Few studies of Canadian cinema to date have engaged deeply with genre cinema and its connection to Canadian culture. Ernest Mathijs does just that in this volume, which traces the inception, production, and reception of Canada’s internationally renowned horror film, Ginger Snaps (2000). This tongue-in-cheek Gothic film, which centres on two death-obsessed teenage sisters, draws a provocative connection between werewolf monstrosity and female adolescence and boasts a dedicated world-wide fan base.The first book-length study of this popular film, John Fawcett’s Ginger Snaps is based on the author’s privileged access to most of its cast and crew and to its enthusiasts around the world. Examining themes of genre, feminism, identity, and adolescent belonging, Mathijs concludes that Ginger Snaps deserves to be recognized as part of the Canadian canon, and that it is a model example of the kind of crossover cult film that remains unjustly undervalued by film scholars.

Product Description: Einstein Meets Magritte: An Interdisciplinary Reflection presents insights of the renowned key speakers of the interdisciplinary Einstein meets Magritte conference (1995, Brussels Free University). The contributions elaborate on fundamental questions of science, with regard to the contemporary world, and push beyond the borders of traditional approaches...read more

Product Description: How did audiences across the world respond to the films of The Lord of the Rings? This book presents findings from the largest film audience project ever undertaken, drawing from 25,000 questionnaire responses and a wide array of other materials...read more

Much more than a successful film trilogy, Lord of the Rings has become an unparalleled media phenomenon. Through its impact on regional as well as global industries, and stretching from a British origin over Hollywood to a New Zealand appropriation it has challenged our thinking about the commercial contexts of popular culture. Lord of the Rings: Popular Culture in Global Context brings together leading scholars in the fields of media and film studies to explore the various strategies and implications underlying the global presence of Lord of the Rings. Chapters address how the trilogy has been planned and received as a media business; how it was received by critics and fans, and how spin-offs, franchises, associated media, and indeed the text itself have been affected by its success and appeal. The book covers different national contexts and presents a lively and diverse combination of textual, historical and empirical study.

Product Description: Peter Jackson’s film version of The Lord of the Rings (2001-2003) is the grandest achievement of 21st century cinema so far. But it is also linked to topical and social concerns including war, terrorism, and cultural imperialism...read more

Product Description: Since its inception, Big Brother has been versioned in over thirty countries and reached an estimated audience of over two billion. The first of its kind, this book considers the reception and impact of the series, and how different regions adopt the format to suit local cultural concerns and achieve commercial success...read more

Films of the Low Countries have long been regarded as isolated texts. This book points to the interconnectedness between Low Countries films from different genres, regions, languages, and formats. Building on each film's relationship with its particular cultural context, the volume presents twenty-four especially commisioned essays by renowned writers, each one focusing on one key film. The volume covers the work of internationally acclaimed directors such as Joris Ivens, Henri Storck, Paul Verhoeven, and the Dardenne Brothers. Key films discussed include Turkish Delight, The Vanishing, Daughters of Darkness, Character, Rosetta, and Man Bites Dog.

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Product Description: The Evolution of Complexity is addressed to a broad audience of academics and researchers from different disciplines, who are interested in the picture of our world emerging from the new sciences of complexity. This book reviews the new concepts proposed by the diverse theories of evolution, self-organisation, general systems, cybernetics, and the `complex adaptive systems' approach pioneered by the Santa Fe institute...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)