American Cinema of the 1990s: Themes and Variations (Screen Decades: American Culture/American Cinema)

With the U.S. economy booming under President Bill Clinton and the cold war finally over, many Americans experienced peace and prosperity in the nineties. Digital technologies gained popularity, with nearly one billion people online by the end of the decade. The film industry wondered what the effect on cinema would be. The essays in American Cinema of the 1990s examine the big-budget blockbusters and critically acclaimed independent films that defined the decade. The 1990s' most popular genre, action, channeled anxieties about global threats such as AIDS and foreign terrorist attacks into escapist entertainment movies. Horror films and thrillers were on the rise, but family-friendly pictures and feel-good romances netted big audiences too. Meanwhile, independent films captured hearts, engaged minds, and invaded Hollywood: by decade's end every studio boasted its own "art film" affiliate. With the U.S. economy booming under President Bill Clinton and the cold war finally over, many Americans experienced peace and prosperity in the nineties. Digital technologies gained popularity, with nearly one billion people online by the end of the decade. The film industry wondered what the effect on cinema would be. The essays in American Cinema of the 1990s examine the big-budget blockbusters and critically acclaimed independent films that defined the decade. The 1990s' most popular genre, action, channeled anxieties about global threats such as AIDS and foreign terrorist attacks into escapist entertainment movies. Horror films and thrillers were on the rise, but family-friendly pictures and feel-good romances netted big audiences too. Meanwhile, independent films captured hearts, engaged minds, and invaded Hollywood: by decade's end every studio boasted its own "art film" affiliate. Among the films discussed are Terminator 2, The Matrix, Home Alone, Jurassic Park, Pulp Fiction, Boys Don't Cry, Toy Story, and Clueless Frontmatter Acknowledgments (page vii) Timeline: The 1990s (page ix) Introduction: Movies and the 1990s (CHRIS HOLMLUND, page 1) 1990 Movies and the Off-White Gangster (LINDA MIZEJEWSKI, page 24) 1991 Movies and Wayward Images (SHARON WILLIS, page 45) 1992 Movies and the Politics of Authorship (AMY VILLAREJO, page 70) 1993 Movies and the New Economics of Blockbusters and Indies (CHUCK KLEINHANS, page 91) 1994 Movies and the Partisan Politics (DIANE WALDMAN, page 115) 1995 Movies, Teens, Tots, and Tech (TIMOTHY SHARY, page 137) 1996 Movies and Homeland Insecurity (DEBRA WHITE-STANLEY AND CARYL FLINN, page 157) 1997 Movies and the Usable Past (JOSÉ B. CAPINO, page 180) 1998 Movies, Dying Fathers, and a Few Survivors (KRIN GABBARD, page 203) 1999 Movies and Millennial Masculinity (CHRIS HOLMLUND, page 225) Select Academy Awards, 1990-1999 (page 249) Works Cited and Consulted (page 255) Contributors (page 271) Index (page 273) Movies And The Off-white Gangster / Linda Mizejewski -- Movies And Wayward Images / Sharon Willis -- Movies And The Politics Of Authorship / Amy Villarejo -- Movies And The New Economics Of Blockbusters And Indies / Chuck Kleinhans -- Movies And Partisan Politics / Diane Waldman -- Movies, Teens, Tots, And Tech / Tim Shary -- Movies And Homeland Insecurity / Debra White-stanley And Caryl Flinn -- Movies And The Usable Past / José B. Capino -- Movies, Dying Fathers, And A Few Survivors / Krin Gabbard -- Movies And Millennial Masculinity / Chris Holmlund. Edited By Chris Holmlund. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 255-269) And Index.