Halliwell's Film Video and DVD Guide 2007

Halliwell's Film Guides

by Leslie Halliwell (Editor), John Walker

Ranging across a hundred years of cinema, and featuring more than 23,000 films, this guide is the undisputed bible for movie enthusiasts and trivia buffs everywhere. For more than two decades, film enthusiasts, trivia buffs, and ordinary movie watchers alike have consulted the pages of Halliwell's for the most comprehensive information available on their favorite films. Often imitated, but never bettered, this guide is packed with essential information, from the classics of the Silver Screen to the very latest blockbusters. It includes concise plot synopses for every film, casts and credits, critical evaluations and reviews, insider gossip and facts, quotes and dialogue, a quick-reference guide to the best films ever, an index of leading directors, Academy Award winners, and more. There are also easy-to-spot icons for family viewing; video, DVD, and soundtrack availability; and Oscar awards and nominations.

Genres: Reference, Nonfiction

1344 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

Leslie Halliwell was born in Bohon. He buys most of the feature films and series screened by the lTV network and goes twice a year to Hollywood in search of them; he has been an enthusiast for the mediums since childhood. He has managed several Rank Organisation and specialist cinemas and is a member of two National Film Archive committees.

Reviews

[Jackie "the Librarian" · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it's big. I'll give it that. What I liked about this movie guide is that it provides not just one opinion on movies, it has quotes from other sources, such as Variety, Pauline Kael, Vincent Canby, The New York Sun, etc.
What I didn't like is that these critics don't seem to like movies very much. It's as if the editors sought out the negative parts of reviews, and ignored the positive comments.
For example, in the entry for Young Frankenstein, one of my all-time favorite movies, the guide says "The most successful of Mel Brooks's parodies, Mad Magazine style; the gleamingly reminiscent photography is the best of it, the script being far from consistently funny, but there are splendid moments."
Then they quote Stanley Kauffmann's review, "Like a sketch from the old Sid Caesar show, for which Brooks wrote, spun out ten times as long. Ten times too long. Brooks is a sprinter, and there aren't enough good sprints here."
And Vincent Canby - "A great deal of low fun."
Three stars.
Okay, maybe you don't care for Young Frankenstein either. How about something acclaimed by the Academy? Lawrence of Arabia, which they give four stars, but then say this, "Sprawling epic which manages after four hours to give no insight whatever into the complexities of character of this mysterious historic figure, but is often spectacularly beautiful and exciting along the way."
Penelope Houston - "Grandeur of conception is not up to grandeur of setting."
I guess you won't go in with too high of expectations if you choose a movie based on this book, but, c'mon! Where's the love for the art form? It's as if someone MADE them watch the movie, and they have begrudgingly reported on the whole unpleasant experience.
Recommended for curmudgeonly movie viewers.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

before the net indispensable - a round up of views on movies. However now you can go to all sorts of sources for the same info...

[Vanlilith]

Wayne Allen Sallee