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The Film Snob*s Dictionary: An Essential Lexicon of Filmological Knowledge (Paperback)

by David Kamp (Author), Lawrence Levi (Author)
Key Phrases: world mascot, born director, New York, Film Snob, World War (more...)

4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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With solid reporting and magnificent storytelling, David Kamp goes into the heart of American culture, from food snobs to rock and roll. See more titles by Kamp.

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Editorial Reviews

Review
“A witty, often devastatingly funny, ultra-sophisticated guide for the uninitiated, the would-be cinephile’s equivalent to decrypting the Rosetta Stone. Even I had no idea that Clint Howard was a cult figure.” —Bruce Goldstein, Repertory Program Director, Film Forum (New York) and founder, Rialto Pictures

Product Description

From the same brain trust that brought you The Rock Snob*s Dictionary, the hilarious, bestselling guide to insiderist rock arcana, comes The Film Snob*s Dictionary, an informative and subversively funny A-to-Z reference guide to all that is held sacred by Film Snobs, those perverse creatures of the repertory cinema. No longer must you suffer silently as some clerk in a “Tod Browning’s Freaks” T-shirt bombards you with baffling allusions to “wire-fu” pictures, “Todd-AO process,” and “Sam Raimi.” By helping to close the knowledge gap between average moviegoers and incorrigible Snobs, the dictionary lets you in on hidden gems that film geeks have been hoarding (such as Douglas Sirk and Guy Maddin movies) while exposing the trash that Snobs inexplicably laud (e.g., most chop-socky films and Mexican wrestling pictures). Delightfully illustrated and handily organized in alphabetical order for quick reference, The Film Snob*s Dictionary is your fail-safe companion in the video store, the cineplex, or wherever insufferable Film Snobs congregate.

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Product Details

Paperback: 144 pages
Publisher: Broadway (February 21, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0767918762
ISBN-13: 978-0767918763
Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

Amazon.com Sales Rank: #208,326 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)
Popular in this category: (What's this?)
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Inside This Book (learn more)

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
world mascot, born director

Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Film Snob, World War, Orson Welles, John Wayne, Hong Kong, Cape Fear, Film Forum, Citizen Kane

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	64% buy the item featured on this page: The Film Snob*s Dictionary: An Essential Lexicon of Filmological Knowledge 4.2 out of 5 stars (10) $9.56
	13% buy The Wine Snob's Dictionary: An Essential Lexicon of Oenological Knowledge 4.7 out of 5 stars (12) $10.15
	8% buy The Food Snob's Dictionary: An Essential Lexicon of Gastronomical Knowledge 4.2 out of 5 stars (10) $10.36
	8% buy Making Movies 4.7 out of 5 stars (30) $10.20

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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

4.2 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very funny, deadly accurate book for the film snob in all of us....OK, some of us., April 16, 2006

By	Aaron (Chicago, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews

Oh yes, I'm one of those "insufferable" chaps this book takes great aim at. And I enjoyed every moment of it. This is a very amusing little book that manages to serve as a surprisingly decent introduction into the names, faces and works that your basic so called "film snob" holds sacred. At the same time, it's also a painfully funny jab at the admittedly elitist world the "film snob" inhabits. The book was so damn accurate that it sometimes hit too close to home.

If you've ever found yourself driving for over two hours to catch that acclaimed film everyone at Cannes was raving about. If the words "The Criterion Collection" causes your pulse to race with excitement. If you've suddenly found yourself friendless because your buddies got sick and tired of you raving about the latest and greatest Cronenberg film. Or if you find yourself in online arguments about why 'French Connection II' is the better film than the original, then this book is for you.

If you have a friend who is all of the above and who forces you to sit "in the third row" on the left when he drags you to a film, this book is the perfect tool that you can use to keep up with him. Or bring him back down to Earth! A nifty little book.

Oh, and by the way Messers Kamp and Levi, you guys are correct. 'Office Space' really does suck!!!

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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You know who you are..., April 12, 2006

By	Dora Chance (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

If you've ever watched Meshes of the Afternoon at Anthology Film Archives on an August day when the air conditioning was broken...or laughed knowingly at Joan Crawford's and Mercedes McCambridge's performances in Johnny Guitar...or refrained from laughing when Annie Lennox inexplicably began warbling "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" during that awful Derek Jarman movie, well, this book is for you. Or maybe it's not-it might hit a little too close to home.

But for everyone else it's really, really funny. Highly recommended. I especially like the guide to determining whether you're watching a "movie" or a "film."

And yes, I do know that the phrase "awful Derek Jarman movie" is oxymoronic.

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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Unlikely to appear on the Book Snob*s list of great sequels, May 5, 2006

By	Jonathan Green "defrocked cultural anthropolo... (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While the Rock Snob book was both an interesting encyclopedia and a witty critique of a sub-culture, this just seems like the employees' manual from a slightly above-average video store. It doesn't seem to get the cineastes, the gorehounds, or the fan-boys in it's scope. It just seems a MEDITATION ON the slightly off-beat with a nod toward the classic.

It's probably this year's gift of choice for people you don't want to drop $30 on a Criterion DVD for. But they won't find it amusing.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun reading, great present for coming holidays
If you like classical cinema, get this funny and intelligent book...
Theoretical definitions are hillarious (Apparatus), biographical entries are clever and sometimes... Read more

Published 7 months ago by Nikica Gilic

4.0 out of 5 stars Quick and Entertaining Read on How to Become a Patronizing Elitist Bore About Cinema
This compact book is quite amusing for anyone who wants to fancy oneself a cinema aficionado. It takes a certain obsessive nature to collect the inconsequential facts and nurture... Read more

Published 17 months ago by Ed Uyeshima

1.0 out of 5 stars stuck in a self satisfied snicker
Let's stop the snob right here. ENOUGH. I just want to enjoy art without all the pretense of being a so-called insider. The authors are nobodies. Read more

Published on December 18, 2006 by HK

5.0 out of 5 stars The funniest book of the year.
It's funny 'cause it's true. Tom Servo owns two copies in case one gets lost. If you were born before 1970, I need only say, This Was Written By Two Guys From Spy Magazine. Read more

Published on April 30, 2006 by R. Handel

5.0 out of 5 stars Snobs Unite!
A fun, fun, fun flip-through for the cinephillically addicted.

Lives up to its name! No, not offputtingly snobbish. Just in its deep knowledge. Read more

Published on April 23, 2006 by Alceste

5.0 out of 5 stars Mad apparatus
A true snob, of course, will crack the spine with an eager eye for chinks in the armor. But quit hatin' and start congratulatin' -- this Dictionary is too well-crafted, funny, and... Read more

Published on April 18, 2006 by Matthew Tait

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny And Hip Book, Even Though I've Never Heard Of Most Of The Movies They're Talking About
Excellent book. I picked this up because I dug the previous "Rock Snob" book, and it reminded me of this one dude with a Honda Civic who comes into the AutoZone every now and... Read more

Published on March 8, 2006 by Ray

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