How Indie Film Ruled The 90s (And How It Fell)
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
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Audiences used to really care about independent films - so why does it feel like no one’s watching them anymore? We can still see the remnants of that cultural impact whenever we’re watching a movie by Quentin Tarantino, Sofia Coppola, or Wes Anderson. These directors, who came up through the ‘90s independent film scene, established distinctive individual styles in our minds. But since then, priorities have shifted away from “adult” movies and toward mega-blockbuster tentpoles or prestige-minded streaming shows. So was the ‘90s indie explosion the last of its kind, or can today’s low-budget, quality films find audiences and shape culture to come?
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The amount of research that goes into these videos is insane. The Take somehow makes such broad topics understandable and educational like no other channel does.
Also the rate at which they produce and put out the videos… 🤯 they must have a big team
@@hughielroberts6935 they don't just use stock footage? they write full on and well thought-out video essays that reference specific pop culture moments which requires ingenuity and hunting down the scene clip
@@hughielroberts6935 they must pay to use it
Good video. When people complain about today's lack of originality, this is a big part of where they are coming from. It's not that Indie films aren't still happening, but there seems to be less awareness or excitement about them, as they get drowned out by franchise blockbusters. In the 90s, Indies seemed to capture the zeitgeist a little better. There were a lot of factors why, and this essay rightly points out new generations are still enjoying the legacies of those filmmakers today. But there's still nothing quite like when it first prospered, so looking back, and longing for that time isn't so much about nostalgia; It just felt like a more creative era.
It is the same thing with the music scene. People often talk about how "X" genre is dead. With good music and movies, you have to do some research to find who is making good stuff today.
@@remllof Also remember, "Today's bullsh1t tomorrow's nostalgia" - Pan Pizza.
One exception- Taika Waititi. Amazing indie film writer director, swept up into the marvel universe, but still making unique films.
@@AliMarie022 he was funded through New Zealand taxpayer for making Boy, but had to crowd fund the US release
@@celeritas2-810 Aus & NZ govts give funds to local filmmakers to encourage the industry, but don't have creative control, and do not have any links to the major production companies. Very much an indie film production & distribution.
Parasite is more about Americans accepting more foreign language films than an indie resurgence - the director (Bong Joon-Ho) isn’t “indie”, he has multiple successful major motion pictures.
you guys are really obsessed with us.
Bong Joon Ho has a lot of mainstream South Korean films in his belt, so he’s not quite indie, more like a mainstream filmmaker with a considerably lower budget.
True, he directed Snowpiercer.
@@guokfdukknbgjk9416 not me... and I don't mean as an insult lol
@@guokfdukknbgjk9416 Much like the world is obsessed with the USA. I mean, look. You're on RUclips, an American made website, watching a channel made by American women. Is that your thing?
A24 movies are recapturing the 90s indie boom. Indie films aren't dead, they're just more diverse. Moonlight and hereditary are showing more diversity to the indie genre.
I love A24
I don't think A24 counts as indie, maybe only when they started
Not really. Most A24 films and its Directors are clearly very heavily inspired by 70's exploitation Cinema mostly around horror and thrillers. The Lighthouse for example is fairly similar to David Lynch's Eraserhead in the way its shot, lit and the whole feel of its atmosphere. A Ghost Story is shot, lit and directed a lot like an Andrei Tarkovsky film from the 70's which was his absolute peak. If anything A24 has been mostly recapturing 70's exploitation Cinema.
Yes! And we’re starting to see more foreign films becoming hits in the US 👍
I remember when Focus Features was the place to go in the early 2000s for indie films, and then they went mainstream. Such a shame!
Am surprised no one mentions that for most people going to movie theaters has become a expensive task like attending concerts and sporting events.
Smaller films with an indie feel have really transformed the art of cinema recently through the Oscar BP success of NEON (Parasite), A24 (Moonlight) and especially Searchlight (Nomadland, Birdman, The Shape of Water, Slumdog Millionaire and 12 Years a Slave).
Please make a video analysis about the trend we see nowadays of making remakes, reboots, spin-offs, prequels and sequels. It’s concerning
good idea!
Well, people watch them so they will continue to see them.
