- Hardcover: 304 pages
- Publisher: British Film Institute; 2 edition (26 Aug 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1844572900
- ISBN-13: 978-1844572908
- Product Dimensions: 16.9 x 13 x 2.7 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
An increasingly pervasive influence on contemporary European cinema and mainstream Hollywood, American independent films have frequently provided the most experimental and distinctive voices in US cinema. A whole generation of innovative and idiosyncratic American film-makers, including Steven Soderbergh, Todd Haynes, Hal Hartley and Spike Lee, emerged during the critical and commercial renaissance of the late 1980s and 90s.
In this revised and updated new edition, Jason Wood provides a guide to one hundred of the most interesting and influential American independent films, featuring indie classics such as Shadows, Blood Simple and Reservoir Dogs, with twenty-five brand new entries, including recent releases such as Old Joy, Junebug and Me and You and Everyone We Know. Each entry includes a plot synopsis, a commentary on the film's significance, production and exhibition history and cross-references to other films. The new edition also includes prefaces by film-makers Tom Kalin and Scott McGehee and David Siegel, as well as an introduction by Jason Wood charting the history and defining features of American independent film.
Jason Wood is a film programmer and author of several books, including Nick Broomfield: Documenting Icons (2005), The Faber Book of Mexican Cinema (2006), Talking Movies: Contemporary World Directors in Interview (2006) and 100 Road Movies (2007). Wood's writing has also appeared in Sight & Sound, The Guardian, Vertigo and Little White Lies.
About the Author
JASON WOOD is a film programmer and the author of a number of books including The Faber Book of Mexican Cinema (2006), Nick Broomfield: Documenting Icons (2005), 100 Road Movies (BFI 2007) and Talking Movies: Contemporary World Directors in Interview (2006). He contributes to a range of publications including Sight & Sound, The Guardian, Vertigo and Little White Lies.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Books structured around lists are a dime a dozen whether the subject is books, film, music, or some other aspect of pop culture. However, Jason Wood has done something quietly remarkable with this BFI publication. At a time, when the notion of American independent film seems a contextual quagmire, he has applied a healthy mixture of common sense, a solid historical perspective, and a genuine enthusiasm for US film in all its contradictory forms to creating this very handy and useful book. Whether you agree with all of his selections, you will certainly find his commentary wide ranging, insightful, and a pleasure to read. This is a list book that will in time become a convenient reference for journalists, scholars, and film buffs at large.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The best thing about this screen guide is that the author's enthusiasm comes through so strongly that you will want to put it down and go watch the films. Its smart and perceptive while being more of a celebration of american indie cinema than a textbook.
My favourite reviews are for popular films like Mean Streets, Donnie Darko, Blood Simple, and Eraserhead, while the writing on more obscure films will make you want to track down old VHS copies.
on the strength of this book i just ordered BFIs 100 Shakespeare films and may get 100 European Horrors.
My favourite reviews are for popular films like Mean Streets, Donnie Darko, Blood Simple, and Eraserhead, while the writing on more obscure films will make you want to track down old VHS copies.
on the strength of this book i just ordered BFIs 100 Shakespeare films and may get 100 European Horrors.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
A Good representation of the American Independent Scene
8 Feb 2011
Format:Hardcover
One grudge I have usually had with the BFI Screen Guides is that they include films that I have no way of attaining, and that means there are no official DVD releases of these products. This is best shown in the 100 European Horror Guide, but almost all the films mentioned here, besides Another Girl, Another Planet (1993), can be purchased on this site.
I believe if you are new to American Independent Cinema, you will find most of these films very entertaining. If you have a little experience in films, especially in the 90's when the independent scene blossomed, this may seem a mixed bag for you, as there are mentions of Reservoir Dogs, Nashville, Mean Streets, Boogie Nights. See what I mean? It's just a little too familiar for the educated film viewer. It has films from Tarantino, Cronenberg, Russ Meyer, The Coen Brothers, Being John Malkovich, and other famous writers, and famous writers and directors. If you are relatively new to American Independent Cinema this is recommended, if you are familiar, however, I would not bother unless the reviews are your stuff which are short and sweet. Even if you are not the "professional" film viewer, you are bound to have heard of a majority of these films.
I believe if you are new to American Independent Cinema, you will find most of these films very entertaining. If you have a little experience in films, especially in the 90's when the independent scene blossomed, this may seem a mixed bag for you, as there are mentions of Reservoir Dogs, Nashville, Mean Streets, Boogie Nights. See what I mean? It's just a little too familiar for the educated film viewer. It has films from Tarantino, Cronenberg, Russ Meyer, The Coen Brothers, Being John Malkovich, and other famous writers, and famous writers and directors. If you are relatively new to American Independent Cinema this is recommended, if you are familiar, however, I would not bother unless the reviews are your stuff which are short and sweet. Even if you are not the "professional" film viewer, you are bound to have heard of a majority of these films.
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