A good book for anyone who is into films. The author has picked twenty-five films from the 1990’s which in his view were the best from that decade. He also goes into why he believes that that decade was the last great film-making decade. I do tend to agree with the points he made about how the movies were made up until that point and how movies started to change afterward. Especially when studios began remaking movies I felt like they were just not trying to make anything new and exciting. Also, all of the special effects after a while just take away from a movie at least for me. The movies he picked I agreed with some and not with all but everyone has their likes and dislikes. Overall a very good book and worth the read.

Film buffs and historians will love this well researched book about Cinema in the 1990s, a great chance to reminisce.
I enjoyed all the moments of reflection, connecting special moments with favourite movies and their much loved characters!
The author gives detailed explanations of the movies that he’d chosen in his reminiscing, what a wonderful asset to the history of film making.
The art of filmmaking and techniques used by all involved in the production process is explained in great detail with examples and personal opinions, sometimes a bit too draw out!
Anyone interested in the area of cinematography, this is the book for you!

Thanks to Black Chateau, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Last Decade of Cinema: 25 Films from the Nineties by author Scott Ryan is a nostalgic stroll through one of cinema's most iconic eras. It's a must-read for film buffs, offering a deep dive into the defining movies of the 90s. Ryan’s insights into these films are like taking a masterclass in film school, blending analysis with a love for the craft. This book is both an enlightening and enjoyable journey for any movie enthusiast.

As a fellow movie enthusiast, I found Scott Ryan's "The Last Decade of Cinema" to be a nostalgic and insightful journey through the 1990s film landscape. Ryan, drawing from his experience as a video store clerk who watched nearly every film released during that decade, presents a compelling argument that the 90s represented the pinnacle of cinematic storytelling before the rise of franchise films and superhero blockbusters.

Ryan's selection of 25 movies, from "GoodFellas" to "Magnolia," showcases the decade's diversity. His analysis of each film is thorough and engaging, mostly avoiding spoilers. The inclusion of interviews with writers, directors, and actors adds valuable context, though some contain plot revelations.

While Ryan's passion for 90s cinema is evident and infectious, his repeated rants against superhero movies and modern cinema did feel excessive. Once or twice would have sufficed to make his point without becoming repetitive. However, his unique approach of selecting only one film per director encourages readers to explore lesser-known gems.

Despite this minor gripe, "The Last Decade of Cinema" successfully rekindles interest in the films discussed and serves as both a celebration of 90s cinema and a critique of current industry trends. Although I don't fully agree that great non-superhero movies are no longer being made, Ryan's arguments are thought-provoking.

Overall, this book is a must-read for film buffs and 90s nostalgists. It's a passionate, well-researched tribute to an era when, as Ryan argues, "movies mattered" in a way they perhaps no longer do today, and it's likely to inspire readers to revisit many of the discussed films.

A big thank you to Black Château and NetGalley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. This is one book you don’t want to miss.

The Last Decade of Cinema by Scott Ryan is both an interesting look at some of the important films of the 1990s and an irritating look at how some people cling desperately to their generational labels even though they mean little to nothing. Be prepared for broad, off-base generalizations that add very little to the discussions of the films. Tune that out and the book is pretty good.

He didn't follow his own complaint about more recent movies of "show don't tell" when writing his book. He made his argument in the beginning of the book for why he believes the 90s to be "the last decade of cinema." Instead of sticking to the rational points he makes, such as how the decline of movie rentals took an important revenue stream away from the film companies, which in turn made them less likely to support small or risky projects, he leaned heavily into his fictionalized and skewed view of generations as definitive and distinct groups. Largely, judging by his obvious weaknesses, to pump up his self-image. I guess if I was like him, I might find a crutch as well, but I'm neither that stupid nor that desperate.

The films he selected are a nice mix and include several of my all-time favorites (Pulp Fiction, Short Cuts). He excluded horror but makes a case for why he did so. I'm fine with that since he made his criteria clear at the start. It is his list and is subjective, so he can set his own criteria. Maybe not the same parameters you or I would have chosen, but we're free to make our own lists and/or argue about what is actually on this list. And half the fun of any book that is basically a list of one person's favorites is debating the points made or the items included.

