Anti-Hollywood

All Tomorrow's Parties: "The Great Gatsby" Meet "Spring Breakers"

Within the span of a couple months, audiences and media have witnessed the debauched excess of the American Dream gone sour, of attractive young men and women imbibing themselves to delirium, violence and self-destruction. If there ever were a comment on the failed hopes and ideals of our curren...

Why You Shouldn't Be Surprised by the Muddled Politics of "World War Z"

Some folks around the web are shocked and astonished -- astonished! -- that word comes from Brad Pitt that the political subtext of "World War Z," the actor's upcoming apocalyptic epic, has been neutered. In an interview from Entertainment Weekly that has been oft-quoted, Pitt says, "I was really in...

Iran Attacks "Hollywoodism"; Why They're Right, and Wrong

In the midst of Iran's prestigious 31st Fajr International Film Festival, which recently awarded its top prize to Iranian filmmaker Behnam Behzadi's family drama “The Rule of Accident,” an unfortunate parallel event is being conducted called "Hollywoodism and Cinema,"...

The Politics of "The Avengers"; Or, Can Clean Energy and Old-Fashioned Jingoism Mix?

I couldn't help myself. Not because I'm a fan of comic books, blockbusters or Josh Whedon, but because I'm always curious about a cultural phenonemon, and often feel the need to interrogate what is at play in our most popular movies, and especially since this may be the most popular o...

Chastity and Motherhood: How Conservative is "Twilight: Breaking Dawn"?

Is there any better example of the need for Planned Parenthood than "Twilight: Breaking Dawn"? That's a joke, of course. For those looking for examples of the conservative and reactionary nature of Hollywood, there's no stronger proof than Stephanie Meyer's no-sex-before-mar...

Are Big Marketing Pushes A Good Model for Arthouse film?

Are aggressive film distributors like Relativity, FilmDistrict, Fox Searchlight and others doing a disservice to independent films, making them seem bigger than they are in promotional materials, or are they indie filmmakers' most valuable supporters, helping small films compete in an increas...

Clint Eastwood and The Politics of “J. Edgar”

The big news over the weekend in awards circles was the unveiling of Clint Eastwood’s latest Academy contender “J. Edgar.” Unlike many of my peers, I greet the arrival of a new Eastwood pic like the latest Tea Party rally—an event with a lot of emotion and conservative p...

Are A-List Stars Saving—Or Waylaying—Indie Film?

Will "Tower Heist" Help Topple Capitalism? Or Is it Too Dumb?

In the last few weeks, the media has made mountains out of the economically topical movies to hit movie theaters, from "Margin Call" (obviously set during Wall Street's collapse) to "In Time" (Andrew Niccol's more sci-fi vision of haves and have-nots, battling it out...