Customer Reviews

The Official Razzie Movie Guide: Enjoying the Best of Hollywoods Worst

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I have been a dedicated bad movie aficionado for a long time now, and always pride myself on finding obscure and utterly wretched movies to roll my eyes at. As such, I have seen many of the films in this book, and generally am in wholehearted concurrence with the author and his appraisals of these movies. My favorite bad movie book has always been "The Golden Turkey Awards" by Harry and Michael Medved, and it still is-but just barely. This book is certainly more up to date than The Turkeys, and is of the same general ilk and demeanor.

What I love about this book (and the Razzies in general) is the ability to skewer not only small, insignificant films like "The Creeping Terror" and "Devil Girl From Mars", but to take on hugely bloated yet unspeakably bad tripe like "Glitter", "Exorcist II: The Heretic", and "Spice World".

Truly, this is a treasure trove of bad cinema and has given me many good (bad) suggestions for future viewing, as well as helping me plan future gifts for fellow movie lovers.

If you have any interest in movies, especially if you love the bottom of the barrel so-bad-it's-good film, this book is a must.

My previous favorite trashy movie guide "Cult Flicks and Trash Pics" by the Videohound (see listing elsewhere) has just been superseded by Wilson's Razzie guide. Written in tongue-in-cheek fashion and filled with lots of juicy tidbits about each film it discusses, this is a great read. The originator of the Raspberry Awards IRazzies) given to the worst movies of the year, at around the same time as the Oscars, got his start in 1980. Although not all Razzie Award nominees are covered here, for that matter not even all the winners are represented, Wilson does a great job with the ones he does cover.

He even goes back into Razzie pre-history, digging up such wonderful gems as 1977's mondo horror joke "The Car", and several exploitation films from the drive-in scene of the 1950's, "Glen or Glenda?", High School Confidential", etc. And Ed Wood, that maven of bad movies is represented here on more than one occasion (although "Plan 9 From Outer Space" is missing...too easy a target?)

There are even a couple of Oscar winners that get the Razzie treatment. Ubiquitous Easter movie, "The Ten Commandments" is torched, and deservedly so. Not because of it's message, its just that some of the character actors and actresses in that movie are just plain ridiculous. (Why does Edward G. robinson play every character the same way in every movie?)

To my shame, I saw some of these movies when they first came out, originally thinking they were great movies, but to my credit I was young and naive. I have seen "Xanadu" and "The Jazz Singer" in recent years and wondered "What the heck was I thinking?" I intend to see more than a few of the movies in this book now just for the laughs.


All-in-all a very good read. Besides any book that manages to mention the greatest drive-in movie critic of all time, Joe Bob Briggs, deserves a look. Anybody with that kind of taste gets my vote.

As a long time fan of The RAZZIE Awards, I looked forward to this book finally coming out -- And I was NOT disappointed. With cast and crew info, actual vicious critical reviews, chapter stop listings for DVD titles and a decidedly twisted RAZZIE perspective on each of the 100 movies listed, this was both fun to read and full of juicy, gossipy tidbits about bad movies. Along with the expected titles like VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, SHOWGIRLS and MOMMIE DEAREST, the author includes many not-so-well-known bad films that have as yet not gotten their they're-so-bad-they're-good due, including William Shatner as half-breed twins(!) in a Spanish "Western" called WHITE COMANCHE and an oddball 1934 exploitation cheapie entitled MANIAC. And the photos from RAZZIE ceremonies past (who knew they actually did a SHOW every year?) are also pricelessly amusing. In all, everything I expected -- and BERRY much more! I'm only sorry it wasn't printed in time for me to give as a holiday gift to all my Bad Movie Lover friends!

If you have ever had a friend who tells you stories that should stand on their own, but instead must continually prop them up by reminding you how funny they are and how funny other people thought they were, then you have an idea of this book. You are told in each synopsis that each movie was so bad it was funny, but rarely does it come across as to why this is so. This may be more a fault of the format than the author, but as someone else stated- you're expecting something livlier from the creator of the Razzies. Still, I enjoyed it, and would give it a nod because of the sheer number of bad movies it lists, and the information it gives. However if you are looking for less of a reference book and more of a humor book, you'll probably want to keep looking.

If you appreciate movies that "rank" as So-Bad-They're-Good, this book is a MUST. Razzie creator Wilson names his 100 favorite amusingly awful movies, listing cast and credits, original (often hilariously vicious) reviews for each, as well as a pithy essay on what makes each one such fun to watch. For once, someone has written a bad movie book that's about enjoying bad movies, as opposed to just trashing them. For titles available on DVD, Wilson even gives "Choice Chapter Stops," for those who can't wait to go straight to the crux of each clunker's most laughable low-lights. At the back of the book, there's a listing of where and how to buy, rent and/or catch on cable the 100 films listed -- As well as a complete history of The Razzies' first 24 years. Anyone who loves laughing at bad movies will love this book!

For the movie lover in you. Or for the person you likes to laugh at the unfortunate movies that have actually been made on purpose. It's nice to feel vindicated for hating or knowing you would loath a film, or part of that film for that matter. Just delicious fun.

I don't know how Tom Selleck's movie "Folks!" got on the bad or razzie list. It's one of the cutest, funniest movies that I've ever seen. Up until lately it's been so pricey that I couldn't afford to purchase a copy. Even on ebay it was selling for $100.00. Tom does a terrific job with the comedy in this movie. Excellent intertainment.

This is a book about the worst of the worst movies ever made and you'd think it would be a laugh a minute but it's not. Each movie is seriously discussed and at the end of each synopsis there is a fairly weak attempt at humor. I expected a book by the Razzie Awards founder to be more lively.

Now as for content, this book has all the famous bad flicks like Trog, and Posieden Adventure and The Love Machine. It also has a couple of movies included that weren't bad and are probably just included becuase the author didn't like the star of the movie.

I found this book to be somewhat of a let down. It's okay but nothing really special and if you are a lover of bad movies you can safely get any of the other books on this topic before you get this one.

For ten years, I had a job in a major downtown revitalization district and my task was to attract people there to patronize the local merchants. One day in the mail, I got a catalog of movies on VHS (yes it was awhile ago) and DVDs and as I sifted through it, I said to myself that there were some really really really bad movies around. So I did a film festival entitled "Really, really, really bad movies" - "Plan Nine from Outer Space," "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes," "Mesa of Lost Women," and a bunch more. One morning as I was doing my morning thing in the bathroom, I heard the series announced on the radio (and it was a BIG metro radio station). Next thing I know, I get a call from CNN for an interview and there I was handing Jean Moos a real heritage Killer Tomato! I guess there's a real affection for real bad flicks! ENJOY!