Joe Leydon

Joseph Patrick Leydon was born and raised in New Orleans, where he acquired a taste for fine food and hearty partying at an early age. By the time he graduated with a BA in Journalism and a minor in Film Studies from Loyola University, where he studied under the late Tom Bell, he developed an equally passionate regard for Francois Truffaut, Charlie Chaplin and Humphrey Bogart. From 1982 until 1995, Leydon was film critic for The Houston Post. Since the paper's demise, he has reviewed films for MSNBC, KPRC-TV, The Houston Press and The San Francisco Examiner. He has been a film critic and correspondent for Variety, the showbiz trade paper, since 1990, and contributing editor for Cowboys & Indians magazine since 2006. He hosts his own blog at movingpictureblog, and has taught film studies courses at Houston Community College and the University of Houston since 2001. Leydon formerly was book review editor for Motion Pictures magazine and DVD columnist for Stereophile Guide to Home Theatre, and has written features for The Los Angeles Times, Newsday, New York Daily News, The Boston Globe, The Washington Times, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Toronto Star and Moviemaker Magazine. His book "Joe Leydon's Guide to Essential Movies You Must See" was published by Michael Wiese Productions in 2004, and has been used a text in several college courses. He holds a MA in Mass Communication Studies from the University of Houston.