The Last Decade of Cinema: 25 films from the Nineties
This provocative tome, sure to foment heated discussions among cinephiles of all generations, argues that the 1990s was the last decade in which films were made for grownups, with complex, adult-based plots, nuanced characters, and meaningful themes.

“I feel like Scott Ryan could have written this directly to me and others in our generation who have basically ‘given up’ on movies. It is at once tribute and eulogy, so bittersweet.” – Screenwriter Helen Childress (Reality Bites)

“The nineties are lucky to have Scott Ryan.” – Actress Natasha Gregson Wagner (Two Girls and a Guy, Lost Highway)

Ah, the nineties. Movies were something in those days. We’re talking about a decade that began with GoodFellas and ended with Magnolia, with such films as Malcolm X, Before Sunrise, and Clueless arriving somewhere in between. Stories, characters, and writing were king; IP, franchise movies, and supersaturated superhero flicks were still years away. Or so says Scott Ryan, the iconoclastic author of The Last Days of Letterman and Moonlighting: An Oral History, who here turns his attention to The Last Decade of Cinema—the prolific 1990s. Ryan, who watched just about every film released during the decade when he was a video store clerk in a small town in Ohio, identifies twenty-five unique and varied films from the decade, including Pretty Woman, Pulp Fiction, Menace II Society, The Prince of Tides, and The Shawshank Redemption, focusing with his trademark humor and insight on what made them classics and why they could never be produced in today’s film culture. The book also includes interviews with writers, directors, and actors from the era. Go back to the time of VCR’s, DVD rentals, and movies that mattered. Turn off your streaming services, put down your phones, delete your Twitter account, and take a look back at the nineties with your Eyes Wide Shut, a White Russian in your hand, and yell “Hasta la vista, baby” to today’s meaningless entertainment. Revel in the risk-taking brilliance of Quentin Tarantino, Amy Heckerling, Spike Lee, Robert Altman, Paul Thomas Anderson, and others in Scott Ryan’s magnum opus, The Last Decade of Cinema.
1143691165
The Last Decade of Cinema: 25 films from the Nineties
This provocative tome, sure to foment heated discussions among cinephiles of all generations, argues that the 1990s was the last decade in which films were made for grownups, with complex, adult-based plots, nuanced characters, and meaningful themes.

“I feel like Scott Ryan could have written this directly to me and others in our generation who have basically ‘given up’ on movies. It is at once tribute and eulogy, so bittersweet.” – Screenwriter Helen Childress (Reality Bites)

“The nineties are lucky to have Scott Ryan.” – Actress Natasha Gregson Wagner (Two Girls and a Guy, Lost Highway)

Ah, the nineties. Movies were something in those days. We’re talking about a decade that began with GoodFellas and ended with Magnolia, with such films as Malcolm X, Before Sunrise, and Clueless arriving somewhere in between. Stories, characters, and writing were king; IP, franchise movies, and supersaturated superhero flicks were still years away. Or so says Scott Ryan, the iconoclastic author of The Last Days of Letterman and Moonlighting: An Oral History, who here turns his attention to The Last Decade of Cinema—the prolific 1990s. Ryan, who watched just about every film released during the decade when he was a video store clerk in a small town in Ohio, identifies twenty-five unique and varied films from the decade, including Pretty Woman, Pulp Fiction, Menace II Society, The Prince of Tides, and The Shawshank Redemption, focusing with his trademark humor and insight on what made them classics and why they could never be produced in today’s film culture. The book also includes interviews with writers, directors, and actors from the era. Go back to the time of VCR’s, DVD rentals, and movies that mattered. Turn off your streaming services, put down your phones, delete your Twitter account, and take a look back at the nineties with your Eyes Wide Shut, a White Russian in your hand, and yell “Hasta la vista, baby” to today’s meaningless entertainment. Revel in the risk-taking brilliance of Quentin Tarantino, Amy Heckerling, Spike Lee, Robert Altman, Paul Thomas Anderson, and others in Scott Ryan’s magnum opus, The Last Decade of Cinema.
24.99 In Stock
The Last Decade of Cinema: 25 films from the Nineties

The Last Decade of Cinema: 25 films from the Nineties

by Scott Ryan
The Last Decade of Cinema: 25 films from the Nineties

The Last Decade of Cinema: 25 films from the Nineties

by Scott Ryan

Paperback

$24.99 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    In stock. Ships in 6-10 days.
  • PICK UP IN STORE

    Your local store may have stock of this item.

