DVD & Video Guide 2005 [Paperback]

Mick Martin (Author), Marsha Porter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 31, 2004 | Series: DVD & Video Guide (Quality Paper)

Wondering what video to rent tonight? This bestselling, fact-packed guide is the only sourcebook you and your family will ever need. Mick Martin and Marsha Porter steer you toward the winners and warn you about the losers. DVD & Video Guide 2005 covers it all–more films than any other guide, plus your favorite serials, B-Westerns, made-for-TV movies, and old television programs! Each entry, conveniently alphabetized for easy access, includes a summary, fresh commentary, the director, major cast members, the year of release, and the MPAA rating, plus a reliable Martin and Porter rating–from Five Stars to Turkey–so you’ll never get caught with a clunker again!

THE BEST IN THE FIELD FOR TWENTY YEARS!
Including
• BRAND-NEW DVD LISTINGS
• DIRECTOR AND STAR INDEXES
• COMPLETE ACADEMY AWARD LISTINGS
• WHERE TO BUY THOSE HARD-TO-FIND VIDEOS

Editorial Reviews

Review

“THE BEST.”
–People

“THE BEST ALL-AROUND VOLUME.”
–Newsday

From the Inside Flap

Wondering what video to rent tonight? This bestselling, fact-packed guide is the only sourcebook you and your family will ever need. Mick Martin and Marsha Porter steer you toward the winners and warn you about the losers. DVD & Video Guide 2005 covers it all–more films than any other guide, plus your favorite serials, B-Westerns, made-for-TV movies, and old television programs! Each entry, conveniently alphabetized for easy access, includes a summary, fresh commentary, the director, major cast members, the year of release, and the MPAA rating, plus a reliable Martin and Porter rating–from Five Stars to Turkey–so you'll never get caught with a clunker again!

THE BEST IN THE FIELD FOR TWENTY YEARS!
Including
• BRAND-NEW DVD LISTINGS
• DIRECTOR AND STAR INDEXES
• COMPLETE ACADEMY AWARD LISTINGS
• WHERE TO BUY THOSE HARD-TO-FIND VIDEOS

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1632 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books (August 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345449967
• ISBN-13: 978-0345449962
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #305,583 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Preferable to Maltin's squeamishness., October 10, 2004

By 

Stiv B (Houston, Tx) - See all my reviews

This review is from: DVD & Video Guide 2005 (Paperback)

What I found most telling about DVD Video Guide is that the reviews, for the most part give you the positives and negatives (if there are any)of a particular movie. In other words they will give the reader more of a chance to see the movie or not. Of course there are a lot of stinkers made and the guide will let you know. I'm not going to agree with every Martin/Porter review but there are just too many movies that main competitor Leonard Maltin completely trashes due to an extreme point of view, length of the movie or the amount of violence in a film. It seems like he's too easily disgusted or impatient and there is no margin. Like other amazon reviewers have noticed, Maltin's general preference is for the "classic film era". Nothing wrong with that. It's just that had I followed his opinions, I would of missed a ton of great movies. Most people are going to see a film if they are interested regardless of the review, but Martin & Porter are a little more open about it. A critic IS supposed to be critical(I know it's a cliche)but I respond to Martin & Porter's style better. Buy this guide & Videohound as an alternative opinion.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Guide is found lacking, September 3, 2005

By 

Krakovskov "jerkules" (Pacifica, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: DVD & Video Guide 2005 (Paperback)

Very simply, this is not the best movie guide out there as other reviewers have stated. While, it does add a lot of new films released each year, it does so at the expense of older films. The reviewers have a tendancy to gush over these new releases and underrate or compleletly ignore films that truly have standed the test of time.

I don't want to get in a rant about specific film reviews but I think the reviewers do follow a certain pattern. If the movie made lots of money it is most likely to be rated higher than so called "flops". However, an exception is made for films that are too violent, too sexual, or too dark, even if they were succesful or developed a cult following because this is basically a family orientated movie guide. Movies made in the last several years are usually rated higher than the ones that were made in the film industry's youth. Many people's opinion will agree that today's films are more entertaining for today's audiences but I am of the opinion that there are film treasures to be found in all eras. In some cases the reviews of these older films are so vague that it makes me wonder if the reviewer ever saw the film that is being reviewed or are they just recycling and paraphrasing some old review. The biggest weakness of this book is that it does not include a great many movies at all. In comparison with the Blockbuster movie guide and Maltin's classic guide, this one is the most likely to have the film missing. It is weak on B-westerns and films prior to the 80's. Maltin's classic guide is good because at least pre 1960 films won't be dropped and forgotten completely, the blockbuster guide is nice because it has detailed reviews that aren't too pompous in regards to the reviewers opinion.

Besides the lack of old reviews I do have a problem with this guide's ratings of many more modern films. Independence Day given 4.1/2 stars, this film is truly awful besides the special effects. The US is having all kinds of problems finishing off the Iraq war yet we could beat aliens in a day or two with the president doing the dirty work. This is laughably bad even though President Bush might think it is believable, Starship Troppers was better or at least more entertaining treating basically the same subject tongue in cheek, the reviewers gave Troopers 2 stars. Perhaps the most disappointing visit to the theater I ever had was going to see Star Wars episode one, the reviewers gave it 5 stars, saying it was only second to the original. What? Enough said. Episode two also got 5 stars. I could go on all day ripping on the reviewers here, instead let me just say this is not for film buffs, maybe if you are half way interested in films and want to save a couple of bucks buy this guide. No guide will ever be fully comprehensive or objective, and this one is truly an example of that fact.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Movie Guide Martin & Porter, September 30, 2004

By 

Stacy Brumley Braswell (The Woodlands, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: DVD & Video Guide 2005 (DVD & Video Guide (Mass Market Paper)) (Mass Market Paperback)

I collect movies and as I enter them into my palm pilot I add some of the information on them from this book such as director, rating, grade (stars) and year.

The main problem I have found is that the stars tend to go soley on the authors opinions of the movies. For instance the movie "Fight Club" with Brad Pitt got rated a turkey by them. The Internet Movie Database shows it with their rating of 8.3.

I just recently bought the 2005 edition and found that it does not contain "Finding Nemo". Go figure.

Overall I like their guide and I do use their stars (grading) as a guide. I bought it because:
1. I had the previous version and was concerned about changing formats
2. It was cheaper than Leonard Maltins.