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Michelle Le Blanc and Colin Odell are film critics and writers.


Biography

Le Blanc and Odell are a married writing duo based in the United Kingdom. They first met at university. The two have been writing for Kamera Books's website since 2001, and have also contributed to ''
The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy ''The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy: Themes, Works, and Wonders'' is an English language reference work on science fiction and fantasy, published in 2005 by Greenwood Press. It was edited by Gary Westfahl and consists of ...
''(2005). The two wrote a book covering the filmography of the director
David Lynch David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...
in 2008. In ''
Film-Philosophy ''Film-Philosophy'' is a peer-reviewed open-access academic journal covering the engagement between film studies and philosophy. The editor-in-chief is David Sorfa. See also * Linguistic film theory Linguistic film theory''The Dualist'Vols. 1– ...
'', the film scholar Liani van Straaten commended the book's structure and writing style for its approachability, but felt that it lacked the depth needed to be an academic study. Stephen Rees of ''
Library Journal ''Library Journal'' is an American trade publication for librarians. It was founded in 1876 by Melvil Dewey. It reports news about the library world, emphasizing public libraries, and offers feature articles about aspects of professional prac ...
'' felt Le Blanc and Odell managed to find new critical angles on Lynch's work, but wrote it was "not the ultimate book" on the subject. In 2009, the duo published the reference work '' Studio Ghibli: The Films of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata''. They spent several months researching for the book and travelled to Japan, where they visited the
Ghibli Museum The is a museum showcasing the work of the Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli. It is located in Inokashira Park in Mitaka, a western city within the Tokyo Metropolitan Area, in Japan. The museum combines features of a children's museum, ...
and watched ''
Ponyo is a 2008 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was animated by Studio Ghibli for the Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Mitsubishi, and distri ...
''(2008) before its Western release. ''Library Journal'' Terry Hong called the book "an excellent overview" of
Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio based in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It has a strong presence in the animation industry and has exp ...
, and ''
Film Ireland ''Film Ireland'' is a cultural cinema magazine published from 1987 to 2013 by Filmbase (aka Film Base) Centre for Film and Video in Dublin, Ireland. It is Ireland's longest-running film publication.Flynn, Roderick and Patrick Brereton. "Film Bas ...
'' Michiko Yamada wrote it was "a must-have handbook for the Ghibli lover". The two wrote a book analysing '' Akira''(1988) in 2014.
Paul Kincaid Paul Kincaid (born 22 September 1952 in Oldham, Lancashire) is a British science fiction literary critic. Career Kincaid's writing has appeared in a wide range of publications including ''New Scientist'', ''The Times Literary Supplement'', ''Lit ...
reviewed the book in the ''
Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts The International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts (IAFA), founded in 1982 is a nonprofit association of scholars, writers, and publishers of science fiction, fantasy, and horror in literature, film, and the other arts. Its principal ac ...
'' alongside several others published by the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
as part of its "Film Classics" series, and found it to be "useful and accessible". Reviewing for ''
Extrapolation In mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. ...
'', Steven Holmes wrote that the book could have further explored
the manga ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The ...
(1982–1990) and the film's social contexts.


Selected bibliography

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References


Citations


Sources

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Further reading

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Le Blanc, Michelle; Odell, Colin Anime and manga critics Living people Writing duos