Rating: 
Summary: Mom, there's a Martian in my bedroom !
Review: A book that is both compelling and humorous in its over-all dialogue. Bill Warren has done a fantastic job describing the movies and carefully dissecting its contents, plot, behind the scenes activities, and whether or not this movie is worth watching. I have the original two volume hardcover set. When my friends page through this tome, they constantly ask to borrow it, but to no avail. Gray's Anatomy? Pshaw! Encyclopedia Brittanica? Hah! The Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire? I don't think so! This is the ultimate book for all die-hard sci/fi readers and movie aficionados. Whether it be hardcover or soft, get this in your personal library now!
Rating:
Summary: Like taking a class in "Classic Sci Fi Movies"
Review: And I mean that in a good way because if you're a B-movie science fiction fan, this will be your favorite "class". Bill Warren's magnus opus, "Keep Watching the Skies" is THE definite reference book on the science fiction movies made in the 1950's and into the early '60s. It is an inexhaustive review of every good, bad, and ugly movie from those two decades. Extensive research is at the heart of the book. This is an author who is seriously in love with this genre'. Warren has gleaned numerous unknown tidbits about the actors, sets, budgets, etc. from these great, but often underappreciated, B-movies.Classic science fiction movie fans will be totally absorbed by the book. Best read in small chunks, it's almost impossible to put down! Warren not only provides an interesting and honest narrative of each of the films, but adds a chonological list of when the films were distributed and gives a separate synopsis of the films' plots, actors, directors, etc., in a different section of the book. A great index is available and can be of tremendous help when you're watching a midnight sci fi movie fest and can't remember that particular actor's name. By all means, buy the 1997 printing of the book because it contains both volumes (1950-57 and 1958-62). It's a steal at any price. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Rating:
Summary: Like taking a class in "Classic Sci Fi Movies"
Review: And I mean that in a good way because if you're a B-movie science fiction fan, this will be your favorite "class". Bill Warren's magnus opus, "Keep Watching the Skies" is THE definite reference book on the science fiction movies made in the 1950's and into the early '60s. It is an inexhaustive review of every good, bad, and ugly movie from those two decades. Extensive research is at the heart of the book. This is an author who is seriously in love with this genre'. Warren has gleaned numerous unknown tidbits about the actors, sets, budgets, etc. from these great, but often underappreciated, B-movies. Classic science fiction movie fans will be totally absorbed by the book. Best read in small chunks, it's almost impossible to put down! Warren not only provides an interesting and honest narrative of each of the films, but adds a chonological list of when the films were distributed and gives a separate synopsis of the films' plots, actors, directors, etc., in a different section of the book. A great index is available and can be of tremendous help when you're watching a midnight sci fi movie fest and can't remember that particular actor's name. By all means, buy the 1997 printing of the book because it contains both volumes (1950-57 and 1958-62). It's a steal at any price. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Rating:
Summary: Like taking a class in "Classic Sci Fi Movies"
Review: And I mean that in a good way because if you're a B-movie science fiction fan, this will be your favorite "class". Bill Warren's magnus opus, "Keep Watching the Skies" is THE definite reference book on the science fiction movies made in the 1950's and into the early '60s. It is an inexhaustive review of every good, bad, and ugly movie from those two decades. Extensive research is at the heart of the book. This is an author who is seriously in love with this genre'. Warren has gleaned numerous unknown tidbits about the actors, sets, budgets, etc. from these great, but often underappreciated, B-movies. Classic science fiction movie fans will be totally absorbed by the book. Best read in small chunks, it's almost impossible to put down! Warren not only provides an interesting and honest narrative of each of the films, but adds a chonological list of when the films were distributed and gives a separate synopsis of the films' plots, actors, directors, etc., in a different section of the book. A great index is available and can be of tremendous help when you're watching a midnight sci fi movie fest and can't remember that particular actor's name. By all means, buy the 1997 printing of the book because it contains both volumes (1950-57 and 1958-62). It's a steal at any price. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Rating:
Summary: "Keep Watching The Skies! "
