Contrary to the solipsism emphasized in most discussions of John Updike\’s Rabbit tetralogy, this article examines the tenuous and improper community Harry Angstrom forms when he invites two members of enemy groups to stay in his house. Drawing from Kierkegaard\’s “neighbor-love” and Levinas\’s phenomenological ethics, I argue that the presence of others shatters Harry\’s selfhood, …
Richard Donner’s Superman: The Motion Picture (1977) and Tim Burton’s Batman (1989) may have already proven that moviegoers want to see superheroes on the screen, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been successful beyond expectation. Starting with 2008’s Iron Man, the MCU has been telling a large-scale story without precedent, spanning fourteen big-budget Disney feature …
Something to Avenge: The Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Hero Problem Read More »
Visual depictions of aliens tend to disappoint. We want something strange and fantastic, frightening in its unknowability, but usually end up with the creatures of Star Trek or Doctor Who: regular ol’ human beings with some extra stuff glued onto their faces. Part of the joy in Denis Villeneuve’s science fiction drama Arrival stems from …
The FitsAnna Rose Holmer\’s visually striking debut film offers a lot to like, not the least of which includes its unique setting in an inner-city athletic complex. A sort of Suspiria by way of Creed, The Fits follows reserved tomboy Toni, as she switches her focus from learning boxing with her brother to joining the …
The national party conventions have now ended, and outside of a few oddities, we saw pretty much what we expected to see: lots of pageantry, lots of bloviating, and the unsurprising confirmation of Trump and Clinton as their respective parties’ candidates. But there was another common element present in the event, one with much more …