Customer Reviews

10 Sure Signs a Movie Character is Doomed

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Not intended as a scholarly or unbiased book, this collection of movie lists range from the hilariously perceptive - "13 great perks of being a movie character" to the wholly opinionated - "The 40 worst movies I've ever seen." The title caught my eye and the humorous writing kept me reading. Some of the lists are, well just lists like "Sequels that have equaled or bettered the original." No explanation or justification - just a list. And some of the lists are just self indulgent - "Attack of the quote whores" which collects those random fluff love quotes that we see in advertisement and puts them on a couple of pages for no good reason at all. Still, Roeper has taken some of that love of movies that propelled him to where he is by showing "5 Reasons George Baily Isn't Such a Wonderful Guy in It's a Wonderful Life," and the mentioned below "7 movies in which Ben Affleck cries like a big fat baby." If you are looking for serious cinematic writing, go look for Pauline Kael. Otherwise this is a great little commute, waste time or bathroom book. I only wish Roeper had put in a table of contents so I could easily find the gems again when I look for them instead of flipping through the book. Just silly. Enjoy!

This book is more like a slightly extended magazine article. In fact, I've read articles in "Movieline" that were longer, and more informative.

About one quarter of the book includes material that is well thought-out and entertainingly written. The rest is stuff that Roeper must have dictated into his voice recorder while doing other tasks.

Roeper is clever and well-informed, but this book couldn't have taken more than two weeks to write. If you're looking for a truly quick read, this is the book for you. Just don't pay full price!

I'm sure Roeper is capable of writing a good book, even a book of lists that has a little more "meat." But Roeper, and the publisher, shouldn't try to pass this off as more than a brochure.

This book's lists run the gamut from the commendable ("Ten movies that didn't make the AFI list but should have") to the throwaway (pick the half-dozen lists of your choice). In between, there are lists of his personal opinions, at least some of which are bound to provoke strong reactions (good and bad) in die-hard film buffs. There are also several lists of movie cliches that could have been lifted right out of Ebert's LITTLE MOVIE GLOSSARY. Some fall in the "Eh" category (movies starring cast members of "Seinfeld" and "Friends") and some that are LOL funny (Red carpet flubs by Joan Rivers). The book is padded out in the extreme, and fleshing it out here and there would have helped-- a lot (his list of in-jokes briefly discusses only 13 films, and his "10 movie character imitations that men can't resist doing" misses things like Pacino in SCARFACE ("Say hello to my li'l frien'")). A mixed bag, but there are worse ways of killing an hour or so.

PS: The back cover states that this book is the result of his years of watching thousands of films, yet in his SOURCES, he states that he consulted dozens of movie websites and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles. Hmmmmm . . .

Given that this is a "list" book and there is very little discussion of WHY these movies were selected, I can't rate it higher. There is, as some reviewers pointed out, some obvious ratings here, but there's also some original stuff. I particularly enjoyed "Movies in Which Ben Affleck Cries Like a Big Fat Baby," the Joan Rivers' Oscar bloopers, 10 Highly Stupid Habits of Movie People," and Pop Songs on Permanent Rotation - I'd always wondered how many movies had used "Respect" or "All Star."

And his list of the worst movies ever was spot on - given that he limited it to 40.

Know any film buffs? Chances are you do. It seems like they like to see movies just because they are movies. They are apt to be reminded of this scene or that line from some film most folks remember vaguely. They like to draw connections between seemingly unrelated movies, and they have a strong sense of the "man behind the curtain" of moviedom: the clichés, the stolen plotlines, the mistakes, and so on.

Richard Roeper knows this audience well. 10 Sure Signs is a quite unique film buff's document. It manages to be a both a book that will please film nerds, but also one that will not alienate less devoted movie fans. This is no dry tome filled with pages of figures, dates, and unadorned quotes. It is as much a book of humor as a study of film.

However, one should note that, since it is a book of lists, the readability is a little low. It is the sort of book that works well in small doses-great dipping into periodically, but not for that long evening at home. It may also become dated fairly quickly, as new films arise that belong on the list-but part of the reader's fun may be in thinking of those new films.

