Book Description
The 2007 edition of Leonard Maltin's definitive bestselling guide to the movies
Since its first edition decades ago, Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide has been the standard bearer for cinematic reference books. The 2007 edition of this essential movielover's companion includes hundreds of new entries, with capsule reviews and comprehensive information on date of release, running time, cast and crew, and MPAA ratings. Within this compact volume, you'll find:
• Listings for over 17,000 movies, including more than 300 new entries
• Authoritative notations on format availability (DVD, video, and laser disc)
• Up-to-date indices of top directors and actors
• Maltin's “Fifty Best Films on DVD” and “Fifty More Films You May Have Missed”
From the masterpieces of classic cinema, to cutting-edge independent films, to the latest summer blockbusters, Leonard Maltin's 2007 Movie Guide is truly “the best organized . . . the most complete” (Newsday).
Customer Reviews:
Great resource.......2007-09-21
I buy this book every few years to look up that odd movie title to see if it's worth watching on TV. I only wish there was more synopsis of the movie and a less lengthy list of actors.
Reviews are fine, but it's not alphabetized correctly!.......2007-08-13
The review and facts in this book are fine, but the editor should be fired. What good is movie review book if you can't find the reviews because they aren't alphabetized correctly?? Go ahead -- try to find "The Manchurian Candidate" in there. Let's see, that should be listed as "Manchurian Candidate, The" and that should come after all the titles that start with "Man" but NO -- it's in the middle of all the "Man" movies. What??
There is a standard method of alphabetizing that has been around for a long time and is well-accepted and understood. It's used in every phone book in the country and every other movie review guide that I've used, but for some reason this book decided to do something different. The standard method says that a space in a multi-word title is alphabetized before any letters. Thus "Man in the Iron Mask" comes before "Manchurian Candidate" because "man[space]" comes before "manc" at the beginning of the titles. This book decided to just ignore spaces and alphabetize only by the letters. It's almost like having a dictionary that's not in alphabetical order -- all the facts are in there, but they're kind of hard to find.
A Neccessary Reference.......2007-06-08
This is an excellent guide to the movies - an absuolutely necessary reference for any true movie buff
The Best Overall guide to movies (mostly mainstream).......2007-04-16
Leonard and his staff are movie lovers and experts, and this the most comprehensive guide of its kind. They are American movie historians at heart. They love the recognized classics and they seem to particularly appreciate film-making craft and professionalism. I think they implicitly favor Hollywood movies or better produced independent films over low-budget and many foreign films because of the often notable difference in production values, and I think they are usually correct.
I have personally used this guide for 20 years to find the gems I may have missed and weed out the forgettable and regretable films that often get the big promotional budgets and their accompanying gushing,albeit seemingly paid-for, over-appreciative reviews (Mr. Ebert???).
A guide like this, which focuses on quality first and foremost, is particularly useful if you go to a Blockbuster (they have that name for a reason) or use Netflix. The Netflix associative predictive rating system is really crude at best and does not filter out some seriously flawed recommendations.
One warning: Matlin's ratings reflect mainstream film history thought. If you like the really edgy, the impressionistics, or other things "arty" in film, you may find the coverage and the ratings too traditional. But I think they recognize quality in new films, not just old ones. Highly recommended to all but the bleeding edge cinema buffs.
All the info on your movies.......2007-03-19
A great reference for when you're checking out movies in the last 60 years or so. Ratings (his own-I don't necessarily agree with all of them and you might not either) for movies, data on when they were made, who starred in them, plot summary. etc. If you are a movie buff but just don't have room in your brain for all the data, don't sweat it--this can be a handy book to have when you have a question about a movie and you need simple answers.
Book Description
From Leonard Maltin, author of the bestselling annual Movie Guide, comes this guide to classic movies. Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide includes more than 7,000 capsule reviews of classic movies, including: The Birth of a Nation (1915), Gone With the Wind (1939), The Philadelphia Story (1940), High Noon (1952), and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967).
In addition, this unique volume also offers a star and director index, a full listing of classic movies on DVD, and Leonard Maltin's unique Top Ten lists. The result is an authoritative, dynamic guide to the classics no film aficionado should be without.
