Halliwell's Film and Video Guide 2000 (Halliwell's: The Movies That Matter) [Paperback]

editor, John Walker (Author), Leslie Halliwell (Author)

Book Description

Series: Halliwell's: The Movies That Matter | Publication Date: November 9, 1999

The Classic Guide to More than 23,000 Films

For over twenty years, Halliwell's Film and Video Guide has provided the most comprehensive information available on your favorite films--from the classics of the silver screen to the latest blockbusters, and everything in between. Each entry in this completely revised and expanded edition tells you everything you'd ever want to know about a movie, Including:

Plot synopses and critical evaluations

Cast members, writers, directors, and producers

Quotes from contemporary reviews, alternative titles, and original publicity tags

Video cassette, laser disc, and DVD availability

Easy-to-interpret icons denoting suitable for family viewing, Academy Award winners and nominees, soundtrack availability, computer-colorized versions, and video format compatibility

Plus, lists of four-star and three-star films by title and year, and a list of all the Academy Award winners for best picture and director, best actor and, best supporting actor and actress, and best original and adapted screenplays.

Upholding the outstanding tradition of Leslie Halliwell, editor John Walker delivers the breadth, detail, succinctness, knowledge, and wit that have always been the hallmarks of Halliwell's.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This monster is quite simply the king of video guides. Halliwell's Film and Video Guide 2000 contains more than 23,000 entries, creating a competition for space that allows most films only a quick-and-dirty single sentence review. Which is not to say that the book is in any way less than thorough--the terse sentences manage to be enormously telling. (How I Got into College is quietly damned with the description, "Mildly amusing teenage comedy"; Rabbit Test is scorched with "Dreary and tasteless film, the nadir of comedy"; and Strictly Ballroom is lauded with "Exuberant, charming, witty romance acted and directed with style and verve.") As its tendency toward clipped writing may suggest, Halliwell's is no Santa Claus film guide--movies must earn each star awarded. Four stars go only to groundbreaking masterpieces like Rashomon, and one can flip for pages without seeing a three-star movie. Most of the two-star films are pretty good, just not quite up to this guide's refreshingly exacting standards. For those who want only the best, Halliwell's handily provides lists of three- and four-star films, sorted by both title and year, in the back. One could get an excellent film education simply by working through both lists: the four-star category includes movies as diverse as Pelle the Conqueror, Alien, and Duck Soup. Halliwell's pulls no punches with either criticism or praise. It's a must-have for movie lovers. --Ali Davis

Product Details

• Paperback: 960 pages
• Publisher: Collins Reference (November 9, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062736922
• ISBN-13: 978-0062736925
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.4 x 2.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,573,001 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Halliwell's Film and Video Giude, December 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Halliwell's Film and Video Guide 2000 (Halliwell's: The Movies That Matter) (Paperback)

It's the greatest reference book for any film lover I have ever seen and bought it many times. Although it would even be more useful, if it would be available on CD-ROM (in a format readable by Apple Mac and Windows alike) with a search engine to access information like all movies from a certain director etc.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still my all-time favorite film guide, February 5, 2000

By 

Dan Balogh (New Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Halliwell's Film and Video Guide 2000 (Halliwell's: The Movies That Matter) (Paperback)

"Halliwell's Film & Video Guide" has always been my favorite guide to films since the first edition came out many years ago. The first thing I noticed about Halliwell was that he used the entire 4-star scale in a consistent way. Most other film guides, while they purport to rate movies on a scale of 0 to 4 stars, really just use 2.5 to 4 (with ratings of 0 to 2 all meaning "not recommended" -- but who cares whether a film is rated 1 versus 1.5, if it's not recommended, don't bother). Halliwell's system takes some getting used to, but once you see the value in it (if you give it enough time), the pay-off is worthwhile. And another refreshing aspect is that relatively few films get the highest rating of 4-stars, unlike some critics who give 4-stars to half the films they see, making the rating meaningless.

After Halliwell died, John Walker took over. He almost immediately 'updated' many of Halliwell's ratings (e.g., "Persona," which used to rank a 2-star rating, was upgraded to 4-stars). I agree with most of Walkers updates, though he has a slight tendency to over-rate, in my opinion.

Many film entries are peppered with quotes from other critics, often going against Halliwell's and Walker's assessment and offering an alternate evaluation -- this shows that these gentleman have an open mind.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable, incredibly well-researched book. Worth every penny. But stay with it -- it's a goldmine if you take the time to delve in.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars content is good, but you better have good eyes, January 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Halliwell's Film and Video Guide 2000 (Halliwell's: The Movies That Matter) (Paperback)

While the content of the reference book is excellent, the typeface is very small and thus difficult to read.