DOWN AND DIRTY PICTURES Miramax, Sundance and the Rise of Independent Film

A follow-up to Biskind's previous opus, EASY RIDERS, RAGING BULLS—which dealt with the revolution in the mainstream cinema in the late sixties and early seventies—this is the flip side, dealing with the equally backbiting and pretentious independent film scene, which flourished as that original spark gave way to increasingly vapid, overblown mega-productions. Biskind focuses on the first family of independent film, the Weinstein Brothers, who, as the launchers of Miramax in the eighties, pointed the way to more independent productions, such as those of Sundance. Narrator Phil Gigante employs theatrical touches and vocal nuances in delivering the material, such as a gruff, corpulent-sounding voice when portraying the narrative's central protagonist, Harvey Weinstein. Gigante makes an unlikable character even less likable. In other words, this is a strong performance. J.S.H. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2009]