Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I laughed until tears ran down my face., July 11, 1999
By A Customer
This is a must read for anyone who grew up with, or who loves, the movies around the 1950's. It is presented in an "Oscar format" with comments and thumbnail descriptions by the Brothers Medved. Their love for these movies is evident; their humor is direct and presents perspective on actors, Hollywood, directors, plots, and America, in a time of greater innocence and before special effects were king. Hours of fun and a great guide to late movies. I was paging through this book in a bookstore when I saw the heading, "The Worst Movie Ever Made." Well, I knew what was the worst movie ever made, but was also sure the reviewers had never seen it. When I turned to see their choice--it was the same one! I bought the book on the spot and have been giving copies to special friends as gifts ever since.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best "movie review" book EVER!!!, December 28, 2003
The book is pretty old now, and so many "turkeys" from the last couple of decades are missing, but it is fabulous at running down the best lousy movies primarily of the golden age of lousy movies, the '30s, '40s & '50s. Not surprisingly, there is a heavy emphasis on sci-fi and horror, which has tended over the lifetime of film to give us some real gems anyway.This is the book that first turned me on to PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, ROBOT MONSTER and their ilk. I've enjoyed my time watching horrible movies (on purpose) and this book lays the groundwork. It is essential reading, not just for bad movie buffs, but for anyone who likes movie history. It is written with often scathingly funny humor. I have read this book a number of times over the years, because it is SO well written. Generous quotes directly from the films, but also great descriptions of the movies. Many times, you feel as though you've seen the movie. If you can lay your hands on this book, you must. It (and the sequel) are real treasures!!
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2.0 out of 5 stars
The book did some good, but I have issues with it, July 14, 2009
THE GOLDEN TURKEY AWARDS is the gospel for many fans of "bad" movies. This is ironic, as it is obvious from reading the book that the Medveds (Harry and Michael) are decidedly NOT fans of these movies. They simply enjoy turning up their noses and lampooning these films and filmmakers with very little appreciation for their actual entertainment value.
While busying themselves dissecting and nit-picking every last imperfection of the admittedly substandard quality of these movies, they completely ignore the fact that many of them were made on shoestring budgets by people with little knowledge of film, desperately trying to find their big break in Hollywood. They ignore the fact that many of these "bad" filmmakers showed far more passion, perseverance and genuine love of cinema than some of their more critically and commercially successful peers.
The book undeniably helped to revitalize an interest in many forgotten cult classics and B-movie filmmakers (particularly the life and films of Ed Wood), but did so inadvertently. This was not the book's motive. The Medveds did not set out to celebrate these movies; they set out to ridicule them.
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