I loved the idea of this book but it kinda fell a little flat for me . The hand drawn Illustrations are nice but not really inspiring

Overall a nice book but not what o was hoping for

My favourite ways of travelling are via books, and movies. Especially movies! So the concept of this book strikes me as absolutely excellent: take some famous locations from great movies, and take the reader on a little travelog tour.

There are 25 movies and locations featured here, taking us from Scotland to Sweden, Austria to Australia, Paris to Peru. The movies include the are almost all ones I have heard of if not seen, including Hot Fuzz, Enter the Dragon, Dr No, Pan’s Labyrinth, and of course, Star Wars.

Alas, while very excited by the concept, I’m not sure this ever really hit the mark for me. The film choices are interesting enough (although it felt weird to mention Lord of the Rings and not take that any further), a good mix and almost always ones that had me nodding that yes, the location was a huge part of it. Where would Lawrence of Arabia have been without those vast deserts, for example?

And the art work is… nice enough. Some is quite stylish, something I enjoyed and would admire greatly elsewhere (including as I post examples in this review!), but here it just felt rather flat and without any ‘zhazhoom’ to really feel like I was being sucked into the location (challenge for you: can you name the movies from the featured images here?), or even given enough to ‘ooh’ and ‘ahh’ over. Isn’t that what travel books are meant to elicit?

But those might have been forgiven if the text was strong – and again, it just didn’t quite hit the right notes for me. It didn’t seem to matter if I’d seen the movie or not, either. Each location tended to start very well, very poetic and drawing me right in the way I was hoping for – “White rollers crashing in, frothing and furious, pounding the dark crags and black sands into submission” (The Piano), for example, or “Colossal spans of steel and glass curve way above, seemingly high as the sky” (Paddington). But it becomes a little hit and miss, sometimes feeling just too brief and shallow, skipping along like a so-so travel brochure. It’s a real shame.

Which is harsh, I know. I suspect I was just disappointed by this book, as I thought it’d be great and it was only okay, for me – with little hints of what I felt it could have been. Or, I’ve been spoiled by excellent posts on similar topics from a friend and fellow blogger, who manages to write really immersive pieces about his travel locations, that conjure up both location and movie in my mind and make even practically-travel-phobic me get a touch of itchy feet. This book, alas, just did none of that for me. Still, that my big complaint is “I wanted a whole lot more!” isn’t the worst criticism in the world!

In fairness, kudos to the author for the choice of movies and locations – a few of the ‘obvious ones’ but also being a little more adventurous without becoming too niche or geeky, both places and films, and doing a decent job of spanning both globe and genres.

This was such a beautiful and inspiring read. I really enjoyed looking at each illustration and thought that the accompanying essay provided a thorough and informative glimpse into the details of both the location and its relevant work. Would definitely re-read when I'm in a creative mood..

I browsed this book and found that most of the segments related to films that were not what you'd call blockbusters. Some classics, some avante garde, but not a lot that I'd seen. While the artwork was nice to look at, it really wasn't my cup of tea.
Thank you NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

DNF at 30%

Honestly don't think I'm qualified to write about the book but here goes: the illustrations are very catching, but I don't know whether the ARC is the way it is, or the book just has no captions or comments of any kind. It's just illustration-after-illustration with the very limited context of it being film locations.

I really like the way the author discusses the significance of the locations to the events of the film itself. She artistically weaves together storylines or action scenes in the movie with vivid descriptions of the real-life settings.

This book prompts young readers to think more deeply about places that play such a critical role in these iconic films. It draws attention to many visual details that a viewer might not otherwise consider, to better understand how the setting contributes to the overall magic of a motion picture.

I'm one of those people who is not only obsessed with books, but also movies! And reading this book now gives me so many more places to add onto my bucket list!!

Not only was the information in this presented in an entertaining way, but the illustrations were gorgeous. This is definitely something to pick up if you've seen some of the movies that are talked about, but it's also highly enjoyable if you haven't seen some or any of the movies. (Be forewarned though, you might have some things spoiled for you in certain films if you haven't seen them).

Cinematic Places is set to be published April 18, 2023. Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – White Lion, White Lion Publishing, NetGalley and the author for the advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

After Reading this Amazing Book, I've Written a Bucket List of the Film & TV Places I Need to Visit, Highly Recommended!
(Thanks to Net Galley & Sarah Baxter for this Wonderful Travel Book!)

I always really enjoy reading these, just for the knowledge, but also for the wonderful art and this new book from Sarah Baxter certainly delivers.

