The Film Buff's Bucket List: The 50 Movies of the 2000s to See Before You Die (Bucket List 101)

When I picked up this book, I had the knowledge of a typical Chris Stuckmann movie review. An interesting juxtaposition of quick, to the point, yet sharp, thorough and informative. This book provides us readers fifty movie recommendations from 2000-2015 in this style, and it's more than effective, it's immersive. After you read the forward and recommendation quotes plastered on the cover and on the inside, you get to Chris telling his life story on how he got involved with films. Everyone has that one moment in their lives where something or someone inspired him or her to do something with their lives. Seeing SIGNS in the theater was Chris', at a young age, setting the foundation for the remainder of his life as he strives to work in the film industry. This is relatable to all of us trying to achieve our dreams, in whatever field we chose to indulge in. And that is exactly why this book is so good; it's relatable to us. It's not some pompous, 'I am right and you are wrong,' this is a list of fifty films to see, not in an order of last place fifty to NUMBER ONE BEST, but casually listing them chronologically in order to relax the reader. Every-time I would read one of his witty sentences where he explains his thoughts on a film (usually films he says are overlooked) I would say to myself, “You know what, he's right.” Heck, his paragraphs are so persuasive, I want to watch a couple films from a genre I usually dislike (Anime) or re-watch films to catch tidbits and trivia Chris throws at us, like Leo's wedding ring in “Inception”. Info like this gives the book some nice heart, and gives the book higher re-read value. With all of this obtained knowledge and love for the industry, it seems Chris has this 'movies' thing down, and I can't wait to see what he does next. A great start to a young film lover's career….

I regularly catch Chris Stuckmann's YouTube movie reviews, some of which I've seen and can say matched his expressed sentiments. His writing carries both his message and demonstrates his passion for his work. I've seen 36 of the 50 movies Chris plugged and initially reasoned he shouldn't have held back and indulged us with the spoiler review so as to break each film down. There are, however, fifty films to cover and after I read his thoughts on "Hidden" (not watched), I am glad no spoilers were present - I just wanted to see the movie right away. Overall, Chris's writing is clear, flows from point to point without diversion and, in its brevity, he sold why I should see a movie. That said, I think some of the content could have been further elaborated, and I recall at least one grammatical error in its writing. Again, "Hidden" was the best of the book. Each movie is accompanied by relevant artwork on the opposing, even-numbered pages. I think this was a really effective way to both give to-be-watchers something to think about or imagine before their first viewing and remind those who have already seen a film something, perhaps, 'iconic' about it. The spider from "Enemy" and captive bolt gun from "No Country For Old Men" come to mind. Runners-up include "The Bourne Ultimatum" with Matt Damon's instantly recognizable silhouette and "Donnie Darko," the latter of which I still have not seen. In closing, Chris has produced some of the most compelling movie reviews I've seen. His book, while short, shows he can be successful in the written medium. I hope he produces more work like this; I'm eager for a work spent further analyzing some set of movies, or a genre outright (like was done for horror). Now stop reading my review and read the book!

When you read the prologue by Chris you definitely know he's absolutely in love with cinema. As I read through his passionate story about his childhood I felt so happy that someone like Chris had the opportunity to finally publish his own material. Just like Chris my admiration for movies and storytelling began at a young age with one singular movie. Because of Chris and his personal story I also feel the need to reveal when I started to appreciate cinema as well. When I was five years old my best friend which happened to be my cousin, his mother and another relative suddenly died in a house fire. I was emotionally devastated, I secluded myself to my room for the most part. I just watched movies every waking second of my free time. Then I watched the movie that changed my life and something that truly helped me understand death a little more. That movie would be Gojira. It dealt with death and fire, they were interconnected. One scene in-particular moved me, huddled in a corner a mother holding her children in her arms, were slowly awaiting to be engulfed by the flames and perish. This happens to be exactly how my family died that day. I instantly connected to the movie on a personal level. To me, this sparked my curiosity in cinema and eventually Chris's in depth opinions on movies. Chris and his Youtube content is phenomenal to say the least! He introduced me to my favorite director (Nicolas Winding Refn) and to many more. His book does the exact same. Page after page I found movies that I was fairly familiar with but never gave them a chance because of my own preconceived notions. The descriptions for the most part make me want to give a chance on every single movie that I haven't seen ( especially Caché (Hidden)! Even though I wish some descriptions were a bit longer than half a page (and I do realize this was done probably on purpose in order to not spoil the experience), this was overall an informative and engaging read. I especially enjoy the "My Bucket List" in the back of the book so I can keep track of what I have seen and rated them. I currently have 30 movies rated and I have the last 20 already in my Netflix instant queue! I'm glad to have this book be my first ever Amazon review!

