Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.