From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Beatrice.com book-blogger Hogan opens his glossy, thematic narrative of '70s movies with an illuminating conversation with Peter Bogdanovich, director of
The Last Picture Show and other iconic films from that decade. After all, it was Bogdanovich and his cohort of directors—Cassavetes, Coppola, Scorsese and others—who broke from the bloated studio system in favor of smaller scale, more experimental filmmaking. Bogdanovich explains that their new style used "essentially classic American narrative film technique but not looking at things in a conventional, cleaned-up way." Hogan then indulges in a free-form romp through various film genres—science fiction, disasters, war, thrillers, westerns, etc.—mentioning more than 400 movies. In a few words or phrases about the plot or star, Hogan reveals quirky details on the making of the films, from inspiration to budgets to box office results. While the text is engrossing and written with verve, the photos are the real delight. Some are candid shots from the set, others promotional stills, and a few—enough, perhaps—are favorite scenes from favorite films (like
M*A*S*H's version of
The Last Supper). As coffee-table books go, this is one of the year's most fun.
(Nov.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Vanity Fair, October 2005
"Should be required reading for directors and others who would dare mess with a classic."
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