This has always happened tho
@@JTR_3 It's always happened, but it hasn't been the vast majority of the big movies these days like Hollywood is just admitting that it has run out of ideas.
You should totally make this video!!
Once we're warriors , Muriel's Wedding, Clerks and Welcome to the dollhouse are my favorites.
Muriels wedding is so good
@@litishalockett9500 "Good bye Porpoise spit!"
Welcome to the Dollhouse is BRUTAL, but so good.
@@karolineCPH Yes, if you looking for a happy ending, get ready to be disappointed.
Oh, Once We’re Warriors is such a great movie, heartbreaking!
Instead of indie I think we'll see a foreign film boom in America especially with South Korea. Americans are finally realizing there's more amazing stories out there beyond American produced.
Japanese Anime films are incredibly popular in both Europe and Latin America for a long while.
@@SlapstickGenius23
and kung fu movies were pretty big as well
@@mikemorro140 But many Kung Fu movies of the past that landed in USA theaters were often American produced or co-produced. Japanese anime films and K-drama films were produced out of their own production studios.
Robert Rodriguez doesn't get enough love, man. He has an interesting style and film identity. And he made an entire kids movie based on drawings by his kid, dedicated to his kid. Everything has a really cool homemade, creative flair. He can take the lowest damn budgets and turn out something if not great then at least interesting. He shaped my childhood with his movies with Antonio Banderas and his kids movies. Also, his kids movies all centered around Latino families and kids and growing up in a cuban mexican American family, we didn't have a ton of representation like that to choose from so it meant especially much. I just love that guy. Seems like such a genuine dude doing what he loves with the people he loves and I think that's just the best
Its so hard to make only independent films for studios... franchise films are growing day by day...in some countries indie films don't even get enough theatres...but still hope from studios like A24 blum house or filmmakers like safdie bros, Robert eggers etc...i hope that new wave filmmakers will come, 90s film style era will be back one day n indie films will be more supportive n accessible to wide audiences but looking at current climate its feels like still long way to go.
Totally. I’ve heard so many actors say that it’s hard to do only indie films and make a “successful” career out of it. (Guess they have their own definition of “success”, but I digress).
Often they take a role in a franchise to get the big payday and press attention, so they can go do smaller projects that they are passionate about.
@Erwin Lii thank you! I couldn’t remember who said it. I kept thinking Nicole Kidman (must have been the red hair on my brain). But I don’t doubt Nicole and plenty of others have a similar approach.
I think it’s interesting that you didn’t really touch on the effects that sites like RUclips have had on indie filmmaking. I would love to hear about that from you guys especially!
That’s true. I didn’t think about how so much creative talent is utilized through social media that wasn’t there in the 90s.
Agreed.
"We'll get more good movies than ever but the fewer people than ever might actually watch them"
That's a great conclusion
Good video 😁
I think indie films are becoming more and more daring and artisic. And it's no longer abt appeal. It's more abt trying to recapture the essence of innovative filmmaking
Horror is going through a renaissance right now for that reason. The "torture porn" of the 2000s has gone out of style in favor of more innovative films that take risks. Films like It Follows, The Lighthouse, Hereditary, The Empty Man, The Witch, and Get Out have been revolutionary in cinematography, storytelling, dialog, and style.
@@nekrataali And now Titane 🤠
Yes to indie movies being sources of original stories! I loved this indie I recently watched that's totally reminiscent of Kevin Smith and Dazed and Confused. It's called “Northwood Pie” and apparently cost 10k to make, talk about low budget high quality.
The simplest answer is because they are not accessible. They are various streaming services, but not every one has Amazon or apple plus.
Also, they are indie because they are filmed and marketed separately from big budgeted films like Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, etc.
I feel if people knew where to go to watch them without getting another streaming service, they would survive more. I think they are surviving, but most people din’t know where to look.
That's exactly how I feel too. I don't think Netflix is gonna put out all these low budget films, and not everyone knows about Mobi or whatever The Take said or wants to pay for it when they already have Netflix.
