Leonard Maltin's 2008 Movie Guide (Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide (Mass Market)) [Paperback]

Leonard Maltin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide (Mass Market) | Publication Date: August 7, 2007

Leonard Maltin's comprehensive film guide remains the biggest, best, and most authoritative in the field. The 2008 edition will feature more than 18,000 entries, and updated indexes of leading performers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Head and shoulders above the rest. (New York Times) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Recognized as one of the leading authorities on movies and moviemaking, LEONARD MALTIN has become a household name and media personality thanks to his regular appearances on the highly successful syndicated TV program, Entertainment Tonight, and his daily radio feature, Leonard Maltin’s Radio View. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1648 pages
• Publisher: Signet (August 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451221869
• ISBN-13: 978-0451221865
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #837,792 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Make sure you buy the right version, August 21, 2007

By 

Julie Neal (Sanibel Island, Fla.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Leonard Maltin's 2008 Movie Guide (Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide (Mass Market)) (Paperback)

Have you noticed? There are two versions of this book (the other is Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide 2008 (Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide)) and they seem identical except for the price. But there IS another difference: the size! This one is cheaper, but also smaller -- 7 inches tall instead of 8. That may not sound like much, but it really makes a difference. The two books have exactly the same pages, just at different sizes, and this one's reduced type is, to me at least, much harder to read. Unless you have perfect vision, I think you'll be happier with the other version.

Size aside, this is an exhaustive reference work. It lists every movie made from 1960 through early 2007, as well as most major films before then. Each listing has a star rating and short summary of its film as well as key specs (director, major cast, running time and year released) and icons identify whether each film has been released on DVD, videocassette or laserdisc.

There's also a list of mail order and online sources for obscure titles, and, on the last 57 pages, an index of actors. Want a quick list of every movie ever made by Humphrey Bogart? Reese Witherspoon? Jim Carrey? Here's where to find them.

Overall, this is a great book for any movie fan. The back cover features a recommendation by Roger Ebert.

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very few will need the separate Classic Guide..., September 22, 2006

By 

Jerry Jancarik Jr. "Jerry Jancarik Jr." (Pacific Northwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide 2007 (Plume Paperback) (Paperback)

Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide is one of four essential movie guide's on the market, the others being Halliwell's Film Guide, The Time Out Movie Guide and The Virgin Film Guide (which is actually an updated edition of James Monaco's Movie Guide and is available from Amazon.co.uk). Each of these books have their own particular strengths, The Virgin and Time Out Guide's with longer but fewer reviews and Maltin's and Halliwell's books with very comprehensive but brief entries.

My initial concern when I heart that Maltin was creating a separate Classic Movie Guide was that many earlier films would now only be available in that separate book. Of the hundreds of pre-60's films I looked up every single one was still included in this book, many of them far from standard classics. What Maltin has done is wisely weed out all of the obscure pre-1960's programmers that few people have an interest in seeing today in order to keep the book a maneagable size. Unless you have a need to research really obscure, generic fare (and it's going to have to be a lot more obscure than anything directed by Edgar G. Ulmer for example) you will be fine without the Classic Guide.

Regarding the print size, it is true that the type isn't much bigger than with the mass market edition but it IS slightly larger. I would still recommend sticking with the larger Plume trade size paperback.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing this year, January 5, 2008

By 

AH-1Z - See all my reviews

This review is from: Leonard Maltin's 2008 Movie Guide (Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide (Mass Market)) (Paperback)

As a faithful buyer of Mr. Maltin's guide for many years, I am disappointed in this year's offering. For one thing, possibly they "closed" their list earlier this year. In the past, when this book came out, it would have reviews of more movies that were released since the previous issue, closer to the publication date. In fact, they'd occasionally have a review included of a movie that was just ending its theater run at the time of publication of the book! This year, it seems they "locked" early. Among the movies not reviewed were: "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix", "Knocked Up", "Live Free or Die Hard", "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer", etc. Maybe because Mick Martin's excellent book wasn't published this year, the pressure of competition was off.

Having the various lists in the back is helpful, but explain to me why it is so important to have all eight of John Belushi's films listed, while not having any of, say, Helena Bonham-Carter's?

This is still a valuable publication, but this edition is not up to snuff. My recommendation: If you bought the 2007 edition, skip this one and wait for next year's release.