1,000 Best Movies on DVD [ペーパーバック]

I have several other movie review books and they're all sitting on the shelf collecting dust. So I approached this book by Peter Travers with some reservation. Not to worry, this is the only movie review book that matters. Here's why:

1. Travers likes movies for the same reason you and I like movies. He's not trying to come across as a cinema professor. He clearly doesn't give a hoot about a film's rep with other critics - there are so called classic movies that aren't here and there are many others (e.g. Die Hard and Independence Day) that other critics would never include in a book of the best. When he uses terms such as "eye popping colors" and "gives your home theater system a real workout", it's clear that he likes movies like we like movies. Don't think for a second, though, that, based on those examples, this is oriented to modern action flicks. Every genre and every period is well represented. It's just that, for Mr. Travers, "good" doesn't HAVE to mean "old" or "foreign".

2. Unlike other books which critique at least 5000 movies (often much more), Travers has done the filtering and focuses only on what he considers to be the very best films, especially focusing on those that come across the best on DVD. I love that approach. Why waste ink and paper (and your time) to review crap like "Jaws 3" and "Nash Pluto"? By just focusing on the good stuff, Travers has a lot more space to explain why the movie is good. That makes every page in the book essential reading.

3. He has wisely avoided a star system which just gets readers upset wondering why their favorite movie didn't get more stars. It also doesn't try to put them in order from 1 (best) down to 1000. He clearly thinks all these movies are pretty terrific and, by simply listing them in alphabetical order, it encourages you to read about them all. That ends up putting a lot more DVDs on your "must watch" list than you otherwise would have.

4. Travers is a really entertaining writer, often quite funny too. These aren't cerebral pontifications, they come across as musings from a regular guy who happens to love movies. So that makes this more than just a reference book, it's one you really enjoy reading cover to cover.

5. He does an excellent job in explaining why a movie is worth watching. For that reason, you'll have a much better idea whether each movie is one that you really want to see. In many cases I could see why Travers was so impressed with the movie, but his detailed description made me realize it's just not my thing.

The worst thing you can do is dismiss a book like this on the basis of the movies he left out (or included). Face it, no two people are going to have the same views on 1000 movies so put the quibbling aside in advance. This book is not meant to be a list, it's meant to help the reader find great DVDs to buy or rent. After reading this, you're certain to have ticked off at least 150 DVDs that you really want to see. And you will have been greatly entertained in the process. What more could you want from a book of this type?

The hip, irreverent Peter Travers has been reviewing movies for Rolling Stone since 1989--it was just a matter of time before a collection of Travers' reviews would be available in book form.

"The 1,000 Best Movies on DVD" is no mere collection however--Travers is very choosy about what titles he's selected for this volume.

Travers has two basic rules--if the movie is great but the DVD transfer is lousy ("Jailhouse Rock") it's not included--if the quality of the DVD is great, but the movie sucks ("Day After Tomorrow") you won't find it here!

Travers selections for the book span 8 decades all the way from
"Casablanca" through "Chinatown" through "Wedding Crashers"...

Traversisms abound--"The Way We Were" is a 'chick flick' that guys secretly admire..."

Included with each review is access information to easter egggs (if any)....the best bonus features...as well as Travers opinion of the film's most memorable scene....

Example: Travers feels the highlight of "Blue Velvet" involves Kyle McLaughlin hiding in Isabella Rosselini's closet...
c'mon Peter--what about Dean Stockwell in drag lip-synching to Roy Orbison's "In Dreams" using an industrial lamp for a mike...

But...I quibble....Travers is the hippest critic around and this collection was well worth the wait..............

I have long been a disciple of Peter Travers. I have also long awaited a reference of some sort detailing his favorite works of cinema (his year 2000 list of "100 Maverick Movies" being my only nourishment to date). So when I saw an ad in the latest Rolling Stone for this new release, my heart definitely skipped a beat.

After losing myself in this book for a few hours, I have come back up for air and to proclaim this the ultimate guide to cinema on DVD. Almost all of the movies he originally cited in his 2000 list are here (with the conspicuous exception of both "Ninotchka" and "Pather Patchali"). And wow, talk about some great films I've never even heard of to check out. This guide has it all.

It seems that Mr. Travers leans a bit heavily on recent movies (we'll see in few years how well these films have aged), and how to explain the glaring omission of "Hoop Dreams", the greatest documentary of all time? Small points, though. This guide is the ultimate reference tool to the greatest DVD's available in the world. May it open new worlds for you, too.