I never understand when someone complains about movies nowadays being "nothing but sequels and remakes" when they ignore that most movies (especially in the 80s) were mostly sequels and things like Scarface and The Thing already were remakes and they also ignore how many movies that have been made recently that don't fit into that box. Uncut Gems, Hereditary, Mid 90s, Eighth Grade, Unsane, Moonlight, etc. And then you have writer/directors like M. Night Shyamalan, Tarantino, Kevin Smith, and Wes Anderson who all still make original movies. Even if they have a few sequels under their belts, they mainly work on original content.
Becuz they spend so much time on the internet
I would like to see a video on the downfall of superstardom and celebrity culture due to the rise of social media. These days movie stars, music artists, athletes, etc., aren't as big as they used to be.
I really miss David Fincher reference. Seven, Fight Club, Gone girl later etc.
I love watching foreign indie films they're so underrated tbh
France , the Netherlands e.t.c have really good indie movies with captivating stories
I'm literally soaking it all up
The '70s and the '90s are my favorite 2 movie eras. During the '90s I was so obsessed with movies that I saw 2 movies a weekend AND rented movies from Blockbuster on the weeknights!!
Probably the biggest loss is in the marketing. Great indie films are still being made all the time, but you have to actively seek them out now. Most people are just lazy and only watch what's right in front of their face. I'm constantly amazed by the shit people watch on Netflix for the sole reason that it's on Netflix.
I am one of those people 🤦 I watch some of the worst shows lol. In my defense sometimes I just need something dumb and mildly entertaining while I'm doing chores and relaxing.
I do wish indie films were more accessible.
the problem is that most people don’t have a real interest in cinema, so they don’t feel the need to actively seek them out
I miss the 90's: indie films, underground hip hop, and the rave scene.
Thank you SO MUCH for including HAROLD AND MAUDE in this vid. It's the BEST film I've ever seen (and always recommend people) but I never hear anybody talking about it.
Spike Lee is such a trailblazing indie filmmaker. He definitely paved the way for filmmakers like Ryan Coogler.
Indie content right now tries to be “relatable and authentic” rather than the “weird and quirky” movies in the 90s.
You can just say diversity bothers you and move on
@@mia-paris5533 it also doesn’t make sense because can someone tell me how something like hereditary is relatable and authentic?
@@Krispsandwich Relax there. At no point did they mention that people of color or gays were a blight in cinema🙄
@@Krispsandwich how did you arrive at this conclusion lol
@@Krispsandwich I'm a gay Asian atheist, so your argument is invalid.
Do a take on the Golden Age of Television next.
Does this start from The Sopranos?or was it in the mid 2000s?
@@mnt5592 Sopranos came out in 1999 and it paved the way for shows like Mad Men, The Wire, Breaking Bad, Ozark, The Shield, and many other shows.
@@sammeettelang6267 that is why i'm asking. Does it start from the sopranos or from the mid late 2000s (shows like mad men, breaking bad etc)
@@mnt5592 Yes, it starts with the sopranos.
Oz and Twin Peaks were the precursors, though. They were deviations from episodic television in that you had to see each episode to understand the plot. The Sopranos was probably the real start, but I think Lost cemented television as a legitimate medium because it showed you can risk a large financial investment.
My mind is blown that after 13 years, the superhero genre is STILL a juggernaut (and I don’t know how I feel about it as I do love Marvel movies)
It's actually been more like 20! Superhero films have been a consistent presence in the highest-grossing films of the year since X-Men in 2000.
@@annab9791 wow 20, really?
I know right? I feel like i haven't seen a movie in theaters in 13 years either!
I read somewhere that one potential reason why superhero movies have had such staying power is because as life has felt more and more chaotic & uncontrollable, superhero movies provide the exact outlet audiences desire to take a respite from those uncertainties (and it makes a little bit of sense too!)
I postulate that we do have indie content that DOES "sell" more than blockbuster: and that's true indie, meaning, RUclips and TikTok. That's the indie of today. Not passive, narrative movies. In fact, most young people today don't even watch the blockbusters, they prefer to be on social media or play games. They want to be more interactive with the content they consume. It's the 25+ year olds and over who still watch TV a lot. The younger ones deviate from it. And so the indie scene of the 90s, is alive today, but it's being democratized even more, via youtube/tiktok.