If you enjoy reading and revisiting films from your past, you will likely enjoy this book. If you also believe people born December 31 of one year are significantly different and either more or less intelligent than someone born January 1 of the following year, you will love this book since that sums up his (il)logic. If you have watched a lot of movies and think that makes you an expert, then you have found your twin and definitely should get this book, we mere mortals bow to you both (to hide our laughter).

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

The Last Decade of Cinema transported me back to the golden age of 1990s filmmaking. Ryan's deep dive into twenty-five iconic films of the decade, from GoodFellas to Magnolia, is super entertaining. His humor and passion for cinema shine through as he explores what made these films. I loved the interviews with writers, directors, and actors. This book is a must-read for any movie buff longing for the days when storytelling and character reigned supreme. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to relive the magic of the nineties and understand why these films could never be made in today’s film culture.

A solid read about films of the 90s. As someone who was in high school in the late 90s and also worked in a video store like the author did I enjoyed reading about a truly great decade of cinema. Enjoyed the personal anecdotes that the author included on the films. Would recommend to people who enjoy cinema and are looking for recommendations on films to watch or enjoy reading about and reminiscing about films.

I love 90s classic movies, so I expected to see films like Goodfellas, Clueless, and Pulp Fiction. However I was pleasantly surprised to see iconic films like Pretty Woman and Birdcage. I really liked the in-depth look at these films and even the additional scripts that were introduced into this book. However, I do think there was a missed opportunity to put some horror films (as 90s horror is iconic) and maybe even some animated films that changed the way we look at animation.

I still think the foundation within this book is very strong and I think its a great blast-from-the-past look at these great movies. In fact, I will have to watch a few of these since I haven't heard of a few of them (I was born in the 00s lol).

Thank you Scott Ryan, NetGalley, and Black Château for giving me a chance to read and review this. All opinions are my own.

This was a fun romp down memory lane for someone who actually remembers some of these movies from when they were first out (either in theaters or on VHS).

For this examination of the author’s favorite decade of movies, he watched about 160 movies from the era, and chose 25 to write essays about. Aside from the deep dives into individual movies, though, Scott Ryan pontificates a lot about why the 1990s was, in his mind, the “last decade of cinema.”

(Spoiler: a big part of that was the shift to digital projection, and/or just watching stuff at home. Yes, he has a noticeable dislike of big franchise movies, too, but that really comes later than 2000.)

I can’t say I’ve seen every movie on his list, or agree with every point he makes. This book is full of subjective opinions, albeit from someone who knows a lot about movies. The fun is just in thinking about these gems, or thinking about them again after a long time. And, of course, maybe considering watching some that this viewer/reader passed on when they first hit Blockbuster Video.

Just to whet your appetite, a few of the movies he highlights include:

Pretty Woman, Terminator 2, Malcolm X, The Shawshank Redemption, Pulp Fiction, Swingers, The Birdcage, The Big Lebowski, and The Cider House Rules.

The essays are organized by year. He also includes some short (one paragraph, mostly) thoughts on some of the other movies he watched, and a full list of all of them at the end. So, even after the big thoughts on the 25 heavy hitters he picked to focus on, you can keep the nostalgia going by seeing the full list and remembering other faves from the era.

This book is for you if you have ever had lengthy discussions about the likes of Ben Stiller, Jon Favreau, or even Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro. Or if you haven’t, but aspire to someday. If you’re in film school, just do it.

I was surprised when I found that the author of this book is younger than I am. I don't feel like I'm an especially old lady, but this guy has a lot of G.O.M.R.s (grumpy old man rants) in his book. He does tells us what's coming from the title: movies used to be much better than they are now. And, I actually agree with him. But there were rants on superhero franchises, all franchises, movie theater prices, cell phones, movie trailers, streaming services, trigger warnings, and more. I found the tone amusing at first, but eventually it got old.
Having said that, I found the ideas in his essays on his selected 90s movies insightful for the most part. There were also interviews with movie makers and stars from some of the films, but I wasn't as interested in those. And on two of the films he made a big deal of not spoiling plot points in his essay... and then they were spoiled in the interviews.
Good book for big movie fans, but I'd suggest reading an essay every week or so instead of the whole book in one big bite.

