Food Anxieties and Futures in The Divine Fist of the North Star
The Divine Fist of the North Star (1983-88) is a kick-ass manga series later adapted into an anime (1984-88) that follows a young man named Kenshiro who carries the legacy of a 2000-year-old assassination art that guides him towards his destiny as the saviour at the world’s end. After nuclear war ravaged the planet, civilizationContinue reading “Food Anxieties and Futures in The Divine Fist of the North Star”
Staunch Characters and Not-So-Fine Dining: Food and the Direct Cinema of Grey Gardens
“You can’t have your cake and eat it too, in life.” “Oh, yes, I did. I did, I had my cake, loved it, masticated it, chewed it and had everything I wanted.” – “Little Edie” and “Big Edie” Beale The food in the 1975 documentary Grey Gardens (Albert and David Maysles) is strikingly unremarkable, whichContinue reading “Staunch Characters and Not-So-Fine Dining: Food and the Direct Cinema of Grey Gardens”
For the Love of Soup: the Quest for Perfect Ramen in Tampopo
I love soup. To my friends and family, this obsession can seem a little unusual. After all, much of western cuisine tends to place soup in a supporting role. In full-course dinners, it’s subjugated to an early pitstop between hors-d’oeuvres and the main course. In more casual or frugal circles, soup is often paired withContinue reading “For the Love of Soup: the Quest for Perfect Ramen in Tampopo”
Fresh Meat
Food is an essential part of everyone’s life, and its primary purpose is to provide the nutrition that is necessary for the existence of any human being. However, throughout history, the concept of food has been appropriated by different cultures, and therefore acquired a variety of new meanings that could serve to indicate an individual’sContinue reading “Fresh Meat”
When Growing Up Rhymes with Isolation: Youth Alienation in Quebec Cinema
TW: Suicide, overdose Whenever the term ‘coming-of-age’ is being discussed, one would usually assume that the rite of passage undertook by the young protagonist would ultimately lead them through some form of resolution towards a newfound maturity, if not adulthood. But what happens when the opposite occurs? Narrating the last days of two teenage girlsContinue reading “When Growing Up Rhymes with Isolation: Youth Alienation in Quebec Cinema”
Growing Up into A Giant
Dear Dad, Do you remember us racing every Sunday to get to the Blockbuster? You used to say that whoever got there first could choose the movies we were watching for the week. You never let me win. However, among the films we use to rent you always slipped in The Iron Giant (1999). IContinue reading “Growing Up into A Giant”
The Clovehitch Killer: Recognizing and rejecting a birthright
As a boy growing up in a sexist environment, my experience with patriarchal violence was often abstracted, rationalized, and ultimately hidden. There were so many ways in which I, and people who I knew to be good people, were complicit in perpetuating patriarchy without even realizing, simply by being a silent bystander. As a child,Continue reading “The Clovehitch Killer: Recognizing and rejecting a birthright”
It Takes a Village To Raise a Child
From San’s ecofeminist rage in Princess Mononoke (1997) to Chihiro’s unlikely but triumphant heroism in Spirited Away (2001), Hayao Miyazaki has a special gift for writing compelling female characters that resonate with people of all ages. Amongst all these noble heroines, my personal favorite is Kiki from Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), a thirteen year oldContinue reading “It Takes a Village To Raise a Child”
Come and See: The Trouble Starts with Kids
When you grow up in Russia, the Second World War, or how it is referred to there – A Great Patriotic War, is the most popular subject in the media. One reads about it in history and literature classes at school, watches state-produced films about the soldiers’ heroism, and once a year can see aContinue reading “Come and See: The Trouble Starts with Kids”
Kajillionaire: A Delayed Coming of Age
My first viewing of Kajillionaire (Miranda July, 2020) left me with a lot more questions than answers. How was the film’s protagonist going to integrate herself into society after living an unconventional lifestyle? Did she and her love interest have a solid enough foundation to build a healthy relationship? What were they going to doContinue reading “Kajillionaire: A Delayed Coming of Age”
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