Customer Reviews:
Is there a reason for this book?.......2007-08-07
In the past, Leonard Maltin has provided us with helpful movie guides that have served their purpose for many years. They are revised every year and provide invaluable information concerning availability on VCR and DVD along with thumbnail sketches of the plots. His reviews are aimed at Joe Q Average and dwell on the well-known Oscar-oriented qualities such as acting performances which bring attention to themselves, heavy-handed films with The Message, verisimilitude as a be-all and end-all and film only as cerebral as the public will be able to understand with little or no effort. His Classic Movie Guide is precisely more of the same, more so. The film choices are overwhelmingly American a la American Film Institute and largely oriented to hit the largest segment of the viewers most often, a public where so many still think that their favorite stars not only act in but direct, script, score, edit, shoot and generally make up their films as they go along. With this in mind, Maltin's book will hit his target. For those of us who take the movies seriously, there are better sources almost anywhere else.
Curtis Stotlar
classic films.......2007-02-21
It's too bad you now have to buy two books to get all of Maltin's reviews, but it is nice to have this volume as Maltin has an appreciation of older films that is often lacking in today's reviewers.
indispensible.......2007-01-04
a superb reference book, an absolute must for any film fan & a historical record of past films, easy to read,easy to digest.
Only quibble, I am not a fan of Gene Autry & could have used smaller descriptions of his & the other B westerns.
Of the major films I probably saw 80 % of them,been going to the movies since I was 6 or 7 yrs old & was able to remember the theatres I saw some at.
Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide.......2006-08-23
I like old movies like are shown on Turner Classic Movies and this has the reviews for them. This book is of the same high calibre as Maltin's annual movie review guide. I would say it is indispesible for any old movie buff. Bravo!
A Good Companion that shouldn't stand alone.......2006-03-01
A good book for lovers of old movies who hate browsing through the 1600 pages of Maltin's regular guide only to find the film their looking for between a BOMB by Adam Sandler and a Yugoslavian-Japanese Documentary nobody has ever heard of. The Classic Movie Guide was not made to be a list of 4-star, really great old movies. It was made as a companion guide to the regular book as a place to put older, minor films to make room for newer movies in the regular guide. People who feel cheated because their 2006 guide still contains Gone With the Wind should probably know that it will always be in both guides, but films such as Law and Order(1953) or O. Henry's Full House(1952) may one day only be found in the classic guide. They should also note that their 2006 guide is about 100 pages thinner than the 2005 guide and that reviews of vintage series (e.g. Blondie, The Thin Man) are no longer listed in the regular guide and have been moved to the classic guide. In my understanding of this book, more and more minor old films will be removed from the regular guide and placed in the classic guide which will be revised every 5 years. My suggestions for this book would be to change the title to Leonard Maltin's Vintage Movie Guide and add films made before 1965 but after 1960, such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Lawrence of Arabia. I also would suggest making a third guide in about five or six years just for foreign films, excluding British films of course.
Customer Reviews:
Outdated........2006-10-23
This book was great when I got it...10 years ago.
Although Mr. Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia is enjoyable to read, it is extremely outdated and there needs to be a new edition. For readers looking for some info on their favorite classic movie star, chances are you'll probably find a bio on him/her. But for recent actors, no luck.
Great Book - but old.......2006-03-01
Note when ordering that there is only one version of this book - and it was first printed in 1994. And this is not apparent from the writeup on Amazon. I already had this book - but recently ordered two copies assuming it was a new version. I was very disappointed that it was the same book I already had. The fact that the book is so old and missing all movies and information from the past 10 years makes this not as worthwhile as one would expect from Maltin.
TERRIFIC and CONCISE.......2004-08-06
As a confirmed habitual movie watcher, this book was a much-welcomed addition to my library. Actually, it never made it to my library, as I have it next to my favorite TV chair, right under the TV Guide. I've never seen anything else with such concise thumbnail bios, just the facts. Yes, many stars are not included, such a book would be impossible to pick up. I did miss some oldies such as Marge & Gower Champion. The content is 5-stars, but I deducted 1-star for the book's dire need of updating: additions such as Chris Cooper, Matthew McConaughey, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jeremy Northam, etc. But I wouldn't want to be the one to decide who gets removed to include these new additions!
