Videohound S Video Premieres

More than 500 movies are released directly to video each year, while another 100 or so have extremely limited theatrical releases. To learn about these mysterious movies and buried treasures, turn to "VideoHound's Video Premieres", a collection of reviews and ratings for 1,000 of the best and worst direct-to-video movies and limited in every genre. 100 photos.

When Steven Soderbergh exploded onto movie screens with sex, lies, and videotape in 1989, it represented more than the arrival of an important new director--it heralded the arrival of an entire generation of important new directors. Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction), Kevin Smith (Dogma), David Fincher (Fight Club), M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense), Ben Stiller (Reality Bites), Michael Bay (Pearl Harbor), and dozens of others are all members of Generation X, the much talked about but much misunderstood successors to baby boomers. This book is a critical study of the films directed by Gen Xers and how those directors have been influenced by their generational identity. While Generation X as a whole sometimes seems to lack direction, its filmmakers have devoted their careers to making powerful statements about contemporary society and their generation's role in it. Each section of the book deals with an aspect of Gen X filmmaking, including the influence of popular culture, postmodern narrative devices, "slackerdom" and the lack of direction, disenfranchisement and nihilism, the ever-evolving role of technology, gender issues and sexuality, the question of race, the influence of older filmmakers, and visions of the future.

The only video guide devoted exclusively to movies made outside the Hollywood studio system. Here are reviews of 1,000 films, many of which have moved out of the art houses and into mainstream theaters. The book brims with attitude and humor, trivia, 50 intriguing sidebars of information, and approximately 100 photos.

For serious film fans, MAGILL'S CINEMA ANNUAL offers an in-depth retrospective of 350 significant domestic and foreign films released in the U.S. in 1997. Like all VideoHound guides, MAGILL'S is extensively indexed for easy access--providing movie trivia, photographs, quotes, dialog sound bites, reviews, and more. 70 photos.

Reviews movies that are available on DVD or tape. Each entry includes title, alternate title, one-to four-bone rating, year released, MPAA rating, brief review, length, format, country of origin, cast, technical personnel, awards and made-for-television/cable/video designations.