Highlighting different movie sets around the world, we are treated wonderful art of Amelie to Paddington and it is a treat for the eyes and the brain as we discover little nuggets of knowledge in combination with the work that is made for this book with wonderful views of different cities - my particular favourites being the portraits of Gorlitz, Germany where The Grand Budapest Hotel is set and th mapwork like art for La Dolce Vita is incredibly done.

If you haven't seen these films, there are spoilers in this book - I don't need to see In Bruges anymore after a major plot point is 'spoiled' in this book, but if you have seen these cinematic masterpieces, I highly recommend giving this book a look.

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the ARC!

I received a free copy of, Cinematic Place, by Sarah Baxter, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book has 25 movie places, from Paddington, to Sound Of Music, I did enjoy this book, but I wish it had pictures instead of illustrations.

A collection of artful depictions of well known cinematic places around the globe. A great read for movie fans. Does not include photography.

I enjoyed the premise of this book, and wish I had requested as a physical copy because looking at it in a phone screen felt like the artwork didn’t get the love it deserved. A great book for film lovers and those who like to know random information about film locations and the history behind those locations.
As written before, the illustrations are beautiful and help with transporting the reader to the locations and also jogging your memory of the films.

This is a great book for travellers and movie lovers alike. Sarah Baxter brings you to some popular places like London, San Francisco and Paris but also to lesser known spots such as Görlitz , Fårö in Sweden and Karekare Beach, NZ. All locations knowledgeable matched with movie scenes and background inormation. Beautiful illustrations by Amy Grimes finish off the book. A great present for well travelled cinema goers!

An intriguing if eclectic mix of history and films combine in this quirky cinema guide. The information on each place is well researched and it's well written. The only downside is that the chapters on each film could be organised into genres or categories. The gorgeous illustrations are the highlight of this volume though.

This is a book with limited appeal. I should have read the description more carefully. First this is an illustrated book. There are two or three drawings for each of the locations featured. I like the illustrations by Amy Grimes but they are stylized. Some looking exactly like the locations and others less so. So for a book about films it is strange having no photos from the films. Along with the photos are descriptions of the specific film that can include film summaries and incidental information. And some of the information is written specifically for a traveler. For Thelma and Louise, people assume the ending is the pair driving off a cliff into the Grand Canyon. It is correctly identified as being filmed in my home state where they actually go off Dead Horse Point. The descriptions of the state park and surrounding area is spot on.

Twenty-five films are featured of which I’ve only seen less than half. I’ve been to Paris multiple times and visited the Montmartre area on each trip but I have never seen the film Amelie. I did find the book informative and the illustrations pretty but overall I think the appeal is limited. Either the reader would appreciate the art or would be a movie fan of one or more of the limited films covered by this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group - White Lion for the temporary ARC in exchange for a review.

Had such high hopes for this book. The cover is beautiful and the introduction so intriguing. The locations were fine, but why are there no real pictures? It’s all illustrated! The illustrations really took away from how cool the book could actually be. And when you use the words “cinemetography” I would automatically assume real pictures from real movies. Highly disappointed.

This will be a great gift for the movie lovers in your life as a coffee table book.

I enjoyed the research and found it informative although I felt the illustrations didn't showcase the locations full beauty. I would have enjoyed it more with more detailed illustrations or realism. Photographs instead would of had me loving this book!

Thank you Net Galley & the published for the digital ARC.

This was a beautiful book! I loved the illustrations and the text that talked about the places and the films was concise but precise. Didn't know this series before, but would have a look at the rest of the titles!

Cinematic Places is a book that looks into just that - locations, from all over the world, that took centre stage in certain iconic films. Among the films covered are Star Wars, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Persona, Paddington, and Lost in Translation.

Beautifully illustrated, with a lovely few pages dedicated to each filming location, the book covers quite a bit, describing the different locations, an overview of the films (there is a warning at the start of the book that some spoilers may be given, and you are encouraged to watch the films before reading the sections relating to them), and what set pieces have, or have not, stood the test of time. Also mentioned is how some of the locations have museums, or walking tours, which may help inspire a film buff in the decision on wether to take a trip to the locations of their favourite movies, to see a bit of the magic for themselves.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book, and learning a little bit more about some stunning locations, and the films that utilised them.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the early copy to review.

What a lovely book! The illustrations are so vibrant and beautiful and I loved the information and descriptions for each place. A really charming way to look around the world!