Widely acclaimed as the biggest, best, and most authoritative book of its kind, this 18th edition features 400 new movie entries, making a total of over 19,000 entries, and has expanded coverage of films available on video for home viewing (over 14,000 videocassette, and over 6,000 laser disc listings), plus enlarged indexes of leading performers and directors, and updated lists of mail-order sources for buying and renting videocassettes and laser discs.
|
There is a newer edition of this item:
|
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
If you buy only one film book in your life, this should be it. Maltin is the filmgoer's guide--the most compact, intelligent, and informative reference available. Alphabetized by title, each of its more than 19,000 entries lists year of release, running time, director, principal cast, and availability on video. Other guides may offer even more information, but Maltin's is distinguished by the quality of its reviews. Rating films on a scale from "****" to "BOMB," it offers a comprehensive introduction to the international cinema, covers the classics with the respect they deserve, unearths thousands of little-known gems, takes the wind out of the overrated, and laughs at the awful with appropriate good humor. If you want proof of Maltin's versatility, compare the reviews of The Battleship Potemkin, History Is Made at Night, Blue Velvet, and The Navy vs. the Night Monsters. Standard, crucial, great fun to read, chock full of trivia, and bursting with passion for the movies. --Raphael Shargel
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't pay attention to the last three reviews,
By Craig C. Kling (New Mexico) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 1999 (Serial) (Paperback)
The most complete and accurate movie analysis out there. Though I do not agree with every review of every movie, no one can. My experience with every addition of this book since 1990 has been that it is a genuine help in determining which films are four stars and which films are bombs. An additional feature of the 2000 edition is the list of Leonard Maltin's must see movies of the 20th century. As he noted at the outset, no one is going to completely agree with this type of list, but I also must say that in my opinion there is no movie on that list that is not worth seeing, and most are must see for the genuine movie aficianado(though there are a few surprisingly not on the list i.e., Touch of Evil). Additionally, if you need Leonard Maltin's book to tell you whether or not you want to see Titanic then you really can't be helped. Also if your taste is in bad movies, you probably won't like the book because they are routinely panned. Finally, as to Roger Ebert, though I find his advice helpful in choosing new movies, I think he is under too much pressure to recommend some film for people to see every week, which can affect his objectivity. Leonard Maltin, on the other hand, works woth an editorial staff, and can determine each review based upon a number of opinions. In any event, it is difficult to give too much credence to a reviewer such as Ebert who gave "thumbs up" to Home Alone 3.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Diss My Man Maltin!,
By A Customer
This review is from: Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 1999 (Serial) (Paperback)
Maltin rocks. He gives the best capsule reviews in the world. Pithy, brief, colorful. Time and again I've seen a movie and thought, "Wow, he hit the nail on the head."Merely because he points out a film's weaknesses as well as his strengths is no reason to hate him. I like a reviewer who is hard to impress; high praise SHOULD be reserved for greatness. Here's the meat of his commentary on FORREST GUMP: "Either you accept Hanks in this part and go with the movie's seriocomic sense of whimsy, or you don't (we didn't) -- but either way it's a long journey, filled with digitized imagery that puts Forrest Gump into a wide variety of backdrops and real-life events." That seems both thoughtful and accurate. And he's right: it's a 2.5 star movie, not a 4 star movie. Maltin is the best movie guide reviewer we have. Buy this book.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good critic, a good book/resource.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 1999 (Serial) (Paperback)
Leonard Maltin has, within most of these articles, received criticisms that reflect a level of intelligence and sophistication that would (and should only) please the pre-pubescent maneurisms of a 4-7 year-old child. Films are, quite simply, the products of different minds and cannot be judged only by their emotional content. If a film is uneven in any aspect, despite your "emotional" opinion towards it, it has failed its goals or structure in some way. Although I often disagree with some of his reviews, I see that Leonard Maltin is a highly educated man (much more than I) whose love for the cinema should be evident to all those who have viewed his movie guide just for the fact that he has written and constructed it for the common people (and movie buffs alike). To judge Maltin for not including every movie, documentary, short, or foreign endeavor into the art of filmmaking is absolutely ludicrous. How many films can anyone expect to see in a world plagued by made-for-tape cheapies, unnecessary follow-ups and sequels, box-office contenders, and (now) independent sleepers? The answer to that question is as visible as the solution: add each year only the most recently significant, important, controversial, praised, and/or "popular" films. Older films are included more because of two basic principles: 1. Fewer (a large understatement) movies were made in the past, so there is a more reasonable amount to deal with, and 2. Once held high standards in filmmaking have diminished (in most cases) as the entertainment industry has given new support to quantity instead of quality - money often replaces art. Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide is, as with any movie or video, imperfect. Readers should understand that the highest rating suggests only that its receiver "is of the best". The guide is an invaluable resource of information regarding actors, directors, nostalgia, and most importantly the films themselves. As for Leonard Maltin, he does not have to worry about relying soley on the public's interest in his movie guide. His career provides him with vast number of jobs ranging from his own radio show to his known postions as the chief film critic for Entertainment Tonight and Playboy magazine. In regards to his written resource to films, however, "I Recommend Leonard Maltin's Guide, which has become a standard." - Roger Ebert (and so do I).
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
