no. 2

Different Places! Real and Hyperreal Las Vegas in Showgirls

William Smith analyzes how the film Showgirls engages with themes of the hyperreal in its portrayal of Las Vegas. The film makes a jarring break from typical representations of the city, peeling back the layers of Las Vegas to reveal its promises to be inaccessible, profit-driven myths.

Cinetourism and Urban Development: Student Voices Dossier

Noelle Griffis introduces this issue of Student Voices with a discussion of her Fall 2020 course, Cinema and the City, providing context and an overview of her students' work, as well as links to her course syllabus and assignment. Griffis's course emphasizes the role that urban development has played in racial and economic inequality in the city and the ways these issues have been depicted—or neglected—on screen.

The Millenial Flaneuse in Broad City

Sasha Nater explores the television series Broad City to consider the extent to which the show's main characters might be considered modern-day flaneuses. The show demonstrates the unique struggles millennial women face as they navigate the city, while also offering up potential for women to make their own place in the city by navigating and narrating their everyday experiences amidst the urban environment.

Introducing Mediapolis Now

Mediapolis Now is the new podcast channel for our journal, hosting interviews, event recordings and audio essays exploring the junction of cities, culture and media.

Projections that Give: Cauleen Smith’s COVID Manifesto (2020)

Malini Guha discusses filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist Cauleen Smith's month-long projection COVID Manifesto. She argues that, unlike methods of surplus accumulation that ensure neoliberal capitalism, the piece gives viewers time to pause, process, and grieve during the pandemic without asking for anything in return.