Informative look at the 1990s cinematic history and iconic films that were important and influential at time of release and how they changed cinema as well as their cultural impact.
The book is broken down into 11 chapters- each representing a single year of the 1990s and the important films released, crash course synopses of each film, basic film theory terms, historical importance of each film etc.

I was a bit disappointed that no horror films were examined even though films like the Blair witch project and scream were released in the 90s and have had a significant impact on cinema.

Scott Ryan's The Last Decade of Cinema is a delightful journey back to the 1990s, a golden era for movies that I remember fondly. As a grandfather who spent countless hours watching films like Goodfellas and Pretty Woman, Ryan's book brought back a flood of cherished memories. His insightful analysis and behind-the-scenes stories from directors and actors are truly captivating. It’s a joy to revisit these classics and understand their lasting impact on today's film industry. For anyone who loves '90s cinema as much as I do, this book is an absolute treasure.

Scott Ryan's *The Last Decade of Cinema* is a cool deep dive into the best films of the 1990s. Even though I'm a bit too young to have seen these movies in theaters, his breakdown of classics like *Pulp Fiction* and *The Shawshank Redemption* is super engaging. His passion for these films is contagious, making me want to binge-watch every title he mentions. Plus, the interviews with directors and actors add an awesome insider perspective. If you’re into movies and want to understand why the '90s were such a big deal, this book is definitely worth checking out.

POSTED INTHEATRE
Book review: The Last
Scott Ryan takes us back to the 1990s in his eminently readable book. The Last Decade of Cinema returns us to a world of video rentals, real-life flirting, and perhaps the last hurrah of a core of really great cinematic experiences.

Your choices may not be the same as Ryan’s; mine weren’t. But as a fellow Gen X cinephile I could swap out one film for another and get the same effect.

But Ryan doesn’t just choose films, he dissects them and places them within his own experiences. He finds links with other media. He zones in on particular moments, whether he’s seeing the film for a 100th time or the 1st.

Here and there he adds interviews with those involved with his picks, full of insight and delving into what made the person make the feature.

The films are a mixed bag, but all the ones I have seen have something to recommend them, and I hungrily noted down the titles I hadn’t seen because one day I might.

Spoilers abound: it’s up to you, the reader, whether you want to mark certain titles to return to later. There’s a lot to enjoy here.

As younger generations eschew the cinema and physical home media for streaming services, many of these 1990s films are in danger of being ‘lost’ due to their unavailability.

Although there are regular TV showings for the likes of Goodfellas and Pulp Fiction, they are the ones backed with big bucks. Ryan rounds up some of the less starry vehicles which rarely receive such exposure.

The Last Decade of Cinema has an informal writing style and a very personal viewpoint – because cinema is personal.

However large a watching audience, there is no guarantee everyone will have the same reaction. But when they do, that’s the final piece in the movie magic puzzle. You can have a YouTube watchalong, but it isn’t quite the same.

I watch films any way I can. The cinema is great, but like Ryan, I find less and less worth my time and money. DVDs, TV, streaming are more individual, but perhaps the quality and vision are compromised.

Ryan’s book is part nostalgia, part personal journey, part primer to decade of memorable titles. He discusses how he tracks the work of particular directors or writers, but rarely actors.

Yet his film discussions are often about what an actor’s performance, yes, out of sequence, yes, often created or at least refined in the editing room, brings to the final product.

Does To Die For really say enough about the hunger for fame? Did films centring on blacks, teenagers, women, gay men work within the context of when they were made, and do they now?

Ryan has a full knowledge of the genres that made up 1990s cinema, and whether he is discussing Pretty Woman, Magnolia, The Big Lebowski, or Reality Bites he always has something interesting to say.