As far as it goes, I'm relatively new to Chris Stuckmann's work. I first was introduced to him several months ago through his "The Problem With Horror Movies Today" video, and ever since, I've been Stuckmannized. His ability to analyze film both objectively and subjectively while making it entertaining to listen is remarkable, and even when I disagree with Chris's opinion on a movie, I can't help but respect him anyway. What really sets Chris apart from other critics, however, is he is incredibly likable, and over his career he has remained as human and down to Earth as when he started. As for the book itself, it's exactly what it should be, and more. Chris's picks are arranged in a chronological order beginning in 2000, and each movie has two pages dedicated to it. On one page, you have a minimalist-esque illustration of something that represents the film in question (highly reminiscent of the "Famous Objects From Movies" flash game), and on the other some quick facts about the film followed by Chris's general overview of the film, his thoughts on it, and how it may have impacted him personally. Luckily, he is able to carry over the same quality of his video reviews to a written format, even with the restriction to just a single page. Reading through the book, I found myself agreeing highly with many of his picks, although I must admit Signs (2002) took me a bit by surprise. For a film that has held a fairly mixed reception even to this day, and has been the target of high criticism by video-makers such as The Nostalgia Critic (who Chris knows and has worked with), it seems to stick out among films such as The Dark Knight and Spirited Away. It even is given the honor by Chris as the film that launched his passion for film. However, it's exactly because of this that I respect him so much. He's not afraid to say his honest opinion, and because of that, many may disagree with some of the titles that appear in this book and express that here in the form of a review. I say, screw 'em. Highly recommended to anyone who cares for the art of film and wants to support a great film critic.

The first time I got "Stuckmannized" was after watching (and re-watching!) his analysis for the film Enemy. I've been a fan ever since, and therefore couldn't wait to read through his list of must-see movies of the 2000s. I read the entire book in one sitting. The format and layout are quick and page-turning, yet full of insight and passion. I caught myself mentally fist-pumping when I'd turn the page to find another film that I personally love on Chris' list. I also loved the Quick Facts section for each film--although the nerdy part of me wanted to see composers and cinematographers listed as well. The minimalist poster art that accompanied each review brought as much happiness to me as did Chris' words. I'm proud to say I've seen 47 of these 50 films. 'Trick R Treat' will definitely get attention this Halloween, 'When Marnie Was There' has been on my "must-watch" list for some time, and since I respect Chris' opinion so much, I'll even give 'Coraline' a shot. As for the other 47 films in this book, I'm happy to say I've seen them all--some multiple times--and I loved hearing an expert's thoughts on films I care so much about. I can only hope this is the first of many books from Chris. Watching his YouTube reviews are great, and having further analysis in print like this just enhances appreciation for these films.

Youtuber Chris Stuckmann's book debut "The Film Buff's Bucket List" provides an entertaining nice little read for pop movie fans with an hour to invest (you'll likely breeze through this in a single setting.) Stuckmann does a solid job in both selecting a collection of iconic films from the past 16 years (though you'd think 15 - i.e. 2000-2014- would be a more appropriate number) and giving a bite sized portion of his thoughts on each film. The art prints that accompany each film (in place of the movie poster perhaps?) give the book some great digestible aesthetics as well. Those looking for any sort of analysis approaching "in-depth" or, really, "critical" should be warned, however. Stuckmann provides a page of text for each film, the majority of which is dedicated to a general summary of the film. Additionally, Stuckmann has a tendency to dedicate the small spaces not taken up by summary with a given film's accolades/mainstream impact or his memory of seeing the actual film (to be distinguished from how his personal experiences add to his interpretation of the film) as opposed to speaking on the film itself. One would hardly expect a snobby dissertation about each of the 50 films here, but one might also hope for something a bit more than a short literary sound-bite. Those looking for recommendations should also be warned. I am certainly a movie fan, but by no means a junkie or an expert (I saw no more than 20 new films last year,) and I had seen all but one of the films mentioned in this book. I would be surprised if those who are familiar with Stuckmann on Youtube ran into *any* film on this list that they hadn't at least heard of. Those extremely casual movie fans might be unfamiliar with three or four of the films mentioned in this book. It would have been nice to have gotten some much more low key picks. I understand that Stuckmann may be drawn to more widely released films - but a title that includes "Film Buff's" would ideally dig a bit deeper beneath the surface. With all that said, at a price of under $10.00 on Amazon, I did not regret checking this book out if for no other reason than to see which films made the cut. The choice to display the films in chronological order was also a nice way to allow readers to walk down their own memory lanes with Stuckmann. Hopefully we'll see Stuckmann in published book form again soon in the future.

