Leonard Maltin's 2005 Movie Guide

By Leonard Maltin

Book Overview

With more than eighteen thousand capsule film reviews and three hundred new entries, this updated version of this classic movie and video guide offers readers a comprehensive reference to the world of film, including more than seven thousand DVD titles, along with valuable information on ratings, an

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452285925
• ISBN13: 9780452285927
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Plume Books
• Length: 1642 Pages
• Weight: 2.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 2.4" x 5.5" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

One of the best Movie Guides

I don't think anyone could find a more economically price guide for movies, with such good coverage of: Directors, Actors, a synopsis of the storyline, and star rating system. I don't rent a movie without first checking out what Leonard Maltin has written about it. Highly recommend.

Very frank reviews and interesting movie trivia!

I have used his guides for years now. I always enjoy his very frank reviews. I feel the reviews often hit upon key points of the films which help in my decision to watch or not to. Sometimes the reviews are so bad in a funny way you just have to watch! The book also notes in reviews, actors first "small" appearances in movies (often uncredited), any sequels or remakes are noted, the variety of formats the film is currently available,and a complete listing of popular actors of the past and present movies made in order of release. You will also find a very handy list of places to find those "hard-to-find" movies!

Still one of the most thorough guides out there

I wanted a guide that was as thorough as possible. Over the years, Leonard Maltin's movie guide has proven to be the best I've found. It makes a terrific gift for all ages. I recommend this edition over the mass market because it is slightly easier to read. Whatever the case, this jogs memories, solves mysteries, coughs up the crossword and trivia answers, arbitrates arguments, helps decide what to watch or rent. Chances are, you aren't going to agree with all the ratings. I don't, but it's not the ratings that count for me. Chances are, if you are over the age of 45, you'd like something rendered in a larger font--so would I, but the magnifying glass I use for atlases and maps is at my elbow anyway and this is not as bad as an insurance policy, so what the heck. Maltin could make the move to two volumes or to a coffee table size paperback. He could drop the actor directory, move that to a different book and restore all sorts of lesser knowns. I'd willingly buy a separate directory. But still, it's the best quick reference out there.

The best quick reference

I only agree with the reviews about 55% of the time, but the team that assembles this guide does a superb job of writing brief capsule descriptions of a wide variety of films. The reference information --- stars, directors, dates, widescreen processes --- may all be available elsewhere, but it's often a lot easier to pick up the book then it is to get up out of your easy chair, boot up the computer, go to the imdb, type in the info you're looking for... It's true that this edition, formatted to fit into a mass-market paperback, has very small print. As an AARP member who needs trifocals, this can sometimes be an issue. However, Maltin's does publish the book in a larger-type edition (a "trade" paperback) which is published about three months after this smaller sized version. (Why don't they publish both simultaneously? Who knows...) P.S. This book is also very handy for working crossword puzzles.