References: |
The Greatest Movies Ever - Revised and Up-to-Date: The Ultimate Ranked List of the 101 Best Films of All Time, by Gail Kinn, 2012 The 101 greatest movies of all time ranked and critiqued. Fully updated for the paperback edition with new films. From The Godfather (#1) to Groundhog's Day (#101) The Greatest Movies Ever is fun and controversial ranking of the greatest movies of all time, as selected by film critics Gail Kinn and Jim Piazza and including comedies, dramas, musicals, romances, and action films compiled from 80 years of movie making and from all around the world. The list includes such classics as Citizen Kane, North by Northwest, and Schindler's List; international films such as The 400 Blows and Rashomon; as well as more recent films including Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and Slumdog Millionaire. The earliest edition contained material similar to 'Greatest Films' (Filmsite's website). |
Must-See Sci-fi: 50 Movies That Are Out of This World (Turner Classic Movies) From A Trip to the Moon (1902) to Arrival (2016), science fiction cinema has produced a body of classics with a broader range of styles, stories, and subject matter than perhaps any other film genre. Fifty unforgettable films are profiled, including beloved favorites like The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and Fantastic Voyage (1966), groundbreaking shockers like Planet of the Apes (1968) and Alien (1979), and lesser-known landmarks like Things to Come (1936) and Solaris (1972). See Filmsite's feature on "Sci-Fi Films." |
Into the Dark: The Hidden World of Film Noir, 1941-1950 (Turner Classic Movies) A year-by-year tour of movies like Double Indemnity, Mildred Pierce, and Sunset Boulevard. This volume recreates the environment that spawned film noir. See Filmsite's feature on "Film Noir." |
Forbidden Hollywood: The Pre-Code Era (1930-1934): When Sin Ruled the Movies (Turner Classic Movies) The book spotlights the twenty-two films that led to the strict new Code of 1934, including Red-Headed Woman, Call Her Savage, and She Done Him Wrong. You'll see Paul Muni shoot a path to power in the original Scarface; Barbara Stanwyck climb the corporate ladder on her own terms in Baby Face; and misfits seek revenge in Freaks. See Filmsite's feature on the Pre-Code Era in "Sex in Cinema: History." |
Rough Guide Reference Titles: The Rough Guides are an essential reference companion for anyone interested in films from a categorical or genre perspective. The Rough Guide to Comedy Movies uncovers cinema's funniest and most varied genre, from silent slapstick, to 90s gross-out and the dark indie humour of today, and includes a canon of the fifty greatest comedy films. The Rough Guide to Cult Movies offers a new improved blend of essential trivia and informed opinion with a tour of the most compellingly weird - and weirdly compelling - films in the world. The Rough Guide to Horror Movies is a comprehensive guide to the world's scariest films, with a canon of the fifty greatest horror films of all time. The remainder of the series of "Rough Guides" follows a similar pattern:
Please note: Greatest Films is recommended as a resource website in some of these books! |
Classic Movie Companion, by Robert Moses (Editor), American Movie Classics Company, 1999, Hyperion The former editor of American Movie Classics (AMC) magazine guides the reader through 4500 classic Hollywood films made between 1929 and 1979, with brief plot synopses, credits, ratings, running times, and 100 photos. A few non-Hollywood films are included, but the editor generally chooses those films likely to be featured on the AMC Network. Please note: Greatest Films is recommended as a resource in this book! |
The
Great Movies, by Roger Ebert, 2002 Please note: This website author is often referenced in the first book, for example, in Ebert's essays on "Notorious" and "Red River." See all references here. The Great Movies: The Great Movies II: The Great Movies III The Great Movies IV Ebert's Website: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=greatmovies_intro |
Zagat Survey Movie Guide: 1000 Top Films of All Time, by Curt Gathje, 2002, Zagat Survey. Covering the 1,000 all-time best films, this
