Rating: 
Summary: Not much here
Review: This book as a whole has some entertainment value; it is amusingly irreverent, and Mr Roeper's labored attempts at humor are occassionally on target--though often he only comes off sounding pompous. My main criticism is that there really is no content here, or at least not enough to fill an entire book, which I think the publisher realized. Each list is preceded by its own title page (with some of the titles seriously being longer than the lists themselves). Some of the lists are factual, of which only a handful are interesting; some are subjective, representing Mr Roeper's own film tastes--I can't fault him for giving his opinion, but maybe someone who considers "3,000 Miles to Graceland" and "Planet of the Apes" two of the better movies of 2001 should not be writing films reviews? Others are intended merely as jokes, like "imitations women just can't resist doing" (there aren't any, he claims). I might consider giving this book another star if not for the fact that Mr Roeper's grinning face appears prominently on the cover, somehow making his over-inflated writing style all the more annoying. If you're curious, pick this up in a bookstore, skim through it, but save your money for something more worthwhile--I believe "3,000 Miles to Graceland" would be the author's candidate.
Rating:
Summary: Next time, write a real book!
Review: This book is more like a slightly extended magazine article. In fact, I've read articles in "Movieline" that were longer, and more informative. About one quarter of the book includes material that is well thought-out and entertainingly written. The rest is stuff that Roeper must have dictated into his voice recorder while doing other tasks.
Roeper is clever and well-informed, but this book couldn't have taken more than two weeks to write. If you're looking for a truly quick read, this is the book for you. Just don't pay full price! I'm sure Roeper is capable of writing a good book, even a book of lists that has a little more "meat." But Roeper, and the publisher, shouldn't try to pass this off as more than a brochure.
Rating:
Summary: Next time, write a real book!
Review: This book is more like a slightly extended magazine article. In fact, I've read articles in "Movieline" that were longer, and more informative. About one quarter of the book includes material that is well thought-out and entertainingly written. The rest is stuff that Roeper must have dictated into his voice recorder while doing other tasks.
Roeper is clever and well-informed, but this book couldn't have taken more than two weeks to write. If you're looking for a truly quick read, this is the book for you. Just don't pay full price! I'm sure Roeper is capable of writing a good book, even a book of lists that has a little more "meat." But Roeper, and the publisher, shouldn't try to pass this off as more than a brochure.
Rating: 
Summary: worth a look, but not essential
Review: This book's lists run the gamut from the commendable ("Ten movies that didn't make the AFI list but should have") to the throwaway (pick the half-dozen lists of your choice). In between, there are lists of his personal opinions, at least some of which are bound to provoke strong reactions (good and bad) in die-hard film buffs. There are also several lists of movie cliches that could have been lifted right out of Ebert's LITTLE MOVIE GLOSSARY. Some fall in the "Eh" category (movies starring cast members of "Seinfeld" and "Friends") and some that are LOL funny (Red carpet flubs by Joan Rivers). The book is padded out in the extreme, and fleshing it out here and there would have helped-- a lot (his list of in-jokes briefly discusses only 13 films, and his "10 movie character imitations that men can't resist doing" misses things like Pacino in SCARFACE ("Say hello to my li'l frien'")). A mixed bag, but there are worse ways of killing an hour or so. PS: The back cover states that this book is the result of his years of watching thousands of films, yet in his SOURCES, he states that he consulted dozens of movie websites and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles. Hmmmmm . . .
Rating:
Summary: worth a look, but not essential
Review: This book's lists run the gamut from the commendable ("Ten movies that didn't make the AFI list but should have") to the throwaway (pick the half-dozen lists of your choice). In between, there are lists of his personal opinions, at least some of which are bound to provoke strong reactions (good and bad) in die-hard film buffs. There are also several lists of movie cliches that could have been lifted right out of Ebert's LITTLE MOVIE GLOSSARY. Some fall in the "Eh" category (movies starring cast members of "Seinfeld" and "Friends") and some that are LOL funny (Red carpet flubs by Joan Rivers). The book is padded out in the extreme, and fleshing it out here and there would have helped-- a lot (his list of in-jokes briefly discusses only 13 films, and his "10 movie character imitations that men can't resist doing" misses things like Pacino in SCARFACE ("Say hello to my li'l frien'")). A mixed bag, but there are worse ways of killing an hour or so. PS: The back cover states that this book is the result of his years of watching thousands of films, yet in his SOURCES, he states that he consulted dozens of movie websites and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles. Hmmmmm . . .
Rating: 
Summary: Thumbs Down
Review: This material is better suited for a website, not a book.
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