Great info on the stars.......2002-11-13
Leonard has done a great job on this. Tasty tidbits on the stars of yesterday and today. I have only one complaint, there are many of the old stars he did not include. Too bad.
Not perfect, but indispensable.......2002-08-17
Initially about a year ago I made the mistake of following the other reviews which panned the book, and did not buy it. I then gradually realized that some of my favorite short bios on IMDB.com were excerpted from Maltin's Encyclopedia. Of course at that point I bought it. There are few, if any, other volumes that quickly give you the sum-up and low-down on 2,000 movie industry people. To say the book has errors and omissions is to me ridiculous...a perfect book would cost a few thousand dollars. Meanwhile, IMDB.com is available as a backstop for searching out hundreds of thousands of details, which wouldn't fit in a reasonably sized volume anyway. Generally speaking, I've gone wrong far more often in rejecting something based on a review or an opinion about a book, movie, etc., than in consuming something recommended -- you can always bail out if a recommender was wrong.
Average customer rating:
- A Nostalgic Treasure
- Brought back many old memories.
- Highly Recommended
- Sweet Book [ Sweet both Ways!]
- The best biographical book on The Little Rascals!
|
The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang
Leonard Maltin , and
Richard W. Bann
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Literature
| Children's Books
| Subjects
| Books
| Action & Adventure
| Children's Literature Guides
| Classics by Age
| Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths
| General
| Humorous
| Literary Criticism & Collections
| Poetry
| Popular Culture
| Read-Aloud
| Science Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery & Horror
| Short Story Collections
Guides & Reviews
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
History & Criticism
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Television
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Movie Tie-Ins
| Genre Fiction
| Literature & Fiction
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Similar Items:
-
The Our Gang Story
-
LITTLE RASCALS -11 DVD BOXED SET- MEGA COLLECTION-88 EPISODES
-
The Little Rascals Collector's Edition III
-
Little Rascals Vols. 3-4
-
Little Rascals, Vol. 1 & 2
ASIN: 0517583259
Release Date: 1992-11-24 |
Book Description
When originally published in 1977 as
Our Gang, this book sold more than 52,000 copies. This new edition, with an extensive amount of fresh material, will prove irresistible to all fans of the most popular TV series of all time.
Illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
A Nostalgic Treasure.......2006-09-27
Revised in 1992, Leonard Maltin and Richard W. Bann's "The Little Rascals" is a must for anyone who has enjoyed the antics of Spanky and the gang. The authors' exhaustive research and warm-hearted nostalgia is evident as they chronicle the history of these enduring comedy shorts. Along with biographies of the ever-changing cast and crew, the book offers a detailed critical analysis from the golden Hal Roach period (1922-38) to the sad decline at MGM (1938-44). It's the ultimate Our Gang celebration, with a treasure trove of rare photographs and publicity material.
Brought back many old memories........2006-08-30
I have been looking for this book for ages.Answers so many questions about all the Little Rascals.Some didn`t live long and very few are still with us.Being from Long Island I watched them on CH.11 on the Officer Joe Bolton Show every day after school.Kids today have nothing like them on TV.The facts in this book are fantastic and the pictures are great.If you love the Little Rascals buy this book.
Highly Recommended.......2005-10-01
The Little Rascals: The Life and Times of Our Gang is the most comprehensive book available about the popular short series. Leonard Maltin, longtime fan of both Hal Roach comedies and the Our Gang series itself, writes both intelligently and lovingly about the series with the help of Richard W. Bann.
This book opens with a short history of the Hal Roach film company and the Our Gang series.
Then, it leads to a collection of all of the shorts made for the series including the cast, release date, and highly effective synopses and analyses of each short. These are listed chronologically and noted according to ownership and distributor and silent and sound. Some of the silent have been lost, but they are not neglected. Instead, Maltin has used reviews from the time period to give the reader a sense of the short and an idea of its quality. Opinions are used, but they are obviously separate from the factual information and are supported by facts. They add to the effectiveness of the synopses and paint a more vivid picture of the shorts that are unavailable. What is also unique about this book is the listing of the MGM shorts that are often regarded as the worst quality episodes of the series. Skipping these films, although understandable, would have made this book far less complete.