I really enjoyed this book! Scott Ryan is a film fanatic and I am too. His list covers films from the 1990"s - -most of these I saw when they first came out. I definitely want to watch these again after his insightful and enthusiastic descriptions of these films. He also includes some interviews with stars and filmmakers. After he shares the 25 films, he adds a listing and brief synopsis of 30 more films and includes an interview with Patricia Arquette. I loved his writing so much that I would read other books by him. He also made me feel nostalgic for video stores (he worked at a video store when he was younger) and the fact that we could "own a film" and not pay the hefty streaming fees. Also, he reminds us about the pleasure of seeing movies in theaters -- since the pandemic, many of us have not really returned as regularly to movie theaters - and it is such a different experience seeing a film on the big screen and with others in the audience. I recommend this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Black Château for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

I'm the kind of person who loves movies but doesn't know how to express why they are so good. That's why I love being able to read books like this.. Scott Ryan goes through 25 moves in the 90s and what makes them so great. He knows so much trivia and notices so many details. Even when I notice details, I usually can't articulate what makes them so interesting.
I knew I was going to appreciate this book when he started by saying that Broadcast News was his favorite. I used to date a guy who made me watch Broadcast News, and of course it became a movie I have to visit again and again. I can't wait to find the time to watch these movies again with my new perspective. Thanks to NetGalley fore letting me read this.

Many film historians consider 1939 to be the greatest movie year ever. Its releases included classics like “The Wizard of Oz” and the now controversial “Gone with the Wind” that many still watch regularly. Others, including me, consider the 1970s to be Hollywood’s greatest decade, giving us two “Godfather” films, “Jaws,” the first “Star Wars” movie, and many others. For Scott Ryan, it’s the 1990s. But he doesn’t just consider the 1990s to be Hollywood’s greatest decade. He describes it as “the last decade of cinema for adults who wanted to think, feel, and be positively impacted by stories told through light and sound.” To show the appeal of 1990s filmmaking, Ryan selected 25 movies, two or three from each year of the decade, that were, in his view, representative of the art of cinema during the decade. He then wrote an essay about each film. Those 25 essays are the heart of “The Last Decade of Cinema.” Whether or not you agree with Ryan’s thesis, those essays contain lots of helpful information, not just about the 25 films or 1990s filmmaking, but about the cinema in general.

Ryan’s movies are an eclectic mix. They include box office blockbusters (“Pretty Woman,” “Terminator 2”) and all-time classics (“Pulp Fiction,” “The Shawshank Redemption”). However, they also include movies that have been largely forgotten today (“To Die For,” “Citizen Ruth”). And they include several films about hip, 20-something Gen Xers that seem to be on the list because the author was a 20-something Gen Xer when he first saw them (“Reality Bites,” “Two Girls and a Guy”). The essays in the book are not in-depth reviews of the 25 movies. Instead, “The Last Decade of Cinema” can best be described as a companion piece for anyone interested in watching (or rewatching) the films on Ryan’s list.

The movies in “The Last Decade of Cinema” are here because they are, in the author’s opinion, superior demonstrations of the art and craft of filmmaking. To prove his point, he often illustrates the techniques the directors, writers, and crew used. For example, in the discussion of Martin Scorsese’s “Goodfellas,” the author discusses the film’s famous tracking shot, in which the camera follows Ray Liotta and Lorraine Bracco when they go to the Copacabana Club on a date. The point of the scene isn’t to show that Martin Scorsese knows how to move a camera around for over three minutes. Instead, it illustrates the allure of flashy mob life that sucks Lorraine Bracco in more and more deeply as the scene goes on. (The author also tells readers when the scene begins and ends to help anyone who is watching it home in on the exact scene.) Later, in discussing the Hughes brothers’ “Menace II Society,” the author refers to a similar tracking shot. A very different criminal enters a very different nightclub, and the audience experiences the excitement in much the same way as in “Goodfellas.” Great technique is universal.

Similarly, the author often mentions the subtlety of these screenplays. Regardless of the decade, studios want to ensure audiences “get the point.” So, the scripts repeat themselves and overemphasize apparent points. The result is dialogue that isn’t realistic and insults viewers. By contrast, in these 25 movies, screenwriters often rely on audiences to figure out meanings without spoon-feeding them. For example, in “Reality Bites,” one character tells another: “You’re on the inside track to Losersville, USA. Just like him.” The “him,” in this case, is the second character’s father. In most movies, the script would have read, “just like your dad.” Here, however, the author notes that using the word “him” instead of “your dad” shows how well the two characters know each other, so they both understand the exact meaning of the sentence without the script spelling it out for them and the audience.

