanaya and Kappy. The dialogue was so realistically written that I felt like I was sitting right there listening to Jimmy and the other characters.

[Heidi M Simone]

Sounds like an interesting, fun story! I absolutely love The Big Bang Theory, so to have it referenced in a book review is pretty awesome. Great review! I might have to add this to my to-read list!

[bookowlie]

Thanks! I also am a Big Bang Theory fan. The guys in this novel remind me so much of the crew from that TV show, except they get drunk regularly.

[erasmus]

'Celluloid' doesn't sound like anything I've ever read before, but your review makes it sound like it's worth a try. Thanks for the great review!

[bookowlie]

Thanks for the kind words. It was a unique story.