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Down and Dirty Pictures
- Miramax, Sundance and the Rise of Independent Film
- Narrated by: Phil Gigante
- Length: 23 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Arts & Entertainment, Art
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Hmm not sure
- By Trebor on 18-07-15
Summary
Candid, penetrating and controversial, Down and Dirty Pictures is a must-read for anyone interested in the film world.
Critic reviews
"Dishy, teeming, superbly reported...packed with lively inside anecdotes...[a] juicy and fascinating expose." ( Entertainment Weekly)
More from the same
What listeners say about Down and Dirty Pictures
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Duncan
- 07-04-13
Want to know about Indie films? A must listen
I am a student studying film and this book has proven to be fascinating for many reasons. For one I goes a really well written and interesting insight into how it is done in the real world if film. I also had worked well as something I could quote from and talk about in Uni work. Lots of useful information on how filmmakers such as Soderbergh, Tarantino and Smith began and worked in an Indie environment.
Very well read as well with good voices and well paced.
I would defiantly recommend!
2 people found this helpful
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- Mr. Paul Byrne
- 04-04-21
Cinema Parasito
To be fair, when it comes to being a monster, Harvey Weinstein was hiding in plain sight. It's Chinatown, baby.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 06-08-18
down and dirty indeed!
Right off the bat I wanna say that people have subsequently tended to give Peter Biskind a little bit of a hard time because there is a perception that he was in the best place to expose Harvey Weinstein. I don't really buy that though because at that point they were just rumours, even if the author was virtually positive they were true. Matt Damon even came forward in said he had heard rumours but that he was unwilling to move on rumours. So I don't think anyone can hold that against Peter too much. I mean why was he in the best position to expose Harvey? I would think the people that worked with him everyday who knew that the rumours were a bit more than rumours were in the best place to expose him. anyway I digress.
This book is amazing! It Paints a lovely picture of one of my favourite periods in film history. it not only tells the story of the fustrated artists that populate the indie movie scene, but also tells the story of how those frustrated artists worked with unscrupulous capitalists and that kind of a strange marriage that often produced brilliant and diverse movies. I loved every sentence.
1 person found this helpful
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- Callum Bryce
- 01-12-15
Worth a Listen
What did you like most about Down and Dirty Pictures?
Peter Biskind manages to thread together interesting stories behind the development of many of the best films of the nineties into an interesting history of Harvey Weinstein's greed.
Have you listened to any of Phil Gigante’s other performances? How does this one compare?
Gigante's performance was good, though some of the accents were a little ropey and the occasional word was mispronounced.
Any additional comments?
A good book that is worth a listen for anyone interested in independent cinema of the nineties. Only real negative is that some of the background stories about executives and independent distributors seem unnecessarily long, while others are straight out superfluous.
1 person found this helpful
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- Leo
- 02-11-12
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
This audio book is more relevant now than ever! It is vital for anyone working in film or with an interest. It also has an amazing narrative, so it['s not boring! Like a work of fiction, there are strong character stories all the way through... I found this impossible to put away and have enjoyed every minute of it! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
1 person found this helpful
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- Jay Lewis
- 22-06-18
Fantastic Presentation
This is a very interesting look at the rise of Miramax and Harvey “Scissor-Hands” Weinstein.
It’s well read and easy to listen to. I urge you to clear out some time for this one as you’ll love it.
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- charlie
- 06-06-16
Not that interesting for filmmakers
It wasn't a terrible book but wasn't as good as his raging bull one about the movie brats. Wasn't much about filmmaking or filmmakers was mainly about Harvey Weinstein and was pretty tediously about the business side of the indie film world
1 person found this helpful
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- Trebor
- 27-05-19
Very Informative
Superb account of Independent movies.
And more relevant how Harvey Weinstein behaved during that time,
although this account has nothing to do with his recent problems.
Robert Redford doesn't come across as a very nice person also.
Who would have guessed.
Its very long, and I did skip some bits.
But all in all anyone who is interested in movies will love it.
And not forgetting the narrator, who is excellent.
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- natalie
- 26-08-14
For the independent film lover!
Any additional comments?
This is an incredibly insightful book about the inner workings of Miramax and Sundance. It is a little like seeing how sausage is made, as it takes some of the glamour out of the movies you love.
The accents that Phil Gigante does for each player range from unobtrusive to hilariously awful. It's something you can listen past, but each time Matt Damon or Spike Lee "spoke", I burst out laughing. This is a small distraction, however. The book is over 23 hours long and when it ended, I immediately started it again. If you have interest in independent or smaller movies, you will find this book completely entertaining.
