Eternal Variation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has attracted increasing attention as an exemplar of blockbuster franchising over the past decade, with milestones that include a Best Picture Oscar nomination for Black Panther (2018) and a (momentary) highest-grossing release of all time with Avengers: Endgame (2019) (a mantle since retaken by the re-release of the 2009 blockbuster, Avatar). The ‘MCU’ is undeniably popular and continues to engage … Continue reading Eternal Variation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Cruising Stardom in Hollywood Franchising: Tom Cruise as Franchise Star in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ and ‘Dark Universe’ Storyworlds
Starring Tom Cruise, edited by Sean Redmond. Wayne State University Press, 2021. Book Description Starring Tom Cruise examines how Tom Cruise’s star image moves across genres and forms as a type of commercial product that offers viewers certain pleasures and expectations. Cruise reads as an action hero and romantic lead yet finds himself in homoerotic and homosocial relationships that unsettle and undermine these heterosexual scripts. In … Continue reading Cruising Stardom in Hollywood Franchising: Tom Cruise as Franchise Star in the ‘Mission: Impossible’ and ‘Dark Universe’ Storyworlds
“Make it in Post:” Digital Visual Effects and the Temporality of Creative Value in Post-Production
Published in The Palgrave Handbook of Screen Production, edited by Susan Kerrigan, Craig Batty, Marsha Berry, Kath Dooley, and Bettina Frankham and published by Palgrave Macmillan. Continue reading “Make it in Post:” Digital Visual Effects and the Temporality of Creative Value in Post-Production
Senses of Cinema, World Poll 2019
This post has been reproduced with attribution to Senses of Cinema. Continuing with the focus of my previous world polls, this list collates a representation of the year’s franchise movies. Continue reading Senses of Cinema, World Poll 2019
‘You Were the Chosen One!’ Darth Vader and the Sequential Dynamics of Villainy in the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Published in The Supervillain Reader, edited by Robert Moses Peaslee & Robert G. Weiner and published by University Press of Mississippi, 2020. Continue reading ‘You Were the Chosen One!’ Darth Vader and the Sequential Dynamics of Villainy in the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Practicing Superhuman Law: Creative License, Industrial Identity, and Spider-Man’s Homecoming
Published in The Superhero Symbol: Media, Culture, and Politics, edited by Liam Burke, Ian Gordon, and Angela Ndalianis, and published by Rutgers University Press, 2019. Continue reading Practicing Superhuman Law: Creative License, Industrial Identity, and Spider-Man’s Homecoming
The Franchise Era: Blockbuster Hollywood in the 2010s…and Beyond
Article published in issue 92 Senses of Cinema, as part of the special dossier called “This is what defined cinema in the 2010s” (October 2019). Continue reading The Franchise Era: Blockbuster Hollywood in the 2010s…and Beyond
Hannibal Lecter’s Monstrous Return: The Horror of Seriality in Bryan Fuller’s ‘Hannibal’
Chapter co-authored by Jessica Balanzategui, Naja Later, and Tara Lomax. In Becoming: Genre, Queerness, and Transformation in NBC’s Hannibal, edited by Kavita Mudan Finn and EJ Nielsen. Published by Syracuse University Press (July 2019). Available at Amazon An interdisciplinary collection of essays analyzing and dissecting the NBC series Hannibal (2013-2015), focusing on its manipulation of genre, its emphasis on queerness — in terms of sexuality … Continue reading Hannibal Lecter’s Monstrous Return: The Horror of Seriality in Bryan Fuller’s ‘Hannibal’
Talking Franchises: The World of Transmedia Development with Jeff Gomez
Interview with leading transmedia developer Jeff Gomez, CEO of Starlight Runner Entertainment. In this conversation we discuss the art and craft of transmedia development, including the successes and failures of franchises like Dark Universe, Star Wars, Marvel Cinematic Universe, and more. Continue reading Talking Franchises: The World of Transmedia Development with Jeff Gomez
Senses of Cinema, World Poll 2018
The Senses of Cinema World Poll has come around again and I’m happy to have contributed to this significant and extensive project for another year. As with my 2017 contribution, I focus only on franchise instalments because I consider franchise cinema to be an important mode of contemporary entertainment and worth acknowledging in any celebration of cinema and cinephilia. In 2017, I ordered my list … Continue reading Senses of Cinema, World Poll 2018
Assembled Illusions 