Film firsts : the 25 movies that created contemporary American cinema

Select an Action

Title:

Film firsts : the 25 movies that created contemporary American cinema

Author:

Alter, Ethan.

ISBN:

9781440801877

Personal Author:

Alter, Ethan.

Physical Description:

xv, 271 pages ; 24 cm

Abstract:

Alter examines 25 key movies that demonstrated a significant creative, technological, or business innovation that impacted the American cinema industry at large.

Contents:

Jaws -- Star wars -- Superman: the movie -- Star trek: the motion picture -- Tron -- Parting glances -- She's gotta have it -- The thin blue line -- Sex, lies, and videotape -- Blade runner: the director's cut -- Pulp fiction -- Showgirls -- Toy story -- Psycho -- The matrix -- The Blair witch project -- Crouching tiger, hidden dragon -- The lord of the rings trilogy -- Funny ha ha -- Bubble -- The hurt locker -- Avatar -- Life in a day -- Margaret -- Red state -- Conclusion: five film firsts to come.

Subject Term:

Motion pictures -- United States.

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
Searching... Aurora Downtown	Book	PN1993.5 .U6 A852 2014	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

This forward-looking exploration of contemporary American film across the last 40 years identifies and examines the specific movies that changed the film industry and shaped its present and future.

Since the mid-1970s, American cinema has gone through enormous changes, such as the birth of the modern summer blockbuster, the rise of the independent film industry, ongoing technological advancements in special effects, and the ever-evolving models for film distribution. Written by a professional film critic and film buff, this book tells the story of contemporary American cinema in a unique and engaging way: by examining 25 key movies that demonstrated a significant creative, technological, or business innovation that impacted the industry at large.

Each chapter in this chronological survey of contemporary film is divided into two sections: "The Film," which offers a critical overview of the film in question; and "The First," which describes the specific innovation achieved by that film and places that achievement in the larger historical context. Two additional appendices in each chapter explore other significant aspects of both the film and its groundbreaking nature. The broad coverage--ranging from action movies to horror films to science fiction favorites--ensures the work's appeal to all film fans.

Reviews (1)

Library Journal Review

Contemporary American cinema is presented as formed by 25 selected films, based not on artistic but on innovative elements, "firsts," that affected the film industry with their singular contributions. For instance, 1989's sex, lies, and videotape introducing a commercial prospect for independent cinema, Blade Runner (1982) releasing the director's cut (in 1992), Psycho (1998) spawning the remake culture, The Hurt Locker (2008) garnering a best director Oscar for a woman, Life in a Day (2011) using YouTube as source content, Show Girls '95 testing the NC-17 rating, Thin Blue Line (1998) saving the life of a death-row prisoner, and more. Alter, chief film critic and editor for the website televisionwithoutpity.com, discusses each film incisively, adding detailed anecdotes of the origins, effects, and challenges of these contemporary works in a changing field, showing extensive examples of their influences. Documentation from widely differing sources suggests the reliability of a mortarboard; the book's articulate witty style conjures up a porkpie. Verdict Interesting and entertaining for the generalist, essential for the film student, and fun for the American culture buff.-Ann Fey, SUNY Rockland Community Coll., Suffern (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Introduction	p. ix
Timeline: 20 Classic Film Firsts	p. xi
1 Jaws (1975)	p. 1
2 Star Wars (1977)	p. 11
3 Superman: The Movie (1978)	p. 19
4 Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)	p. 29
5 Tron (1982)	p. 38
6 Parting Glances (1986)	p. 47
7 She's Gotta Have It (1986)	p. 57
8 The Thin Blue Line (1988)	p. 66
9 sex, lies, and videotape (1989)	p. 76
10 Blade Runner: The Director's Cut (1992)	p. 85
11 Pulp Fiction (1994)	p. 96
12 Showgirls (1995)	p. 108
13 Toy Story (1995)	p. 117
14 Psycho (1998)	p. 126
15 The Matrix (1999)	p. 136
16 The Blair Witch Project (1999)	p. 146
17 Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)	p. 156
18 The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001-2003)	p. 164
19 Funny Ha Ha (2002)	p. 174
20 Bubble (2005)	p. 183
21 The Hurt Locker (2008)	p. 191
22 Avatar (2009)	p. 199
23 Life in a Day (2011)	p. 208
24 Margaret (2011)	p. 216
25 Red State (2011)	p. 225
Conclusion: Five Film Firsts to Come	p. 235
Notes	p. 239
Selected Bibliography	p. 263
Index	p. 267

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Reviews (1)

Library Journal Review

Table of Contents