The politics of Disney's Frozen are indicative of symptomatic shifts within an otherwise largely entrenched ideological core.
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Film
Negotiations and Regressions of Cultural Politics in Disney’s Frozen
Following the Instructions
Continuing to think about LEGO, the idea of “creativity,” and the unequal extension of that idea to different consumer groups.
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The Art of Life: Cinema Verité and Melodrama Rendez-Vous in Robert Greene’s Actress
Now in its eleventh year, Columbia, Missouri’s True/False Film Festival is rapidly becoming a major stop on the North American festival circuit.
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Fort McMoney: Media for the Age of Oil
Melissa Aronczyk discusses Fort McMoney, an interactive web documentary designed to raise awareness of the conflicts among industrial, political and environmental interests in the development of oil.
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Say My Name: Unnamed Black Objects in This Year’s “Quality” Films
This year has been heralded as a renaissance for films featuring black actors and actresses. Many of these black actors and actresses have performed in “quality” films like 42, The Butler, and 12 Years A Slave. As an arbiter of their “quality” these films have already begun racking up award nominations, and in some...
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Let’s talk about search: Some lessons from building Lantern
This week, Lantern, a search and visualization platform for the Media History Digital Library, reached its first wide public.
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“Vulgar Auteurism:” Out with the New, In with the Old
The current debate over vernacular auteurism overlooks an important fact: French auteurism was always vulgar.
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Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vices?
Casting news on Paul Thomas Anderson's 'Inherent Vice' leads to a reflection on his past work, authorship, and his own inherent vices.
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Phones Coming to a Theater Near You?
Some influential figures of the cinema world are tentatively exploring a loosening of bans on cell phones during select screenings, refueling the ever-controversial debate of movie theater etiquette.
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Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and the Low-Budget Superhero Film
The imminent release of Man of Steel on June 14 begs a reflection of 1987's overlooked installment, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.
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What Are You Missing? Apr 28 – May 11
Ten (or more) media industry news items you might have missed recently.
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The Power of Women’s Voices in The Great Gatsby
The female voices on The Great Gatsby's soundtrack channel the hard-won feminist power of past generations.
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The Deanna Durbin Cult
The figure of the recently passed Deanna Durbin (1921-2013) is fascinating today because of how it embodies a sensibility within stardom: the cult of the child star.
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Dolby Atmos: What You Hear
If Atmos or a similar system were to become the industry standard, questions arise as to how its potential aesthetic might shape the way films sound and look.
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Kickstarting Veronica Mars: A Moment in a Movement
Why kickstarting Veronica Mars was not simply a procedural act, but rather a social experience awakening, mobilizing and monetizing fan cultures in real time.
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