Considers the state of the avant-garde film movement. Contends that for those who are convinced of the potential importance of the broadest articulation of cinema, it is necessary to demonstrate the excitement and value of using avant-garde films in a wide range of academic contexts and as one of academic film activity's essential components. (MS)

States that the boundaries of any genre are slippery, but this is particularly true of the postmodern horror film, since the definition of postmodern is itself blurry. Argues that postmodern horror films include films from 1968 onward. Defines postmodernism and the characteristics of postmodern horror, including violence, violation of boundaries,…

States that many critics concerned with genre theory deny that the genres of horror and science fiction are flexible and adaptable. Discusses a group of recent American horror films that present a distinct variation of the horror film, including "Fatal Attraction,""Single White Female," and "After Hours." Concludes…

Describes "impersonal narration," an approach that defends the concept of the cinematic narrator as a logical and pragmatic necessity. Compares this approach with existing theories of the cinematic narrator, addressing disagreements in the field of film narrative theory. (MM)

States that Bill Nichols's notion of documentary modes helps to articulate some of the troubling aspects of "Roger and Me." Suggests that "Roger and Me" is part of a new ethos, derived from poststructuralist thought and postmodernist form that flouts "negative mastery" as a form of validity. Advances the opinion that…

States that humor is dependent on individual perspective, and that the subject matter of "Lolita" (1962), which concerns child abuse and molestation, is difficult to treat with humor. Argues that despite its subject, "Lolita" continues to be funny. Concludes that viewers know the subject matter is not funny, but while watching,…

Discusses the Critical Theory of the Frankfurt School and how it offers a way of seeing normally obscured relations of social power in the details of modern capitalist culture. Concentrates on claims about critical theory that have functioned as strategies of denial. (MS)

Claims that one of the most important developments in American film culture during the sixties was the emergence of a new academic film discourse. Argues that film studies can not ignore its political dimensions, and that teachers should help students clearly identify political positions. (MS)

Analyzes Latin American film histories, emphasizing the cinema in Argentina, Chile, Cuba, and Bolivia. (PD)

Traces the Romanticism in the work and persona of film director Jean-Luc Godard. Examines the contradictions posed by Godard's politics and representations of sexuality. Asserts, that by bringing an ironic distance to the works of such canonized directors, viewers can take pleasure in those works despite their contradictions. (MM)

Argues that visits by independent filmmakers to campus are exciting and intellectually invigorating for students and teachers, and these visits add to the cultural energy of the college. Notes that a commitment to independent cinema challenges the assumptions and the economics of conventional cinema. Discusses how much independent filmmakers are…

Discusses the 1955 Vladimir Nabokov novel "Lolita," and the central theme of "Lolita" being a prize in a struggle between two men. Examines some of the moments of sadomasochism in the novel and film, and the relationship between director Stanley Kubrick and the lead actor Peter Sellers. Concludes with an analysis of Kubrick's…

Argues that the dominant themes in Bigelow's "Blue Steel" are female subservience, masculine authority, sex as economic exchange and guilty pleasure, woman as threatening and domestic, and castration anxiety. Analyzes Jamie Lee Curtis's portrayal of the protagonist, Megan Turner, as being androgynous when in uniform, and as possessor of…

Chooses three "scripts" for experimental films by the Toronto filmmaker Mike Hoolboom, who uses texts in his films in diverse and challenging ways. Describes the role of text and voice in these experimental scripts. Notes that these scripts are used in a screenwriting course. (PA)

Reexamines the basic tenets and assesses the use-value of phenomenology as a methodology of film study. Suggests that phenomenology can assist in restoring a proper role for the spectator in the creation of meaning, as part of a dialectical human sensuous activity. (MS)