Friday, March 9 2012
Agitprop to Occupy My Time: ‘In Time’ for the Revolution
If fiction and reality could merge, the hero of the film In Time would benefit from listening to Real Time with Bill Maher, who said to the Occupy movement, "When you occupy anything for too long people do get pissed off."
Friday, January 27 2012
The Tabloidization of Errol Morris
By the end of this film, the line dividing Tabloid from “the tabloids” thins to the point of imperceptibility.
Thursday, November 3 2011
This Show Just Got a Little Too Real: Bravo’s ‘Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’
Bravo’s schadenfreude is such a fundamental part of Real Housewives that every episode unavoidably concerns a tragic figure that never appears on screen and cannot defend the character assassination the show perpetuates.
Wednesday, August 17 2011
Weighing In: Fitness Films and Ordinary People
When fitness celebrities turn fat folks into fitness celebrities in their own image, self-preservation and betterment are eclipsed by the value of self-promotion. Remember the subjects undergoing these life-changing metamorphoses are “real” people.
Friday, June 3 2011
“Kill Yourself for Recognition”: The Odd Future of Young Celebrity
When anticipation of death combines with the cult of celebrity, stars are pressured to literally give up the ghost -- or at least produce the effect through artistic means.
Tuesday, March 22 2011
Flash Over Substance: ‘Broadcast News’, Redux
As in real life, the TV news industry in Broadcast News looks less like a small pond and more like shark-infested waters.
