Thorough & entertaining.

Very well-written and narrated. Thorough in its coverage; for example, we spend a good hour or two in the 1970s with events like Animal House and Saturday Night Fever (just as a serious student of Socrates will spend some time on the pre-Socratics). Occasionally, however, it spends a lot of time on something and I don't see the point (the romantic relationship between Madonna and Sean Penn, for example).

I've discovered new films through this audiobook. There are some cool facts, such as Crispin Glover's dislike of Back to the Future's ending; and the seriousness of the acting process of Nicholas Cage.
I might have liked a bit more discussion of the themes of the films, but that's okay; it says it's a "history", not a "multi-discipline analysis". Plus, discussions of themes are certainly not non-existent. We do get them, to a degree.

Further, I'd have liked more discussion of teen horror in the 1980s. I appreciate, however, that those films are within the broad horror genre. An exhaustive exploration of these would have tripled the book's size and probably made a mess.

Still, this is an excellent work and just the kind of book I like. It's fun, well-written, and well-narrated. If you're considering it because it appeals in some way, then chances are good that you'll like it.

"Your kids are gonna love it."

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1 person found this helpful

Thoroughly researched but with one big omission

Generally well researched and covered most of the films I'd expected HOWEVER there is no mention of 1989s Teen Witch staring Robin Lively despite the word TEEN being in the title!! It was even a return to a musical film because it was originally written for theatre! It seems ridiculous in light of the fact that he even mentions Pulp fiction which is neither 80s not teen movie and spent too much time talking about John Travolta at the beginning of the book. Tut tut James King!

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