Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Turned off by the errors. May 1, 2006
Thayer
While I was browsing in our local bookstore, I was pleasantly surprised to find this book. For some reason I am fascinated by lists of the greatest movies whether the list made by American Film Institute, Roger Ebert or the different publications and magazines who made their own "definitive" lists.
The packaging as well as the design and format of the book were impressive. It was simple but organized and nicely printed. Too bad just like some of the reviewers already pointed out, there were quite a number of misinformation and typographical error in the book. I find it really unacceptable for a book to have misspelled words, how about a little proofreading next time? And there were also quite a number of wrong information that ranges from the description of a particular scene, wrong entries regarding Academy Award nominations, as well as the section the book had on the different rankings of other "greatest movie lists". That was a major turnoff!
Regarding the list, they made some interesting choices. Some of the usual suspects like The Silence of the Lambs, High Noon, To Kill a Mockingbird, West Side Story, The Philadelphia Story, Rebel Without a Cause, and Mister Smith Goes to Washington were left out. There were some pleasant not so obvious entries like Thelma and Louise, American Beauty, LA Confidential, and Strangers on a Train. But they also had some unconventional entries that I don't necessarily agree with like Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Saving Private Ryan, Airplane, and Spartacus to name a few. If they were going for some unconventional choices, I hope they had included Twelve Angry Men, The Age of Innocence, Seven, The Color Purple, Mister Roberts etc.
Even though I made some rants regarding the accuracy of the information, I still think this is a great read. Just don't use it as a resource book.
Grade: B
Good but error ridden October 25, 2004
Ned (USA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
One mistake comes when they review the theatrical film MASH. Thet credit Larry Gelbart with writing it. Wrong! Talented Gelbart wrote the first four seasons of the tv show MASH. Not the movie MASH! Other mistakes too. But giantly written and nicely illustrated.
 Both a film guide and a handsome coffee table addition June 6, 2004
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
Narrow the film world to the top 101 choices of all times, pack in the color shots from these recommended films, and include cast and credits and critical quotes about the movie and you have a pictorial representation of the greats in Gail Kinn and Jim Piazza's Four-Star Movies which will serve as both a film guide and a handsome coffee table addition. Four-Star Movies is quite simply as fine a reference as it is a visual ad for quality classic films.
 Varied selection, but informative and a good starting point. January 8, 2004
Matt Brighton (Baltimore, MD)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I noticed this book in Barnes & Noble the other day and being a movie buff and obsessed with "Top 100" lists. I will first of all say that I pay attention to the American Film Institute's list of Top 100 movies and kind of compared the selections here with thos that the AFI came up with. While about 35 of the selections are the same, Kinn and Piazza came up with some rather interesting choices as to their Top 101 movies of all time.First of all, the book needs to be error-checked. I found several errors, though not glaring, they were ther. Maybe the fact that I know a lot about movies made them more obvious, as I'm sure other books/magazines, etc. have had errors and I have passed over them. All that aside, the movies (and there are indeed 101 of them) are all good. In fact, there's some I haven't seen and after reading the book, I'm going out to check the films out, after all; that's what this is, a starting point to see some of the greatest movies out there. I can't say I agreed with all of their choices, but all of the films have had some sort of critical acclaim. Each movie gets three pages of pictures, information about the cast and crew and even what the prominent critics have said about the movie (one featured moreso than others is the very negative Paulene Kael, what a sad life she leads if she can't get any pleasure out of these films). Some information about the background of the movie is printed as well and what the authors say about the movie (in little cartooish bubbles, no less). I didn't have any major problems with the book, I don't feel it's any sort of definitive guide, per se as they didn't pick any Charlie Chaplin movies, no Buster Keaton movies and some are on the list that I don't think should be there (even as happy as I was to see "Airplane!" as #101, I can think of plenty others that should be in that spot). If you're into film and movies and, most importantly, ranking of them, then this is for you. What the authors are trying to accomplish by this book, is for the films to be seen. Granted, we know that The Godfather is good (yet they combined The Godfather and The Godfather Part II as one movie for their #1 pick), but I might just have to go check out "Funny Face" as they picked it as one of their favorites. Still, notable classics like "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" and "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" aren't on there! In any case, it's a good book and very attractive looking. Heck, if people see it at your coffee table at a party, you can make them think you're a film critic! I'd recommend this book to any film buff.
Every Movie Freak's Dream December 25, 2003
Bianca Nicholette (San Antonio, Tx)
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
First off let me say that i LOVE movies. i love reading about movies and whatnot. I was shopping @ Barnes & Noble looking for a Xmas gift for myself. yes, i buy myself presents don't we all. Then I came across this book. being a movie freak i picked it up and thumbed through it and bought it. What more can a movie lover want? This book has lots of info about the movies listed. From The Godfather to the Seven Samurai and more. It's unbelievable. Complete with director information, a behind-the-scenes look, information about the cast, great pics portraying the most memorable scenes, couple of quotes, results @ the box office, awards nominated for,and a plot summary. It's great. Sure it doesnt have some of the best movies in my opinion but it's fabulous. You can learn soo much about movies. I recommend it to anyone who loves movies that they read about them. Perfect gift for any occasion. Buy it and you wont regret it.
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