Impossible Bodies investigates issues of ethnicity, gender, and sexuality in contemporary Hollywood. Examining stars from Arnold Schwarzenegger and Clint Eastwood, to Whoopi Goldberg and Jennifer Lopez, Chris Holmlund focuses on actors whose physique or appearance marks them as unusual or exceptional, and yet who occupy key and revealing positions in today's mainstream cinema.
Exploring a range of genres and considering both stars and their sidekicks, Holmlund examines ways in which Hollywood accommodates - or doesn't - a variety of 'impossible' bodies, from the 'outrageous' physiques of Dolph Lundgren and Dolly Parton, to the almost-invisible bodies of Asian-Americans, Latinas and older actors. From the Pumping Iron documentaries to The Quick and the Dead and Boys on the Side, Holmlund traces the broad shifts and startling disjunctures in what count as desirable images of masculinity and feminity in mainstream cinema.
From lesbian killers to Swedes who never play Swedes, Impossible Bodies considers how representations of ethnicity and race, gender and sexuality are played out in contemporary Hollywood films, and shows how popular cinema reflects and communicates contemporary values for audiences.

Since the explosion in low-budget filmmaking in the 1960s, the 'independent' film scene has produced some of the most innovative and successful films of recent years, from sy Rider to e Blair Witch Project . But how independent is independent cinema today? And what are the artistic and economic concerns that separate it form Hollywood? ntemporary American Independent Cinema is a comprehensive examination of the independent film scene. Exploring the uneasy relationship between independent films and the major studios, the contributors trace the changing ideas and definitions of independent cinema, and the diversity of independent film practices. They consider the ways in which indie films are marketed and distributed, and how new technologies such as video, cable and the internet have offered new opportunities for filmmakers to produce and market independent films. Turning to the work of key auteurs such as John Sayles and Haile Gerima, contributors ask whether independent filmmakers can also be stars, and consider how indie features like ys Don't Cry and opping for Fangs address issues of gender, sexuality and ethnicity normally avoided by Hollywood.

Since the explosion in low-budget filmmaking in the 1960s, the "independent" film scene has produced some of the most innovative and successful films of recent years, such as "Easy Rider" and "The Blair Witch Project." But how independent is independent cinema today? And what are the artistic and economic concerns that separate it from Hollywood?
"Contemporary American Independent Film" is a comprehensive examination of the independent film scene. Exploring the uneasy relationship between independent films and the major studios, contributors trace the changing ideas and definitions of independent cinema, and the diversity of independent film practices. They consider the ways in which indie films are marketed and distributed, and how new technologies such as video, cable and the internet have offered new opportunities for filmmakers to produce and market independent films.
Turning to the work of key auteurs such as John Sayles and Haile Gerima, contributors ask whether independent filmmakers can also be stars, and consider how indie features like "Boys Don't Cry "and "Shopping for Fangs "address issues of gender, sexuality and ethnicity normally avoided by Hollywood.