If you’ve never seen “Reality Bites” or saw it years ago and forgot the details, this previous paragraph may be difficult to follow. That’s the biggest problem in “The Last Decade of Cinema.” In his desire not to spell out every detail about a movie, the author sometimes omits too much, and his arguments are hard to follow. That’s especially true of the later entries in the book, as if the author felt the text was running long and had to edit it more tightly. The author includes several interviews with these movies’ directors, writers, and cast members. Sometimes, these interviews are informative; at other times, they sound like get-togethers for members of a secret society who use coded messages to communicate with each other.

The author is quite opinionated about many topics, from using cell phones in theaters (hates them) to DVD commentaries (loves them). In fact, many of the details the author describes in his essays came from interviews, commentaries, and making-of features on the DVDs. I often felt the author gave his opinions on some subjects just so readers would disagree with him. Most of his controversial statements (including why “Titanic” and “Forrest Gump” don’t make his list) are contained in the first 10% of the book, which is slow and often dull going. That section also explains how the author narrowed the thousands of movies released during the 1990s to these 25, complete with arbitrary rules. For example, he only included one film per director on his list. He also didn’t include genre films like horror and animation because he felt they were still alive and always marketed to their respective audiences. This fixation on describing his own rules makes the introduction feel anal-retentive at times.

As far as the merits of the author’s opinions. I disagree with several, but I don’t want this review to become a point/counterpoint argument. So, I’ll leave it to readers to form their own opinions and argue with the author if they want. For many readers, “winning” this type of argument with the author will be the most enjoyable part of “The Last Decade of Cinema.” I will note that the author worked in a video store in the early 1990s (like Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino), which introduced him to some movies he discusses in the book. That job also directly led to his lifelong love of film. Whether his opinions on cinema are right or wrong, his knowledge is often encyclopedic. Surprisingly, the movies the author discusses aren’t all among his personal favorites. Although he has seen (and loved) some of them many times, others he had never seen before researching the book.

Like the author, I’ve seen almost all these movies. Some quick research reveals that they are all available on DVD or streaming (to rent or own, if not subscription services). So, none of these are lost movies, and anyone willing to shell out a few bucks can see any of them. In my case, I will rewatch a couple of them in the upcoming months to pick up on the author’s insights and compare my opinions with his. I’m not today’s typical moviegoing audience, though. I’m not sure how the crowds that packed theaters last summer for “Barbie” will react to discussions about obscure films made before they started watching movies. However, the factors that make a movie excellent are the same in 2024 as in 1994 or my heyday of 1974. Scott Ryan points out many of those factors in his 25 films. For those interested in expanding their cinematic horizons and discovering some unknown or forgotten gems, “The Last Decade of Cinema” is a valuable and entertaining resource.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.

How can you not love this book? I live through these times. These are the iconic films of the 1990s and its lasting impact. I am a die-hard film buff and I just love the ’90s, this book did a captivating look at a golden era of cinema. It's a must-read for anyone passionate about film history just like me. I believe this is not the first time Scott Ryan had written a phenomenal book. Amazing author. Amazing book.

This book does a great job of diving into some of the best films of the 1990s. Whether or not you agree that the 90s were the "last decade of cinema" at its finest, Scott takes a deep dive into what makes each selected film great. This includes discussion of filming tactics, favorite film traits of various directors and screenwriters, plotlines, specific dialogue points, and more. As someone who was still a small child in the 90s, I haven't actually watched several of the highlighted movies personally yet (though many are familiar to me generally), Scott's essays make me want to watch them all when I may otherwise have passed many over (simply for not being a genre I'd normally gravitate to like Goodfellas). Definitely worth the read!

4.5 stars! This book was such a fun look back at many different movies from the 1990's, some of which I'd seen and a lot of which I hadn't. It was very well written and the nostalgia was real! I now have a long list of films for us to watch whenever the mood strikes. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Fayetteville Mafia Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review - pub day is 6/18/24!