Rating: 
Summary: A Must Read for All Film Fan's
Review: For those who didn't think Peter Biskind would ever top his book EASY RIDERS, RAGING BULLS, he does it with DOWN AND DIRTY PICTURES.This book, following the independent film scene from the late 80's to today, is fascinating to read. Some great stuff. Miramax founder Harvey Weinstein is the real star of this book. Biskind portrays him as, well, pretty much the satan of the film industry. He comes across as truly evil, throwing temper tantrums (several times on a single page), almost coming to blows with certain directors and producers, threatening others etc. I'm surprised Harvey hasn't bought up every copy yet to keep it from being sold it is so negative. You actually end up feeling kind of sorry for him the book is so negative. Sundance creator Robert Redford is another star of the book, and also isn't portrayed very well. The problem with the book (which was also the problem with EASY RIDERS) comes when Biskind tries to offer his opinions on the films being discussed. He is not a very good critic. Overpraising some films, writing off others, he should have just stuck to telling the story and not giving his thoughts on the films. Plus, I was quite surprised that one of Miramax's bigger hits from the era (LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE) is never mentioned. That was one of Harvey's big marketing successes and is not even gone into. Still, the book is so much fun to read that, accurate or not, you can't put it down. Your jaw will drop several times a page reading about different events. It is a must for every film fans library.
Rating: 
Summary: Bias
Review: Harvey Weinstein likes to tell people he will do them bodily harm. He likes say these things in loud voices while breaking things. Harvey Weinstein is genius who is charming to people he wants to work with and he is passionate about movies.
His brother, Bob Weinstein, is better looking, makes more money and younger. This book is not about Bob Weinstein.
Robert Redford is an aloof, modern day Hamlet who couldn't run a video store nevermind a film festival/ski resort.
There, I've summed up the book for you. That's basically all there is. I thought there would be more detailed stories about movies and people, but either there isn't much dirt, or it is under rug swept.
Rating:
Summary: Good read
Review: I liked it - although not as great as "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls," I think this book hit me a little closer to home. Reading about the 70's was fun, but the films discussed here are the ones that originally cultivated my love for the medium (I'm in my early 20's - so the independent films of the mid-90's were a huge part of my teenage years). Biskind doesn't have many good things to say about Robert Redford, although there are a few kind words for the Sundance Festival itself. Harvey Weinstein pretty much comes off as one of the worst human beings ever - however, despite his obvious distaste for the man, he throws in enough positive nuggets here and there to keep a discerning reader able to make up his or her own mind - plus, there are some great questions along the way, most of which the text answers: is independent film better or worse off with corporate partnerships? does it make sense for a distributor/producer to love money or love films? is it, in some sense, naive for a director to ignore the commercial side of the industry? There are some great quotes along the way; one of my favorites being from Ethan Hawke, who aptly summarizes the paradox of the story being told: "Miramax has been a blessing and a curse for the film industry. You have to give them credit because they made indie movies sexy. They showed you could make money off them. The curse is they commercialized them." And I'm nostalgic enough to love the gossip about Pulp Fiction, Todd Solondz, Kids, etc. In the end, the "hero" of the story (who follows the path that Biskind seems to eventually advocate) is Steven Soderbergh, who makes for a pretty interesting story. At times, the book feels a little bit too trashy, too "E! Hollywood Story." But it's interesting, readable, and I would certainly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Too much to live up to
Review: Peter Biskind has in recent times become one of my favorite writers on the movies, alongside Roger Ebert, Peter Travers, and David Ansen. His latest, Down and Dirty Pictures, is good but it has a couple of things working against it from the outset. First, it will always be in the shadow of Easy Riders Raging Bulls, Biskind's seminal book on 70's Hollywood which was an excellent work from start to finish. Second, because most of what Biskind chronicles is fairly recent memory, it seems a bit like overload. Diehard film fans will simply be rehashing old news (for them), whereas the stories in Easy Riders were far enough in the past to be almost new again. The book clearly has elements that are anti-Miramax and, to a lesser extent, anti-Sundance but it shouldn't change your opinion if you are, say, a big Robert Redford fan. That isn't to say that Redford and the Weinsteins don't deserve some criticism, but the intelligent reader should be able to read between the lines and understand that Biskind's perspective is not the last word on the subject. The movies are the thing, after all, and both Sundance and Miramax have produced great ones. What bothers me most is Biskind's grudging praise and all-too-easy condemnations. A few years ago he wrote a negative piece on Sundance for Premiere Magazine - now it seems he's trying to nail the coffin. I enjoyed this book a lot and I do recommend it, although it is a bit dense and can take some time to get through.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant, funny, even better than the movies!
