When I decide to tape a film I rely on "The Maltin Film Guide" but find that I often don't agree with the ratings. I find it especially true of films from the 30's, 40's & 50's. Often I find the films to be dated yet Maltin gives them a good rating, which I define as three out of four stars.
A case in point is last night I watched a film from the late 30's called WHITE BANNERS that starred Claude Rains and Fay Bainter, who was actually nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award. The film is completely implausible and very, very dated. Yet, Maltin gives it three stars.
And the other thing that is driving me crazy is the new guide, '06, deletes a lot of films from before 1960. I use the guide primarily to see what Maltin says about older films. The new guide is useless, though Maltin says he has included the pre-1960s films in a "Classic Guide," which I yet to see anywhere.
I picked up the new guide a weekend or two ago. While it includes films the regular Maltin Guide didn't include, including many poverty row Westerns (including many John Wayne made in the 1930s) there are still quite a few omissions. When I look at films, for example that play on Turner Movie Classics, and check to see what the Maltin Classics Guide says, many are still not in there.
