Action! The Action Movie A-Z

ISBN: 0253210917

Author: Julius, Marshall

Condition: New

Product Description "... Julius has something entertaining to say about every film. A treat for browsers..." -KLIATT"... where do you turn for a fair review of an action movie - complete with all the background info youd want to know? One place: this new reference." -Movie/Entertainment Book ClubMore than 250 of today's blockbusters, plus revered classics of past action movies, are rated and reviewed with detailed credit lists, behind-the-scenes information, biographies of leading action stars, and entries on themes, such as best car chases, shootouts, etc. Also includes an action movie trivia quiz. From Library Journal Academic publishers are under duress, it seems. Where Indiana University Press once promoted rarefied monographs concerning film theory and European auteurs, they are now targeting a mainstream readership with these two genre film references. Julius, a reviewer for What's On in London, here reviews 250 key action films and offers concise biographies of such testosterone-pumped icons as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, and Dolph Lundgren. Quotations, trivia lists, and quizzes supplement the vivacious commentary. While Julius's reviews are admittedly fun to skim, they lack any semblance of depth. The coverage is likewise superficial, with just 250 films representing a smattering of action cinema. Even so, aficionados of psychotic cops, maximum ammo, and car chases might well appreciate the treatment. Maxford's (Hammer: House of Horror, Overlook, 1996) volume is simultaneously more comprehensive in scope and less lively. Succinct reviews cover the spectrum of horror cinema, from contemporary slasher pix and European independent productions to classic Hollywood movies. While Maxford's comments lack Julius's panache, they are bolstered by impressive credit lists. Here, too, salient biographies accompany the film reviews. The volume is liberally illustrated and amounts to a solid reference work, akin to a specialized Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide. It is bound to please both schlock connoisseurs and reference librarians in all types of institutions.?Neal Baker, Dickinson Coll. Lib., Carlisle, Pa.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. From the Back Cover Check out your favorite action movies and soak up the trivia in The Action Movie A-Z. Satisfy your reference needs as this adrenalin-charged guide hurtles at impossible speeds from the swashbucklers of the past to the stylishly violent, hi-tech blockbusters of today. About the Author Marshall Julius is film reviewer for Whats On in London, one of Londons best-established listings weeklies. He is also a collector of action-movie memorabilia and a regular radio broadcaster.