Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide 2004
Leonard Maltin
book reviews:
· general fiction
· chick lit/romance
· sci-fi/fantasy
· graphic novels
· nonfiction
· audio books

Click here for the curledup.com RSS Feed

· author interviews
· children's books @
   curledupkids.com
· DVD reviews @
   curledupdvd.com

newsletter
win books
buy online
links

home

for authors
& publishers


for reviewers

click here to learn more




Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 2004* online

Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide 2004
Leonard Maltin
Signet
Paperback
1664 pages
August 2003
rated 4 of 5 possible stars

buy this book now or browse millions of other great products at amazon.com

previous review next review

Cinematic cultists beware: Leonard Maltin’s esteemed movie guide is probably not the book for you. I’ve been perusing Maltin’s books since my teens, and I’ve noticed that he doesn’t always look fondly on the outlandish, bizarre films that tend to develop ravenous followings. For instance, he cuts off such fan-spawning enterprises as Scarface, Blade Runner, Memento and Kingpin with a mere one and a half stars. Sure, he does reward some risky films, such as Secretary and Magnolia with good ratings, but, in general, Maltin isn’t about being edgy.

He’s about helping people find the perfect movie to settle in with on a Friday night, and his latest guide is no different. Movies are graded on a scale from four stars to BOMB (and yes, BOMB is printed in all caps, just to make the rating all the more horrifying for the afflicted filmmaker – or a poor soul who happens to like the maligned film). As usual, Maltin leans toward recommending mainstream fare (X2, Finding Nemo), but he’s also useful in pointing out smaller movies that the casual filmgoer might have missed, such as the excellent Auto Focus (three stars) and the sleeper film Bend it Like Beckham (also three stars).

In fact, the best feature of the latest guide is a list at the front of the book of fifty overlooked movies that readers should check out (I’ve only seen a few, but have liked most of those I’ve seen, with the snore-inducing Waking the Dead being the only exception). I’ve always gravitated to those kinds of lists, which encourage renters to look beyond the “New Releases” section and discover something new, exciting and perhaps even challenging. That’s what being a movie fan is all about.

Maltin, despite his somewhat conservative tastes, knows that. That’s why his books have become an invaluable resource for anyone who plans to rent or watch a film between now and the end of time. His guide always deserves a place in the home, and this latest edition is no different.



© 2003 by Amanda Cuda for Curled Up With a Good Book


Also by Leonard Maltin:

buy *Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 2004
click here for more info
Click here to learn more about this month's sponsor!


fiction · sf/f · comic books · nonfiction · audio
newsletter · free book contest · buy books online
review index · links · · authors & publishers
reviewers

site by ELBO Computing Resources, Inc.