Next, the spin-offs and pop culture effects of the series are addressed, including the Saturday Night Live spoofs of Buckwheat and the cartoon versions of the show.
Last, the book includes a brief history of all of the major stars of the series and a few sentences about the more minor players. Sadly, this section needs to be updated because of the deaths of the cast members after this second publication. However, the information that is included is accurate and valuable, as much of it cannot be easily found anywhere else, especially interviews.
One must also comment on the abundant photographs utilized in the book including rare publicity stills.
Overall, this is a high quality history of The Little Rascals.
Sweet Book [ Sweet both Ways!].......2005-05-02
Seriously, this book has all you would ever want to know about Our Gang, and some stuff you don't want to know! Complete write ups on all the movies and even some extra bits, a complete biographical section and SO MUCH MORE!! Completly indispensible! If you love Our Gang as much as I do, you definitly want this.The pictures are so CUTE, and there are a lot of them! I loved it!
The best biographical book on The Little Rascals!.......2004-08-29
This has to be the best book I've ever seen on the history of The Little Rascals.Everything you ever want to know about the Rascals,their careers,and their films.Every single film from the 1920s all the way up to the 40s is so remarkabley detailed.No major fan of The Little Rascals should be without this precious gem!
Book Description
The leading authority on American film is back with the latest edition of his “indispensable” (Los Angeles Times) and bestselling movie guide. Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide 2006 is the best, biggest, and most up-to-date of its kind. The comprehensive 2006 guide includes:
• Capsule reviews of more than 16,000 films, including more than 300 new entries
• More than 8,000 DVD and 14,000 video listings
• Newly updated index of leading actors and actresses
• Leonard Maltin's exclusive list of the 50 Best DVDs
• And—back by popular demand—an index of leading directors
Customer Reviews:
Leonard Maltin's 2006 Movie Guide.......2006-06-29
If you are a movie buff, this book is a must. I've been going to movies for almost eighty years. Recalling all the movies I've seen and liked is much easier with this book.
this man talks nonsense.......2006-05-30
This book is a good idea in principle but clever clogs Mr Maltin seems to know nothing about films. Whiles he raves about old fashioned stinkers such as Citizen Kane, Casablanca and Psycho, he is far less complimentary about classics such as Weekend at Bernie's, Gremlins 2 and Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach. I think Mr Maltin should learn to keep his so-called opinions to himself in future. Verdict: A very expensive doorstop.
Leonard Maltin's 2006 Movie Guide.......2006-03-21
This thick paperback book was not organized in the way I expected it wpuld be. There was not a section devoted entirely to MOVIE SERIALS.
Movie Guide.......2006-03-15
The book is comprehensive. Very seldom you try to look up a picture or video which is not in the book. The reviews are sometimes too short, however, the book would be too unhandy if every picture had a bigger review. Also the facts about the different movies are accurate and helpful.
Contents good, presentation not so good........2006-03-10
For some reason I cannot understand, the 2006 Movie Guide is considerably smaller in size than the 2004 and 2002 editions, though with a similar number of pages. Therefore the text font is reduced and by no means so easy to read. A pity because Maltin's guides are so useful.
Fortunately the Classic Guide 2005 (for films 1960 and earlier) is in the normal format and easy to use.
Book Description
Leonard Maltin's comprehensive film guide remains the biggest, best, and most authoritative in the field. The 2008 edition will feature more than 18,000 entries, and updated indexes of leading performers.
Customer Reviews:
Leonard Maltin's 2008 Movie Guide.......2007-10-03
Still the best movie guide out there. In list of actors how do you leave out Kevin Bacon though?
"Tip of your tongue" memory book........2007-10-02
For those of us who go crazy trying to remember a movie or movie star's name when it is always on the "tip of your tongue," this is the book to take all the brain-burning guesswork out...quickly. Especially when you are in the middle of watching a great movie and trying to remember someone's name at the same time. A "must have" book in my house.
Always fun to have! .......2007-09-04
If you are a movie buff like me and are curious about a movie before seeing it, this is a great guide! His descriptions are very telling and he really does put in "true two cents".
