The Sci-Fi Movie Guide

October 15, 2014

This tribute to sf films lists nearly 1,000 blockbusters and box office bombs. Barsanti's (Filmology) "sci-fi" refers to dystopias, mad scientists, monsters, zombies, and the avant-garde. Vampires and superheroes are only included if they venture to other lands. (Thor is in; Batman is out.) Alongside the Star Trek and Star Wars franchises are classics such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and E.T. the Extra Terrestrial. Films are listed alphabetically by title; each entry includes the director, writer, cast, awards, and Barsanti's synopsis. Noted is the first film in the genre, A Trip to the Moon (1902), and arguably the worst, Battlefield Earth (2000). Compelling trivia is shared throughout: Robocop (1987) was painstakingly edited to avoid an "X" rating; the production costs of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) nearly bankrupted its studio; and Stephen King successfully sued to have his name removed from the credits of The Lawnmower Man (1992). The author clearly loves the genre yet bemoans the copycat nature of the film industry and cites Alien (1979) and Blade Runner (1982) as being among the most imitated of its films. VERDICT Updated to include 2014 releases, this guidebook reads like the best of IMDB as narrated by a trusted friend and will be a beneficial ready reference for libraries with expansive film collections.--Stephanie Sendaula, Library Journal

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2014
This revised, updated second edition contains approximately 1,000 entries, arranged alphabetically by movie title. Entries contain film-release dates; length in minutes; name of directors, writers and main cast; and one paragraph that briefly describes the story and special details about the filmmaker or the film. This volume includes zombie movies, alternate history, time travel, and the more traditional. Examples of films include Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, and Shaun of the Dead. There are some black-and-white photographs sprinkled throughout. The index lists actors, directors, writers, and producers, with a few titles under an actor's name. This work contains a wide range of this growing genre and is recommended for most public libraries, where it will do well in the circulating collection.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)