Ten Bad Dates with De Niro: A Book of Alternative Movie Lists

Is Richard E. Grant's Withnail a "far superior" screen drunk to Jimmy Stewart in Harvey? What are the Top Ten movies for making cigarettes look cool? Do good films ever win the Oscar? What is film's most tragic farewell, greatest opening-credit sequence, grisliest murder, loosest screen adaptation, most gratuitous use of sex and violence? How do you make a great movie without a movie camera? And why do Robert De Niro's characters behave so badly to women?

Born of the cinéphile's well-known love of lists, penchant for argument, and obsession with minutiae, TEN BAD DATES WITH DE NIRO is a symposium and celebration of viewing pleasures, private passions, and cinematic lost causes. Contributors to this smart and provocative collection of out-of-the-box Top Tens include a fine cast of leading critics, filmmakers, and writers ranging from Steven Soderbergh and the Coen brothers to Andrew O'Hagan and D.B.C. Pierre.