Exhaustive Reference is Worth its Weight in Gold.......2007-08-27
At least, if you like watching movies it is. I constantly find myself looking up movies that come on TV (especially the ones that are always of dubious quality on Comedy Central), and this is an invaluable book. If you know anything about these books, you already know all the perks, which include highly accurate information, capsule reviews that not only manage to convey the main gist of the plot but also give a generally very good critique of the films, an idex of prolific actors, actresses, and directors, and a rating scale of BOMB to ****. This is an amazing, quality book, and if you love movies, or even if you want to know what a movie is about before you see it, this is the book for you.
As with any publication, however, there are problems. However, these problems have little to do with the guide itself, and more to do with my own personal tastes. First of all, this is a book that you will be referring to over and over again, so you'd think it would be made of sterner stuff; however, by the time this book came out (and maybe this is just me), my copy of the edition from last year was basically in shambles from all the wear and tear. I don't know if it has to do with the limited options they have with printing a book that is over 1600 pages, or what, but you'd really think this would be more sturdy.
The only other real complaint I have is his star rating for some movies. A word to the wise: Mr. Maltin tends to like his movies short, sweet, and, if not full of joy, at least slightly humorous. Sadly, some of the great movies fall beneath his good graces because they do not exhibit these qualities. For example, Blade Runner, often regarded as one of the best science fiction movies of all time, recieves *1/2 because it is humorless and hampered by a muddled script (one could argue both of these, of course). Similarly, The Prestige, easily my favorite movie of last year, recieves ** because it is dark and long. Also, Maltin falls into many of the same pitfalls of his peers; movies like The Godfather and Gone With the Wind of course recieve ****, because they are apparently the greatest movies ever made. Maybe it's just my own bias, but I don't think either of those movies was perfect; in fact, far from it- they are among the most overrated films of all time, and I would have thought that Maltin, of all people, would be willing to break the mold and at least take off half a star because of the bits that dragged on a bit. Perhaps instances like these might be call for a five star system instead of a four, with five stars reserved for only those films which are truly something special. After all, with a four star system there's really not a whole lot of room between "fantastic" (what I would consider ****) and "terrible" (anything ** and below).
But, I digress. This is a fantastic resource for everyone from film buffs to film novices, and easily the best book of its kind. Just go in knowing that he won't agree with you on many, many, many movies (with over 17,000 entries, there's bound to be quite a few), and this should be a fine addition to you collection
Still one of the best.......2007-08-27
Maltin's book, which I have been purchasing in its yearly editions for countless years now, is still one of the best quick-comphrensive guides out there. Maltin and his excellent team of editors/reviewers really deserve credit for producing such a massive body of entries; it must be a staggering job to keep up with the numerous additions, changes and revisions necessary each year. The format and tone is friendly, user-friendly and provides just the right amount of facts, film information and lore. Those who may be disgruntled at ratings that don't correspond with their own...this book is a GUIDE, not the Gospel, and it doesn't pretend to be otherwise; and it makes no sense to get steamed up (and insulting as in past reviews) at opinions that were compiled by indidivual tastes. The editors try to explain their position as best as possible, and if the review doesn't mesh with your own, it shouldn't interfere with your own convictions. As it is, the opinions offered herewith are often fascinating, and does the job of introducing a specific viewpoint in order to incite interest and provocation. In both for looking up a specific movie and in just reading through it, this book provides loads of stimulating reading. Thanks to Maltin and his team for a great resource.
Average customer rating:
|
Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 1996 (Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide, 1996)
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Look Inside Entertainment Books
| Trip
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0452274672 |
Amazon.com
In search of the right video? Don't want to wrestle for a place at the video store for their online database? Well fire up your Windows computer (3.1 or 95) to browse 19,000 titles. And search by Actor, Award, year of release, director, format, MPAA rating, or Maltin's ratings. No CD-ROM required! Or look through the book version of the guide that comes with the package. It's really a heck of a deal.
Book Description
A New York Times bestseller for the last three years in a row, Leonard Maltin's comprehensive film guide remains the biggest, best, and most authoritative in the field. The 2008 edition features more than 300 new entries, a completely updated index of leading actors and directors, Leonard's personal list of “Fifty More Films You May Have Missed,” and sources for buying and renting DVDs.
