The Complete Idiot's Guide to Movies, Flicks, and Films (Paperback)

~ Bruce Holsinger Mark Winokur (Author) "While we were researching and writing this book, our friends, colleagues, and skeptical family members asked the same two questions: "Are movies today worse than..." (more)
Key Phrases: hallmark film, character placement, feature filmmaker, World War, Filmophile's Lexicon, Short Cuts (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 1 pages
• Publisher: Alpha; 1 edition (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 002863988X
• ISBN-13: 978-0028639888
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #686,028 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great material to convert a beginner into a filmophile, March 6, 2001

By A Customer

A great introduction to the entire world of film -- not just Hollywood, but a host of world cinemas from European to Latin American to African and Near Eastern. The examples used are well explained and are always pertinent to the points at hand. My favorite chapters were one on film theory (which made obscure concepts accessible to the beginner) and one that used all the concepts introduced in the book to explain the German silent film "Nosferatu." I had just seen the new movie "Shadow of the Vampire," which is based on the making of "Nosferatu"; this book made me understand for the first time what a complex piece of art that early movie is. I highly recommend this book as an affordable intro to film criticism that, while accessible and fun to read, does not talk down to its audience.

5.0 out of 5 stars My English Report, October 27, 2008

By	Jim W. (Santa Ana, CA) - See all my reviews

Are you kidding me one star guy?!? I used this book in my American Lit. term paper, and I thought it was fantastic! And I'm a heavy reader! It gave me everything I needed for an easy A, and I enjoyed reading it too.

7 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not complete in any way, February 26, 2001

By A Customer

The majority of the discussion in this book revolves around the history of Hollywood. It repeats itself often discussing the McCarthy Era and how it affected Hollywood. It also provides useless lists of big names in Hollywood. If you are any kind of movie lover you already know the works of Spielberg and Lucas and how the McCarthy Era affected cinema.

The book also promised to provide an in-depth look at the process of making films. The concepts were provided however, they were not given in-depth. Lists of movies were provided to illustrate the concepts in the book. However, if I had wanted a list of movies to watch, I would have found one on the net.

Basically this book is a waste of money to anyone that has a basic understanding of Hollywood and show business.