An invaluable resource examining LGBTQIA+ portrayals in contemporary American film. The depictions of LGBTQIA+ characters in film have always varied immensely. However, the negative depictions often seem to outweigh the positive, perhaps because of the hurt they inspire or perhaps because they regrettably outnumber the positive films. The Encyclopedia of LGBTQIA+ Portrayals in American Film explores works from the past fifty years in order to not only discuss how LGBTQIA+ characters are portrayed in American film, but also how these portrayals affect viewers. Contributors to this valuable reference include film and media scholars, gender studies scholars, journalists, LGBTQIA+ advocates, and more, representing countries from around the world. This rich array of perspectives provide careful and critical examinations of more than 100 films, ranging from the ethical and compassionate to the deliberately cruel and destructive. Featuring films such as American Beauty, Batman v Superman, Fight Club, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Little Miss Sunshine, and Venom, this extensive volume informs and educates scholars and general readers alike, guiding them to see injustice more clearly and inspiring future generations to create art that is both inclusive and thoughtful.

Today's highly industrialized and technologically controlled global food systems dominate our lives, shaping our access and attitudes towards food and deeply influencing and defining our identities. At the same time, these food systems are profoundly and destructively impacting the health of the environment and threatening all of us, human and nonhuman, who must subsist in ecological conditions of increasing fragility and scarcity. This collection examines and exposes the myriad ways that the food systems, driven by global commodity capitalism and its imperative of growth at any cost, increasingly controls us and conforms us to our roles as consumers and producers. This collection covers a range of topics from the excess of consumers in the post-industrial world and the often unacknowledged yet intrinsic connection of their consumption to the growing ecological and health crises in developing nations, to topics of surveillance and control of human and nonhuman bodies through food, to the deep linkages of cultural values and norms toward food to the myriad crises we face on a global scale.

Murguia explores food and foodways within institutions of incarceration. Food, like all resources within total institutions, is vulnerable to social manipulation. Within jail and prison settings, food becomes both a mechanism of control and resistance. In the former, the type of food, its quality, its quantity, and the symbolic significance of its presence or absence all contribute to the socio-political experience of the incarcerated-perhaps even adding an extra form of punishment to one's sentence not measured in time, but rather in terms of cruelty. In the latter, the incarcerated may view the preparation of food, the innovation it may undergo, its consumption, or even the refusal of its consumption along these same socio-political lines. Thus viewing food within jail and prison as social facts that engender real consequences reveals a virtually uncharted area of research for understanding the intersection between food and life within the confines of incarceration. Of this line of inquiry, Murguia asks how food is employed as a means to control prisoners and, conversely, how do prisoners employ food in the service of resistance. As his analysis suggests, this text emphasizes a need to advance a broader discussion about the diets of prisoners.

Today's highly industrialized and technologically controlled global food systems dominate our lives, shaping our access and attitudes towards food and deeply influencing and defining our identities. At the same time, these food systems are profoundly and destructively impacting the health of the environment and threatening all of us, human and nonhuman, who must subsist in ecological conditions of increasing fragility and scarcity. This collection examines and exposes the myriad ways that the food systems, driven by global commodity capitalism and its imperative of growth at any cost, increasingly controls us and conforms us to our roles as consumers and producers. This collection covers a range of topics from the excess of consumers in the post-industrial world and the often unacknowledged yet intrinsic connection of their consumption to the growing ecological and health crises in developing nations, to topics of surveillance and control of human and nonhuman bodies through food, to the deep linkages of cultural values and norms toward food to the myriad crises we face on a global scale.

Murguia explores food and foodways within institutions of incarceration. Food, like all resources within total institutions, is vulnerable to social manipulation. Within jail and prison settings, food becomes both a mechanism of control and resistance. In the former, the type of food, its quality, its quantity, and the symbolic significance of its presence or absence all contribute to the socio-political experience of the incarcerated-perhaps even adding an extra form of punishment to one's sentence not measured in time, but rather in terms of cruelty. In the latter, the incarcerated may view the preparation of food, the innovation it may undergo, its consumption, or even the refusal of its consumption along these same socio-political lines. Thus viewing food within jail and prison as social facts that engender real consequences reveals a virtually uncharted area of research for understanding the intersection between food and life within the confines of incarceration. Of this line of inquiry, Murguia asks how food is employed as a means to control prisoners and, conversely, how do prisoners employ food in the service of resistance. As his analysis suggests, this text emphasizes a need to advance a broader discussion about the diets of prisoners.

