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The Rebel’s Wardrobe. The Untold Story of Menswear’s Renegade Past by gestalten et als. (eds.) (2022

Lots of items from modern men’s wardrobes come loaded with history, were featured in cult movies worn by famous actors or have a past strongly connected to popular culture. Even if many are not aware of that. Everyday apparel, such as the base cap, Dr. Marten’s boots, a pair of jeans, chinos or the leather […]

The Fantastic Worlds of Frank Frazetta by Dian Hanson (ed.) (2022)

If there is one virtuoso who rightfully deserves the title “Godfather of Fantasy Art” it is Frank Frazetta (1928-2010). The “Brooklyn-born hustler and brawler” son of Italian immigrants quickly established a reputation for himself at the age of 16, when he entered the comic book business in 1944. His early works appeared in EC Comics, […]

The Essence of Film Noir: The Style and Themes of Cinema’s Dark Genre by Diana Royer (2022)

Part of the unique intensity of noir and neo-noir movies is rooted in the combination of masterful scripts, extraordinary directors and the skillful highlighting of the psychological aspects wherever a protagonist needs to take action. But often is sabotaged while trying, to simplify one of many film noir plots. By carefully investigating the genre, several […]

Noir Fiction and Film: Diversions and Misdirections by Lee Clark Mitchell (2022)

With some interesting observations and a huge collection of data about genres in the book under discussion here, there are some good and fresh points concerning style, method and procedure, even when hard-boiled fiction and films noir are reduced to their most basic configurations. Naturally, there are variations of the stereotypes, and with regard to […]

The History and Politics of Star Wars. Death Stars and Democracy by Chris Kempshall (2022)

As the most successful movie franchise in history, Star Wars has generated millions of fans worldwide, not to mention the billions of dollar revenue it created already. Soon after the first movie release, critics and academics began their study of the background, intentions and inspirations of the saga. This project until today remains mostly incomplete, […]

Italian Giallo in Film and Television: A Critical History by Roberto Curti (2022)

There is one particular modern genre that is strongly connected with the history of Italian filmmaking: the genre of “the yellow ones,” in Italian: “gialli”. The countless movies, dime novels, detective stories and murder mysteries in Italy are subsumed under that titles, similar to “pulp” novels, and crime fiction that got its name from the […]

21st Century Retro: “Mad Men” and 1960s America in Film and Television by Debarchana Baruah (2021)

Revivals of cultural and retrospectively oriented tendencies in music, fashion and design have been around for a long time. Many contemporary American and European TV productions successfully revisit the 1940s, 1950s and very often the 1960s. The shows differ greatly in their amount of historical correctness and the many important events that influence the protagonists […]