I agree to a certain extent but I have a hard time seeing much overlap between a 90+ minute film and a thirty second video in terms of emotional impact.
@@infinitebeaches That's the larger point I was trying to make. Younger people don't watch movies anymore. So it doesn't matter if these youtube/tiktok videos aren't 90 minute narratives. What it matters is that they are direct competitors (in terms of attention and time given) to movies, as far as young viewers are concerned. So the hip watch time of today is short form democratized "content", instead of a 90 min drama.
It should be noted that Smith has never really had a mainstream hit in his career which is probably why he went back to making smaller if not stranger films.
Wasn't Chasing Amy a mainstream hit? Or Jersey Girl a mainstream flop?
@@JTR_3 Smith had never had major hit like Tarantino. His break through movie Clarks found it's audience on home video. Personally I only seen one of his movies in a theater and that was Dogma. That said I do think Chasing Amy was his biggest hit which had a slow roll out that helped build a buzz.
@@stephennootens916 and Tarantino never had a hit like Star Wars, but it's considered a hit. Same thing with Chasing Amy, on a scale, it achieved mainstream notoriety and it's the one that helped Smith for a while to continue to get funding and the goodwill of movie studios and audiences to produce more films (until Jersey Girl, which was such a big mainstream flop it eroded his notoriety significantly)
@@JTR_3To have 'notoriety' is to be 'notorious,' which is to be well-known in a negative way. It's really a synonym for 'infamy' (even as it often gets mistaken as a synonym for 'noteworthiness' or 'fame'). So 'Jersey Girl' -- far from eroding it -- by becoming a 'notorious' flop, actually gave him notoriety - a negative reputation - in the film industry.
Also, wasn't 'Mall Rats' kind of a flop? 'Chasing Amy' was sort of a rebound from that.
@@ronmackinnon9374 thanks for that language lesson as English isn't my first language. So maybe I have the concept of mainstream as being worldwide known by the "common" people, which is what Chasing Amy was and what Jersey Girl was too, one being a hit and the other a flop. Ergo achieving mainstream status
I think it's ridiculous that people say "superhero movies have ruined cinema as an artform". Big franchises and consumer culture have their problematic elements...but franchises were around before the MCU. And honestly, Marvel's trend toward hiring quality indie directors means they are willing to embrace individual takes on the characters and storylines. And over the ten-year arc of the Infinity Saga, MCU moved beyond Michael Bay-style explosions and quick cuts to create moving and deeply layered stories about family (blood, adopted, chosen), hubris and arrogance and the consequences of same, grief and loss, racism and social justice and many other very important themes. Indie films are great and I love the directors that came out of the 90s indie boom, as well as many newer indie directors and writers. I just wish fewer people would write off the MCU films as "cheap, shallow trash" or "blatant money grabs with no substance" because it simply isn't true.
The thing to understand is that we now live in an era where there are no more gatekeepers while it’s not known as much there is a swath of directors today who upload their films onto RUclips and in many ways THAT is the 2020s equivalent of the New Hollywood movement of the 70s and the Indie movement of the 90s.
Agreed…not to mention there are companies such as Annapurna and A24 with money who value story over all else giving us stuff that may not necessarily be indie but be ambitious stories unlike those we normally see from the studio system.
I think that's why in the end of the video they said "There will be many new movies made than ever before BUT fewer people will watch them [because they have access to some many different mediums, there's more competition and less ways to find out where these movies are situated].
Tarantino had god like status in 90s indie cinema...... still has
A shame he let it go to his head
It is so true, his ego has been writing checks his ass can't cash. And it doesn't help that the more you know about movies the more you see how much he steels from others.
Tarantino IMO has only made 3 good movies: Jackie Brown, Pulp Fiction, and Reservoir Dogs. Every other film of his has great dialog and storytelling, then becomes a parody of itself in the last act that completely ruins the movie. Kill Bill volume 1? Fucking fantastic....until Beatrix kills 88 people by herself after struggling to kill a school girl. Inglorious Basterds? He could have cut all the shit about the Basterds and assassinating Hitler. It should have focused solely on a woman seeking revenge on a single SS officer that murdered her friends and family. But no, we have to have this ridiculous "Hitler and the Nazi high command all die in a theater fire." Django Unchained? Great film! Until we get to the end....where Tarantino has to undo all his character development and the plot just so he can have his giant shootout.