Customer Reviews:
MALTIN.......2007-09-14
I have had the book for less than a month, and the pages are falling out.
( I purchased the higher priced version since the pages, and type, were larger ).
The book is so large that it is time consuming to go through the movies available for an evenings showing.
Please publish this on magnetic media in order that a search takes about a second, not minutes.
The information is good, but not easily researches.
Make sure you buy the right version.......2007-08-21
Have you noticed? There are two versions of this book (the other is Leonard Maltin's 2008 Movie Guide (Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide (Signet))) and they seem identical except for the price. But there IS another difference: the size! This one is bigger -- 8 inches tall instead of 7. That may not sound like much, but it really makes a difference. The two books have exactly the same pages, just at different sizes, and the smaller one's reduced type is much harder to read. In other words, stick with this one.
Size aside, this is an exhaustive reference work. It lists every movie made from 1960 through early 2007, as well as most major films before then. Each listing has a star rating and short summary of its film as well as key specs (director, major cast, running time and year released) and icons identify whether each film has been released on DVD, videocassette or laserdisc.
There's also a list of mail order and online sources for obscure titles, and, on the last 57 pages, an index of actors. Want a quick list of every movie ever made by Humphrey Bogart? Reese Witherspoon? Jim Carrey? Here's where to find them.
Overall, this is a great book for any movie fan. The back cover, by the way, features a recommendation by Roger Ebert.
-- By Julie Neal, author of The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World.
Book Description
The leading authority on American film is back with the latest edition of his "indispensable" (Los Angeles Times) and bestselling movie and video guide. Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 2004 is the best, biggest, and most up-to-date of its kind. The comprehensive 2004 guide includes:
€ Capsule reviews of more than 18,000 films, including more than 300 new entries
€ More than 13,000 listings of videocassettes and 8,000 DVD listings
€ Write-ups on every film series
€ A revised index of leading actors and actresses
€ Leonard Maltin's exclusive list of Fifty Films That Got Away: Movies You Really Ought to See
...and much, much more.
Download Description
"This specialized eBook publication allows the Reader software user to rapidly look up the titles of Movies, or names of Stars, using the ""Look Up Definition"" feature either within the book, or from any other Microsoft LIT book. The movie guide that has been a staple for decades and has made Leonard Maltin a household name is back with all the essential information you could want-completely updated, and bigger and better than ever... .More than 6,000 DVD titles .More than 300 new videos .Nearly 19,000 capsule reviews .Completely updated index of leading stars .Ratings, running times, widescreen info, and much more .PLUS a new feature this year: ""50 Movies You Really Ought to See"" "
Customer Reviews:
a major mistake.......2006-02-05
I must protest that in Maltin's 2004 movie and video book, Maltin calls the Gary Cooper character a "mercenary" in the movie "For Whom the Bells Tolls". How could anyone make such a dumb mistake?
It's either this or Halliwell.......2004-12-08
I have not found a single review in this book that I could passionately disagree with. There are some controversial decisions in here (Donnie Darko and Memento have a formidible cult fan-base, but recieve reviews that are not terribly flattering); but if you really did want to see these films, why would you be listening to someone else's opinions? Basically, if you are going to review this book, compare it to the other review books on offer-Leonard Maltin's is much more comprehensive and helpful than any I know of, especially Halliwell's Film Guide, which I recommend never looking at, if you can help it.
Not as bad as all that.......2004-08-18
OK. I've installed this on my ipaq 3670. It opens fine. It works fine. It's installed on my CF card. Yes, it's slow -- but it's a 4 MB book (that's big). I can wait a little bit.
It didn't cause my pocket pc to crash. It didn't cause me to do a hard reset.
It's alot better than the e edition of Maltin's 2003 film guide. The 2003 version did not have the "Lookup Definition" section on the cover page.
Yes, you find the film by "looking up" the definition, but so what? Without this feature (as in the 2003 edition), it really doesn't work. But this 2004 edition DOES WORK. So what if you have to look up "Sting, The"? I can adapt. As for activating the MS Reader, you have to do that once, and you have to do it if you are going to read any copyrighted MS Reader book. It's really not that hard.
