'Have You Seen ...?' : a Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films including masterpieces, oddities and guilty pleasures (with just a few disasters)

More than one thousand pages in the voice of our most provocative contemporary film critic and historian—a generous history of film and an enticing critical appraisal written with as much humor and passion as historical knowledge. Juxtaposing the fanciful and the fabulous, the old favorites and the forgotten, this sweeping collection presents the films that Thomson offers to answer the question he gets asked most often—“What should I see?” Not content to choose only his own top films, Thomson has created a list that will surprise and delight you—and send you to your DVD player. 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 is a must for anyone who loves the silver screen: the perfect confection to dip into for a taste of controversy, little-known facts, and ideas about what to see. You’ll want to return to this volume again and again, like a dear but argumentative friend in the dark at the movies. This is possibly the most entertaining, surprising and enjoyable film book ever written. Thomson set himself the near-foolhardy task of writing one page each on 1000 of the films that he has particularly liked – or in some cases, abhorred. Some half-million words of funny, vigorous, wayward prose later, we are all the happy beneficiaries of his deranged labour. Always unexpected, never repetitive, 'Have You Seen...?' can be read consecutively – from Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein to Zabriskie Point – or dipped into over many years, and it is a masterclass in how to write about films and how to love them. Sometimes Thomson will be interested in the director, sometimes in the culture that made such a film possible at such a time, sometimes in the stars (always in the stars, to be honest), and sometimes even in the outrageous cynicism and corruption of most financial backers. 'Have You Seen...?' is crammed with great love stories, westerns, musicals, war stories, comedies, and dramas. It is as in awe of film noir as of silent farce, and adores Hollywood but also favours British, Japanese and European cinema: camp disasters, kitsch and pretention hold no fears. If Thomson has a bottom line it is his incredulity that so much that is so enjoyable and moving and worthwhile was ever made at all – and that thanks to DVD we can now watch it forever. 'Have You Seen...?' will redirect how you spend your evenings for the rest of your life – for the better . Juxtaposing the fanciful and the fabulous, the old favorites and the forgotten, this sweeping collection presents the films David Thomson offers in response to the question he gets 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--and send you to your best movie rental service Looks at a century of cinema. This title is the author's personal, irreverent, hilarious and utterly original take on the 1,000 films he has most loved - and hated - from "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" to "Zabriskie Point", from esteemed classics to forgotten curiosities, guilty pleasures to noir treats, horror gems to kitsch disasters. Offers a sweeping overview of the history of film that critically assesses one thousand movies, including old favorites, forgotten gems, and modern classics, with little-known facts, trivia, and ideas about what to see