‘The Shining’ and the Power of Murderous Narratives
The Shining endures because it conveys all horror, real and imagined: Stephen King’s horror of the collapse of Man, and Stanley Kubrick’s collapse of History.
masculinity
‘Streets of Fire’ as Global Myth
Streets of Fire boldly rejects conventional genre boundaries, merging action, rock opera, MTV video, and neo-noir into an audacious and stylized urban myth that resonates globally.
Adrian Mole’s Very English Portrait of Male Anguish
In Sue Townsend’s hands, comedy doesn’t soften despair; it sharpens it. Her creation, Adrian Mole, is a most perfectly flawed portrait of loneliness and failure.
Bad Wisdom’s Artful Offensiveness
Bad Wisdom is a brilliantly savagely offensive, gleeful parody of the rock ’n’ roll messiah complex, the seeker-narrative, and the entire tradition of male spiritual self-aggrandisement.
Warrior’s Bloody Aftermath
The violent martial arts series Warrior is supposedly a remake of Kung Fu, which conveys a strong and peaceful masculinity we sorely need in these times.
‘Fight Club’ Still Serves as an Odyssey of Alienation and Brotherhood
Fight Club conveyed Gen X men’s frustration, leading to paramilitary militia groups and Promise Keepers. It lends itself to reinterpretation to this day.
Rom-Communism: ‘Ted Lasso’ and the Future of the Romantic Comedy
As polarization impacts the cultural landscape, rom-coms like Ted Lasso show how we can work through our differences and disagreements to everyone’s satisfaction.
Retro Monsters and Sexual Politics Dominate These Three Sci-Fi Movies
Sci-fi movies Unknown Terror, The Colossus of New York and Destination Inner Space inject monsters into personal melodrama for masculine redemption.
How Masculinity Fails in Jane Campion’s ‘The Power of the Dog’
Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog undermines “toxic masculinity” – a term that evokes the existence of alternative masculinities.
Sundance 2021: Poonpiriya’s ‘One for the Road’ Explores Brotherhood
Baz Poonpiriya's broken misfits in One for the Road are raw products of loneliness.
The Risky and Limited Life of Burt Reynolds’ Macho ‘Hooper’
Burt Reynolds' Sonny Hooper is a carefree and lovable guy whose reckless stunt pro lifestyle symbolizes the self-troubles and limitations toxic masculinity creates.
Randy Newman’s ‘Born Again’ Is His Best Critique of Toxic Masculinity
Randy Newman's satirical narrators lack self-reflection. This makes Newman the ideal songwriter to dismantle what would come to be called toxic masculinity.