“Supernatural” is more than a show about fighting demons. It’s about more than a cool car, a kick-ass soundtrack and hot guys with guns. “Supernatural” is about family and sacrifice and heroism—about good and evil and the choices you make to stay in the hunt. You know there’s more to this show than meets the eye. So do we.* Professor Gregory Stevenson considers the true meaning of horror and what “Supernatural's” characters have to say about the human (and demonic) potential in all of us Super-Wiki team member* Jules Wilkinson gives Dean’s ’67 Chevy Impala her due* Television Without Pity’s Jacob Clifton looks at the feminine in “Supernatural's” world of shotguns, muscle cars and masculine bravado (it’s more influential, and more pervasive, than you think)* “Supernatural” RPG writer Jamie Chambers outlines demon-hunting on the cheap—and what it has to do with “Supernatural's” appeal* Contemporary fantasy author Tanya Huff delves into the psychology of John Winchester* Fan Sheryl A. Rakowski (one of the three winners of the Supernatural.tv/Smart Pop “Supernatural” Essay Contest) shows how the boys’ biggest weakness—their need for each other—is also the biggest strength they possess, no matter what the Trickster says* Writer Shanna Swendson mines the sources of “Supernatural's” monsters, from folktales to urban legends, and deems Dean and Sam our modern-day keepers of the loreAnd much more!
This collection of irreverent and surprising essays about the popular television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer includes pieces by leading science fiction and fantasy authors. Contributors include bestselling legend David Brin, critically acclaimed novelist Scott Westerfeld, cult-favorite vampire author Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, and award-winner Sarah Zettel. The show and its cast are the topics of such critical pieces as Lawrence Watt-Evans's “Matchmaking in Hellmouth” and Sherrilyn Kenyon's “The Search for Spike's Balls.” An informed introduction for those not well acquainted with the show, and a source of further research for Buffy buffs, this book raises interesting questions concerning a much-loved program and future cult classic.
The Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Unofficial Companion is a comprehensive guide covering all 10 seasons (including the current 2008-2009 season) and will include a synopsis and an objective analysis for each episode, as well as commentaries or recollections from the people involved in crafting the one-hour tale. It goes after the heart of SVU through interviews with actors, writers, producers, casting agents, location scouts and others. Moreover, the authors peek behind the scenes of the bicoastal operation, observing the progress of an entire episode shot in New York City and a script fine-tuned in Los Angeles. The book provides fascinating insight, delighting SVU devotees who love on-screen and backstage trivia. In addition, creator Dick Wolf offers readers a gripping foreword to the book.
Why are we drawn to the work of Alfred Hitchcock so long after his final film appeared? What is the source of Hitchcock’s magic? This book answers these questions by focussing upon the fabric of the films themselves, upon the way in which they enlist and sustain our desire, holding our attention by constantly withholding something from us.
Hollywood’s Africa after 1994 investigates Hollywood’s colonial film legacy in the postapartheid era, and contemplates what has changed in the West’s representations of Africa. How do we read twenty-first-century projections of human rights issues—child soldiers, genocide, the exploitation of the poor by multinational corporations, dictatorial rule, truth and reconciliation—within the contexts of celebrity humanitarianism, “new” military humanitarianism, and Western support for regime change in Africa and beyond? A number of films after 1994, such as Black Hawk Down, Hotel Rwanda, Blood Diamond, The Last King of Scotland, The Constant Gardener, Shake Hands with the Devil, Tears of the Sun, and District 9, construct explicit and implicit arguments about the effects of Western intervention in Africa. Do the emphases on human rights in the films offer a poignant expression of our shared humanity? Do they echo the colonial tropes of former “civilizing missions?” Or do human rights violations operate as yet another mine of sensational images for Hollywood’s spectacular storytelling? The volume provides analyses by academics and activists in the fields of African studies, English, film and media studies, international relations, and sociology across continents. This thoughtful and highly engaging book is a valuable resource for those who seek new and varied approaches to films about Africa. Contributors Harry Garuba and Natasha Himmelman Margaret R. Higonnet, with Ethel R. Higgonet Joyce B. Ashuntantang Kenneth W. Harrow Christopher Odhiambo Ricardo Guthrie Clifford T. Manlove Earl Conteh-Morgan Bennetta Jules-Rosette, J. R. Osborn, and Lea Marie Ruiz-Ade Christopher Garland Kimberly Nichele Brown Jane Bryce Iyunolu Osagie Dayna Oscherwitz