Under the Franco regime (1939-1976), films produced in Spain were of poor quality, promoted the regime's agenda, or were heavily censored. After the dictator's death, the Spanish film industry transitioned into a new era, one in which artists were able to more freely express themselves and tackle subjects that had been previously stifled. Today, films produced in Spain are among the most highly regarded in world cinema. The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Spanish Films features nearly 300 entries on the written by a host of international scholars and film critics. Beginning with movies released after Franco's death, this volume documents four decades of films, directors, actresses and actors of Spanish cinema. Offering a comprehensive survey of films, the entries address such topics as art, culture, society and politics. Each includes comprehensive production details and provides brief suggestions for further reading. Through its examination of the films of the post-Franco period, this volume offers readers valuable insights into Spanish history, politics, and culture. An indispensable guide to one of the great world cinemas, The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Spanish Films will be of interest to students, academics, and the general public alike.

From D.W. Griffith's Birth of a Nation in 1915 to the recent Get Out, audiences and critics alike have responded to racism in motion pictures for more than a century. Whether subtle or blatant, racially biased images and narratives erase minorities, perpetuate stereotypes, and keep alive practices of discrimination and marginalization. Even in the 21st century, the American film industry is not "color blind," evidenced by films such as Babel (2006), A Better Life (2011), and 12 Years a Slave (2013). The Encyclopedia of Racism in American Film documents one facet of racism in the film industry, wherein historically underrepresented peoples are misrepresented-through a lack of roles for actors of color, stereotyping, negative associations, and an absence of rich, nuanced characters. Offering insights and analysis from over seventy scholars, critics, and activists, the volume highlights issues such as: *Hollywood's diversity crisis *White Savior films *Magic Negro tropes *The disconnect between screen images and lived realities of African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, and Asians A companion to the ever-growing field of race studies, this volume opens up a critical dialogue on an always timely issue. The Encyclopedia of Racism in American Film will appeal to scholars of cinema, race and ethnicity studies, and cultural history.

Many of the most successful innovations-from the light bulb to the Internet-have often resulted from ingenuity, ambition, and dedication. Such achievements have changed lives for the better. Yet for every new development that the public embraces, there is a dark side of progress: cultural byproducts that litter the road to obscurity. Just because something is a failure, however, doesn't necessarily mean that it shouldn't matter. In Epic Fails: The Edsel, the Mullet, and Other Icons of Unpopular Culture, Salvador Jimenez Murguia examines some of the most iconic missteps of the past several decades. In order to shed light on the inherent, often comic strain in American life between fame and infamy, the author surveys some of the best-or rather, worst-of what man has to offer. From fashion flops like the mullet and Zubaz pants to marketing mistakes like Bud Dry, New Coke, and Crystal Pepsi, this text captures the unintentionally entertaining milieu of failure. Placing these gaffes in cultural context, Murguia considers how each of these products crashed and burned, while trying to arrive at an answer to the ultimate question: "What were they thinking?" Whether these attempts were doomed from the start, failed because of consumer indifference, or were simply the victims of poor timing, this book returns them, however briefly, to the spotlight. A fascinating look at man-made disasters, Epic Fails is an entertaining treatise about the forgotten-and infamous-endeavors of American creativity, or lack thereof.

When Kellyanne Conway, counselor to President Trump, coined the phrase "alternative facts" in January 2017, objectivity in public discourse-the long-held belief in a more or less agreed-upon Set of verifiable truths-went into a tailspin. The use of alternative facts and narratives quickly became the go-to rhetorical strategy, especially among Trump's administration and base. Rebuttals based on fact-checking and hard data were demoted to mere choices in a media bazaar where consumers are free to source their own versions of reality. This volume explores the social and political disruption accompanying the loss of faith in objectivity, along with reflections on the disregard for truth and honesty, both within the Trump Administration and in contemporary popular culture.

Although the horror genre has been embraced by filmmakers around the world, Japan has been one of the most prolific and successful purveyors of such films. From science fiction terrors of the 1950s like Godzilla to violent films like Suicide Circle and Ichi the Killer, Japanese horror film has a diverse history. While the quality of some of these films has varied, others have been major hits in Japan and beyond, frightening moviegoers around the globe. Many of these films-such as the Ringu movies-have influenced other horror productions in both Asia and the United States. The Encyclopedia of Japanese Horror Films covers virtually every horror film made in Japan from the past century to date. In addition to major and modest productions, this encyclopedia also features entries on notable directors, producers, and actors. Each film entry includes comprehensive details, situates the film in the context and history of Japanese horror cinema, and provides brief suggestions for further reading. Although emphasizing horror as a general theme, this encyclopedia also encompasses other genres that are associated with this theme, including Comedy Horror, Science Fiction Horror, Cyber-punk Horror, Ero Guru (Erotic Grotesque), and Anime Horror. The Encyclopedia of Japanese Horror Films is a comprehensive reference volume that will appeal to both cinema scholars as well as to the many fans of this popular genre.