Review: Peter Biskind has no competition. He's an incredible reporter and such a powerful writer! This book will be a classic--like all his others. What a page-turner! I couldn't put it down. Film lovers will devour this book! Actually--everybody will devour it! While laughing out loud...
Rating: 
Summary: A good effort
Review: Peter Biskind's deft prose is on the scene once again even if his subject matter doesn't live up to his classic work EASY RIDERS RAGING BULLS. The young maverick filmmakers of the 1970s make a decent parallel to the young maverick independents of the 1990s, the problem the author runs into is that today's directors lack the personalities of the old timers. Without the outrageousness of guys like Coppolla, Evans, and Hopper, Biskind has to rely on the megalomania of Harvey Weinstein to carry the whole book, and it almost becomes his biography in the process.
The story begins with Robert Redford's troubled Utah ski resort and his attempts to drive business to that remote location. At first, moving the U.S. film festival there does no good and Redford is ready to dump the whole enterprise after nearly ten years. Steven Soderbergh then puts the festival on the map with his inexpensive indie hit SEX, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE and suddenly Redford is a genius. Biskind goes on to show how poorly Soderbergh is treated by Redford from then on, even to the point of letting Soderbergh develop QUIZ SHOW only to step in and direct it himself.
Redford is a selfish control freak, but Biskind cannot really develop this through the book, because Redford is so colorless that too many stories on him would put us to sleep. Instead Biskind uses Harvey Weinstein to keep us awake with his love of movies and bombastic style. Harvey is a throwback to the days before the EASY RIDERS when studio heads were tyrants and tyrants are always fun to read about even when they're horrible to work for.
A few other characters are interesting for the short time they're profiled. It's fun to read about Quinten Tarantino's development and the Matt Damon/Ben Affleck collaboration, but those passages end too soon. Biskind does his best to weave all the material into an entertaining narrative, but the characters themselves let him down with their blandness. It's probably not fair for me to compare this to Biskind's earlier work. He'll probably never find a subject that interesting again, but I cannot help it.
Rating:
Summary: Easy Redford & Raging Harvey
Review: Peter Biskind's last book, "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls," was a tremendously fun read; "Down and Dirty Pictures" is a sequel of sorts. Whereas "Easy Riders" traced the rise and fall of 1970s film auteurs (Martin Scorsese, Robert Altman), "Down and Dirty" examines the next wave of potentially great filmmakers - the independents of the 1990s. After a fallow period in films during the 1980s where bloated epics ruled the Oscars and vapid blockbusters predominated, the indies of the 1990s were welcome relief, and the story is quite interesting.
Biskind commences his story in 1989 with "Sex, Lies, and Videotape" winning awards at Sundance and Cannes film festivals. Although a few indie movies scored some success earlier in the 1980s, "Sex, Lies" marked a turning point whereby general audiences started to take these films more seriously. Of perhaps greater interest, Biskind argues that these indie directors are the direct descendants of the 1970s auteurs in that they also wrote and directed their films from their own personal vision, albeit on a more modest scale. His thesis is seemingly valid and helps place the rise of indie film into historical context. The book traces the ups and downs of a number of these directors, including Steven Soderbergh ("Sex, Lies"), Todd Haynes ("Safe"), Todd Solondz ("Happiness"), and of course wunderkind Quentin Tarantino. Their accounts are quirky and often compelling.
