Resources for November 6, 2016

Cassidy, Brendan and J.D. Duran. "Born to Be Blue, Infiltrator." InSession Film (July 22, 2016) ["Ethan Hawke’s latest indie film and the second great jazz movie to come out in 2016, Born to Be Blue. We also review The Infiltrator, starring the great Bryan Cranston."]

Cheney, Matthew. "Dead Men and Ghosts, Limited." (Posted on Vimeo: 2014)

Ferrara, Greg. "Scanners: Cronenberg, Existence, and Body Horror." Streamline (November 6, 2016)

Heath, Roderick. "The Thing (1982)." Ferdy on Films (May 2014)

Howard, Kate. "Kentucky 3rd In Nation In Barring Felons From The Voting Booth." Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting (November 4, 2016)

Hughes, William. "CMAs erase Beyoncé and Dixie Chicks from its social media accounts." A.V. Club (November 4, 2016)

Johnson, Grace Sanders. "Why Haiti Needs New Narratives: An Interview With Gina Athena Ulysse." AAIHS (November 6, 2016) ["On October 4, 2016, Hurricane Matthew roared through Haiti’s southwest peninsula taking with it homes, centuries-old structures, and over 800 lives. In the storm’s wake, media outlets observed the undeniable damage of this specific natural event by projecting recycled, dehumanizing, and ahistorical narratives of Haiti to the world. InWhy Haiti Needs New Narratives: A Post-Quake Chronicle, Haitian-born feminist anthropologist Gina Athena Ulysse writes: “if there is one thing we know for certain, it is that without destruction, sensationalism, and violence, there is no Haiti story.” Ulysse’s trilingual collection of essays is a balm to wounds that are reopened each time the black republic is (mis)represented. The book is a timely reminder of the need to critically interrogate the historical implications of this current moment."]

McDonald, Kevin P. "The Netflix Effect, Technology and Entertainment in the 21st Century." Film School (July 22, 2016) ["Netflix is the definitive media company of the 21st century. It was among the first to parlay new Internet technologies into a successful business model, and in the process it changed how consumers access film and television. It is now one of the leading providers of digitally delivered media content and is continually expanding access across a host of platforms and mobile devices. Despite its transformative role, however, Netflix has drawn very little critical attention-far less than competitors such as YouTube, Apple, Amazon, Comcast, and HBO. The Netflix Effect, Technology and Entertainment in the 21st Century addresses this gap, as the essays are designed to critically explore the breadth and diversity of Netflix’s effect from a variety of different scholarly perspectives, a necessary approach considering the hybrid nature of Netflix; its inextricable links to new models of media production and distribution, to new modes of viewer engagement and consumer behavior, its relationship to existing media conglomerates and consumer electronics, to its capabilities as a web-based service provider and data network, and to its reliance on a broader technological infrastructure. Marking the first scholarly work to address its significance. Co-author and editor Kevin P. McDonald talks about how The Netflix Effect provides a critical framework for understanding the company’s specific strategies as well as its broader social, economic, and cultural impact."]

"The fundamental problem of human existence is rooted in an inherent inability to communicate.  That's not to say that people are unable to talk to one another. In fact, people say a great deal to one another throughout any given day, much of it meaningless and instantly forgotten. It's only when the meaning of our words - the desperation of being understood by another - is made the locus of our communication, that the problems inherent to communication become impossible to ignore: wars are waged between governing bodies over conflicting intentions (we know what's best for everyone, trust us); murders occur over simple misunderstandings, wounded pride, and bruised egos (you don't know me, how dare you); a once safe, nurturing relationship is torn apart by the need of lovers to be both heard and understood (this is who I am, this is how I feel). This is the dilemma of being human: believing that something needs to be communicated - a feeling, a thought, an urgent message - not being able to communicate it; or, having made an attempt at communication and ultimately failing, causing irreparable harm (11)." -- Peak, David. The Spectacle of the Void. Schism, 2014.

Steward, Tom. "The Grand Budapest Hotel." Alternate Takes (April 30, 2014)