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FOREWORD
by
Richard Jack Smith
A mark of great writing involves capturing that elusive phrase or token of personal experience which goes beyond reporting. Indeed, film criticism covers multiple forms: journalism, storytelling and the arts. Above all, writing style separates the finest from the merely adequate.
Betty Jo Tucker has proven to be a great film critic whose poetry enhances every review. In her poem for The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, she examines the struggles faced by director Terry Gilliam, writing:
Impossible dream now come true.
Terry Gilliam, good for you!
Your Don Quixote film is done.
My admiration you have won.
Twenty-five years in the making.
I consider that earthshaking.
The obstacles you faced? Immense.
So many things to make you tense.
A major factor in poetry must be rhythm. For Betty Jo, it’s a natural progression. Consider these fine words from her poem on Mary Poppins Returns:
A strange wind blows.
A kite ebbs and flows.
Look at the sky.
Mary Poppins is nigh.
She’s back, you know
to help kids grow.
Their dad is blue.
His debts are due.
Without his wife
he lives in strife.
She’s concerned with rhythm not for its own sake because it must lead somewhere important. Also, her rhyming reflects deeper truths in each subject. By organizing key words, the poems appear meticulous and inevitable. If you desire a straight-up appraisal of a new film, she's the ideal critic to meet halfway. Regarding Two Ways Home, she makes an observation which personalizes the experience:
I would be remiss not to mention the wonderful sense of place this movie achieves. Most scenes take place on an Iowa farm, and I felt quite at home there. I grew up part of the time in a similar setting, and everything in “Two Ways Home” seems real to me.
Every critic boasts his/her own manner of processing audio/visual information. Some adopt a humorous approach, while others evoke an objective, scholarly technique. The latter can seem impersonal, the pros and cons inaccessible to the movie-goer seeking escapism. Crucially, Betty Jo understands the need for cinema as a shared emotional journey. Values such as honesty, integrity and connectivity are her working mantra. Adding to which, her love for musicals remains inspiring.
What will you find in Cinema Stanzas Two: Poet Laureate of the Movies? Memories, ideas and feelings which read like letters from a dear and close friend.
* * *
British film critic Richard Jack Smith is the author of Incidental Gold and A Poet Among Critics. He writes movie reviews, film poems and soundtrack reviews for ReelTalk Movie Reviews and his own site, Hip-Notic Soundtrack Reviews. His film writing has also appeared on film critic Leonard Maltin’s website.
Cinema Stanzas: Poet Laureate of the Movies is a sequel to the award-winning Cinema Stanzas: Rhyming About Movies. This time, film critic Betty Jo Tucker explains how her wish to become the poet laureate of the movies originated, and the book emerges as a kind of audition. This second offering in the series presents over 70 movie reviews/film poems Tucker has written since the first book was published as well as several of her other poems that relate to cinema. She covers films of various genres -- comedy, drama, fantasy, horror/action/sci-fi, musicals, mystery/thriller, and romance. Along with major motion pictures and Oscar® winners like The Shape of Water and Roma, many small independent films -- and even one short movie -- receive Tucker’s rhyming treatment. The book is written to serve as a resource for fans of both movies and poetry.
If I get to vote for Poet Laureate of Movies, you are in!
--- Artist/Poet/Author Judy Joy Jones
Poet Laureate of Movies is a most befitting title for Betty Jo Tucker, beloved by all and humbled by the films and filmmakers that have been memorialized in her poems!
--- Gail Parenteau, Producer and Public Relations Strategist
"Poet Laureate of Movies" for Betty Jo seems right. Here's to her writing poems every single night.
--- Brian T Shirley, Actor/Writer/Director
Betty Jo Tucker serves as editor/lead film critic for ReelTalk Movie Reviews. She also writes film commentary for the Colorado Senior Beacon and is the award-winning author of Confessions of a Movie Addict, Susan Sarandon: A True Maverick, and Cinema Stanzas: Rhyming About Movies and her latest, Cinema Stanzas Two. Using the pen names of Harry and Elizabeth Lawrence, Betty Jo and her husband Larry co-wrote It Had To Be Us, a romantic memoir adapted for the screen under the title of CAKE: A Love Story, which earned First Place in the Short Film category at the NSAEN Online International Film Festival. She hosts a radio show, "Movie Addict Headquarters," on BlogTalkRadio. She is also a co-founder of the San Diego Film Critics Society, a member of the Online Film Critics Society and an approved Rotten Tomatoes critic. Photo: The Pueblo Chieftain.
You are the Poet Laureate of the Movies, Betty Jo Tucker. A true inspiration.
