Last month Steven Spielberg and George Lucas caused a bit of a stir when they predicted an impending "implosion" of Hollywood that would forever alter the filmmaking industry. Speaking at a USC event, Spielberg posited a scenario in which a series of big budget flops would necessitate a change in the Hollywood business model: "That's … Continue reading Hollywood implosion: end of an era?
Tag: film
Twenty years of Last Action Hero, Reality TV Hoaxer, whistleblower heroics and more
The film Last Action Hero opened twenty years ago today. I saw the movie in theaters and loved it as a child. Having been a fan of Terminator 2 (which came out a few years earlier) Last Action Hero elaborated on the boyhood fantasy of having your own personal Ah-nuld, just like John Connor and … Continue reading Twenty years of Last Action Hero, Reality TV Hoaxer, whistleblower heroics and more
Zizek’s guide to ideology, Netflix tackles TV, Digital Dualist Conservatism
I haven't yet been able to see The Pervert's Guide to Ideology, Slavoj Zizek and Sophie Fiennes' follow-up to The Pervert's Guide to Cinema. Dan Adleman reviews the film in the Mainlander: Other ideological “masterpieces” that Žižek points to are much subtler, precisely because they occupy more prominent positions in the western cultural imaginary. He … Continue reading Zizek’s guide to ideology, Netflix tackles TV, Digital Dualist Conservatism
FSR: 3 media developments videodrome predicted
Film School Rejects reconsiders David Cronenberg's Videodrome (previously) in light of recent developments in mass media. The three changes they credit Videodrome with predicting are: Viral Videos Either way, it’s not only the “video” of “Videodrome” itself that spreads like a virus; the individual’s psyche is also affected. And this points to the more nuanced … Continue reading FSR: 3 media developments videodrome predicted
In medias res: Semiology of Batman, economics of attention, hypodermic needles, magic bullets and more
So I've decided to headline these posts with interesting (to me) media-related content from around the web "In medias res". Not very original, I know, but "in the middle of things" seems appropriate. I came across the semiotics-centric site Semionaut via this post: "Semiotics and non-verbal communication". It looks to have a practitioner-oriented angle but … Continue reading In medias res: Semiology of Batman, economics of attention, hypodermic needles, magic bullets and more
Media Coverage: Turkle talk, more Debord, learning to code and more…
A couple of weeks back I linked to the Guardian's discussion of Debord's Society of the Spectacle, and I just came across another article from their site that I had overlooked: "What Debord can teach us about protest": The danger with this reading – the spectacle as a retroactive name for the social alienation of … Continue reading Media Coverage: Turkle talk, more Debord, learning to code and more…
The slave that frees his masters: Ulterior agency from Zardoz to Žižek
I recently watched the 1974 film Zardoz for the first time. The film is bizarre and compelling, defying easy comparisons to other movies. Set in the 23rd century Zardoz depicts a post-apocalyptic society where groups of armed men called Exterminators rove the barren countryside hunting and killing people they refer to as "Brutals". The Exterminators … Continue reading The slave that frees his masters: Ulterior agency from Zardoz to Žižek
Understanding Videodrome: Extensions of the New Flesh
"Might not our current translation of our entire lives into the spiritual form of information seem to make of the entire globe, and of the human family, a single consciousness?" - Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media Today would have been the 100th birthday of Herbert Marshall McLuhan (July 21, 1911 - December 31, 1980). McLuhan gained … Continue reading Understanding Videodrome: Extensions of the New Flesh