Joe Williams (film critic)
Joseph L. Williams(November 9, 1958 – July 26, 2015)[1]was a film critic for the dailySt. Louis Post-Dispatch[2](#29 among U.S. newspapers[3]) and the Web site STLtoday[4]inSt. Louis, Missouri.He was also the author of the booksEntertainment on the Net,[5]Hollywood Myths[6]andThe Grassy Knoll Report.[7][8] Williams had been a staff writer for the newspaper since 1996. From 2003 to 2006, he was the on-camera movie reviewer for St. Louis TV stationKMOV.He was a frequent guest on radio and television broadcasts in the region.
Biography
[edit]Williams was born on November 9, 1958. He attended public schools in St. Louis County, graduating in 1976 fromParkway West High School.[1]He was a 1982 graduate of theUniversity of Southern California,where his mentor was the novelistT.C. Boyle.He received a bachelor's degree in English from the school.[1]Williams received his master's degree from theMissouri School of Journalismat theUniversity of Missouriin 1987.
From 1988 to 1990, Williams was a staff writer for the music industry trade magazineCashboxinLos Angeles, California.He is credited with being the first national critic to write about the bandThe Posies,who were signed toGeffen Recordsafter Williams' review of the albumFailure.[9]
In 2012 Williams completed his second book,Hollywood Myths(Voyageur Press), an anthology of movie legends and lore.
In 2013, Williams publishedThe Grassy Knoll Report,culminating his 30 years of research into the assassination of PresidentJohn F. Kennedy.
Williams' reviews, columns and interviews with celebrities are syndicated to newspapers across the U.S. His reviews are excerpted on the popular Web sitesRotten Tomatoes,[10]where he is listed as a "Top Critic," andMetacritic.[11]Williams served as a juror, panelist and adjunct host for the annualSt. Louis International Film Festival.On November 22, 2013, Williams and the festival hosted directorOliver Stonefor a 50th anniversary discussion of the Kennedy assassination.[12]
Williams was killed in a single-car accident on July 26, 2015 in Jefferson County, Missouri. He was traveling southbound on Highway 67, when he veered too far to the left, over-corrected and drove into a ditch on the right side of the highway. He was 56 years old.[1]
References
[edit]- ^abcdHolleman, Joe (July 27, 2015)."Post-Dispatch movie critic Joe Williams killed in crash in Jefferson County".St. Louis Post-Dispatch.RetrievedJuly 30,2015.
- ^http://moviecitynews /voices/2009/090302_critics.htmlArchived2010-01-09 at theWayback MachineThe Last 126 Film Critics in America
- ^List of newspapers in the United States by circulation
- ^stltoday."Movies".stltoday.Retrieved7 October2016.
- ^https:// amazon /dp/0789701227/Amazon page for "Entertainment on the Net"
- ^https:// amazon /Hollywood-Myths-Shocking-Incredible-Scandals/dp/0760342415/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1337572519&sr=1-4Amazon page for "Hollywood Myths"
- ^https:// amazon /Grassy-Knoll-Report-Joe-Williams-ebook/dp/B00G7RPVZO/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386963246&sr=1-1&keywords=grassy+knoll/Amazon page for "The Grassy Knoll Report"
- ^"Post-Dispatch movie critic Joe Williams killed in crash".fox2now.27 July 2015.Retrieved7 October2016.
- ^http://theposies.net/press/a-very-timely-chronology-of-the-posies-1999/A Very Timely Chronology Of The Posies
- ^http:// rottentomatoes /author/author-11677/Rotten Tomatoes page for Joe Williams
- ^http:// metacritic /movie/publications/stlouispostdispatch/williamsjoeMetacritic page for Joe Williams
- ^http:// wearemoviegeeks /2013/11/oliver-stone-speaks-sliff-50th-anniversary-jfk-assassination/Oliver Stone Speaks at SLIFF on the 50th Anniversary of the JFK Assassination
External links
[edit]- Joe's Movie Lounge (blog and current movie reviews)
- Reel Time, Joe Williams' movie-discussion forum
- Archive of Joe Williams' film reviews at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch
- The Top Movies of 2009 (interview with Joe Williams on National Public Radio station KWMU)
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