Marco Lanzagorta received a PhD in physics from Oxford University and has worked at prestigious research institutions in England, Italy, Switzerland, Mexico and the US. During the past 18 years, he has conducted research in physics, computer science, and neuroscience. Currently, Marco is a scientific consultant for the US Department of Defense at a major research laboratory in Washington DC, and an affiliate associate professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
Features
Tuesday, April 21 2009
Dirty Harry: Nothing Wrong with Shooting the Right People
The year Dirty Harry was released (1971) saw several demonstrations of angry cops questioning why criminals had very solid constitutional protections that often interfered with law enforcement work.
Thursday, December 4 2008
Rambo: In All His Glory
Rambo is constantly portrayed as judge, jury, and executioner in the national and international spheres.
Thursday, October 30 2008
I See Dead People
The real legacy of Night of the Living Dead is the way it became a quintessential icon that perfectly represents the patriarchal conflict for phallic control, as well as the confrontation between the primitive and the civilized.
Wednesday, June 11 2008
The Phantasmagoric Phantom Carriage
The Phantom Carriage was truly revolutionary in the way it exploited the unique features of motion pictures, and clearly anticipated the sophisticated narrative and visual structure of modern films.
Wednesday, March 26 2008
The Perfect Lean, Mean, Macho Machine
The Die Hard series is a true rollercoaster of visual excesses guaranteed to raise the viewer’s adrenaline levels – while invoking intriguing ideological and cultural subtexts that deal with race, gender, masculinity, and social anxieties.
Columns
Tuesday, January 19 2010
Unfulfilled Desires, Fulfilled Nightmares
As the new millennium accelerates we witness our world consumed by an international economic crisis fueled by unrestricted consumption and greed. Hence, the relevance of Stephen King's 'Needful Things'.
Monday, October 26 2009
Frightful Rome
Profondo Rosso, the Dario Argento store in Rome, hints at a dramatic cultural shift taking place in Italy regarding the appreciation and analysis of classic Italian horror films.
Monday, September 21 2009
Horrifyingly Close to Reality
Western culture’s perspective of torture is complex and paradoxical; it's considered immoral, illegal, primitive, and indecent, yet it's shocking to see that torture methods continue to be used in the interrogation of prisoners of war.
Thursday, July 30 2009
International d'Horreur
The country that is producing high quality fear flicks these days is not in North America nor anywhere in Asia, but in Western Europe.
Monday, May 4 2009
Fighting the Flu
The mobilization of the military to control the spread of the current outbreak of a rare strain of the swine flu in Mexico City is right out of Stephen King’s The Stand.
Reviews
Friday, August 22 2008
The Fire Within (Le Feu Follet)
We ought to thank Louis Malle for authoring an intelligent film that aptly deals with a delicate and controversial topic.
Wednesday, July 30 2008
Death of a Cyclist: Criterion
A dramatic story that deeply resonates with the cultural anxieties that Spanish society endured under the regime of General Francisco Franco.
Thursday, July 10 2008
Blast of Silence
A true film noir classic that deserves to be rediscovered by modern audiences.
Monday, July 7 2008
The Andromeda Strain Miniseries
Given current fears about the prospect of biological weapons deployed by terrorists in our cities, the science and procedures behind this story are as relevant as ever.
Friday, June 20 2008
The Red Balloon (Le Ballon Rouge)
In spite of its short running time, this film gives a satisfactory telling of an emotional story of friendship, savagery, and salvation.
