In Review

09 January 2009 11:48 BST

Radio Times Guide to Films 2007 by Kilmeny Fane-Saunders (Ed.)

Published by BBC Worldwide Limited, out October 5th, paperback, 1,711p, £22.50.

In a nutshell…

Comprehensive. Interesting. Useful.

What's it all about?

The latest instalment of the Radio Times Guide to Film offers film fans and irregular cinemagoers a comprehensive insight into thousands of films. Each of the 21,000-plus movies is briefly reviewed in around 100 words, with information about the actors, credits, family viewing advice, classification by the BBFC and the film's availability on video and DVD in the UK.

Films listed include 500 new entries, as well as all the new films released in UK cinemas over the last 12 months, some straight-to-video releases and TV movies that were screened throughout the year.

An unusual list of the 100 landmark films since 1900 chronicle the evolution of the world of screen magic.

At the back of the book is a list of actors and the films they made, as well as alternative film titles and an index of the featured films given four or five stars by the guide's reviewers.

The biggest award-winning films, directors and stars who have bagged a Bafta, Oscar, Golden Globe, Cannes or Berlin award, are also catalogued by year.

Who's it by?

Edited for the fifth time by Kilmeny Faye-Saunders, the guide features a foreword by Radio Times' film editor and BBC radio presenter Andrew Collins. Some 50 reviewers contributed to the guide.

As an example…

Giving it five stars, the reviewer describes The Sound of Music as follows:

"At the time the biggest money-maker in the history of cinema, this is an artful and professionally made crowd-pleaser that reaches out to every generation thanks to the expert and unsentimental handling from director Robert Wise (replacing William Wagner) and a magnificent performance from Julie Andrews. She is perfectly cast as Maria, the reluctant nun who discovers her true calling as governess to a houseful of youngsters. It still looks lovely, in particular the stunning opening panoramic sweep on to the mountain top and the Do Re Mi tour around Salzburg, and the Rodgers and Hammerstein score is as refreshing as ever. As fresh and magical as Andrews's smile."

So is it any good?

Whether you care for reviewers' opinions on films or not, the Radio Times Guide to Films will be a handy reference tool.

The short reviews are concise, but clear enough to give the reader a good idea of the general plot of the film. The reviews seem honest, but not unnecessarily harsh or critical - giving the reader a guide to make up their own mind rather than telling them they "have to" see or avoid a particular film.

However, the list of four- and five-star films at the back of the book certainly piques the curiosity of the reader and inspires to pick some of the heralded titles.

Fans can also easily check the index to see which films their screen heroes appeared in before they hit stardom. World cinema is also well represented in the guide, with various cinematographic creations from Africa, Bollywood, the Far East and elsewhere around the globe represented alongside Hollywood blockbusters, black-and-white classics and offbeat European movies.

The 100 landmark films featured in the guide offer a refreshing look at the movers and shakers in the world of cinema. Instead of listing the people's favourites - or even the films regarded by critics as the greatest ever - the list highlights the real movers and shakers in the film world, including the notorious Deep Throat and The Blair Witch Project. It notes the movies that reshaped the way in which actors, directors and writers approach their profession.

Although entitled the 2007 guide to films, the index only includes new releases up until the late summer of 2006, so don't expect a review of films such as recently-released Click or The Devil Wears Prada.

However, the guide remains extremely comprehensive and very easy to navigate, making this the perfect gift for a film lover and an excellent addition to any reference library.

8/10

Karen Moller