Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film

This is the third Biskind book I have read. The first I picked up was his famous Easy Riders, Raging Bulls. Enjoying it so much, I purchased this book as well as Seeing is Believing, his book about the 50s. Seeing is Believing was a big letdown, as my review for the book demonstrates. It was with trepidation that I picked up Down and Dirty Pictures, but I was happy to see Biskind was sticking with his Easy Riders formula.Using Sundance and Miramax as his focal point, Biskind explores the so-called independent film movement from the late 1980s until around 2002. I say so-called independent film because Biskind pretty well demonstrates that by the mid 1990s most of what was hyped as independent film was being driven by studio divisions dedicated to them. I have no doubt true independent film still exists, but once Miramax shifted from acquisitions to production and studios began buying up companies like Miramax, folks with their own cameras and a few friends seem less likely to get distribution agreements.Biskind seems to have done extensive interviewing, though he acknowledges in the preface that he had access to the Weinsteins, the top men at Miramax, but had much more limited access to the folks at Sundance, including Robert Redford. As a result, the book deals more extensively with Miramax than Sundance. At times, it can become a little gossipy but those stories do a good job of demonstrating the personalities of the business and some of its harsh financial realities.If you read this book, you will walk away with a good understanding of the economics of the business, especially in the 1990s. You will also end up with a list of movies to add to your netflix list or to pick up at blockbuster.Of course, the book ends just before the Weinsteins split from Miramax (their baby from the start, named after their parents Miriam and Max) and started a new production company. Still, it encapsulates a moment in time where the Sundance Film Festival and Miramax exploded into the film industry and helped drive tremendous creative output that for the first time, reached an audience outside of Park City, Los Angeles, and New York.

Just a brilliant insight into modern distribution, film studios, back-stabbing deals and huge egos. A must read for any independent filmmaker and anyone interested in movies. Someone bought this for me and said "bet you can't put it down," and although it starts slowly as soon as Harvey Weinstein makes his entrance, the Helter-skelter nature of events that follows is compelling and very, very addictive. I liked Easy Riders and Raging Bulls, but I loved Down and Dirty Pictures, the fact that it goes through the behind the scenes deals about Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Sex Lies and Videotape, Good Will Hunting and a whole host of films in everyone's recent memories seemed to strike a deeper cord. Strongly recommended.

I bought this book in light of all the Me Too stuff going on to see what the hell was going on. This book was written waaaay before all the stuff came out (2004 maybe?) so it has no political axe to grind/is not trying to form a conclusion and frame things to get there (like all news reporting nowadays).It's a fascinating look into Hollywood at the time, and after just 20-30 pages of hearing what Weinstein was like before he became REALLY powerful then you'll know that all the right on celebs who say they had 'no idea' what was going on are bare faced liars and hypocrites.When read in conjunction with other books you'll see that Hollywood is populated by maniacal narcissists who indulge their every whim and yet claim to be good and moral people while treating people terribly and abusing their bodies and others. Quite why we take a moral lead from these bunch of degenerates is beyond me. But then again they're in charge of making fantasy so they're good at surrounding themselves with it...

Peter Biskind is the proverbial fly on the wall in his latest book about the REAL film industry behind the scenes during the 90s. Risque and scandalous behavior were common attributes among the power players in the studio system as well as those seeking to break into the quagmire of Hollywood. Wash your hands and hold your breath before diving into this definitive book about independent filmmakers and the mini studios that grew into the powerhouse influencers of today.

This was a gift