I'm really sorry the other guy had so many problems, but I'm not having them. Maybe you need to have a pocket pc with at least 64 MB RAM and a decent amount of memory free to operate it. Also, make sure you install the MS reader into your RAM, but install the ebook on an external memory card.
Good luck
Very, very poor.......2004-07-12
I sometimes cycle through this guide for a laugh. Maltin is a horrible film critic and a total historian - basically meaning that any film predating 1960 MUST be given 4/4 (unless it's really mediocre which, according to him, is rare). However he didn't hesitate to give BATMAN AND ROBIN 2.5/4 and TAXI DRIVER 2/4.
He also gave THE BLADE MASTER, one of the worst films ever created, 0.5/4, yet he's given some truly decent films "turkeys."
I'd rather read a video guide by Ebert because unlike Maltin, Ebert doesn't judge different films of different genres of various years against each other. He's pretty fair. Maltin is not.
Only for reference...and not even great at that.......2004-06-17
Leonard Maltin, unfortunately, is apparently held in high esteem by the DVD makers. His inane commentaries have shown up on everything from Disney's Donald Duck DVD's to the Little Rascals DVD's to the Marx Brothers' DVD's. Unfortunately, he is the type of guy that is an apologist for any cultural references resulting from a certain era in cinema. The kind of guy that has to be PC about everything.
On the same side of the coin, as shown in his video guides...he praises some of the inane tripe currently coming out of Hollywood, while bashing some of the classics of earlier years....probably because they aren't PC enough.
His book is filled with comments that show his real lack of perspective on history. And not only is he not a good historian, he needs some help with alphabetizing the movies, as well. What a pain trying to locate a movie using his system ["often" comes after "of a", but before "of the"].
He picks and chooses the actors he lists in his index...and some strange choices there are.
And, additionally....while he lists what is available on DVD...he DOESN'T indicate screen ratios, OAR's, pan & scans, etc, making the indicator rather useless for the TRUE movie fan.
My recommendation....stick with Martin/Porter or Moviehound. While you may not always agree with them, their comments aren't near as insipid and PC, and you'll be able to actually find a movie without having to interpret a hole new way of alphabetizing.
Average customer rating:
- BOMB!
- Movie Guru or Overrated Rater?
- Great reference guide from a not so great film crictic
- It gets bigger every year
- reveiwing the reveiwer.
|
Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 2002
Leonard Maltin
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Guides & Reviews
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Television
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0452282837
Release Date: 2001-10-09 |
Amazon.com
If you buy only one film book in your life, this should be it. Maltin is the filmgoer's guide--the most compact, intelligent, and informative reference available. Alphabetized by title, each of its more than 19,000 entries lists year of release, running time, director, principal cast, and availability on video. Other guides may offer even more information, but Maltin's is distinguished by the quality of its reviews. Rating films on a scale from "****" to "BOMB," it offers a comprehensive introduction to the international cinema, covers the classics with the respect they deserve, unearths thousands of little-known gems, takes the wind out of the overrated, and laughs at the awful with appropriate good humor. If you want proof of Maltin's versatility, compare the reviews of The Battleship Potemkin, History Is Made at Night, Blue Velvet, and The Navy vs. the Night Monsters. Standard, crucial, great fun to read, chock full of trivia, and bursting with passion for the movies. --Raphael Shargel
Book Description
"Easily the most comprehensive work of its kind anywhere. It belongs next to every TV and VCR in every home." (USA Today)
The best, most up-to-date, all-purpose video guide." (New York Daily News)
"The single most important reference book in every American home." (Esquire)
Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide is an essential book for every film lover's bookshelf. Now this leading authority on American film brings us the latest edition of his acclaimed guide. The comprehensive 2002 edition includes:
* Capsule reviews of more than 19,000 films, including over 300 new entries
* Easy-to-read symbols indicating availability of more than 14,000 films on video
* Over 7,000 listings of films available on laserdisc-and 3,000 available on DVD
* A revised index of leading actors and actresses
* Write-ups on every film series, from Charlie Chan to Tarzan
* Notes on widescreen films that are best viewed in letterbox format
* An updated list of mail-order sources for renting and buying videocassettes and discs
* Leonard Maltin's exclusive list of the best family films of all time . . . and much, much more.