--- Film Critic/Poet Richard Jack Smith, Author of A Poet Among Critics
WHY I USE POETRY IN MY REVIEWS
Some movies seem like poetry in motion to me, mostly because the filmmakers involved tell their stories using beautiful images backed up by haunting background music and scenes that pack an emotional wallop. One recent example is At Eternity’s Gate starring Willem Dafoe as painter Vincent Van Gogh. After watching this remarkable film, I was motivated to write a poem about the movie. Below are a few lines from my poem:
It’s time to praise Willem Dafoe
for his work as Vincent Van Gogh.
Watching “At Eternity’s Gate,”
we see painting as Vincent’s fate.
Lush with color and shapes unique,
such artistry for one to seek!
His sunflowers and starry skies
now please most everybody’s eyes.
Scenes touch something down deep inside,
seeing how Vincent lived and died.
For the past few years, I have added poems to my movie reviews. Perhaps that’s why some of my fans and colleagues have started calling me “Poet Laureate of the Movies.” At first, I thought it was a joke, but now I feel honored even to be mentioned in that way. In fact, I have done a bit of research about this topic.
The whole thing started when King James I officially appointed John Dryden as Poet Laureate of England back in 1668. Dryden’s duties were to keep writing poems, particularly for special occasions. And now there are over 40 countries that have their own Poet Laureate. States, communities and organizations also appoint a Poet Laureate. In the U.S.A. the Librarian of Congress choses a Poet Laureate each year.
What are the qualifications to be a Poet Laureate? The person should be an honored poet who agrees to compose poems during his/her tenure. Colorado surprised everyone in 1974 by appointing singer/songwriter John Denver to this position. But I thought that was fine. After all, a songwriter is also a poet!
So what should be the qualifications for a Poet Laureate of the Movies? She or he should be a poet honored for achievement who agrees to continue writing poems about films and special cinema events such as the Oscars®.
Because my book Cinema Stanzas: Rhyming About Movies was a winner in the Poetry category at the 2016 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards contest, I view that as an honor. And I hope this sequel -- Cinema Stanzas Two: Poet Laureate of the Movies -- proves my eagerness to continue writing poems about movies as an important part of my writing career.
Composing poems can be a curse.
It fills your mind but not your purse.
Those sleepless nights with words that rhyme
can lead to ruin or fame sublime.
But when the poems are film reviews,
that’s not the path most critics use.
A Movies Poet Laureate?
Is that what I am aiming at?
Some dear fans have already claimed
it’s what I truly should be named.
To mention that just makes me blush.
Don’t plan on it or even rush.
But read these poems so you will know
if the answer is yes or no.
Most of all, as with the first Cinema Stanzas, I wrote this book for readers who love both poetry and the movies. It includes over 70 reviews/film poems of movies released during 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 as well as several poems related to cinema. Various genres are included, so just dive in anywhere – and enjoy!
Betty Jo Tucker
Pueblo, Colorado
If ever there was a Poet Laureate of the Movies, Betty Jo Tucker should receive that coveted award. --- Grace Blair, Award-winning author of Einstein’s Compass: A YA Time Traveler Adventure
“I really enjoyed the way Betty Jo Tucker pulls back the curtain in her reviews and talks about the actors and film making. The movie reviews are entertaining and fun to read. The icing on the cake is her poetry with each one which is just the right amount of observation and insight. Amazingly she covers every genre and there are no spoilers! Cinema Stanzas Two is interesting and easy reading for anyone.” --- Jane Bernard, author of Fine Tuning and Lucid Living
PRAISE FOR CINEMA STANZAS TWO
I first wrote about Cinema Stanzas, the first book in this series, and said it was unique. My mind has not been changed. Cinema Stanzas Two is also unique in its ability to capture the essence of each film. I haven’t had the privilege of seeing most of these films so it is nice to have a writer you trust to see them for you. Of course, you are going to make up your own mind when seeing them.
The artful reviews about so many genres of film will have you reading this volume so quickly you know that you will refer to it again and again. Cinema Stanzas Two is not unlike the quote from Gilda Radner about Gene Wilder, “I felt like my life went from black and white to Technicolor.”
I am reminded of the many books Roger Ebert published of his reviews. Each one was good to have on hand if you were a true movie fan. You’ll find such grace and humor in each film’s poem you’ll forget that Mrs. Tucker doesn’t publish books of poetry regularly. So, check out the poetry, the reviews, and the warmth. Collect this eBook, and send it as a gift, you know your friends will enjoy pretty much what you like.
---Chris Mansel
Betty Jo Tucker is the Goddess of poetry. --- Priscilla Leona, Host of Question Reality Radio Show
I like the Charlie Chaplin illustration a lot as well as the poems and points the author makes about each film. I also like how she doesn’t pick just blockbusters but introduces readers to Jim Gaffigan and reminds us of the brilliance of Gilda Radner and our incredible loss.
-- Geoff Roberts, Film Critic
