This classic of film criticism, long considered invaluable for its eloquent study of a problematic period in film history, is now substantially updated and revised by the author to include chapters beyond the Reagan era and into the twenty-first century. For the new edition, Robin Wood has written a substantial new preface that explores the interesting double context within which the book can be read-that in which it was written and that in which we find ourselves today. Among the other additions to this new edition are a celebration of modern "screwball" comedies like My Best Friend's Wedding, and an analysis of '90s American and Canadian teen movies in the vein of American Pie, Can't Hardly Wait, and Rollercoaster. Also included are a chapter on Hollywood today that looks at David Fincher and Jim Jarmusch (among others) and an illuminating essay on Day of the Dead.
Prologue 2003 1. Cards on the Table 2. The Chase: Flashback, 1965 3. Smart-Ass and Cutie-Pie: Notes Toward the Evaluation of Altman (1975) 4. The Incoherent Text: Narrative in the 70s 5. The American Nightmare: Horror in the 70s 6. Normality and Monsters: The Films of Larry Cohen and George Romero 7. Brian De Palma: The Politics of Castration 8. Papering the Cracks: Fantasy and Ideology in the Reagan Era 9. Horror in the 80s 10. Images and Women 11. From Buddies to Lovers 12. Two Films by Martin Scorsese 13. Two Films by Michael Cimino 14. Day of the Dead: The Woman's Nightmare 15. On and Around My Best Friend's Wedding 16. Teens, Parties, and Rollercoasters: A Genre of the 90s 17. Hollywood Today: Is an Oppositional Cinema Possible? Bibliography Index