Customer Reviews:
BOMB!.......2003-12-18
I can't believe Leonard Maltin would give Mission to Moscow and Baby Doll a ***1/2 rating and give Saratoga Trunk a *1/2 and Unconquered a **1/2. Stupid, stupid man who only cares about films HE likes. And no, Mission to Moscow is not a "well-made propaganda film", since everything in it is lies, lies and more lies.
Movie Guru or Overrated Rater?.......2003-11-20
I first learned about Mr. Maltin and his "Movie Bible" a few years ago, and I think it's the kind of book a lot of people either love or love to hate.
Pros: Short, to-the-point reviews, relevant information about the films and lots of neat bonus info that I as an enthusiastic amateur certainly didn't know about.
Cons: I often tend to disagree with the reviews, but then again it is a very subjective matter, based solely on your own perception of the film. I wasn't happy, though, to see one of my favorites "The Big Lebowski" recieve only 2½, but fair is fair...another, and more important, minus is the fact that far too few foreign films (e.g. danish?) are listed. The Movie World isn't all american, Mr. Maltin! And how does he define the nationality? Take the film "Reptilicus", shot in Denmark with a danish cast, speaking Danish. The only thing american about that movie is the director - and it's listed as 100% U.S.!
Having said all this, the book does give you a solid introduction to the world of film-watching, and I'm sure the editors had good reasons for making the choices they did. I'd sure like to hear them, though...
Great reference guide from a not so great film crictic.......2003-09-06
I love this book in that it's the perfect reference guide to just about any film out there. However, Leonard Maltin isn't the greatest film critic. Well, I guess no critic is that great. I just hate browsing through this book and seeing that he rates some of my favorite films as only two or two and a half stars out of four. Once in a while, he's right on, but other times he's just totally off.
But all in all, this is still a great reference guide.
It gets bigger every year.......2002-09-04
I try to buy the Leonard Maltin book every year. I am not alone.
I may occasionally disagree with a particular review but that is human nature. This book is a great resource book. As I get older the fine print is getting to my eyes. He does release a trade size version of the book. Check the back for the index of stars.
reveiwing the reveiwer........2002-07-01
Here's the deal with Leonard Maltin. Most of the time he delivers very good and informative reveiws that I find helpful, but when he doed not like the movie he is reviewing the reveiw usually falls short. In a way it makes sense that he would not go into the detail he would on a film he loved versus a film he hated considering there are thousands of movies reviewed here, but then the bad review is sort of worthless if he's not going to give a lot of thought into it. Sometimes a bad review is worth reading.
Another thing I want mention about any film guide Leonard Malten has put out is that if you watch movies and don't hold things like bad direction against the film then releaize Leonard Malten dose. Thats just being a good critic, but I can see were is would get on some ones nerves.
Books:
- LL Cool J's Platinum Workout: Sculpt Your Best Body Ever with Hollywood's Fittest Star
- Lonely Planet China
- Making a Good Script Great
- Marching to the Drums: Eyewitness Accounts of War from the Charge of the Light Brigade to the Siege of Ladysmith
- Mr. Skin's Skincyclopedia: The A-to-Z Guide to Finding Your Favorite Actresses Naked
- Noel Coward: A Biography of No L Coward
- One Fine Day the Rabbi Bought a Cross
- Propeller One-Way Night Coach: A Story
- Radical Forgiveness, Making Room for the Miracle, 2nd Edition
- Rip It!: How to Deconstruct and Reconstruct the Clothes of Your Dreams
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Manias, Panics, and Crashes: A History of Financial Crises
- Gun Digest Book Of Modern Gun Values: For Modern Arms form 1900 to Present
- Do Taxes Matter
- For Common Things: Irony, Trust and Commitment in America Today
- He Talk Like a White Boy
- History: Fiction or Science
- History: Fiction or Science
- Learning Computer Numerical Control
- Cookwise The Hows and Whys of Successful Cooking
- Paisajes Liricos De Una Ciudad
Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide
DVD & Video Guide 2007 (Video and DVD Guide)
The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 2007 (World Almanac and Book of Facts)
Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever 2007 (Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever)
The Film Encyclopedia 5e: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume (Film Encyclopedia)
