Can you tell your Dagobah from your Delos and your Ming from your Morlock? Do you need help understanding 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY? From the classic low-budget Flash Gordon tales to the slick CGI-realised world of THE MATRIX, science-fiction films have long pushed the boundaries of the visually and dramatically fantastic. 101 SCI-FI MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE is your perfect one-stop guide to them all. Science fiction allows every other movie genre to leap - quite literally - into another dimension. Take a classic police chase and set it on Mars. Create a haunted house story, then add the robots. Take the classic boy-meets-girl story, then make them mutants. Great sci-fi movies turn the known world onto its head, play with the laws of physics and all the while hold the viewer spellbound with a gripping vision of future worlds. With insight from critics, film historians, and academics, 101 SCI-FI MOVIES YOU MUST SEE BEFORE YOU DIE, applies knowledge and passion to a century of close encounters, distant planets, time travel, black holes, strange outfits, futuristic technology, inexplicable forces, fantastic spaceships, fluorescent drinks and subterranean societies. Strap yourself in: you′re set for a rocket ride to sci-fi heaven.

Whether it be internal demons, real-life vampires, anonymous serial killers, crazed spouses, vengeful ghosts or Satan himself, horror films have gripped audiences and filmmakers alike since the very beginnings of cinema. Prepare to be terrified, fascinated and enthralled as you take this whirlwind tour of the 101 horror films you must see before you die. 101 Horror Films You Must See Before You Die gives you a thorough appreciation of the genre, because it approaches the subject chronologically. You'll move through gothic classics like James Whale's The Old Dark House (1932) and Terence Fisher's Dracula (1958), to zombie movies like Dawn of the Dead (1978) and 28 Days Later (2002). All the sub-genres are covered too, from Eyes Without a Face (mad scientist) and The Howling (werewolf) to Nightmare on Elm Street (slasher) and The Silence of the Lambs (serial killer). And you'll learn that it's not just American teenagers who are horror-film fodder. There are classic horror films from Japan (Onibaba), Russia (Vij), Italy (Suspiria), France (Les Diaboliques), Belgium (Man Bites Dog), Germany (M), and the Netherlands (The Vanishing). Immerse yourself in the most compelling of movie genres. Prepare to be possessed - and whatever you do, don't answer the phone...

This book is a treasure trove of the most obscure, eccentric, controversial, and downright weird movies ever made. Steven Jay Schneider has gathered together cult movie specialists from all over the world to select the very best cult movies ever made. Every movie in the book is a gem that every discerning film buff should know about. Although a few might be familiar - Barbarella, Un Chien Andalou, The Blues Brothers - most will be unfamiliar, and all will boast a small but devoted fanbase. 101 Cult Movies You Must See Before You Die is the perfect introduction to the true diversity and extent of cult movies ever created by the most innovative film makers working in cinema over the last 100 years. So, just what makes a cult movie? Movies gain cult status for a variety of reasons. Many, such as Hedwig and the Angry Inch and Pink Flamingos, are heralded as cult films the moment they are released, achieving immediate critical (although not commercial) success. Typically, these movies are independently made on a small budget and were never expected by their creators to attract a broad audience: the eccentricity of the film making or story telling, the controversial stance taken, or the narrow appeal of the subject matter guaranteed that their appeal was limited. Some movies achieve cult status long after their release. Neither commercially nor critically successful at the time, these movies were too revolutionary, unfashionable, or simply badly made to find an appreciative audience. Movies, such as Harold and Maude and Plan 9 From Outer Space, languished unnoticed until a small, devoted group from a later generation discovered them and declared them cool. A few movies, such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, originally attracted cult status, even though they were made by a major studio, owing to their dark, controversial, or offbeat subject matter. As tastes changed and tolerance increased, these films went on to appeal to a much wider audience and to gain commercial success without ever losing their cult status. With insight from critics, film historians, and academics from around the world, 101 Cult Movies You Must See Before You Die offers a breadth of knowledge, insight, and passion about the most creative and remarkable movies ever made. It is a homage to a century filled with 50-foot women, alcohol-fueled binges, surreal imaginary friends, flying pink elephants, and improbably large arachnids. Welcome to the colorful world of cult.

With more than one and a half million copies sold worldwide in thirty languages, '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die' celebrates the great and groundbreaking, classic and cult, must-see movies of all time, offering a treasure trove of incisive, witty, and revealing insights. Spanning more than a century of extraordinary cinema, this comprehensive volume brings together the most significant movies from every country and all genres, from action to Western, through animation, comedy, documentary, musical, thriller, noir, short, remance, and sci-fi. Completely revised and updated for 2013, this definitive edition features a fresh new design, 500 original movie posters, and 200 new movie stills. Fifty previously overlooked or recently discovered masterpieces are reviewed for the first time, taking their place alongside the box-office smashes and critically acclaimed films of movie history. Quotes from movie directors and critics, together with little-known facts complement the incisive reviews and vital statistics of each movie to make this the most fact-filled edition ever. So, whether your passion is rom-com or art house, 'The Blue Angel' or 'Blue Velvet', '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die' is bound to become the only film book you will ever turn to.

Every movie in the book is a gem that every discerning film buff should knowabout. Although a few might be familiar-- Barbarella, Un Chien Andalou, The Blues Brothers--most will be unfamiliar, and all will boast a small but devoted fanbase. So, just what makes a cult movie? Typically, these movies are independently made on a small budget and were never expected by their creators to attract a broad audience: the eccentricity of the film making or story telling, the controversial stance taken, or the narrow appeal of the subject matter guaranteed that their appeal was limited. Some movies achieve cult status long after their release. Neither commercially nor critically successful at the time, these movies were too revolutionary, nfashionable, or simply badly made to find an appreciative audience. Movies, such as Harold and Maude and Plan 9 From Outer Space, languished unnoticed until a small, devoted group from a later generation discovered them and declared them cool. A few movies, such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, originally attracted cult status, even though they were made by a major studio, owing to their dark, controversial, or offbeat subject matter. As tastes changed and tolerance increased, these films went on to appeal to a much wider audience and to gain commercial success without ever losing their cult status. With insight from critics, film historians, and academics from around the world, 101 Cult Movies You Must See Before You Die is a homage to a century filled with 50-foot women, alcohol-fueled binges, surreal imaginary friends, flying pink elephants, and improbably large arachnids.

Lists "must-see" movies in a chronological arrangement, providing information on director, producer, screenplay writer, music, cast members, and awards, along with a detailed review of each.