The Off-Hollywood Film Guide: The Definitive Guide to Independent and Foreign Films on Video and DVD [Paperback]

Tom Wiener (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 13, 2002

The Off-Hollywood Film Guide cuts through the clutter of the thousands of films currently available on video and DVD by specifically catering to independent- and foreign-film enthusiasts. In addition to a list of essential must-see films, this guide includes hundreds of entries, each with brief commentary and a list of pertinent details, such as release date, cast, director, awards garnered, special DVD features, and double-feature suggestions. The listings are also cross-referenced by genre, director, actors, and country of origin.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"[T]he movies that I love most are the ones that offer something unexpected, something a few feet (or maybe a mile or two) off the beaten track," says film writer Wiener. His book, a compendium of over 650 foreign and independent films, praises "less-than-famous men and women filmmakers" from the 1960s through the present time. With a massive listing of films from the French C‚sar Award-winning A Nos Amours to the 44-minute-long Zero for Conduct, Wiener offers key facts and about a paragraph of background information for each entry. A section on subgenres and indexes of directors, actors and countries round out this authoritative reference.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Since Wiener has 25 years' experience in film commentary, his judgment as to what constitutes an important or "essential" movie for an independent and/or foreign film buff's home collection is worth noting. Here he annotates over 650 of the best foreign and independently produced films from the silent era through 2001, noting year and country of release, principal cast, director, MPAA rating, type of film (e.g., documentary, fantasy), and DVD features; of special interest is a "double feature" suggestion, followed by an often amusing one-paragraph critique. An appendix breaks out films by subgenres, and director, actor, and country indexes also facilitate access. Wiener's suggestions are excellent, and the "double feature" choices (e.g., My Night at Maud's coupled with The Tao of Steve) are always dead-on and sometimes provocative. Many of these titles will be familiar to anyone who pays attention to film hits such as The Piano and The Remains of the Day are featured but even those who consider themselves film buffs will be pleased to discover films like I Know Where I'm Going! and Memories of Underdevelopment. As a core title list for libraries and individuals, Wiener's new work ranks near the top, replacing Richard Skorman's Off-Hollywood Movies and supplementing the Time Out Film Guide 2002 and Monica Sullivan's Videohound's Independent Film Guide (1999, 2d ed.). Essential for all film libraries. Anthony J. Adam, Prairie View A&M Univ. Lib., TX
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks; 1 edition (August 13, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812992075
• ISBN-13: 978-0812992076
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,422,784 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A high level guide., August 19, 2009

By 

Burton J. Shapiro "yet another movie expert" (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Off-Hollywood Film Guide: The Definitive Guide to Independent and Foreign Films on Video and DVD (Paperback)

This is a sharp-eyed guide based on intelligence. Rare is common sense at the center of these thought provoking ideas on films to watch and enjoy, and more. The author shows great regard and respect for the reader and film lover.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars every film buff needs this unusually spot-on book, September 10, 2008

By 

Adie Mahony (denville, nj) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Off-Hollywood Film Guide: The Definitive Guide to Independent and Foreign Films on Video and DVD (Paperback)

interesting and informative as well as downright entertaining-cover to cover; worth every penny as a films resource and a great catalogue to use in choosing classic, off-market , art and indie films to rent for home viewing.