6 people found this helpful
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- Hoppin' Cretin
- 29-08-15
Peter Should Write a Sequel
A warts and all history ... would be great to read 2003 to Present update.
4 people found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 21-11-17
If you liked independent movies from the nineties, Check this out.
There’s a little too much detail, but lots of insight to the independent movie business and what jerks/assholes the Weinstein’s were before any sex assaults.
3 people found this helpful
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- Consumer Justice
- 12-08-19
Biskind is a genius writer, but too much profanity
I loved Peter's other book on indie film, but this book was filled with way too much profanity. I had to turn it off. Maybe they talk this way in Hollywood, but it didn't have to be in this book. It made the listening (I bought the audio version) disturbing.
2 people found this helpful
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- Morgan
- 08-06-11
Fascinating...but a terrible narrator.
It's an impressive collection of "inside" stories from all sources regarding the rise of Sundance and Miramax. The only knock is that, since it's a kind of oral history, there are many different voices of remarkable people throughout. My apologies to the narrator, but I found his takes on the likes of Spike Lee, Matt Damon and many others to be silly, distracting, and occasionally insulting.
Once you get past that it's a fascinating look into the independent film culture and the origins of some of Hollywood's biggest names and companies.
5 people found this helpful
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- charlotte
- 19-05-15
Enthralling history of 90s cinemas
Would you consider the audio edition of Down and Dirty Pictures to be better than the print version?
Yes, I love the narrator and he does great accents
Who was your favorite character and why?
Billy Bob Thornton and Harvey Weinstein threatening to stab each other forks
What does Phil Gigante bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Voices,
Any additional comments?
Please more Peter Biskind books especially Gods and Monsters or My lunches with Orson Welles
1 person found this helpful
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- Andrew Hawkins
- 29-07-13
The Rise and Fall of Indie Film
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
This book is a must read for any fan of Miramax and/or Sundance.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Down and Dirty Pictures?
The Weinstein stories are incredible.
What does Phil Gigante bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Phil Gigante's range as a storyteller is perfect and his representations of the parties involved in the narrative are spot on!
If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?
Miramax Sucks, Sundance Blows
Any additional comments?
This is a revelation.
1 person found this helpful
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- todd
- 06-04-12
Excellent
Would you consider the audio edition of Down and Dirty Pictures to be better than the print version?
I don't know.
What other book might you compare Down and Dirty Pictures to and why?
I don't know.
What does Phil Gigante bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
See my review below.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It was excellent.
Any additional comments?
I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook. It’s ironic that the men behind some of the most thoughtful, critically acclaimed independent films of the 90s (The Crying Game, Shakespeare in Love, The English Patient, etc) - the Weinstein brothers, are at base a couple of bullies. It’s also ironic that independent film icon, Robert Redford, used his influence at Sundance to take promising projects (A River Runs Through It and Quiz Show) away from other Sundance filmmakers . Although some might complain that author Biskind portrays the Weinsteins and Redford negatively, there is no lack of evidence for his point of view. He names names; it’s good, solid journalism. Phil Gigante’s narration is excellent. He gives dozens of people distinctive voices, and his characterizations of Harvey and Bob Weinstein are particularly memorable
1 person found this helpful
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- Peter Debruge
- 01-03-10
Sloppy book seems sleazier than its subjects
Peter Biskind delivers another juicy read, and that goes a long way, even if the book seems relentlessly one-track-minded about painting Harvey Weinstein and Robert Redford in the most unflattering possible light. Biskind must have decided what he wanted to hear before going into any interview, so his extensive reporting merely corroborates his opening thesis -- that Harvey's a boor and Redford's a control freak.
Still, it's fun to hear all that dirt, even if (in Harvey's case) it amounts to little more than chain smoking, binge eating and verbal abuse, invariably followed up with some form of apology a day later. There's none of the "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls" sleaze here, even though Harvey's reputation is surrounded by revolting abuse-of-power anecdotes in real life (guess the lawyers couldn't clear that stuff).
Phil Gigante gives a lively performance to the material, taking greater care to capture the voices of his characters (back-woods Billy Bob Thornton, the Redford drawl, the belligerent Harvey, etc.) than the pronunciation of their names (David Linde, for instance, features prominently and is always called "Lind" rather than "Lind-ee"). He botches many of the names, but then, Biskind's loose with his facts, and that's a far graver transgression.
3 people found this helpful
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- trilingualsalsadoc
- 21-08-20
Not as fun as Easy Riders, Raging Bulls
Not as fun as Easy Riders, Raging Bulls
Likely, the bit of filmmaking history included didn’t provide as many intriguing tales