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Miami Vice captures the glitter and glamour embodied by Crockett and Tubbs and offers students an anatomy of a ground-breaking work in the police procedural genre. Explores Miami Vice’s combination of disparate influences (MTV, film noir, soap opera, ‘high concept’ action films) as well as the social, cultural and industrial moments when it burst onto the network Introduces readers to major components of televisual analysis–style, storytelling, the television show as commodity and ideological critique– that illustrate the show’s unique features Provides a model for students’ own assessment of other shows, and confirms precisely how–and on what terms–Miami Vice redefined the police drama and an era

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Since its famed introduction of the “boiled bunny,” Fatal Attraction (1987) established itself as one of American cinema’s most controversial films. This insightful new book surveys the film's formal features and its ideological impact, paying special attention to the film’s signature mix of sexuality, fear, and family values. Features detailed breakdowns of the formal techniques the film employs to create suspense, such as turning ordinary household objects into agents of terror Considers the film’s mixed-genre status as a thriller, melodrama, horror picture, and film noir Offers an explanation and analysis of the cultural storm ignited by the film, especially due to its treatment of single career women Investigates the film’s handling of extramarital sexuality, pregnancy, birth control, and AIDS Discusses the film’s lasting role in shaping American gender politics

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Drawing upon the expertise of film scholars from around the world, Puzzle Films investigates a number of films that sport complex storytelling–from Memento, Old Boy, and Run Lola Run, to the Infernal Affairs trilogy and In the Mood for Love. Unites American ‘independent’ cinema, the European and International Art film, and certain modes of avant-garde filmmaking on the basis of their shared storytelling complexity Draws upon the expertise of film scholars from North America, Britain, China, Poland, Holland, Italy, Greece, New Zealand, and Australia

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Genre – or 'type' – is a core concept in both film production and the history of film. Genres play a key role in how moviegoers perceive and rate films, and is likely to determine a film's production values and costs. Written in a clear, engaging, jargon-free style, this volume offers a cutting-edge theoretical overview of the topic of genre as practiced in British, American and French film criticism. Organized by a series of simple but fundamental questions, the book uses numerous examples from classic Hollywood cinema (the western, drama, musical comedy, and film noir) as well as some more contemporary examples from European or Asian cinema that are so often neglected by other studies in the field. How do we characterize genre and what are its various functions? In what ways does genre give a film its identity? How do genres emerge? What is the cultural significance of genre and how does it circulate within and across national boundaries? Informative and user-friendly, Moine’s book is accessible to general readers and adapts easily to a wide range of teaching approaches.

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Changes in American society, the pluralistic nature of its citizens, and its geographic preclude a common definition of what is indecent, profane, or obscene. What may appear to be “dirty discourse” to some may be considered to be laudable satire to others. Renowned media scholars and authors Robert Hilliard and Michael Keith examine the blue side of the airways in Dirty Discourse: Sex and Indecency in Broadcasting. This first-ever analysis of the history and nature of off-color program content explores the treatment of once-forbidden topics in the electronic media, investigating the beliefs, attitudes and actions of those who present such material, those who condemn it, and those who defend it. Written from a social and cultural perspective, Dirty Discourse concentrates on the means of greatest distribution – radio, with its phenomenal growth of 'shock jocks' and rap music lyrics, and provides coverage of television and the Internet. The book shows how and why broadcasting has evolved from the ribald antics of the Roaring 20's to today’s streaming cybersex, contrasting the standards and actions of the FCC v. the First Amendment amidst the over-the-air and in-the-court battles of over-the-top radio. It examines political pressures and legal considerations, including Supreme Court decisions, and efforts to protect children from media smut.

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Television Truths considers what we know about TV, whether we love it or hate it, where TV is going, and whether viewers should bother going along for the ride. This engaging volume, written by one of television's best known scholars, offers a new take on the history of television and an up-to-date analysis of its imaginative content and cultural uses. Explores the pervasive, persuasive, and powerful nature of television: among the most criticized phenomena of modern life, but still the most popular pastime ever Written by John Hartley, one of television’s best known scholars Considers how television reflects and shapes contemporary life across the economic, political, social and cultural spectrum, examining its influence from historical, political and aesthetic perspectives Probes the nature of, and future for, television at a time of unprecedented change in technologies and business plans Provides an up-to-date analysis of content and cultural uses, from the television live event, to its global political influence, through to the concept of the “TV citizen” Maps out a new paradigm for understanding television, for its research and scholarship, and for the very future of the medium itself

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Combining an exciting methodology alongside high-interest case studies, Television in Transition offers students of television a guide to a medium that has weathered the challenges of first-run syndication, a multi-channel universe, netlets, major media conglomerates, deregulation, and globalization–all in the space of twenty years. Examines a return in television programming to action narratives with individual (super) heroes intended to navigate this new, international, multi-channel universe Explores how television programming «translates» to new spatial geographies: different nations, cultures, broadcast systems; and different formats, distribution outlets, and screen sizes Looks at the value of a program's «afterlife,» the continued circulation, repackaging and repurposing of programming beyond its initial iteration Blends institutional and textual analyses in case studies of Highlander: The Series, Smallville, 24, and Doctor Who

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What Cinema Is! offers an engaging answer to Andre Bazin's famous question, exploring his 'idea of cinema' with a sweeping look back at the near century of Cinema's phenomenal ascendancy. Written by one of the foremost film scholars of our time Establishes cinema's distinction from the current enthusiasm over audio-visual entertainment, without relegating cinema to a single, older mode Examines cinema's institutions and its social force through the qualities of key films Traces the history of an idea that has made cinema supremely alive to (and in) our times

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Hollywood Speaks Out explores that rare Hollywood feature that dared to tackle red-hot, social issues whilst American society was gripped by the convulsion and controversy they generated. Explores why Hollywood has always been risk-adverse, and how most feature flms deal with controversial issues long after the controversy is past Organized around such important issues as poverty, racism, sexism, war, anti-Semitism, and homophobia Discusses the relevance and the impact of feature films from Modern Times to WALL-E

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Beyond the Box gives students and couch potatoes alike a better understanding of what it means to watch television in an era of profound technological change. Charts the revolution in television viewing that is currently underway in living rooms across the world Probes how the Internet’s development has altered how television is made and consumed Looks at a range of topics and programmes – from voting practices on American Idol to online forums for Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans Offers a fresh and innovative perspective that focuses on the shift in audience experience and how it has blurred established boundaries

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