The worst part is he calls it "homage," when really he's just stealing material from Akira Kurosawa and Sergio Leone. I will die on this hill: Tarantino isn't a good director, he's a hack that got lucky with a few of his early films and now uses his projects to say the n-word and satisfy his foot fetish. Don't @ me.
@@nekrataali Hateful Eight makes no sense, he claimed it was a western mystery but it is poorly constructed one because he leaves no clues for the view. This is proven by the the fact he has to jump in with narration in the middle of the movie and than do a flash back. When you think about it he can't or won't structure a movie right. Reservoir dogs us pretty much a City on Fire's last act turned into a movie. The fact of the matter it seems that he just puts things he thinks is cool and put them in his movies.
@@robchuk4136 damn shame!
The "struggling Oscar ratings" have to do with people not having cable and not being able to watch the Oscars anywhere else..
That and I think people are sick of the Hollywood politics. Like Al Pacino didn't get an award for The Godfather, so the Oscars made it up to him and he got it for Scent of a Woman. This meant Denzel Washington didn't get it for Malcolm X, so when Russel Crowe was being shunned, Washington got an award for Training Day.
This is all too common. I'm still pissed that Saving Private Ryan, which caused military recruitment to plummet, lost to Shakespeare in Love, a film nobody fucking remembers after a year.
Oh my god please do more of this, this is a throw back to the screen prism days. Xoxo
This is the same thing that happens every couple of years…”Oh! Independent movies aren’t getting made anymore! It’s all blockbusters! They don’t make small movies now!”
This is ridiculous. Especially now, when we have multiple streaming services putting out independently funded movies almost every week. There’s more “independent” movies getting distributed now than there every have been.
To me, a lot of the what previously would have been creators & partakers of independent cinema are now on completely different formats. Some really great storytelling happens on provider-exclusive programs (like shows on Netflix), on youtube, even on TikTok. People aren't forced to make feature films to express themselves now.
Hello :) I would love to see a video where the two of you discuss how you came to be fvideo essayists - what did you study? what were your original plans? have you worked in the industry?? - i am planning to do a minor in screen studies in my arts (humanities) degree, partly bc of your channel. thanks babes x
Seems as though the indie film craze of the 90's ran parallel with the indie music/Grunge phenomenon.
I miss the 90's indie movie era
Saw the image of Ben Affleck in Chasing Amy: would love to see a video on that film, particularly with it’s complicated take on bisexuality, homophobia, slut-shaming, and race
Indie movies has had a resurgence with streaming
The line the creators of Parasite said about the 1-inch barrier of subtitles is so true. One bright side of the streaing boom is that it made movies from my own country much more accessible for me too and I discovered some of my favorite movies that way. If English speakers would be willing to put in the effort of reading subtitles, a whole new world of possibilities would open up for them. Compared to the Hollywood studios, everything we make over here in Europe is indie, at least budget-wise. X'D
In Kerala , Inde movies are popular now. Now I fear that the same thing will happen to Mollywood also
With the strike going on I say we are headed towards an indie film renaissance.
I hate it when some people are such hipsters. Like they automatically believe that a big Blockbuster franchise movie has to be bad because all the creators care about is making money.
Lemme just say this once: high budget blockbuster movies are not automatically bad, they can have a lot of merit to them and small budget indie films aren’t always good just because the creators care less about making money and are more focused on telling a story. There’s nothing inherently bad about wanting to make money ok, it only gets bad when that’s ALL you care about.
Ps, I’m a lover of both Indies and franchise movies.
I first joined the IFP NY in 1989, so I remember "indie" film of the 90's prior to the "indie boom" of that decade. Sundance wasn't quite Sundance. The festival was originally called The United States Film Festival. The "indie" movie "darlings" of the time were Metropolitan, She's Gotta Have It and Hollywood Shuffle. Those were all $100k 16mm movies, but they weren't quite as celebrated as the "indie" films that came later.
