1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die

It has exceptional range of genres and does a very good job of encapsulating the movie in question.

Book in terrible condition, came with no cover and the side panel completely ripped off, very disappointed

Not a great resource for movie buffs but not bad. Many obscure movies included. Left out too many great films. Not enough photos for my liking. An "ok" reference book.

I've had this book for about a year now, and it has truly become my own personal bible. As other reviewers have pointed out, the book spans the past century's film history and includes movies from well-known Oscar-winners to more obscure, independent gems. One thing I love about this book is that it does a fine job at keeping the list neutral -- there aren't more American-made films than foreign ones; there aren't more recent films than older ones or vice versa; there aren't more popular films than relatively unknown ones; there aren't more comedies than horror films, dramas than sci-fis, etc. The included short essays/reviews on each film are concise and informative for the most part, though I must say it bugs me that some of them give the ending or crucial plot details away. The photos are all gorgeous and make this book a nice one to keep on display on your coffee table. At the beginning, the book states that one of its goals is to make passionate film lovers out of casual filmgoers, and for me, it accomplished that goal with flying colors. Over the past year, I have become an ardent movie buff and lover mostly from watching at least seventy-five of the excellent films included in the book -- I've yet to encounter one I haven't at least liked. As I said, this book has become my bible and it's never far from my reach -- practically every weekend I find a new movie to rent/buy and immensely enjoy. It'll definitely make a believer out of ya! The editor also notes that although 1001 movies might seem like an exhaustive list, it quickly becomes apparent that it's really not big enough. There are so many great movies out there (way more than 1001, trust me), but this book serves as an excellent introduction (and then some) to the world of film. Highly recommended to those interested in seeing great movies.

There are many things to appreciate about this terrific collection of short essays about the best movies in the history of cinema. I especially liked how the films were listed in chronological order, from "A Trip To The Moon" in 1902 to the latest contemporary movies. This chronology gives the book a sense of historical perspective which further enables it to be an educational tool for understanding what is perhaps the most popular art form of the current era. Plus this book is just tremendous fun to read. The essays are intelligent and insightful but also well written and a pleasure to read. Photos are included for many of the films. Also the list is large enough that movies from every imaginable genre and style are here - international, avant-garde, documentaries, westerns, horror, etc. Of course, every reader will probably find at least one of their favorite movies omitted. What no "Key Largo"!?! But still enough classic films are listed to satisfy all tastes. It was great that this book included an index of directors. I only wish that it had an index of actors and actresses as well. But still this is a minor quibble about an excellent book. One that will provide not only an enjoyable first reading. But also serve as a useful reference guide to film viewing for years to come.

With the amount of junk that Hollywood feeds us these days, you need a source to help you find the good stuff. This book helps in the search for quality. It simply and briefly lets you know why these films are worth seeing. I have found many films from years past that I would've never seen if I hadn't read about them here first. Just about every great film from the silent era to the present is in here. Hopefully, more people will start paying attention to the good films of the past. Once you start watching these films you'll notice just how bad most of the the current blockbuster studio releases are. If we keep paying to see bad movies, the studios will keep making them.

This book is COMPLETELY awesome. It's 940 pages with great color pics on almost every page, and 1001 short essays by leading critics. The selection is listed chronologically, and it's almost perfect - lots of world cinema, lots of weirdo classics, lots of cool stuff. There are 10 movies by Bergman on the list, 5 by Capra, 10 by Kubrick, 9 by Spielberg, 4 by Tarkovsky, 4 by Von Trier, 2 by Miyazaki, 6 by Kurosawa, 6 by Antonioni 18 by Hitchcock, 3 by Cronenberg, 3 by Kar-Wai etc, etc. And it was released recently, which means that it also includes fairly new movies like "City of God" and "Far From Heaven". Highly recommended! It may very well be the only movie book you'll ever need, and it could be the best book about movies ever. It's literally a lifetime of wonderful viewing. (A few missing films that I would welcomed: Lassiter's "Toy Story II", Romero's "Martin", Jodorowsky's "Santa Sangre", Bogdanovich' "Paper Moon", Cronenberg's "Dead Ringers", Miyazaki's "My Neighbor Totoro", Greenaways' "Drowning By Numbers" and a few others. But that's silly nitpicking. This book is great!)

This is definitely a must-have for all movie buffs. It gives insightful critiques of each of the 1001 movies. But, inevitably, there are some glaring omissions (No "They Shoot Horses, Don't They"? No "Scenes From a Marriage"? No "Lenny"? No "My Dinner With Andre"? No "Unbearable Lightness of Being"?), as well as a few truly dubious inclusions -- both in general ("Scream"? "Clueless"?!? "Top Gun"?!?!?) and for certain directors (for Martin Scorsese they have "Gangs of New York" and "Kundun;" two of his weakest films, but they don't have "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore" or "The Last Temptation of Christ"). There are also some not-at-all-unwelcome surprises. That said, it's still an essential read...even if you may never get around to seeing all 1001 titles.