“Keep ’em coming!” is something Roy Sexton’s readers have said frequently over the past dozen months since the release of his first book of film reviews, “Reel Roy Reviews: Keepin’ it Real.”
Sexton, a resident of Saline/Ann Arbor, started out penning saucy missives about the latest Hollywood blockbusters at his blog www.reelroyreviews.com, but lately he has been writing more about theatrical productions, concerts, and other live musical performances, as well as conducting the occasional interview.
In his latest book “Reel Roy Reviews, Vol. 2: Keep ‘Em Coming!” Roy reviews Sting’s new musical “The Last Ship,” offers musings on shows by Lady Gaga, Cher, Randy Newman, and Katy Perry; and has written one of the snarkiest pieces you will ever read about a Transformers film.
Open Books Technical Editor Kelly Huddleston observes, “Honest, humorous, witty, delightfully snarky... Sexton’s approach to movie, concert, music, and theatre reviews rivals that of legendary Gene Siskel. If you loved the first volume, then you are sure to enjoy ‘Volume 2: Keep ‘Em Coming.’”
Fellow author Tom Joyce (“The Freak Foundation Operative’s Report”) adds, “The guy’s obviously a hardcore film geek, who’s seen a ton of movies and has a good sense of what makes a quality film.
But there’s an element of populism to his approach that I see lacking in a lot of film reviewers. He understands that sometimes you’re just not in the mood for a transcendent redefinition of the cinematic
art form. Sometimes you just want a fun night at the movies. In other words, he doesn’t review like a serious student of cinema, so much as a regular person who just happens to really like movies. And, since that description fits me and — I’d venture to say — the vast majority of movie viewers that makes his reviews enormously engaging.”
“Reel Roy Reviews, Vol. 1: Keepin’ It Real” was released on the Open Books (www.open-bks.com) imprint in February 2014, and this second volume is available for pre-order now (print edition and digital downloads distributing mid-January 2015). Both volumes will also be available on Amazon, iTunes, and Nook. The books can be found in Southeast Michigan at Dearborn’s Green Brain Comics and Ann Arbor’s Bookbound and Common Language book stores.
In the second volume’s introduction, Sexton writes, “As my blog rolls into another year of entertainment, rife with comic book adaptations, sequels, Oscar bait, arena shows, and theatrical productions big and small, sometimes I wonder if I am choking the life right from this hobby of mine. Can you imagine if every time you saw a film that your OCD tendencies forced you to rush home, throw some quippy hoo-ha on the internet, and wait eagerly for 3.5 comments to appear? Ah, well, it’s still too much fun to stop now — anticipate Volume THREE Roy’s Movie Migraine shortly.”
Sexton, son of Don and Susie Sexton, grew up in Columbia City, Indiana. His mother (www.susieduncansexton.com) is also a published author, whose two essay collections “Secrets of an Old Typewriter” and “More Secrets of an Old Typewriter,” are published by Open Books.
Roy earned his Bachelor’s degree from Wabash College in 1995 and is a 1997 graduate of The Ohio State University, where he earned his Master’s degree in Theatre. In 2007, Roy graduated with his MBA from the University of Michigan. He is a graduate of Leadership Detroit, is a governor-appointed member of the Michigan Council of Labor and Economic Growth and was appointed to the Michigan Mortgage Lenders Association Board of Governors in 2012. He is currently participating in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Chamber of Commerce’s yearlong Leadership A2Y program, and he is an active member of the Legal Marketing Association.
Roy has been involved on the following nonprofit boards and committees: First Step, Michigan Quality Council, National MS Society, ASPCA, Wabash College Southeast Michigan Alumni Association, Penny Seats Theatre Company and the Spotlight Players. Sexton is senior vice president of Corporate Affairs for Trott Law, P.C., a Farmington Hills, Michigan-based real estate law firm.
Prior to joining Trott, Roy spent 10 years in various planning and communications roles at Oakwood Healthcare System, serving as the Corporate Director of Strategic Communications and Planning. In this role he led a staff of 20 marketing professionals and developed the strategic direction for the $1 billion health care system.
Sexton has been an active participant in the local theatre scene for nearly twenty years, having appeared in a number of productions. Sexton most recently performed in The Penny Seats’ sold out run of the Tom Lehrer cabaret “Tomfoolery” at Conor O’Neill’s in Ann Arbor. Prior to that, Sexton had the lead role in Ann Arbor’s Penny Seats production of the Neil Simon/Cy Coleman/Carolyn Leigh musical “Little Me,” playing seven different characters. He is a co-founder of the theatre company. He was featured as Professor Callahan in “Legally Blonde the Musical” at Farmington Players, and he played Georg Nowack in “She Loves Me” with The Penny Seats. He has also appeared in “Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet),” “What Corbin Knew,” “Oklahoma!,” “The Pajama Game,” “Company,” “Bells are Ringing,” “Rags,” “Side by Side by Sondheim,” “The Taming of the Shrew,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “The Fantasticks,” “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” “Ah, Wilderness!,” “God’s Country,” “The American Clock,” “As You Like It,” “Tartuffe,” “The Battle of Shallowford,” “Trout,” and “The Merchant of Venice.” He is also an active cabaret performer.
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