I was looking though this book and it's easy to look through--large type small sentences lots of white space, and found myself reading material I know this "author" did not write, because the material was lifted whole sale from items found on the internet and in books published prior to this one (try E TAILS volumes 1-3).

The essays "Ten Sure Signs a Movie Character is doomed" and "13 Great Perks of Being a Movie character" and "9 rules of drinking in the movies" were Internet forwards. The man known as Roeper didn't write this, and I suspect, much of the rest of the book was swiped from the internet.

I never did like this guy as a movie reviewer. This book "by" Roeper only confirms my feelings he's not much of a reviewer, not the least bit honest, nor worthwhile with dealing with.

Sure, I have read the other reviews on here where people complain that for such a quick read, $14 is a high price to pay, and if you would just read straight through this book once and put it down, I would agree, $14 is awfully steep, but that isn't the kind of book this is.
This is a book you will pick up time and time again.
Whether it is his list of movies in the AFI top 100 that didn't belong there, or his list of actress who went nude with no business doing it, it is great to hear someone with something of an authority on what is good in the movie world kicking overrated bunk off of its high pedestal and putting it in its proper place.
Who else is going to dog on Jimmy Stewart's character in It's a Wonderful Life or say Helen Mirren really needs to learn to keep her clothes on on camera (she doesn't have the body she used to)?
There is some great moments of humor, such as "7 Movies In Which Ben Affleck Cries Like a Big Fat Baby" and also some pleasant surprises, such as naming Life of Brian third best Easter movie ever. It also has the one thing every American wants to read, something that makes them feel like in some way they are better than the celebrities they seen on the big screen, which is provided to us through lists such as "Worst Oscar Acceptance Speeches."
This is a great book to pull out and read from time to time. It will always bring a smile to your face.

This is a fun book. He has plenty of lists that are oft times humorous but sometimes rather banal. The "sure sign that you're doomed" list has been gone over so many times that we all know the jokes about characters that go down the steps to investigate the noise or who have important information to tell the protagonist. None of the lists are particularly illuminating, but many are funny and that's really all this book is aiming for. Unfortunately, this book is also so thin that it takes less than an hour to read. While that's great for a gift book or a book that you find in the dollar bin, paying full price seems ridiculous.

The thin man of the syndicated show "Ebert & Roeper" is back, this time with a collection of movie lists that are as irreverent, offbeat and inventive as the films themselves. Some of the lists are simply bland, such as "Actresses Who Have Played Prostitutes." (Think Joan Crawford, Drew Barrymore, Sharon Stone and Gloria Swanson.) Yet most are a hoot ... "5 Things That Happen When a Wrongly Accused Fugitive Walks Into a Bar, a Restaurant or a Convenience Store;" "7 Moves in Which Ben Affleck Cried Like a Big Fat Baby;" "The Worst Best Movies of All Time;" "Actresses Who Have Yet to Do a Nude Scene." Picking a favorite list or two or three is like trying to choose your favorite flick. Some nominees include: "The 40 Worst Movies I've Ever Seen," listed alphabetically because, as Roeper muses, "at some point, awful is just awful." No.1 is "Arthur 2: On the Rocks." Along the way there's "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice" ("Dumb & Painful & Lame & Boring"), "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" ("Sputter sputter klunk klunk") and "Me and Him" ("Griffin Dunne has a running dialogue with his penis. The penis gets the best lines.") We also love "11 Movies That Employed James Brown's `I Feel Good' to Indicate That a Character Feels Good!" Topping the list: "Exit Wounds," closing the list: "White Men Can't Jump." And there's "Movies That Never Played on an Airplane" ("Air Force One," "Passenger 57," and, of course, "Passenger 57.") We keep our copy in the bathroom for those times when we need fast relief.

.... i found it to be hilarious and intriguing! roeper doesn't just compile lists. he comes up with clever variations on standard movie lists, and makes criticisms about films within the context of those lists. i found out about his book after reading an item in glamour magazine that included one of his lists, '7 movies where ben affleck cries like a big fat baby.' i got the book and thought it was clever and original. thumbs up richard!