[MrMon]

"Story" by Robert McKee is well worth reading for insights into moviemaking. Even if you don't agree with his methods in creating a screenplay, the guy has great respect and insight for everyone in the moviemaking profession, as well as a better understanding of what motivates human beings than most psychologists. (His writing on the nature of evil still sets the standard for me, more than any philospher can hope to obtain, in much clearer language.) I also appreciated actors much more after he explained how they take what is written on the page and flesh it out into real characters. (At least the good ones do.)

Robert Osborne (the TCM host) has written extensively about film and really knows his stuff. I think he's the world's leading expert on the Academy Awards and the background info he has on important films is amazing.

You can read every review ever written by Roger Ebert at his site rogerebert.com, though I think it may be the slowest site in the history of the web. I always respect his reviews, although after reading him awhile, you'll realize he does have his biases and sometimes really misses the mark. But even when he misses, it's interesting to see why.

Personally, I've never been able to get into Kael. Every time I try to, I give up with the thought that I shouldn't have to work this hard to understand a mere movie review. Half the time I have no idea if she likes the movie or not, and I start to think the review is more about her than the movie. But some people love her, so it's always worth a shot.