On its surface, James Cameron’s 2009 blockbuster Avatar seems to have a blindingly obvious message. A hymn of praise to the wonder and beauty of nature as well as the virtue of earthy, indigenous cultures while at the same time a scathing condemnation of corporate greed, colonialism, environmental destruction,  military aggression, etc. Many have read deeper to see the film as a racist tale of a “magical white person” a la Dances with Wolves, The Last Samurai, The Help, etc., where a single, or at most, embattled few white people are necessary to rescue poor, underdog, people of color to lead them to victory against a force of hostile invaders/oppressors…

The post-apocalyptic world has been one of the most popular settings of speculative fiction since the middle of the 20th Century. To be certain, there were several examples of such fiction from earlier, perhaps the first of such being The Last Man by Mary Shelly published in 1826, which tells of a plague that reduced the world’s (Europe’s) population to a fraction of it’s former number, and ensuing descent of society into chaos.   The introduction of the atomic bomb at the end of World War Two saw a massive explosion of short stories, novels, and films about a world devastated by war, plague (artificial or natural), and/or other major…

Living in a place surrounded by natural beauty, was one of those things, like a mouth full of strong, healthy, pain-free teeth or not having any debt, that I only truly learned to appreciate once I began to know it’s absence. I’d spent much of my childhood and formative years in places that were scenic, the houses I lived in as a kid were places from whence any amateur photographer wouldn’t have to drive more than 30 minutes to find a shot worthy of a postcard that tourists would want to buy. These were places near state parks that were frequented by tourists who came from less pristine areas to…

I do not like films that focus on gore. There are many kinds of films I do not care for at all, but for which I can at least appreciate why people find them appealing:   Transformers/Marvel-esq fantastical blockbusters can be fast-paced and dazzling,   Romantic comedies can be cute and heartwarming,   Pixar animated features can be VERY cute as well as funny and captivating to children,   but horror movies that focus on the threat of slow disembowelment of still-living victims and that tease (via previews) said disembowelment will be in the center of the frame for much of the film’s running time, well, I just can’t understand…

    It was remarkable enough that ordinary folks now had enough money to take it and run off and alter the circumstances of their lives and create new roles for themselves. . . -But, simultaneously still others decided to go. . . all the way. They plunged straight toward what has become the alchemical dream of the Me Decade. -“The “Me” decade and The Third Great Awakening” Tom Wolfe, 1976 In the 1960’s, many Americans, particularly the younger generation, were exposed to new ways of thinking. One of the most influential and longest-lasting influences was that of religion and philosophy from the Far East. Fed up with the status…

Sergei Eisenstein made his later films in the Soviet Union while Joseph Stalin was in power. Artists working in the Soviet Union at that time were embattled by censorship. Anyone even remotely suspected of sedition could be incarcerated if not executed. Citizens had to use discretion with what they said and filmmakers like Eisenstein needed to use great caution with what sentiments were expressed in his films. The only art style of that period that was officially endorsed by the government was socialist realism. In A Short History of The Movies, Mast and Kawin define socialist realism as “The Stalinist insistence that art serve the interests of the state and…

In classic film noir, the city of Los Angeles is typically portrayed as a hostile, or at best, cold and indifferent place. The opening scene of 1947’s Possessed shows the protagonist, Louise, wandering lost through the empty streets of real life, downtown LA. The city appears stark and austere, vaguely antagonistic. In 1950’s Sunset Boulevard, the protagonist Joe Gillis is a once successful, now failing screenwriter who cannot sell his scripts, whose friends all refuse to lend him money to help him pay for his car and rent. In spite of his adversity, Joe chooses to remain in LA to try and make it in Hollywood and this eventually leads…