I used to get into arguments with my friend Dave, another movie buff, about cameo appearances and awards. "That was too Robin Williams," I'd say. "No way!" Dave would insist. Or we'd get into a brangle about the awards won by a film six years ago—and who lives outside of Hollywood and remembers the Golden Globes from last year, let alone over half a decade back?
Tensions were eased when I bought my first Videohound's Golden Movie Retriever. This is an incredibly rich compilation of movies. If it comes on VHS or DVD (maybe even BetaMax and laser disk), the Videohound will sniff it out.
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen [3 and a half bones] 1988 [PG]
From the director of Time Bandits, Brazil, and The Fisher King comes an ambitious, imaginative, chaotic and underappreciated marvel based on the tall (and often confused) tales of the Baron. Munchausen encounters the King of the Moon... Wonderful special effects and visually stunning sets occasionally dwarf the actors and prove what Gilliam can do with a big budget. 126m/C DVD VHS 8mm GB GE John Neville, Eric Idle, Sarah Polley, Valentina Cortese, Oliver Reed, Uma Thurman, Sting, Jonathan Pryce, Bill Paterson, Peter Jeffrey, Allison Steadman, Charles McKeown, Winston Dennis, Jack Purvis, Don Henderson, Ray Cooper, Andrew McLachalan. Cameos: Robin Williams. D: Terry Gilliam W: Terry Gilliam, Charles McKeown. C: Giuseppe Rotunno. M: Michael Kamen.
See, Dave—I told you that was Robin Williams! (In the cast list, the King of the Moon cameo is credited to "Ray D. Tutto." It's still Robin Williams.)
The dogbone awards range from a four-bone must-see classic like The 400 Blows (Les quatre cents coups) to the no-bone Woof! category. And speaking of categories, one of the beauties of this book is the category section. Feel like a prison-break movie? A list of 70 titles under "Escaped Cons" includes such diverse epics as O Brother Where Art Thou and Face/Off. Having a theme weekend? Try the "Nursploitation" category, 13 films to satisfy your fetish for white. (Right above it is a "Nuns with Guns" category, with 6 entries!)
Incidentally, the directory of categories provides a witty read all by itself. Try "Obsessive Love": You like me. You really really really like me. Or "Mental Hospitals": Storage areas for those not on speaking terms with Mr. Reality. And my personal favorite definition, "Silent Films": No small talk/no big talk/no talk talk.
Article comments
1 - Lisa McKay
Sounds like a handy thing to keep on the coffee table, DrPat, and it might break us of our habit of firing up a laptop mid-movie to query IMDB!
2 - Eric Olsen
nice DRP, I have an earlier version iliked quite a bit - time to update!
3 - DrPat
I like IMdb a lot, but it's really easier in some cases to flip open the Videohound. IMdb has nothing like the Kibbles or Categories.
My newest version is 2004 - I make a point of buying every other edition, so I've got my order in for the 2006 volume - it comes out on the 15th.
4 - Joseph
I have been using my copy of the Videohound since the 2003 edition. It is an excellent guide to cinema and even has special editions available rating DVDs or other special themes.
Be careful if you are obsessive/compulsive about your movies!