Customer Reviews

A Girl and a Gun: The Complete Guide to Film Noir on Video

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I never get depressed.Well,almost never. Maybe three, four times a year.When it happens I don't leave the house and submerge myself in countless videos. So you can imagine how thrilled I was to discover Meyer's first book "100 Great Films" and how even more excited I am to know Meyer might be on to a series or something with his latest "A GIRL AND A GUN," especially since I'm no film expert and have made countless mistakes renting unknown videos recommended by unknown sales clerks. In fact, I am probably the exact person for whom Meyer has written his books. Let me tell you about this past weekend when depression hit with a vengence. It began Friday night when I came home from work exhausted and cancelled all plans knowing I was going under. I browsed through Meyer's book, called up several stores and by midnight I had gathered up La Femme Nikita, Laura, An American Friend and The Third Man. I started with Laura on Saturday morning. I wanted something old and romantic, where women are idealized, idolized and elegant. So what if they have "no personality of their own," as Meyer writes, men adore them! That's what I want to see - a man inflamed by love!,not to mention beautiful clothes, fancy apartments, lunches at the Ritz and super dramatic lighting! and Laura has it all! Then, thanks to Meyer's great guide I rented An American Friend, mostly because I love Patricia Highsmith and her Tom Ripley character and had never known (until Meyer's book) he/it had been made into a film, by Wim Wenders no less! Oh,was it good! Dennis Hopper plays Ripley nothing like Highsmith wrote it but who cares he's so, so good! As Meyer so marvelously describes him,"there's Ripley (Dennis Hopper): a speed freak, a hustler, a stylish, rootless hustler with the attention span of a gnat, the arrogance of a vampire, and the aggressive instincts of a wolverine." Sunday morning begins with The Third Man because I adore Graham Greene and Orson Welles, and because Meyer's Mood! Guide tells me this is a "Witty thriller of moral decadence, where intrigue and broken hearts abound." Once again, Meyer's guide and comments are right on! and finally on Sunday night I end all this movie madness with La Femme Nikita, which I adore because I have dreamt of being a female action hero myself and it just doesn't get any better than Anne Parillaud! By Monday morning I feel absolutely great! Empowered like Nikita, elegant like Laura, ready to return to work!

This is a fond and engaging look at the dark world of film noir. The book is full of great movie reviews and interesting tidbits.

My only minor complaint is the lack of video product code numbers to enable the reader to track down VHS or DVD copies of the movies mentioned in the text.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in learning more about the world of film noir.

Not recommended for the terminally dull and humorless. This book is funny, easy to read and comprehensive. Not as dry as most noir books and the mood guide, as with Meyer's first book, is a great help. I like to know if this is a date movie! Photos and captions are wonderful. I am giving them away as gifts to friends shut in with kids; makes raising kids more than bearable - even enjoyable. Thanks for bringing Ida Lupino back into my life!

This is a fantastic book, and it really fueled my budding interest in the noir canon. When Meyer wrote this guide, a lot of these movies were just unavailable to most viewers, but DVD releases have made a lot of these films cheap and easy to find, so the book is even MORE useful now! Meyer writes clearly and well, and his reviews provide a lot of information without spoiling the plots. I especially appreciated his pointers for women viewers of noir; I would never have found films like Mildred Pierce without his guidance! Buy his other book, 101 Films to Rent..., but do yourself a favor and get a copy of this one, too. If you are reading this, Mr. Meyer, make them reprint this book! Film buffs need you!

David N. Meyer's A GIRL AND A GUN (The Complete Guide To Film Noir On Video) is the book for which many of us have waited years!! Thoughtfully written, stylishly presented, and wonderfully irreverent, A GIRL AND A GUN is a perfect companion to Meyer's previous video guide, the indispensable THE 100 BEST FILMS TO RENT YOU'VE NEVER HEARD OF. Many among us have heard (and even used) the phrase "film noir" without having a real grasp of the meaning of the term. Meyer brings home all of the moodiness, the danger, and the claustrophobia that envelopes the genre - and that's just in the first 25 or so pages, as he explains how these elements come into play in the films he discusses in the body of the guide itself. The synopses of each film (and Meyer's choices are impeccable) are prefaced by Meyer's "mood guide" (summing up the vibe in a few words); a set of clever icons (explained at the outset of the guide) which indicate "at a glance" which of the classic noir elements are contained in the film under discussion; and the usual background details (year, director, country of origin, etc). A quick-n-dirty plot summary is followed by a more in-depth discussion of the film - a discussion, I might add, not of the dry-as-dust, academic cinema-snob variety, but a witty, rollicking, pop-culture-signpost-identifying discourse by someone who DIGS *MOVIES* (as opposed to those who "revere the cinema" but never leave their homes, except to go to Blockbuster or a theatre). This book, like Meyer's previous, is a blast. No true movie fan's home should be without a copy. And if you're a fan of the "dark side" of the movies, A GIRL AND A GUN is the book YOU TOO have been waiting for!!

Talk about bad luck! Just as El Nino has finished its trip through California and the sun has come out, David N Meyer releases another fabulous book driving me indoors for more of the greatest film I have ever been exposed to. The five video stores in my immediate vicinity know me on a first name basis after the long rainy season which became almost cozy with his first book of hidden treasures, "The 100 Best Films to Rent You've Never Heard Of." Of course that book went beyond its claim and became the 100 BEST films I had ever seen, and then some, and then some more.

I can't imagine a more complete or concise guide and reference book packed into 302 pages. The late night films that I grew up with are having new meaning and depth for me. His reviews are intimate and witty, his choices are superb, his opinions sizzle. I usually read his mood guide and plot summary; watch the film and follow with his review; and then frequently watch the film again. I am constantly overwhelmed by the richness of his recommendations and underwhelmed by the new releases now playing at the movie theatre. I carry his books in my car so I won't be caught near a video store without them! The more informed that I become the more I realize I have been living in a small dark room. Not anymore!

This book summarizes major film noirs, and provides a ratings system to help the reader decide which ones to see. It also provides a good introduction to the genre. Recently, I saw two excellent noirs starring Joan Crawford, "Sudden Fear" and "Possessed," and neither were mentioned in this book. So it's time to add another noir guide to my collection.

I have had this book for years and have used it to choose and understand films to view. I am donating this copy to a library. The book arrived on time and in good shape.

Who is the actress on the cover of this book and what movie is the still from?

I'm knocking this a star because, 11 years down the line, this book is no longer a "Complete Guide to Film Noir on Video".

Being in the film industry I have seen many of the greats in film history go down the drain while the box office blockbusters rein. Meyer's first and second books bring the art of film making back into perspective. He offers up "the" guide that supercedes the the majority vote (Those guys that loved "Titanic" and "Dances Like Wolves"!) and brings us back to the true artistic talant of Hollywood. Funny, insiteful, and concise. Get it!