Review: Bill Warren's massive 1300+ page two volume set, "Keep Watching The Skies!: American Science Fiction Films of the Fifties", is by far the most comprehensive work of its kind, however, it is not completely exhaustive. Incredibly detailed - where else could one find a lengthy discussion of four different scripts by four different authors, each vying for the honors in "Conquest Of Space"? - the volumes include penetrating reviews of the "Big Five": "The Day The Earth Stood Still"; "The War of the Worlds"; "The Thing From Another Planet"; "Forbidden Planet" and "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", as well as a host of lesser heralded lights. Warren grew up during this era and his (self admitted) nostalgia creeps in periodically in an entertaining way, but not to the point of interfering with his objectivity. In fact, it's nostalgic passion that provided him the "rocket fuel" to tackle and complete such a formidable task. As well as the "Big Five", I derived considerable pleasure from reading Warren's favorable reviews of such spicy delectables as "The Man From Planet X"; "Kronos"; "The Creeping Unknown" and "The Incredible Shrinking Man" - films that made lasting graphic impressions upon me as a child in the 1950s. I have two quibbles - both relatively minor - with "Keep Watching The Skies!" - the first is Warren's inclusion of a small number of films such as "The Bowery Boys" and "Jungle Jim", where the sci-fi elements are so scant and peripheral as to hardly qualify them for the genre. The second is his choice of the subtitle, "American Science Fiction Films of the Fifties", which I feel is potentially confusing. Both volumes cover the period from 1950 to 1962, Warren says that "trends don't follow calendars", and while I don't have a big problem with inclusion of early 60's films, I think it would have been more appropriate and straightforward for the subtitle to have been something like "The Golden Age of American Science Fiction Films -1950-62". Quibbles aside, "Keep Watching The Skies!" is THE DEFINITIVE REFERENCE GUIDE for the 1950's sci-fi film connoisseur/afficionado, and will remain so for many years to come.
Rating:
Summary: A classic
Review: Forget Roger Ebert, Leonard Maltin and Danny Peary, let alone that Kael person. Bill Warren is our greatest living film critic, and this is his masterpiece. His essays on classic SF films of the drive-ins-and-poodle-skirts era are a delight for the casual reader, as well as the most scrupulously accurate sources of information you'll find on these films, as Warren is as fine a film historian as he is a prose stylist. Seriously, if Warren wrote about politics, sports, or mainstream films instead of SF movies he'd be a national celebrity. But happily, right now he's just our little secret. :)
Rating:
Summary: A classic
Review: Forget Roger Ebert, Leonard Maltin and Danny Peary, let alone that Kael person. Bill Warren is our greatest living film critic, and this is his masterpiece. His essays on classic SF films of the drive-ins-and-poodle-skirts era are a delight for the casual reader, as well as the most scrupulously accurate sources of information you'll find on these films, as Warren is as fine a film historian as he is a prose stylist. Seriously, if Warren wrote about politics, sports, or mainstream films instead of SF movies he'd be a national celebrity. But happily, right now he's just our little secret. :)
Rating:
Summary: Beware who you buy this for!!!
Review: I bought this book for my husband who loves old science fiction films. We already own many of them. He enjoys reading and watching the films at the same time. My husband doesn't really care for the writing and some the analysis, but likes the little historical parts. Unfortunetly, he is now on a quest to complete his DVD collection of that era by using the list in this book. It's a good thing most of these film aren't very expensive.
Rating:
Summary: Beware who you buy this for!!!
Review: I bought this book for my husband who loves old science fiction films. We already own many of them. He enjoys reading and watching the films at the same time. My husband doesn't really care for the writing and some the analysis, but likes the little historical parts. Unfortunetly, he is now on a quest to complete his DVD collection of that era by using the list in this book. It's a good thing most of these film aren't very expensive.
Rating:
Summary: A wonderful book
Review: I love this book. I've checked it out of the local library countless times in the last 10 years. He literally examines every known SF film from 1950-1962, both the classics and the (often for the better) forgotten, and has something intelligent and interesting to say about all of them. I grew up with these films too, and it really brought back memories for me. It also has added appreciation for these films, even the truly awful ones, when I view them today. Thanks to Bill Warren I know I'm not the only one who had a special place in his heart for movies like "The Day the World Ended"
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