The first movie I ever worked on (as a camera intern) had Samuel Jackson and Rosanna Arquette in it (who were of course in Pulp Fiction). It was financed by RCA/Columbia for $1.2 million dollars (who also financed Sex, Lies and Videotape) and starred Jeff Goldblum along with Rory Cochrane (his first or second movie). It was also Famke Janssen's debut movie. I remember asking who Samuel Jackson was when I first saw him on set. The answer I got was "He was the guy with the shotgun who robbed McDowell's in Coming To America.", then I remembered. Little did I know what was to come.
What's interesting is that the movie I worked on screened at Sundance the same year as Reservoir Dogs. Few have heard of it, nevermind saw it. I still don't see those movies as true "indies" like Clerks or El Mariachi.
The "indie boom" was initially inspirational as it was happening, but extremely discouraging at the same time. The funny thing is that I think most filmmakers of that time really didn't want to be "indie", you start out that way by default. The irony is that a lot of filmmakers wanted to get into Sundance, not because it was about "indie" film, but because it was a way out of "indie" and into the studio system. That was my impression by the late 90's anyway. I don't blame them. I'd do the same.
The spirit of these indie movies like good writing, originality and experimentation got co-opted by TV and found greater expression there. This is turn left a vacuum in movies which these big budget superhero movies filled. These movies are the polar opposite of the content on TV just as TV shows are polar opposite of studio movies.
Im a 2000s kid but the 90s era, culturally speaking was at its creative peak in music and cinema. Thanks gen x
90s boom is certainly still influential. I made a film named "How is that for a Monday?" for a budget of 70,000 USD inspired by these films.
This video mentions interesting information about the surge of indie films to the forefront in media but I was wondering where this information is sighted from. I checked your website too
I thought it was Harry Potter in the thumbnail. But I was like, wait a minute, that wasn't an indie film, was it? lol
Millennial nostalgia is great but makes me feel old lol. 91' kid and love the sci-fi Indie's. Mr Nobody
It should be said, though, that the highest grossing films of the 90s were still overwhelmingly the big-budget studio films. Only a couple times in the decade did we get a "Four Weddings and a Funeral" or a "The Full Monty," which were each only made for $3-4 million and grossed like 100× that.
Yah weren't Titanic and Jurassic Park the highest grossing films of all time (adjusting for inflation) until the Star Wars prequels, Avatar, and Marvel?
19:08 you would think that but living in not-uk Europe it's still really hard to _legally_ watch indie movies on streaming services due to region locks.
I think the indie scene of todays are the tv series with an indie feel. Take the example of Michaela Coels's "I may destroy you" produced by HBO.
This is such a great video! I do have a request though... I watched Pulp Fiction and I didn't understand how it was supposed to be this amazing cult classic(don't attack me haha), so I'd love an explanation on what made it so great and popular. Also, I'd love to see your guys' take on the Rocky Horror Picture Show if you haven't already. Love you guys! xx
I think they sort of explained it in the video: Pulp Fiction brought in new concepts for the indie film genre like violence and silliness as opposed to the high-brow think pieces that made up the majority of low-budget films before that. So rather than it being 'one of the best movies ever made' I think it just felt fresh and fun for a more mainstream audience than had been watching indie films before that, and that kind of blew it out of proportion.
But I do agree, I watched Pulp Fiction for the first time about 5 years ago after being hounded by my dad for years, and whilst I enjoyed it, I didn't feel it lived up to the massive hype. I thought Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels was more entertaining and I'm kind of surprised they didn't talk about Guy Ritchie in the video, although maybe he doesn't count as indie/90s? I'm not sure
It examined the whole gangster film genre, holding up a mirror to it -- a gangster movie about gangster movies. While it also works it's way to the big questions of Life. Two hoods miraculously survive a hail of bullets - one takes it as a sign that it's time to move on (and even pays his good luck forward by letting a small-time crook off the hook); the other brushes it aside, and soon after gets blown to bits by his own gun, which he'd carelessly left lying on the counter, in the hands of another.
Then there's that mysterious glow coming out of the briefcase. 'Are we happy?' 'Yeah, we're happy!'
