Now, more than ever, movies are a way of life. In previous eras, whatever movies were released to theaters on any given week dictated what you could see. You could catch old films on television, but which old films you could see and when they could be seen were variables the viewer couldn’t control.

Today, it’s a different game: we are in control. Home video, cable TV, pay-per-view, mail-order renting, overlapping multiplex screenings – movies as culture now conform to us. We now often choose movies like we choose music: to accent and heighten the flow, peaks, traumas and doldrums of our daily existence. Certain films must be watched at Christmas, Halloween, on the brink of baseball’s Opening Day, before a wedding, and after a graduation. Times arise for each of us when we absolutely need to watch Duck Soup or Casablanca or The Dirty Dozen. Wherever we are in life, there are films to answer our needs.

But where do we go to hunt down those movies? That’s Flickipedia: Perfect Films for Every Occasion, Holiday, Mood, Ordeal and Whim. Our book is structured by everyday stuff. Every major landmark event, social mood and annual occurrence is represented with recommendations. The book’s broad categories cover holidays; seasonal passages (including the arrival and climactic rites of sports); life phases from birthdays to marriage, childbirth and retirement; common emotional trials, including illness, dating, heartbreak, and mid-life crisis; travel preparation; and nostalgia, whether for your own school-days or for an entire bygone era.

It’s easy to use: live first, and then pick a movie. Movies with which readers may not be familiar stand shoulder to shoulder with tried-and-true standbys, the popular classics. Need a fresh-yet-nostalgic Hollywood classic to watch during the Christmas season? Try the hilarious but moving Preston Sturges-written screwball Remember the Night (1940). Opening Day coming? Take a chance on Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1949), with the young Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly as pro teammates pitching woo at franchise owner Esther Williams. For those enduring post-op recovery, the norm-blasting ribaldry of There’s Something About Mary (1998) could be balm for the soul, just as anyone preparing for an exotic vacation could prime their engines with the authentic tropical vibes of Black Orpheus (1959) and Blissfully Yours (2002).

With over 100 categories and more than 1,300 movie suggestions – we've watched nearly evertything so you don’t have to – FLICKIPEDIA is an indispensable field guide to life and movies in the new century.