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Rating: 
Summary: He's a critic, not a teacher.
Review: I've been doing a lot of reading about film in the last year and I have to say that Glatzer's guide was not as helpful as the other books I've read. When I compare Glatzer's guide to Jim Piper's guide, "Get the Picture?: The Movie Lover's Guide to Watching to Films," I fnd that while Glatzer may be a good movie critic, he, unlike Piper, is not a very good teacher of the subject.Much of Glatzer reads like moive review of films instead of a guide for reading films critically. His first few chapters provide some basic insight on the differences between movies and theatre productions and the role of the camera in flims, but the rest of book is not as helpful as it could be. The chapter on laughter in film, for example, is not useful. He tries to explain humor by focusing on the work of Buster Keaton, but many of us contemporary film goers might not find Keaton all that funny. The same goes for his chapters on musicals, foriegn films, and movie credits--each of them are not very helpful for understanding contemporary films. Perhaps it's his last chapters that save this book. Glatzer provides a list of "must see films" and a list of guide questions you should ask yourself about a movie. I wish Glatzer had used those questions to develop his guide. Finally, I was also disappointed that neither Glatzer or Piper provide a multicultural examination of films. There are so many films by directors of color that don't get examined in either of the guides. The contributions of Spike Lee, Wayne Wang, Charles Burnett, John Singleton, Melvin Van Peeples, Julie Dash, and Camille Billops (documentary film maker), should have been include in their guide. I guess if you're coming from more of classical film tradition, Glatzer guide might be helpful, but if you're looking for guide to more contemporary, as well as classic and foreign films, check out Piper's book.
Rating: 
Summary: Movie lovers guide
Review: It may not be the definitive guide to movies and/or reviews but this readable book is fun! Any movie buff will relish the opportunity to check his/her own favorites against the authors; to bemoan the absence of a personal favorite; or cheer the mention of a forgotten oldie. A good addition to our shelves so thumbs up (pardon the reference to other critics)
Rating:
Summary: It's All in the Style
Review: Mr. Glatzer has a wonderful readable style which reminds me of his popular NPR movie reviews. No, I don't agree with all his conclusions --I happen to think THE ENGLISH PATIENT is a virtuoso film --but it is a treat to imagine arguing film with this gentleman. If every non-fiction author had his easy-going and intelligent style, I might be tempted to supplement my fiction diet with a few books the likes of BEYOND POPCORN. It is a triumph.
Rating:
Summary: It's All in the Style
Review: Mr. Glatzer has a wonderful readable style which reminds me of his popular NPR movie reviews. No, I don't agree with all his conclusions --I happen to think THE ENGLISH PATIENT is a virtuoso film --but it is a treat to imagine arguing film with this gentleman. If every non-fiction author had his easy-going and intelligent style, I might be tempted to supplement my fiction diet with a few books the likes of BEYOND POPCORN. It is a triumph.
Rating:
Summary: See movies more sharply
Review: This book was just what I needed. I love to watch movies, and I know what I like, but I never really knew why I liked them. It is the perfect book for someone like me who has never studied film but would like to know more. It covers how movies are made, the roles of all the folks involved, and what separates good writing, directing, or acting from the bad. Also his "all time best" lists, agree or disagree, are fun to discuss. Finally, it is written in a fun, fast-paced style. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: See movies more sharply
Review: This book was just what I needed. I love to watch movies, and I know what I like, but I never really knew why I liked them. It is the perfect book for someone like me who has never studied film but would like to know more. It covers how movies are made, the roles of all the folks involved, and what separates good writing, directing, or acting from the bad. Also his "all time best" lists, agree or disagree, are fun to discuss. Finally, it is written in a fun, fast-paced style. Enjoy.
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