Can you talk about how “good” films (like those which are critically acclaimed are mostly male centric and that films targeted at women don’t preform as well and aren’t considered as high brow
Love this channel but indie directors also included: Leslie Harris “Just another girl on the IRT”, Julie Dash “Daughters of the Dust” Theodore Witcher “ Love Jones”…..I could name a dozen or more but you only mentioned white directors. Lots of BIPOC directed indies only indie because despite their excellence they either didn’t get a major rollout or didn’t get wide audience attention. Maybe this means you need to do a video about that topic from the POV of non white and/or LGBTQ directors. All of these voices equal what we see on the screen today.
these franchises are the only ones that used the strong character development that the 90s indy people used to make the classics they did
all about making the players / characters relatable and like able
35 thousand dollars is considered low budget. This is one super-expensive industry.
I think Spike Lee was overlooked in this essay. She's Gotta Have It was foundational to the indie boom.
Not only him but David Fincher, Mario Van Peebles, John Singleton & The Hudges Brother's.
Why did you entirely miss John Sayles? He made the best indie films of the '90, if not the most profitable.
Okay, Tarentino totally looks like Chris Chan in the thumbnail. I can’t unsee that. 😂😂
I hope indie video games don’t die out like indie movies.
Kevin Smith is so heavily associated with the nineties that I think he’s had his day!
Well done. Question: In what ways, if any, do you think John Waters and David Lynch, who were indie filmmakers and began drawing attention during the 1970s, influenced the wave of '90s indie filmmakers? Shawn R., Mo-Mutt Music/Sacred & Secular (and former grad film student)
And John Cassavetes and Shirley Clarke before them.
The best indie distributors today are IFC Film, Sony Pictures Classics and Oscilloscope
After watching nearly every Indie Spirit nominee this year (Wild Indian was my favorite - excellent), I must say that most indie films just don't have the energy that they used to have. We used to have Pulp freakin' Fiction, now we have The Lost Daughter. I wish I had a more intelligent way of putting it, but indie films have just gotten boring. Slow moving movies with ambiguous endings is now the norm. Don't get me wrong, I do love me more than a few slow moving movies with ambiguous endings (Wild Indian's is perfect) but, jeez, every one of them has to have that same tone about them? We need more filmmakers like Sean Baker who is actually making some exciting and fresh indie movies.
There have always been ‘slow’ indie movies (Dead Man, anyone?) just like there are plenty of indie movies with energy today. Look at the Safdie brothers, Ari Aster, Josephine Decker and Janicza Bravo. There is a place for both.
If you’re going to compare every indie movie to Pulp Fiction you’re setting them up for a loss.
I’m really intrigued about indie movies and want to pursue that interest but not sure where to even begin. Are there any lists out there if suggested indie 90s movies?
The problem with the indie boom is that there wasn't a big market for it. You felt the hits at the time such the Craft and Election but at the same time, you felt the genre was still climbing up the mountain and didnt make it to the top.
A video about A24 would be great. Their films are so unique.
Great video. Its a topic I wondered about. Could have mentuned Ang Lee, one of my favorite 90's directores. BTW he also had this moment of directing Hulk, which I remember reading he regretted.
Blimey Charlie, it’s Mark Kermode!
When Disney bought Miramax in 1993, it was the beginning of the end for independent film.
I just know if these guys make a video on Squid Game it'll be so intelligently put and and interesting, can't wait to hear what they have to say!
Gen Xer here. Really enjoyed this. Wondering if you could cover Linklater's Before trilogy.
Because not only creatives are captured. Audience are captured too.
