Author Archives: llebpmac

Radicalization to Revenge: Exploring the Relationship Between Blaxploitation and the L.A. Rebellion Through Bush Mama and Coffy Nyla Guilford   Coffy (Pam Grier) exacts violent revenge upon the criminals responsible for her sister’s addiction in Coffy.    Black people and … Read more

“Tender is the Ghost”: (In)visible, Reciprocal Breath, and the Realm of Memory in Aftersun Sean Sabye   Calum (Paul Mescal) and Sophie (Frankie Corio) embrace in a window’s reflection in Aftersun.    In The Place of Breath in Cinema, Davina … Read more

Reclaiming Black Autonomy in In the Heat of the Night Samantha Thompson    Police officers arrest Tibbs (Sidney Portier) upon his arrival in Sparta, Mississippi in In the Heat of the Night.   The 1960s saw rapid and radical change … Read more

The Wandering Eye: Slow Cinema, Spectatorship, and Surrealism in Memoria and 2001: A Space Odyssey Alyssa Ho    Jessica (Tilda Swinton) and Old Hernan (Elkin Diaz) share an extended moment together in Memoria.    Walking into a theater midway through a … Read more

Eclipsing the Visual: Sonic Immersion, Suggestion, and Blurring in Blade Runner  Peter Snyder    Landscape shot of the smoggy Los Angeles skyline.    “The brilliance of Blade Runner, like Alien before it, is located in its visual density.” This assertion, … Read more

Metal, Fire, and Flesh: Surrealist Body Horror in Julia Ducournau’s Titane  Charlie Brownlee    Bodily binaries between (wo)man and machine are rendered frighteningly unclear in Titane.    Filmmakers have used the disfiguration of the human body to disturb and shock … Read more

Cinematic Attunement in Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival Rebecca Kelley    The heptapod chamber as an atmospheric locus in Arrival.    Cinema has the ability to stitch together different formal and aesthetic elements in order to create an experiential connection between the … Read more

“It’s About Flowers!”: Photogénie as a Reflexive Tool in Adaptation  Ali Hardin    Both played by Nicolas Cage, Charlie represents the art of cinema while Donald embodies the film industry.   In the opening lines of his 1924 essay “On Certain … Read more

Rethinking Han in Contemporary Korean Cinema: Fiery Moods, Affects, and Atmospheres in Lee Chang-dong’s Burning  Campbell Mah    Simmering orange hues envelop Jong-su’s figure (Yoo Ah-in) in Burning.   Since the 1980s, South Korea’s cinema — much like the nation … Read more

Down By Law (1986): Jim Jarmusch’s Tribute to the Drifter Landen Fulton   Tom Waits, John Lurie, and Roberto Benigni in Down By Law — Island Pictures  Known for its minimalism, offbeat comedy, and melancholic nature, Jim Jarmusch’s filmography eclipses convention to … Read more