"The 2010s were perhaps the most tumultuous decade since the 1960s. The effects of the Great Recession continued to be felt. The administration of Barack Obama, the first African-American president, encouraged many to think that America was now "post-racial," an illusion broken by the election of Donald Trump. Polarization reigned, communicated on social media. Netflix and Amazon jumped into production. By 2019, Netflix produced more feature films than the traditional studios combined. Cinema's move fromfilm to digital, in production and in exhibition, was complete by mid-decade. #MeToo and #Oscarssowhite signaled a reckoning with gross gender and racial inequalities in the media, matched by that in the wider culture. The essays of American Cinema of the 2010s explore the blockbusters, low-budget sleepers, and films in between. A decade seemingly dominated by the superhero movies of Marvel and DC also saw small horror films and critically praised independent films draw audiences and win awards. Animation continued to produce popular and ground-breaking works, while auteurs such as Kathryn Bigelow, Quentin Tarantino, and George Miller intersected with new voices such as Jordan Peele, Ryan Coogler, and Ari Aster to make the 2010s a memorable era for movies. Films discussed include Frozen, Guardians of the Galaxy, Zero Dark Thirty, The Force Awakens, Get Out, Mad Max: Fury Road, American Sniper, Hereditary, and Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood"--
The 2010s might be remembered as a time of increased polarization in American life. The decade contained both the Obama era and the Trump era, and as the nation&;s political fissures widened, so did the gap between the haves and have-nots. Hollywood reflected these divisions, choosing to concentrate on big franchise blockbusters at the expense of mid-budget films, while new players like Netflix and Amazon offered fresh opportunities for low-budget and independent filmmakers. As the movie business changed, films ranging from American Sniper to Get Out found ways to speak to the concerns of a divided nation.
The newest installment in the Screen Decades series, American Cinema in the 2010s takes a close look at the memorable movies, visionary filmmakers, and behind-the-scenes drama that made this decade such an exciting time to be a moviegoer. Each chapter offers an in-depth examination of a specific year, covering a wide variety of films, from blockbuster superhero movies like Black Panther and animated films like Frozen to smaller-budget biopics like I, Tonya and horror films like Hereditary. This volume introduces readers to a decade in which established auteurs like Quentin Tarantino were joined by an exceptionally diverse set of new talents, taking American cinema in new directions.
Covering everything from Black Panther to American Sniper, and from Frozen to Get Out, American Cinema in the 2010s takes a close look at the memorable movies, visionary filmmakers, and behind-the-scenes drama that made this divisive decade such an exciting time to be a moviegoer.