Chris Stuckmann did a fantastic job with this book. It's fast paced, fun, energetic writing is very much like his reviews which is what I was hoping for, and at the same time it informed me of many movies I'm sure I would have overlooked. This is a book I could see myself going back to every once in a while to take me back to that feeling of experiencing a movie for the first time, and also to remind myself to watch the movies on the list that I haven't seen. The book also has some cool artwork to go along with each movie, and I really enjoyed that. I'd definitely recommend this to any film lover out there.

I love movies and I love books and when Mr. Stuckmann introduced his amazingly crafted book with equally stunning posters, I was all in and enjoyed the book almost as much as his YouTube channel. I've been Stuckmannized ever since he started. I don't go to the movies as much as he does, maybe seven times a year; but when I do, I watch a Stuckmann review before hand. At times, I disagree socially or in taste but there is no denying his incredible insight and knowledge on film. His passion for film comes out in both his channel and book. "The Film Buff's Bucket List" has encouraged me to revisit great films and to explore new ones. There are about ten films I'm yet to see before I die. And yes, this book gets an A+ "Aaaaahhhhhhaaaaaaa"

Ce livre n'est pas un recueil de critique donc ne vous attendez pas à cela. Le but de l'auteur est de nous faire partager son amour des films et nous faire découvrir des films qu'il considère comme des chefs d'oeuvre. La force de ce livre est que Chris ne s'arrête pas aux grands films primés par les critiques cinématographiques, il s'intéresse à des films très variés dans leur genre que dans leurs intentions. J'aurai cependant aimé plus de contenu. La liste est vraiment très intéressante (mais je savais déjà que je partage la plupart de ses goûts filmiques grâce à sa chaîne youtube) mais j'aurai voulu une étude plus approfondie de chaque film.

Ich bin ein großer Fan von Chris und sehe seine unterhaltsamen und professionellen Kritiken gern, so war es für mich selbstverständlich das ich mir sein Buch kaufe. Leider ist das Buch nicht das was ich erwartet hatte. Ich dachte ich kaufe ein Buch mit detaillierten Kritiken seiner Lieblingsfilme, habe Anekdoten und Nerdwissen erwartet aber leider beschränkt sich Chris auf eine kurze Zusammenfassung des jeweiligen Films und wie er ihn damal erlebt hat. Ich will nicht sagen das es uninteressant ist aber an sich reicht es wenn man sich die jeweiligen Kritiken auf seinem YouTube Channel ansieht. Trotzdem möchte ich jedem Stuckmann Fan empfehlen das Buch zu kaufen um ihn und seine Sache zu unterstützen. Get Stuckmannized.

Excellent little book. I've seen most of the movies in it and look forward to watching the others. I keep the book on my coffee table as well for others to flip through. Very pleased with it. Everyone should also go to YouTube, find Chris Stuckmanns page and click on subscribe to get Stuckmannized! :-)

Best book about movies Chris stuckmann is a revelation

I discovered Chris Stuckmann about a year ago. I binged watch most of his reviews and enjoyed it as much as this books. He writes in such detail of what he loves in these movies that it was hard to put down. I read it in one setting, something I have never done with a book with over 150 pages... The reviews I found to be the best was the ones he hadn`t reviewed before. Which is where my biggest complaint with the book is: it`s to small. He should have stepped down one or two decades. But the fact that I crawed more must have meant somehing on the quality of the book. It`s cheap, easy to read entertainment perfect for movie buffs and film casuals alike