Me, Myself, and AI: A Look Into Parasociality With Chatbots
Written by José-Matéo Hozjan-Guerra for Cheryl Simon’s Communication Theory course. Movies such as Ex Machina and The Terminator offer us a glimpse into the possibility of future advancements in technology and artificial intelligence. While we deny the plausibility of a cyborg assassin sent to kill us someday in the future, these human-like representations of artificially…
Biting Back at Abusers: Reclaiming Women’s Agency in Ana Lily Amirpour’s A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Written by Audrey Anne Le Nabec for Justine McLellan’s Cinema and Culture course. Long-existent before the creation of the film, the socio-cultural phenomenon of the repression of women’s autonomy and freedom concerning sexual violence has been present across cultures and nations. It is with the rise of feminist movements like ‘women, life, freedom’ (Iran) and…
Biting the Hand that Feeds You: Navigating Film Censorship in Communist Poland
Written by Philippe Cliche for Magdalena Olszanowski’s Alternative Cinema course. It had been a long time since you had watched a movie. A real one at least. There had certainly been ‘cinematic works’ shown in theaters throughout the last few years, but they were all nauseating with how much they rave about the state. This…
Lenses of Freedom: An Exploration of Third Cinema as a Redefinition of Film
Written by Suchitra Marti for Michael Filtz’s Explorations in Cinema & Communications course. In examining the collective, the artist’s role significantly impacts how we view our reality, a fact long used by vanguards to inspire revolutionary thought. As filmmaking became particularly accessible, this form has transformed into a powerful tool of resistance. As imperial exploitation…
The Devil in Disguise: Feminism through the Male Gaze in Rosemary’s Baby
Written by Shira Goren for Cheryl Simon’s Film Theory course. TW: mention of r*pe. Rosemary’s Baby, directed by Roman Polanski in 1968, is a psychological horror movie that discusses themes such as paranoia, satanism, and women’s liberation. It deals with the story of a young woman named Rosemary who moves to New York with her…
Reflections of the Self: Nature, Identity, and Coming of Age in Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight
Written by Spencer Stutman for Robin E. Feenstra’s Coming of Age Fiction course Nature, in many ways, can be the strongest reflection of self throughout one’s life. Through the trauma, the joys, the lessons, and the often-unexplainable grief of childhood, it is the natural world which surrounds us that continues to raise us, even if…
Category III Cinema: About Hong Kong’s Exploitation Cinema
Written by Mikaël Bédard for Cheryl Simon’s Film Theory course. In the 1996 film Viva Erotica, an out-of-work film director agrees to make a Category III/soft-core porno to make ends meet. He is asked to be more “Wong Jing than Wong Kar-wai”; in other words, he is asked to compromise his artistic integrity to make…
Disinformation, Scapegoating, and the Weaponization of Fear : Mechanics of Propaganda in Harry Potter, Nazi Germany, and the Trump Era
Written by Neyla El-Euch for Lex Milton’s Explorations in Cinema and Communications course. The desire to convince others of one’s opinions has been an integral part of human communication across time. However, this has resulted in the dissemination of propaganda: the spreading of biased and often misleading information promoting particular political agendas and ideological viewpoints…
Sex, Blood, and Stereotypes: How X Challenges Horror’s Sex-Negativity
Created by Kayla Rodgers for Justine McLellan’s Cinema Styles course. Kayla Rodgers discusses horror film tropes and stereotypes through X’s subversion of expectations.
Incels are Abusing Women: The Gendered Effects of AI
Created by Athena Bouas for Cheryl Simon’s Communications Theory course. Athena Bouas talks about the ever-expanding use of AI and its roots in misogyny.
Survival Through Dominance in Video Games
Created by Kayliya PS for Magdalena Olzanowski’s Ecocinema: Nature, Bodies, Environments course. Kayliya analyzes the fight for survival between nature and humanity in video games such as Minecraft, the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and more!
Rebirth Through Water: Cinematic Imaginaries of Transformation and Renewal
Created by Andrew Côté for Dipti Gupta’s Film Theory course. Andrew Côté gives examples of the ‘rebirth’ trope and its visual ties with water.
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