Does Empire Records count as a 90s indie movie? Just asking because that's one of my favorite lesser-known teen movies
Love, love, love 90s/early y2k indie films
I'm very glad at least one place on the English-speaking internet can maturely discuss how big HW was for the proliferation of indie film in the 90s-2000s. Obviously no civilized person defends who he is, but it's really difficult to discuss why the modern theater is almost entirely AAA blockbusters and endless sequels/remakes, without a knee jerk reaction from someone not interested in having a discussion. Instead of an ethical and moral replacement for HW, the entire apparatus was shut down, and now it's mostly A24 and Blumhouse horror that gives indies any theater exposure. It's not completely dire but we're very far away from the 90s-00s indie boom, and I'm worried it may not resurface in the future
HW wasn't that great of a producer anyway, he ruined a number of productions and directors. But he was a very powerful producer that specialized in indie talent. That position needed to be replaced, not erased
i just think less people take pride in their work now, its all about money, awards, recognition, less about telling a good story, or writing unique characters and making people think. its not just movies, but shows, and video games. not saying the past was always benevolant in this regard, we just had more access cause of the reasons described here
Two words: insurance and financing. It is very hard to get both right now. With the tech sector boom and bitcoin, there are a lot of other places people are investing their money. And the insurers have not been very supportive of indies especially after COVID
It's simple really. The low budget, highly ambitious, youth/adult oriented, director lead, material saturate the streaming platforms, awards seasons and movie festival circuits veeing for recognition while the big budget, crowd pleasing, family friendly, studio controlled blockbusters(sequels, prequels, retcons and remakes) made from original content or pre-existing intelligence properties reign supreme box office. In the current climate, the competition in the film industry couldn't be greater.
There were other Black Directors who were prominent in the 90's other than Spike Lee overlooked in this video. Notably Mario Van Peebles(New Jack City, Posse & Panther), John Singleton(Boyz N the Hood, Poetic Justice & Higher Learning) and the Hughes Brothers(Menace 2 Society & Dead Presidents). Of the 70's New Hollywood Movement, there was also William Friedkin of The Exorcist & French Connection fame. Stephen Spielberg stood out head and shoulders above his peers(Coppola, Scorsese & De Palma) because his movies had the mass appeal they did not since their main focus was on directing adult orientated cinema.
I watch indie films all the time woman! They'r still popular and way better than todays over rated hollywood movies.
The Brothers McMullen is underrated 90’s indie gem
can someone pls make a list off all the indie movies/directors mentioned here so i can watch lol
Millenial indie really didn't have its decade the way the other generations did.
If the 60s, 80s, and 2000s were the eras of studio control, and the 70s and 90 had really strong indie showings..... weren't we due for another indie era starting in like 2010 and lasting til 2020? Why didnt that happen?
I'd argue that the 2000s were a return to 80s style obsession with sequels: we had 3 star wars, 8 harry potters, 3 spidermen, 3 x men and 3 LOTR, all in under 10 years. That's 2-3 franchise movies per year. But when the pendulum SHOULD have swung back to indie filmakers (in 2010 ish). But that's exactly when Marvel and then DCU and then Star Wars took over the box office. We never had a chance.
great broadcast !
Great video! But I do think there was a bit of an oversight by skipping John Singleton and Boyz N the Hood.
What about all those 90's sitcoms that were revolving around people working in an office and sex? I always felt they were too far fetched from reality. and at that time the writers were trying too hard to "be cool".
They covered this recently in another video: The Death of the Workplace Sitcom.
I’ve always felt that horror was the greatest expression of how indie films are doing. A24 built their entire brand off indie vibes.
Te amo the take eres simplemente increíble
Just here to say I don't hear enough people talking about how fucking amazing Brian DePalma is, yall seen Phantom of the Paradise??? My fave movie ever
Because Gen Z and X plays Steam instead, simple as that. Make a game that's like a movie, in that sense 'indie films' are still alive. They're just indie games.
'...not every ultra-low-budget miracle is a genre piece.' Proceeds to identify the purported example of 'Once' by its genre ('musical romance'). 😊
Indie movies: we want to be very nichy
Mediocrer success: Oh people nowa days have poor taste
No, you guys just had a very specific audience from the very begning, which means less people are gonna enjoy it
Whew! Finally...a video about something interesting. I was about to give up The Take because it seems like everything lately has been focused on how bad it is for (insert group here) and how movies get everything wrong lately. I'm all for changing how things are done and making things better for everybody. But it's nice to just enjoy a movie sometimes.
Agreed.
The last thing DC movies are is formulaic. When wb doesn’t actively try to destroy it the DCEU stands out as a unique series of movies with great storytelling and incredible characters.