In this much-delayed final instalment of David Stratton’s trilogy on Australian cinema, the use of the word ‘ultimate’ in the book’s subtitle is no hyperbole. Stratton has been a film critic, television presenter, historian, and lecturer for sixty years, and during that time he has been assiduously recording information on the countless home-grown films he has seen. His knowledge of the local film industry is formidable and possibly peerless.

The ‘modern’ of the subtitle refers to the years 1990-2020. Originally, the intention was to follow the pattern of his preceding two books on Australian cinema, The Last New Wave: The Australian film revival (1980) and The Avocado Plantation: Boom or bust in the Australian film industry (1990). The former covered local films from the 1970s and the latter the 1980s. Stratton’s intention to continue with a third edition covering the 1990s was stymied by his commitments as co-presenter of The Movie Show on SBS TV.