Friday, March 25 2011
‘Episodes’: The Transnational Televisual Extravaganza
As with so many trends, the increasing prevalence of transnational television is either a building block in a utopian post-national society enabled by the democratising power of new media, or the inevitable by-product of the audience fragmentation and personal atomisation occasioned by new media.
Friday, October 1 2010
‘Caravaggio’: Van Gogh Meets the Three Musketeers
Caravaggio’s story encapsulates several social issues still vexing to us today: the separation of church and state, the role and rights of women, and how the male gaze can distort perceptions of such, and the ever-quixotic tendency for great artists to emotionally self-destruct, often abetted by those they threaten.
Friday, January 22 2010
Is ‘Spartacus: Blood and Sand’ a Joke?
The new green-screened epic debuting on Starz may well go down as the TV series with more nudity, blood, and sex than any other in the history of television. It may also be the worst big budget series ever made.
Wednesday, January 17 2007
Rome
The lofty political rhetoric disguising base power-grabbing in Rome is all too familiar in a contemporary US context.
Monday, November 28 2005
Rome
If there is a civics lesson to be gleaned from Rome, it is to beware the passions inflamed by a government in the midst of an identity crisis.
Wednesday, September 14 2005
Rome
Lest one fear the consequences of amoral political realism get a watered-down treatment, Rome proves steadfast -- eager, even -- in its refusal to skimp on detail.
Wednesday, October 20 2004
Rome: Total War
While we can all agree that things like 3D graphics are a good thing, it's difficult to extol the appeal of certain time periods.
