The Codes of Gender

Arguing that advertising not only sells things, but also ideas about the world, media scholar Sut Jhally offers a blistering analysis of commercial culture's inability to let go of reactionary gender representations. Jhally's starting point is the breakthrough work of the late sociologist Erving Goffman, whose 1959 book The Presentation of the Self in Everyday Life prefigured the growing field of performance studies. Jhally applies Goffman's analysis of the body in print advertising to hundreds of print ads today, uncovering an astonishing pattern of regressive and destructive gender codes. By looking beyond advertising as a medium that simply sells products, and beyond analyses of gender that tend to focus on either biology or objectification, The Codes of Gender offers important insights into the social construction of masculinity and femininity, the relationship between gender and power, and the everyday performance of cultural norms.

Behind the Doors of Umberto Eco

Umberto Eco, the author of best-selling novels who passed away in February 2016, unveils the secrets behind his undertakings and novels.

Le Nom de la Rose : Le Documentaire

A documentary on the genesis, writing, shooting and analysis of the film "The Name of the Rose".

The Iceman and the Psychiatrist

For the third time, HBO cameras go inside Trenton State Maximum Security Prison--and inside the mind of one of the most prolific killers in U.S. history--in this gripping documentary. Mafia hit man Richard Kuklinski freely admits to killing more than 100 people, but in this special, he speaks with top psychiatrist Dr. Park Dietz in an effort to face the truth about his condition. Filled with more never-before-revealed confessions, it's the most chillingly candid Iceman special yet as it combines often-confrontational interview footage between Kuklinski and Dietz with photos, crime reenactments and home movies that add new layers to this evolving and fascinating story.

Luca Guadagnino: Projecting Desire

Video essay exploring Luca Guadagnino's filmmaking methods, focusing on the passionate dynamics of desire and ardent longing for connection that sizzles across his cinema.

La rosa dei nomi

Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film

This historical and critical look at slasher films, which includes dozens of clips, begins with Halloween, Friday the 13th, and Prom Night. The films' directors, writers, producers, and special effects creators comment on the films' making and success. During the Reagan years, the films get gorier, budgets get smaller, and their appeal wanes. Then, Nightmare on Elm Street revives the genre. Jump to the late 90s, when Scream brings humor and TV stars into the mix.

The Iceman Tapes: Conversations with a Killer

Richard Kuklinski was a devoted husband, loving father--and ruthless killer of over 100 people. You'll meet him in this powerful documentary that features one of the most vivid and disturbing interviews ever recorded--taped behind the walls of the prison where Kuklinski is serving two consecutive life sentences for multiple homicide.

Terror on Tape

A video store clerk showcases clips from Z-grade horror movies to curious customers.

Scream and Scream Again: A History of the Slasher Film

Documentary tracing the rise of the 'slasher' movie.

The Man on the Bridge

A feature about philosophy, perception and imprisonment in Aldo Lado's Giallo "Short Night of Glass Dolls".

Agatha Christie contre Hercule Poirot : Qui a tué Roger Ackroyd ?

Gallows Humour: Inside 'The Horror of Frankenstein'

A series of interviews between film historians Jonathan Rigby, Kevin Lyons, John J. Johnston and several others that tracks the events which led to the making of the film The Horror of Frankenstein and the state of the Hammer studio at the time.

Functions of Film Sound

This visual essay sets clips from Robert Bresson's "A Man Escaped" to a reading of "Functions of Film Sound," a chapter from David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson's book "Film Art." The chapter analyzes the sound design of Bresson's masterpiece as a means of discussing the use of sound in film.

Those Days with Lucio

An interview with actress Florinda Bolkan about her performances in the films "Don't Torture a Duckling" and "Lizard in a Woman's Skin".

The Lost Media of Aaron Aaron Byrne

The making of the next Aaron Aaron Byrne Movie takes a turn for the worst.

It Was Just A Children's Game: In Conversation with Nicoletta Elmi

An interview with Nicoletta Elmi about her days as a child actress.

Slice and Dice: The Slasher Film Forever

A celebration of slasher cinema - from PSYCHO to the present day, with a focus on highlighting many of the genre's forgotten cult classics, deconstructing how to survive a slice and dice movie and meditating upon why it is almost always a final girl and rarely a final guy... this is a documentary which is designed for both the biggest fan of "mad maniac" movies and the person who may only have seen HALLOWEEN and SCREAM. Either way, this is a documentary that proves the SLASHER FILM is truly FOREVER!

Notfilm

NOTFILM is a feature-length experimental essay on FILM -- its author Samuel Beckett, its star Buster Keaton, its production and its philosophical implications -- utilizing additional outtakes, never before heard audio recordings of the production meetings, and other rare archival elements.

The Mythology of Star Wars

George Lucas discusses how Joseph Campbell and his concept of the Monomyth (aka the Hero's Journey) and other concepts from mythology and religion shaped the Star Wars saga.