Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 2000

By Leonard Maltin

Book Overview

Presents capsule movie reviews with ratings. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451198379
• Release Date: September 1999
• Publisher: Signet
• Length: 1664 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.9" x 2.2" x 4.1"

Customer Reviews

I bought the smaller version; there is a larger version available.

Each year, a newer version is available, so keep your old ones as you add to the collection. The first edition of Leonard Maltin's Video Guide was published in 1969, and the final edition came out in 2014. Title Changes: Over the years, the guide evolved through several names: TV Movies Leonard Maltin's TV Movies and Video Guide Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide Finally, Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide I almost bought this smaller book as more than a useful book. Then, sitting next to it is the same book, word for word, that has twice the surface for twice the price. Of course, if you are economically conservative and have good eyesight, the smaller book works well. It is always fun to see how close one comes to Leonard’s conclusion, which is not always the same as yours. Yet, if you have not seen the film, you need some sort of guide. And to get a feel for how he thinks when making his judgments, there is an introduction covering how he rated some of the most popular films. Be sure to read the section “Key to This Book” as it tells the different media or lack of for each film. Some films are included because of their popularity, even if there are no recorded media, such as “John Goldfarb Please Come Home” (1965). Once again, in the version I purchased, many of my favorites have been left out, such as “Out There” (1995) and “Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death” (1989), based on “Heart of Darkness.” However, with 19,000+ entries, you will be kept busy trying to find out what else is missing.

Eternally handy

Leonard Maltin's Film Guide premiered in 1969, pre-dating the now crowded market of contemporary movie database books. It's still the best and most clearly organized of these types of references...essentially what people utilized back in ancient times before the Internet Movie Database. For in-depth film analysis one should look to Pauline Kael's 5001 Nights at The Movies, David Thomson's A Biographical Dictionary of Film or The Time Out Film Guide...this book is not film analysis and never was intended to serve this function. It's a comprehensive listing of all major films released worldwide including running time, date of release, film aspect ratio and other technical details. There is a brief one or at most two sentence review and then a star rating. This is not film analysis (which requires more than two sentences), it's simply the subjective rating system used by every other film guide on the market. Most of the time Leonard is on the mark although with over 20,000 entries there will inevitably be discrepencies. I recommend the larger format Plume paperback over the mass-market size as the typeface is more readable.

A Staple For Every Movie Buff

For years, "Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide" has been a staple in my library. For quick and easy reference, this volume puts the facts you need at your fingertips, including availability, formats, ratings and capsule reviews that include director, stars, running time and date of release, for over 20,000 movies. There is also an "Index of Stars," which, though fairly limited (due to space, no doubt) is valuable nonetheless, especially when you need "facts fast." Even the most astute movie buff will encounter the "When was that movie made?" or "Who was in that film besides-" questions from time to time. With this handy guide, you simply flip through the alphabetical listings, and you have your answer in no time. Included,as well, are "Also known as" titles and many cross-references. An interesting addition this year is the "100 Must-See Films of the 20th Century" list, which, as Maltin notes, is to be considered merely a starting point for the comprehensive viewing of truly significant movies. All in all, "The Maltin," (as I like to call it) contains the most helpful information, and is the easiest to use reference guide I have read. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes to watch, talk, collect and think about movies.

bible

i might not agree with LM's comments, but this is the complete guide to all movies and contains useful info (actors, when made etc) when you're trying to work out whether to watch a particular movie or not.

best review book ever

I have been purchasing this book for the past 12 years and have found each new one better than ever. This is the only book I seek come the holiday season. I look forward to reading this one cover-to-cover.