"Maltin'"

Note: Not my hands.

With film watching, as in the rest of life, often there's a path laid out for you.  If you're into horror, you'll seek out the best and worst of what the genre has to offer.  If you're a film snob, maybe you'll mostly stick to the works of French New Wave artists.  Or, if you just don't give a shit, you'll mostly watch whatever's new and stars someone you recognize.  Whichever way you slice it, we all get stuck in patterns.

That's why, just to break up the tedium, I sometimes enjoy "Maltin'";  taking a Leonard Maltin Movie & Video Guide from any year (The older, the better), and just skimming through the several thousand entries at random.  Without fail, my eyes will fall upon some bizarre, lost gem.  That movie may not even be available to watch on DVD, but my cinematic knowledge is enriched for even hearing about it.

Whether or not you agree with Maltin's reviews is beside the point.  From my perspective, the man is a treasure, and has a nearly unparalleled knowledge of classic cinema.  Sure, odds are good that he hates something you like.  Sometimes I get the impression that he wishes they'd stopped producing movies sometime around 1960.  He has a strong hatred of most modern horror, or anything with excessive violence in it.  He only gave Taxi Driver two out of four stars!  But the man knows his movies, modern or otherwise, and he would be one of the first people I would go to for a recommendation on a classic Hollywood film.

Here, let me just randomly flip through my 2004 edition right now. . .

Ok, how about this - Fools' Parade, from 1971.  Jimmy Stewart, George Kennedy and Kurt Russell.  Three ex-cons stalked by their former prison guard.  It doesn't get a great rating, but doesn't that sound like it's worth a watch?

Or - Day Of The Dolphin (1973): George C. Scott uses a trained, talking dolphin (Voiced by Buck Henry!) to foil an assassination plot.  Paul Sorvino co-stars.  Directed by Mike Nichols!  Good lord!

And then there's Static, Mark Romanek's first film from 1985 (?!), about a TV that can tune into heaven.

Again, all completely random, but I can usually find something strange or unheard of on every other page.  There are many ways that we can find our next cinematic treasures;  friend recommendations and film reviews being primary sources.  But, as video stores begin to fade away, I'm afraid of losing that sense of spontaneity that came from browsing the shelves with no certain agenda.

Throw caution to the wind.  Give Maltin' a try.  You might be surprised by what you find.