Are you watching closely? : cultural paranoia, new technologies, and the contemporary Hollywood misdirection film /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Friedman, Seth, 1976- author.
Imprint:	Albany : State University of New York Press, [2017]
Description:	xiv, 264 pages ; 24 cm.
Language:	English
Series:	The SUNY Series, Horizons Of Cinema SUNY series, horizons of cinema.
Subject:	Motion pictures -- Philosophy. Space and time in motion pictures. Narration (Rhetoric) Motion pictures -- Philosophy. Narration (Rhetoric) Space and time in motion pictures.
Format:	Print Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11371462

Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:	9781438465913 1438465912
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:	"Seth Friedman explores the recent spate of 'misdirection films,' a genre characterized by narratives that inspire viewers to reinterpret them retrospectively. Since 1990, Hollywood has backed more of these films than ever before, many of which, including The Sixth Sense (1999), A Beautiful Mind (2001), and Inception (2010), were both commercial and critical successes. Seth Friedman examines this genre in its sociocultural, industrial, and technological contexts to explain why it has become more attractive to producers and audiences. The recent popularity of misdirection films, Friedman argues, is linked to new technologies that enable repeat viewings and online discussion, which makes it enticing to an industry that depends increasingly on the aftermarket, as well as to historically specific cultural developments. That is, in addition to being well suited for shifting industrial and technological conditions, these films are appealing because they suggest that it remains possible to know what "actually" occurred and who was "really" responsible for events at a time when it is also becoming increasingly recognized that "truth" is relative." -- Provided by the publisher.
Other form:	Online version: Friedman, Seth, 1976- Are you watching closely? Albany : State University of New York Press, [2017] 9781438465920
Standard no.:	40027443510

Table of Contents:

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Retrospective Issues: The Discursive Approach to Genre and the Misdirection Film
2. The Truth Is Out There: Manufacturing Conspiratorial Narrative Coherence
3. Constructing the (Im)perfect Cover: Masculine Masquerade and Narrative Agency
4. Start Making Sense: Narrative Complexity, DVD, and Online Fandom
5. The Masters of Misdirection: Branding M. Night Shyamalan and Christopher Nolan
6. Genre Prestige: The Misdirection Film as Blockbuster and Middlebrow Art
Conclusion
Works Cited
Index

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