Generation Tarantino: The Last Wave of Young Turks in Hollywood

Journalist Rausch (My Best Friend’s Birthday) provides a solid survey of 1990s filmmakers whose work showcases “the attitude and swagger that has come to define Gen X.” Drawing on interviews with screenwriters, producers, critics, and some of the filmmakers themselves, Rausch shines light on their methods and “the hurdles they faced.” A section on David Fincher covers the making of Se7en; the director was asked to “tone down the dark mood,” including by eliminating the gruesome ending, and Rausch credits the film’s success to Fincher’s refusal to compromise. John Singleton, meanwhile, fought to ensure that what audiences saw matched his view of life in L.A. in Boyz n the Hood. Central to the account is Quentin Tarantino, who, with his “DIY gusto,” “personifies” the era’s filmmaking. Only one woman gets the spotlight—a section on Sofia Coppola highlights how she “wrote and then talked her way” into directing The Virgin Suicides, no small feat after her father couldn’t secure the rights to the novel. With colorful anecdotes aplenty, Rausch makes good on his goal to pull back the curtain on “a wave of revolutionary filmmakers” who fought against studio pressures to water down their work. It’s an entertaining look at a game-changing period. (July)