2024 the best films of the 21st century review

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(as of Dec 16, 2024 08:23:07 UTC - Details)

Bill Warren's Keep Watching the Skies! was originally published in two volumes, in 1982 and 1986. It was then greatly expanded in what we called the 21st Century Edition, with new entries on several films and revisions and expansions of the commentary on every film.

In addition to a detailed plot synopsis, full cast and credit listings, and an overview of the critical reception of each film, Warren delivers richly informative assessments of the films and a wealth of insights and anecdotes about their making. The book contains 273 photographs (many rare, 35 in color), has seven useful appendices, and concludes with an enormous index.

This book is also available in hardcover format (ISBN 978-0-7864-4230-0).

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1476666180
Publisher ‏ : ‎ McFarland; 21st Century Edition (February 24, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 1040 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781476666181
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1476666181
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.45 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 2.08 x 11 inches
Reviewer: Swinebread
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Keep Reading This Guide!
Review: Lately, my enjoyment of new films and television has sank to abysmal levels. For me, long term genre franchises have been terribly abused into irrelevancy and new content with seemingly amazing effects fails to entertain. I started thinking a lot about the roots of modern science fiction and fantasy and ended up exploring Atomic Age sci-fi.While winding my way through the greats of the period like Forbidden Planet, War of the Worlds and This Island Earth , I began discovering lesser efforts like Creature with the Atom Brain, the Space Children and the Devil Girl from Mars. What I came realize is that I enjoyed these movies as well, despite any limitations of budget or talent but I also needed to know more. This is where Keep Watching the Skies comes in.Keep Watching the Skies: American Science Fiction Movies of the 1950s is a well researched guidebook of atomic age scifi by writer and historian Bill Warren. It covers every movie released in the United States from 1950 through 1962. That final year was somewhat arbitrary but movie tastes and trends were rapidly changing after 1962 and so it seems like a good cutoff point.Bill, who sadly passed away in 2016, tackled this project as both a fan and as an academic. His enthusiasm is infectious while he relates his childhood memories of watching these films but he can also be quite the film snob by pointing out everything that’s subpar with inquisitive gusto. Regardless of his personal feelings, most entries are well researched with additional info on a wide range of topics from the creation of the films, their popular reception then and later, and the fates of the cast and crew. One thing to keep in mind is that this book is significantly different then other modern film guides in that the entires are written in an essay format. So, there is no rating system (like 5 stars for example), nor quick suggestions but rather this guide might be something to read after you’ve seen the films discussed. It’s much more like reading a collection of professional magazine articles from a sci-fi periodical. The last part of this guide contains several helpful appendixes.Keep watching the skies comes in a two volume format when ordered as a softcover, which I found to be easier to handle then whole large single book as the combined project is about a thousand pages. This is the latest updated edition. These volumes have a publication year of 2016, but they also have a copyright notice for Bill Warren for 2010, which I think is confusing some folks as to whether this is the latest version or not but the year on the copyright page confirms that it is.I have had a really good time consuming Keep Watching the Skies and I have it next to my bed so it can be the last thing I read everyday. Because of this book I have come know of Jack Arnold, who directed It Came from Outer Space, the first two Creature from the Black Lagoon films, Tarantula, and the Incredible Shrinking Man, which are now all personal favorites. Additionally, I learned about the early, Hammer sci-fi films such as The Quatermass Xperiment and X the Unknown and I found these to be wonderful examples of the period and great examples of British filmmaking. I have also enjoyed reading about classic movies, in Bill’s insightful style, that I have seen before such as: The Time Machine, the Day the Earth Stood Still, Godzilla King of the Monsters, and the Mysterious Island. Finally, I’d like to mention The Day the Earth Caught Fire, a seemingly forgotten film that I was really taken with as well (and so was Bill Warren apparently).Keep Watching the Skies is a great film guide that either helps you reminisce or introduces you to the atomic yesteryears of sci-fi. Its always informative and interesting regardless if the film described by Bill Warren is a clunker or monumental.

