The Best DVDs You've Never Seen, Just Missed or Almost Forgotten

The title explains the rationale of this guide pretty well and, for my taste, its admittedly quirky list came out about right. The five New York Times writers picked movies that I remember fondly and would like to see again, some that I had missed, and a few that I hadn't heard of at all -- a nice mix. Only a few on the list were what I'd call duds. Each film title is followed by a three or four paragraph plot description, plus the film's date, running time, MPAA rating, and a list of the director and lead actors. Except for the longer plot description, that's less information than you'll find in the Leonard Maltin or Videohound guides, so clearly this book's usefulness lies in the selection of recommended films. That, of course, is a matter of taste and preference: the connoisseur who wants an extensive list of Theo Angelopoulos' films will likely be as disappointed as someone looking for Michael Bay masterpieces. There's only so much you can do with a 500-film list aimed at a wide readership. As one reviewer correctly pointed out, this book does not include the most obscure art house features. Neither does it include Hollywood's biggest blockbusters. Most readers, I think, will find the film descriptions free of spoilers but detailed enough to make decision-making easy -- an advantage this book has over the larger guides with much briefer descriptions. Unfortunately, the book lacks an index. Films are listed alphabetically by title but there's no direct way to look up the works of favorite actors or directors. This, then, will be a great guide for some and less useful for others. Scorsese's AGE OF INNOCENCE and Almodovar's ALL ABOUT MY MOTHER are recommended, as are (flipping through at random) BLUE VELVET, BOB ROBERTS, LES DESTINEES, DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS, GODS AND MONSTERS, THE GOOD GIRL, A HISTORY OF BRITAIN, HOFFA, MIAMI BLUES, A MIDNIGHT CLEAR, THE PAPER, PEEPING TOM, RUN LOLA RUN, RUSHMORE, 13 CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ONE THING, THIRTEEN DAYS, WAKING LIFE, and WALKABOUT. The Adrian Lyne LOLITA is here but the Stanley Kubrick version is not. If you thought BAD SANTA was vulgar, vile, loathsome, and misogynistic (which it was), this might not be your book. If you thought it was the funniest Santa Claus movie ever (which it also was), this book could be the perfect companion to your Must See list.

Tired of wandering the aisles of the video store, only to succumb to yet another film made for teenage boys? Then pick up this new guide, which boasts 500 wide-ranging reviews of everything from art films, small-scale indies and foreign-language films, to coming-of-age comedies and thrillers that "flourish on the far side of respectability." The one-page reviews, all organized alphabetically, are sure to enthuse even the staunchest cinephile - but especially fans of "The New York Times." You won't agree with everything, to be sure. But there's definitely something for everyone here. A great gift book for a cinephile.