guide is based on the candid appraisals of avid moviegoers
like you. Contains 50+ handy indexes to help you find the perfect
picture. |
75 Years of the Oscar: The Official History of the Academy Awards, by Robert Osborne, 2003, Abbeville Press, Inc. Newly updated, revised, and expanded from an earlier edition. The only book officially sanctioned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, this hefty tome presents the history of the movies through the lens of the industry's central organizing body. Each year of the Oscars is covered in detail, with an introduction that summarizes the year's movie highlights, nominees, and winners, followed by a complete listing of nominees and winners in all categories. |
The Academy Awards Handbook, by John Harkness, 2003 (revised), Pinnacle Books, Kensington Publishing Corp. A guide to award-winning movies and their stars offers a year-by-year listing of all nominees and winners, an analysis of how films and stars are selected, a thorough index, and advice on how to identify forthcoming winners. |
The 247 Best Movie Scenes in Film History, by Sanford Levine, 2001, McFarland & Company. This is a witty, wry compilation of the best: accountant scenes, ballpoint pen scenes, food mushing scenes, telephone scenes, and more, arranged by category and described lovingly. Subtitled: A filmgoer's guide to cigar scenes, car chase scenes, haircut scenes, whistling scenes, dentist scenes, fluttering drapes, funny walks, mirrors, name mispronunciations, parking meters, sagging shoulders, steambaths, and numerous other scenes long noted by aficionados. Reprint of a 1992 work describing memorable scenes from numerous movies. |
10 Sure Signs a Movie Character is Doomed (& Other Surprising Movie Lists), by Richard Roeper, 2003, Hyperion, Kensington Publishing Corp. An offbeat, hilarious, irreverent, and inventive
collection of movie lists. Examples include: The Worst Best
Movies of All Time, 10 Movies That Didn't Make the AFI List
But Should Have, 5 Reasons Why George Bailey Isn't Such a Wonderful
Guy in It's a Wonderful Life, 7 Films in Which Ben Affleck
Cries Like a Big Fat Baby, The Gross-Out Hall of Fame, and
13 Great Perks of Being a Movie Character Written by Richard Roeper, the co-host of the nationally syndicated Ebert & Roeper TV program. |
BFI
FILM CLASSICS, series of selected film titles by
The British Film Institute, BFI Publishing, London. Series
titles include many classic and modern titles. |
Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide 2007, 2006, edited by Leonard Maltin, Plume Paperback Film historian and critic Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide 2007 is incredibly extensive, offering summaries and ratings of movies. This is the filmgoer's guide--the most compact, intelligent, and informative reference available. Alphabetized by title, with thousands of entries that list year of release, running time, director, principal cast, and availability on video. Other years available. also Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide: The Modern Era, edited by Leonard Maltin, 2017 Previously published as Leonard Maltin’s 2015 Movie Guide, this capstone edition includes a new Introduction by the author, and a few added one-page lists.
|
Leonard
Maltin's Classic Movie Guide: From the Silent Era Through 1965, Third Edition (2015), edited by Leonard
Maltin, Plume. From Leonard Maltin, author of the bestselling annual Movie Guide (see above), comes this guide to classic movies, which 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 Whos 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 Maltins unique Top Ten lists. The result is an authoritative, dynamic guide to the classics no film aficionado should be without. (2015 Edition) Leonard Maltin’s Classic Movie Guide covers films from Hollywood and around the world, from the silent era through 1965, and from The Maltese Falcon to Singin’ in the Rain and Godzilla, King of the Monsters! Thoroughly revised and updated, and featuring expanded indexes, a list of Maltin’s personal recommendations, and three hundred new entries—including many offbeat and obscure films—this new edition is a must-have companion for every movie lover.