Reviewer: Timothy L. Raab
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Extensive research, opinonated, and lots of fun!
Review: I was born in 1953 and lived one block from a movie theater and four blocks from a second until I was 19. I started seeing some of these movies as first-run features and double-bills before 1960 and probably saw most of them before I graduated high school I loved that era and these sci-fi movies, along with the Hammer and other B-movies that came through town made my growing up magical. This book by Bill Warren is a key unlocking a door back into a time when things were simpler and way too much fun! The research is mind-boggling and it is the first thing you notice. You wonder just how he did it and imagine the late nights he was probably writing letters, reading books, watching films, or calling people to interview. The second thing you will notice right away is his opinions on the movies. I have to say I learned a lot and while I am not a highly critical person--I know what I like and don't analyze it too much--Bill's opinions of the many movies he tells me about made me think of them in a new way. The back stories are invaluable to the fan and very interesting. The book contains a bunch of color posters and they are absolutely cool! The book is huge and consturcted well, but cumbersome in all positions except sitting straight up with it on your lap or sitting at a reading table. It is definately a reference volume, but more of an entertainment event. I find myself picking it up at all kinds of different moments of the day and just opening it to get a nostalgic rush. This book has prompted me to invest in getting some of these films on DVD, most I didn't have but some I needed to upgrade to newer and nicer editions. Bill writes very well and the book would be a doorstop if he did not. He is at times a scholar, a critic, and a fan--many times simultaneously. Taken together, all of the components of this effort work equisitely and worth the price being asked. You will not invest your money any more wisely and any fan of the 1950's or of the movies should get this book. Great job and my congratulations goes to him and the others who created such a useful and fun book!

Reviewer: Lu Van Dijck
Rating: 1.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Dit is alleen deel 2. Begint op blz. 496 met films van L-Z en eindigt op blz.1004. Dus zeker geen 1040 pagina's zoals in de beschrijving vermeld wordt. Geen enkele verwijzing dat dit alleen deel 2 is (de beschrijving "1040 pagina's" suggereert dat het de volledige versie is.Daarom zou ik graag de helft van mijn geld terug zien. Of inruilen tegen de volledige versie.

Reviewer: Wanga
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I orignally bought this on Kindle, but due to the nature of the layout, I decided to buy the two volume paperback edition. It really is a labor of love, and while I may not agree with every personal opinion about the entertainment value or critical analysis of every film the writer has, the incredible depth of detail about production and history/legacy of each film cannot be faulted. Those personal opinions feel like conversational anecdotes, and one doesn't feel bad for disagreeing, rather one feels that having a differing thought is what makes such conversations and these films very special. It's an invaluable source guide for anyone with an interest in '50s science fiction - those weird, flawed and lovable films.The only thing that was not great is that in the first volume, the centre colour pages were filled with images of magazines that had nothing to do with science fiction - and I can only assume that it was a printing error. The second volume has the correct images of sci fi posters of films... but yeah, the first one was a waste of space and a little disappointing - but no fault of the author.This was an expensive investment and was worth every cent.

Reviewer: Ian Williams
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Quite simply this the definitive and exhaustive book on the subject. It is written with great knowledge, insight, and accuracy and also happens to be very entertaining -no dry tome this. If you are at all interested in science fiction film, particularly of this period (by the way, it also extends into the early 60s) then this is essential.The print edition is hugely expensive, the Kindle edition isn't. In fact I'd call it one of the year's best bargains. I only just heard of this book when I learned of the sad recent death of its author. Being a big fan, and (he modestly says) reasonably knowledgeable about the genre, I'm amazed I hadn't discovered it before (though I wouldn't have been able to afford a print copy). Better late than never and I probably lack the physical strength to read such an enormous book in the bath, something I can do easily on my Ipad.

Reviewer: peterfromkanata
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: An awesome achievement for fans of the genre--like me !

Reviewer: Heiko Henning
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Das Buch ist das ultimative Buch über Sci Fi der 50er und 60er, die guten Jahre bevor LSD 2001. Mit einem einmaligen Style, der einfach nur schön zu lesen ist, werden alle (wirklich!Kein Gag) Filme besprochen. In Deutschland hat man von ca. 78 % der Filme nicht gehört, aber das ist wirklich schade, den wenn man das Buch gelesen hat, dann will die Filme sehen. Wen kümmerts das sie Käse sind, wen kümmerts wenn die Schauspieler nicht spielen können. Lang lebe der Käse, lange lebe Crow. T