However, the book focuses primarily on two figures - Mirimax and Sundance. Harvey and Bob Weinstein are the ostensible stars here - as they found Mirimax pictures, develop the career of Steven Soderbergh, and then make Tarantino the poster boy for indie film. Stories abound throughout the book about their egomaniacal and allegedly assaultive behavior - from editing movies without the consent of directors (earning Harvey the nickname "Harvey Scissorhands") to intimidating distributors. These segments are often entertaining in a voyeuristic manner, but the repetitiveness wears down the reader; reading a fraction of these episodes conveys adequately the message that the Weinsteins are bullies. The second star of the book is Robert Redford and his Sundance Institute. Redford is depicted as a distant despot - demanding full control of Sundance and its filmmaking processes but leaving for long periods of time to tinker endlessly on his own films. Again, the segments about Redford become somewhat repetitive and pointless.
All trends eventually end, and Biskind argues that the magnificent rise and fall of indie films can be attributed largely to Mirimax and Sundance. In particular, Biskind points the finger at attempts by Mirimax to become a major studio, which left little room at the table for indie films. Overall, Biskind makes some credible arguments, and his writing is always engaging. Unfortunately, the Weinsteins and Redford become caricatures and the stories become a bit tiresome. Film buffs will undoubtedly enjoy "Down & Dirty"; however, it could have used some editing - perhaps the Weinsteins could employee their infamous services here?
Rating:
Summary: SOMETIMES HILARIOUS, SOMETIMES SOBERING - ALWAYS FASCINATING
Review: Peter Biskind, author of Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, and a contributor to Vanity Fair, has penned the tell-all to end all tell-alls about Tinseltown. With reportorial zeal he traces the rise of independent (indies) films beginning roughly with the 1990s. His focus is on the Sundance Institute and Miramax Films, the sires of the indies. Harvey Weinstein, it will come as a surprise to few, is presented as a brash, egotistical bully (those are kind adjectives). Along with his brother, Bob, he rose from a concert promoter in Queens to one of Hollywood's most powerful - Miramax is now a major force giving birth to many Oscar nominated films. In the author's words both Weinsteins "had volcanic tempers. They were wizards of abuse, excelling in the exotic art of public humiliation, lashing staffers in front of their peers." Robert Redford, the founder of Sundance, also receives attention. He, as described by Biskin, is a control freak who "who was not in a position to run the institute himself, but neither, it seemed, was he able to let anyone else run it." Alas ladies, our handsome matinee idol does have chinks in his armor. "Down and Dirty Pictures" in addition to being a superbly detailed history of the rise of the indies is also a spicy gossip laced read with celebrity quotes from Matt Damon to Uma Thurman to Anthony Minghella. It's sometimes hilarious, sometimes sobering; it is always fascinating reading. - Gail Cooke
Rating:
Summary: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ . . .
Review: Sloppy research, undisciplined thinking and horrible writing make this book a pointless read. I hope that someone will someday write the definitive book on film in the 90's. Certainly Sundance and Harvey Weinstein are a big part of that story, but so much is left out of this book that it is reduced to a Kitty Kelly-style gossip rag. As with "Raging Bulls . . .", Biskind disguises gossip as thoughful analysis. This book is just page after page of former Miramax and Sundance employees taking pot shots at their bosses and the October principles taking pot shots at each other. If you've ever been crossed by Weinstein or Redford in your career, I suppose you'll get some small satisfaction from reading this book, but it is not the definitive book that the author seems to think he has written. Biskind - Next time leave out the metaphores on top of metaphores and you'll have room for a more complete assessment.
Rating:
Summary: the scoop
Review: The inside scoop about how Miramax and Sundance operate and the pros and cons of robert redofrd and harvey weinstein. The coverage given to Miramax is more in depth, which is almost comforting because the Sundance material read as boring material to me. Some great words from former employees. A great read.
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