|
The New York Times Book of Movies: The Essential 1,000 Films to See, by A.O. Scott (Compiler), Manohla Dargis (Compiler), and Wallace Schroeder. Updated for 2019. A curated collection of reviews with such special features as lists of best films by category and year, as well as unique recommendations and sidebars for the modern viewer -- including what to watch and how: from DVD and Blu-Ray to streaming platforms. Updated for 2019. |
The 100 Greatest Movies Ever Made, by Ty Burr, 1999, Time-Life Books. Each film write-up includes a brief discussion and an Oscar Index, Type Casting, Behind the Scenes, and What Might Have Been. |
Time Out Film Guide 2007, 15th edition, 2006, edited by John Pym, Penguin Books The Time Out Film Guide is a collection
of capsule reviews written originally for the London magazine Time
Out. Now updated with more than 16,700 reviews, all written
by knowledgeable critics. With lengthy descriptions (including
cast and crew), a readers' Top One Hundred poll, stronger international
coverage than any other film guide, and extensive indexes covering
films by country, genre, subject, director, and actor. |
1000 Films to Change Your Life, 2006, (TimeOut Guides, Ltd.) The Time Out 1000 Films to Change Your Life is a must-have collection of opinion-pieces, reviews, photos and lists - all revolving around the joy of movies. Personalities (actresses, actors, directors, cinematographers, animators, authors, comedians, playwrights, etc.) write about their favorite films, in a variety of ways. Films covered are eclectic and wide-ranging. Writers are matched to suitable (or sometimes surprising) themes or genres. Top Ten lists throughout, plus film reviews (with credits) relevant to the features and shorter spreads on topics such as: great screen moments (endings, beginnings, kisses, death scenes), small trivia boxes, excerpts of dialogue, movie facts and more. |
Cinema: A Year by Year History of the Movies (1894-2006), 2006 edition, Dorling Kindersley (DK) Publishing, Inc., New York, NY. A narrative time line of notable cinemagraphic
events is written in a present-tense journalistic style. With
3,000-plus classic posters, film stills and star portraits
- an exhilarating voyage through the world of movies, from
its inception in the 1890s to the technical ingenuity of the
present day. |
The Film Encyclopedia, by Ephraim Katz, 2005, Fifth Edition, published by HarperCollins. Revised and updated. Billed as: "The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume." Well-written, user-friendly, and bursting with essential data, famous stories, and terrific trivia, this book is the most intelligent and accessible film companion available, a must for every movie lover. Its chief assets are its in-depth entries on actors, directors, writers, cinematographers, composers, and editors, which come complete with date and place of birth as well as an extensive filmography. |
The Dictionary of Film Quotations, 6,000 Provocative Movie Quotes from 1,000 Movies, by Melinda Corey and George Ochoa, 1995, Crown Trade Paperbacks, New York, NY Contains about 6,000 quotations from more than 1,000 movies. The quotations are arranged alphabetically by movie from Adam's Rib to Zorba the Greek. With each movie comes basic credit information: studio, year, director, screenwriter, and so forth. There are also two full indexes that allow you to find quotations by star or topic. A highly recommended reference for film buffs, writers, and trivia lovers! |
VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (Annual Edition), 2020 (other earlier editions available), Jim Craddock, published by Gale Group. Every edition packs in thousands of pages of reviews of movies, with extensive indexes expanded to include Alternate and Series presentations, among others. Birth and death dates have been added for cast and director indexes, icons identify made-for-television movies, and videographies in the cast index include cameo and voice-only appearances. Other volumes in the VideoHound series include:
|
Past Imperfect: History According to the Movies, gen. editor Mark C. Carnes, 1996, Agincourt Press, Henry Holt and Co., New York, NY. This unusual and cornucopian book draws on the knowledge of 60 experts who examine the historical accuracy of a splendid array of classic movies such as Julius Caesar, Aguirre the Wrath of God, Mutiny on the Bounty, The Last of the Mohicans, Gallipoli, and Gandhi. They reveal what each movie has done right and wrong in portraying the complex threads of the stories as known to the world's most qualified scholars. |
Reel v. Real: How Hollywood Turns Fact Into Fiction, by Frank Sanello, 2003, Taylor Publishing. This book profiles sixty movies that portray
actual moments in history, and compares the mythologized account
of each event to what really happened. |
The Movie Guide: The Most Comprehensive Film Reference of Its Kind, James Pallot and Editors of CineBooks, 1995. May be difficult to find. The Movie Guide is the most comprehensive, in-depth film reference available in a single volume - the indispensable sourcebook for movie buffs and film scholars alike. Collected from the vast databases of CineBooks, the world's leading film authority, The Movie Guide provides key information not available in other single-volume guides. With longer, more detailed reviews and fascinating film facts, this easy-to-use, alphabetized guide covers well over 3,000 of the most important films ever made - from accepted classics such as Citizen Kane and Schindler's List, to cult hits and "sleepers" like The Crying Game and Strictly Ballroom, to the most-talked-about films of the year. |
TLA Video and DVD Guide 2005: The Discerning Film Lover's Guide, by David Bleiler (editor), 2004. The TLA Video and DVD Guide 2005 (updated yearly) boasts that it's designed for the "discerning film lover." Detailed indexes by star, director, genre, country of origin, and theme. Lavishly illustrated with over 450 photos. A listing of all the major film awards of the past quarter century, as well as TLA Bests and recommended films. Comprehensive selection of international cinema from over 50 countries. Over 10,000 films reviewed. |