Stephen Whitty Presents: Independence Days

The indie films of the '90s excited audiences and even won a few Oscars. We'll discuss how the boom started, look at some of its wonders -- Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarantino and Kevin Smith -- and try to assess how much they changed Hollywood (or it changed them).

For a brief period, in between the years of big-studio action movies and the era of corporate superhero franchises, a different kind of movie thrived. Often financed on credit cards, made by outside-the-mainstream directors and pushed by startup studios, the indie films of the '90s excited audiences and even won a few Oscars. We'll discuss how the boom started, look at some of its wonders -- Wes Anderson, Quentin Tarantino and NJ's own Kevin Smith -- see clips from their movies and try to assess how much they changed Hollywood (or it changed them).

STEPHEN WHITTY has been a writer and critic for the Star-Ledger, the New York Daily News, nj.com and Fortune.com, as well as a college lecturer, film festival host, interviewer and juror.

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