Films to Go: 100 Memorable Movies for Travelers & Others (Capital Travels) [Paperback]

Jay Boyar (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2007

Want to "see" a city before you travel there? Want to reminisce about your favorite stops on your last vacation? If you said yes to either question then this is the book for you! Film critic and travel writer Jay Boyar offers 100 of his all-time favorite films to inform and entertain you, or spark memories of your travels. For each of these great movies, read a synopsis highlighting its major features and why it is useful for travelers, as well as its MPAA rating, year of release, category (comedy, action-adventure, etc.), main actors, major awards, pithy quotes, and a list of other similar films. Thanks to laptops and portable DVD players, movies are no longer restricted to just being watched at home. Whether you are relaxing at home, preparing for a trip, traveling by car with kids who may need entertaining on the road, sitting on a plane flying to your destination, or relaxing in a hotel room--you can enjoy a great movie.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jay Boyar's movie and travel writing has appeared in such publications as the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Newsday, US Magazine, Variety, Orlando Sentinel and the New York Daily News, among others. His reviews have been featured on MSNBC, E! Entertainment Television, and National Public Radio affiliates. Boyar has served as a juror for the American Film Institute and is the founder of the Florida Film Critics Circle. His work has been honored by the Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. He is a contributor to the book, Reel Romance: The Lovers' Guide to the 100 Best Date Movies (Taylor Trade Publishing, 2004). Boyar lives in Winter Park, Florida where he teaches film analysis at the University of Central Florida.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Capital Books (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933102306
• ISBN-13: 978-1933102306
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,937,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jay Boyar's movie reviews and articles have appeared in such publications as the Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, the
Chicago Tribune, Newsday,
Us Weekly, Variety, the Orlando Sentinel and the New York Daily News, among many others. His reviews have been featured on MSNBC, E! Entertainment Television, The Daily
Buzz and National Public Radio affiliates.
Boyar has been a juror for the American Film Institute and is the founder of the Florida Film
Critics Circle. His work has been honored by the Associated Press, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors. In addition, he
has been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.
Currently, Boyar teaches film analysis in the honors department of the University of Central Florida. He has also taught film courses at Rollins College, the State University of New York at Buffalo and Medaille College.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great idea! Wish I'd thought of it., June 6, 2007

By 

Kelly Monaghan "The Intrepid Traveler" (Branford, CT USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Films to Go: 100 Memorable Movies for Travelers & Others (Capital Travels) (Paperback)

Veteran film critic Jay Boyar has written a bright and breezy book that will appeal to travelers and film buffs alike. The conceit, summed up in the subtitle "100 Memorable Movies for Travelers and Others," is devilishly clever.

Boyar has selected a very eclectic bunch of films and slotted them into 40 different categories. Part One is for broad, general categories like "Business Trips" and Travel with Friends," Part Two focuses on U.S. destinations, and Part Three goes on a whirlwind trip around the globe.

For each category, Boyar selects anywhere from one to four films that, in his estimation, reflect the essence of the theme or place. He makes the interesting choice to pick films that somehow capture the "soul" or the "idea" of the place rather than films that serve as travelogues.

So "The Maltese Falcon" (which, as Boyar notes, was shot on a backlot in Hollywood) typifies San Francisco, while "Sunset Boulevard" personifies Hollywood. And he's right on the money in both cases. Still, I was sorry to see that he omitted "Bullitt," with its thrilling, if somewhat discombobulating, San Francisco car chases.

I have quibbles about other choices as well. "Some Like It Hot" (one of my all-time faves) for South Florida? It might better exemplify Chicago. Or even train travel!

I was sorry that no foreign cities were included. ("Amalie" and "Breathless" for Paris?). And nothing says Japan to me like a Kurosawa film. I also thought the "The Snapper" (another fave) was a less than ideal choice for Ireland. What about "The Commitments," "The Field," "Into The West," or even "The Quiet Man"?

So if I have so many nits to pick, why did I give this book five stars? Because that's part of the fun of "Films To Go." This is a book to have a conversation with, a book to argue with, a book to inspire you to create your own list of favorite flicks for the categories Boyar provides.

I also enjoy Boyar's no-nonsense take on films. He used to be the movie critic for the "Orlando Sentinel" and on my frequent business trips there I always looked forward to his no b.s. opinions on the latest multiplex fare. Boyar is a fan, with none of the pretentiousness that big city movie reviewers too often fall prey to. Even if I quibbled with his choice of a film for a given category, I usually found his short review (another nice thing about the book) right on the money.

If you love films and like to travel, stick this one in your kit bag.

2.0 out of 5 stars Lack of commentary, and all summary, August 4, 2010

By 

S. Yan (Berkeley, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Films to Go: 100 Memorable Movies for Travelers & Others (Capital Travels) (Paperback)

When I borrowed this book from the library, I was expecting a good critique from a Pulitzer Prize nominated film critic. This is nothing more than a summary and sparse opinion on several films that belong in the umbrella category of "this movie should be in your DVD player if you travel". Most of these movies are classics from the road trip genre. Other films in this book might interest you because of their setting. I assume the average movie watcher would have seen 60-75% of these films. If you don't recognize most of these films, then you should probably pick this book up and read it. At least you would then be able to pretend that you have seen these movies.