‘The Big Chill’ Still Hits a Nerve 40 Years Later
The Big Chill‘s blunt suggestion that one may not have lived up to their younger self’s dreams or morals hits a universal nerve to this day.
nostalgia
Baby Boomer Optimism and Regret in the Star Wars Trilogies
While the original Star Wars trilogy display George Lucas’ youthful optimism, the prequels reveal his dismay and regret at the world created by the Boomer generation.
The Future Is Funked by Future Funk
The “future” in future funk is removed from any historical sense of time, existing in a digital future that can be forever extended – and always out of reach.
Exotica Music and White America Nostalgia
There’s a reason why exotica music in America has become associated with tiki bars, tchotchke tourism, and perpetual bachelordom.
Whose Nostalgia Drives Edgar Wright’s Psychological Horror ‘Last Night in Soho?’
Is ‘Last Night in Soho’ a critique of nostalgia, or does it use nostalgia to suggest new possibilities for a cross-generational alliance among women and girls?
Where Were You in ’72? The ’50s Revival Reconsidered
How do we explain 1970 America’s intense ’50s nostalgia, which took off around the time of the Paris Peace Accords and the end of the military draft?
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5 Negative Effects of Fandom Nostalgia and How to Overcome Them
Fandom, powered by nostalgia, is gigantic, uncloseted, and unfortunately, argumentative.
Nazis, Nostalgia, and Critique in Taika Waititi’s ‘Jojo Rabbit’
Arriving amidst the exhaustion of the past (21st century cultural stagnation), Waititi locates a new potential object for the nostalgic gaze with Jojo Rabbit: unpleasant and traumatic events themselves.
Seduction Through a Pane of Glass: Suzanne Vega’s “Tom’s Diner”
Britney Spears and Fall Out Boy try to universalize desire in their versions of Suzanne Vega's "Tom's Diner". That may be how pornography works, but it's not how desire works, and this difference is the key to the coy allure of the song.
The New Old Flower-Power Fantasy of Greta Van Fleet
If Greta Van Fleet are that wonderful horrible thing called zeitgeisty, that zeitgeist is defined by desire to escape to a fantasized past where the battles were cleaner and the battle lines simpler than today's appear to be.
Jack and Diane: A Little Ditty about Generation X
John Cougar Mellencamp’s "Jack and Diane" provided the soundtrack to GenXers growing up in nowhere towns that were expected to adapt to a world that pretty much dismissed them.
The One About the One About ‘Friends’
Kelsey Miller's I'll Be There for You, on the production and cultural legacy of Friends, is a must-read for fans and anyone interested in understanding TV culture over the past 20 years.