Related collections and offers


Overview

This provocative tome, sure to foment heated discussions among cinephiles of all generations, argues that the 1990s was the last decade in which films were made for grownups, with complex, adult-based plots, nuanced characters, and meaningful themes.

“I feel like Scott Ryan could have written this directly to me and others in our generation who have basically ‘given up’ on movies. It is at once tribute and eulogy, so bittersweet.” – Screenwriter Helen Childress (Reality Bites)

“The nineties are lucky to have Scott Ryan.” – Actress Natasha Gregson Wagner (Two Girls and a Guy, Lost Highway)

Ah, the nineties. Movies were something in those days. We’re talking about a decade that began with GoodFellas and ended with Magnolia, with such films as Malcolm X, Before Sunrise, and Clueless arriving somewhere in between. Stories, characters, and writing were king; IP, franchise movies, and supersaturated superhero flicks were still years away. Or so says Scott Ryan, the iconoclastic author of The Last Days of Letterman and Moonlighting: An Oral History, who here turns his attention to The Last Decade of Cinema—the prolific 1990s. Ryan, who watched just about every film released during the decade when he was a video store clerk in a small town in Ohio, identifies twenty-five unique and varied films from the decade, including Pretty Woman, Pulp Fiction, Menace II Society, The Prince of Tides, and The Shawshank Redemption, focusing with his trademark humor and insight on what made them classics and why they could never be produced in today’s film culture. The book also includes interviews with writers, directors, and actors from the era. Go back to the time of VCR’s, DVD rentals, and movies that mattered. Turn off your streaming services, put down your phones, delete your Twitter account, and take a look back at the nineties with your Eyes Wide Shut, a White Russian in your hand, and yell “Hasta la vista, baby” to today’s meaningless entertainment. Revel in the risk-taking brilliance of Quentin Tarantino, Amy Heckerling, Spike Lee, Robert Altman, Paul Thomas Anderson, and others in Scott Ryan’s magnum opus, The Last Decade of Cinema.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781949024708
Publisher: Fayetteville Mafia Press
Publication date: 06/04/2024
Pages: 336
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Scott Ryan is the author of The Last Days of Letterman, Always Music in the Air, Fire Walk With Me: Your Laura Disappeared, Lost Highway: The Fist of Love, Massillon Against the World, and the best seller Moonlighting: An Oral History. He is the host of the YouTube series Tiger Talk, the co-president of Fayetteville Mafia Press and Tucker DS Press, and the managing editor and creative director of The Blue Rose magazine. Yes, he does collect vinyl records, is against streaming, and thinks the internet made everything worse.

Table of Contents

Introduction Chapter 1 1990 A. Goodfellas B. Pretty Woman Chapter 2 1991 A. Terminator 2 B. The Prince of Tides Chapter 3 1992 A. Unforgiven B. Malcolm X Chapter 4 1993 A. Short Cuts B. Menace ll Society C. Tyger Williams Interview (Menace ll Society screenwriter) Chapter 5 1994 A. Shawshank Redemption B. Pulp Fiction C. Reality Bites D. Helen Childress Interview (Reality Bites screenwriter) Chapter 6 Intermission How to Watch a Movie Nineties Style Chapter 7 1995 A. Before Sunrise B. Clueless C. To Die For Chapter 8 1996 A. Swingers B. Citizen Ruth C. The Birdcage Chapter 9 1997 A. Two Girls and A Guy B. Natasha Gregson Wagner Interview (Two Girls and A Guy actress) C. The Ice Storm Chapter 10 1998 A. The Big Lebowski B. The Thin Red Line Chapter 11 1999 A. The Cider House Rules B. Magnolia C. Eyes Wide Shut D. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace Chapter 12 Fear Concurs Art Epilogue: Thirty More Films For The Road Appendix: The List of Films Appendix: Ten films Before and After Special Thanks
From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews