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Loading... "Have You Seen . . . ?": A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Filmsby David Thomson
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.  blondierocket | Jun 28, 2009 |  A great book to dip into, it contains 1000 essays by David Thomson. As the subtitle suggest, the reviews are very much his personal opinions and impressions of the films, rather than objective reviews. In the small fraction I've read (opening the book randomly, or seeking out titles of films I've recently seen), my reaction has varied greatly, nodding in agreement to his thoughts on 12 Angry Men and Badlands, but disagreeing with him on Goodfellas and annoyance at his insistence on reviewing The Sopranos as one film. But I actually like this mixed reaction - it is so much more thought-provoking than just reading praise for a film. (  ) sanddancer | Mar 14, 2009 |  no reviews | add a review
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In 1975, David Thomson published his Biographical Dictionary of Film, and few film books have enjoyed better press or such steady sales.
Now, thirty-three years later, we have the companion volume, a second book of more than 1,000 pages in one voice—that of our most provocative contemporary film critic and historian.
Juxtaposing the fanciful and the fabulous, the old favorites and the forgotten, this sweeping collection presents the films that Thomson offers in response to the question he gets asked most often—“What should I see?” This new book is a generous history of film and an enticing critical appraisal written with as much humor and passion as historical knowledge. Not content to choose his own top films (though they are here), Thomson has created a list that will surprise and delight you—and send you to your best movie rental service.
But he also probes the question: after one hundred years of film, which ones are the best, and why?
“Have You Seen . . . ?” suggests a true canon of cinema and one that’s almost completely accessible now, thanks to DVDs. This book is a must for anyone who loves the silver screen: the perfect confection to dip into at any point for a taste of controversy, little-known facts, and ideas about what to see. This is a volume you’ll want to return to again and again, like a dear but argumentative friend in the dark at the movies.
(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:17 -0400)
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What I felt like reading through this long list was that I was just hearing the same old movies over and over. Of course there will all the great ones your would expect that already fall into the Oscar winners and AFI’s Top 100 Films of All Time, but there thrown in were a bunch of movies with a bunch of people I’ve never even heard about, and even more foreign films.
While some of the dialogue and critiques were interesting, most of the time my favorite movies or at least ones I enjoyed were being bashed on an considered terrible or not worth anyone’s time.
I consider myself a serious movie buff. I will usually give everything a chance, but I always start what what is familiar and not some random foreign film from a book. This book didn’t convince me to watch any movie but was more just a reason for the author to ramble on about whatever movies he feels like.
In that case, I might as well make my own book filled with 1,000 of my favorite films … once I’ve seen 1,000.
It was an interesting read, but after about letter L I was tired of not knowing names and titles. If you’re big into movies, it’s worht checking out and wondering why this guy keeps making books about movies with only his opinion in them and nothing else.