Jeff Middents | American University (original) (raw)

Papers by Jeff Middents

Latsploitation, Exploitation Cinemas, and Latin America, 2009

Studies in Hispanic Cinemas, 2012

Slayage: The Online International Journal of Buffy …, 2005

With its nondescript high school, architecturally classic Main Street, and single Starbucks café,... more With its nondescript high school, architecturally classic Main Street, and single Starbucks café, Sunnydale evokes contemporary suburban America. Despite the Scooby gang's having to fight off all sorts of demons, the characters are meant to be otherwise everyday people with everyday lives and everyday problems. In a sense, the outer appearance of Sunnydale is that of a utopian (if otherwise nondescript) suburbia: friendly, pretty and relatively peaceful, if only with an awfully high death rate. The town-along with its inhabitants, blissfully ignorant of its location over a Hellmouthindeed helped establish the universality that brought the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer a large and committed audience.

Transnational Cinemas, 2013

ABSTRACT Within the context of contemporary globalization, the concept of ‘Latin American cinema’... more ABSTRACT Within the context of contemporary globalization, the concept of ‘Latin American cinema’ has become increasingly problematic, particularly since such geographically based terms (such as ‘national’, ‘continental’, ‘transnational’, ‘regional’, ‘local’, ‘rural’ and/or ‘metropolitan’) invoke intense cultural, ideological, political and economic references and debates that are often cloaked in nostalgic references to the period of militant film-making from 1960s and 1970s. This article therefore highlights the multiple methodological approaches that must be taken into account when narrating ‘place’ with contemporary Latin American production, whether the contexts be international (e.g. through transnational funding and exhibition opportunities in Europe, especially Spain, and the United States) or intranational (e.g. encouraging one kind of production for domestic audiences and another to negotiate the international film festival circuit).

Short Film Studies, 2011

Although the title Alumbramiento references childbirth, children are conspicuously absent through... more Although the title Alumbramiento references childbirth, children are conspicuously absent throughout the film: motherhood defines Maria, but not her children. In framing death by referencing the absence of children, the film also comments on the discontinuous nature of the post-Francoist Spanish family.

Short Film Studies, 2011

Although the title Alumbramiento references childbirth, children are conspicuously absent through... more Although the title Alumbramiento references childbirth, children are conspicuously absent throughout the film: motherhood defines Maria, but not her children. In framing death by referencing the absence of children, the film also comments on the discontinuous nature of the post-Francoist Spanish family.

Within the context of contemporary globalization, the concept of ‘Latin American cinema’ has beco... more Within the context of contemporary globalization, the concept of ‘Latin American cinema’ has become increasingly problematic, particularly since such geographically based terms (such as ‘national’, ‘continental’, ‘transnational’, ‘regional’, ‘local’, ‘rural’ and/or ‘metropolitan’) invoke intense cultural, ideological, political and economic references and debates that are often cloaked in nostalgic references to the period of militant film-making from 1960s and 1970s. This article therefore highlights the multiple methodological approaches that must be taken into account when narrating ‘place’ with contemporary Latin American production, whether the contexts be international (e.g. through transnational funding and exhibition opportunities in Europe, especially Spain, and the United States) or intranational (e.g. encouraging one kind of production for domestic audiences and another to negotiate the international film festival circuit).

Reading Rita Moreno's and Lena Horne's episodes together demonstrates how, curing its first sesas... more Reading Rita Moreno's and Lena Horne's episodes together demonstrates how, curing its first sesason in 1977, The Muppet Show worked within the racialized constructs of each perfomer’s established star persona while also providing complex, sophisticated commentary on the same through performance and costuming.

Studies in Hispanic Cinemas 9.2, 2012

This introduction to a special volume dedicated to translations of recent writings from underexam... more This introduction to a special volume dedicated to translations of recent writings from underexamined cinematic traditions in Latin America (such as Bolivia, Cuba, Colombia, Peru and Puerto Rico) argues for the amplification of voices from 'small' cinemas as essential to understanding contemporary cinema from the region as a whole.

Although the title Alumbramiento references childbirth, children are conspicuously absent through... more Although the title Alumbramiento references childbirth, children are conspicuously absent throughout the film: motherhood defines Maria, but not her children. In framing death by referencing the absence of children, the film also comments on the discontinuous nature of the post-Francoist Spanish family.

In Latsploitation!: Latin America and Exploitation Cinemas. Victoria Ruetalo and Dolores Tierney, eds., 2009

In Representing the Rural: Space, Place and Identity in Films About the Land. Catherine Fowler and Gillian Helfield, eds. , 2006

Democracy in Chile: The Legacy of September 11, 1973. Silvia Nagy-Zakmi and Fernando Leiva, eds., 2005

Books by Jeff Middents

JouWriting National Cinema traces the twenty-year history of the Peruvian film journal Hablemos d... more JouWriting National Cinema traces the twenty-year history of the Peruvian film journal Hablemos de cine alongside that of Peruvian filmmaking and film culture. Similar to the influential French journal Cahiers du cinema, Hablemos de cine began with a group of young critics interested in claiming the director's use of mise-en-scene as the exclusive method of film analysis rather than thematic or star-oriented topics -- hence, the title of the publication, derived from their battle cry at post-screening discussions: "Let's talk about film." Their critical authority grew with the rise of local filmmaking and the nationalist fervor of the late 1960s and early 1970s. When government sponsorship spurred feature filmmaking in the mid-1970s, their perspective eschewed the politically militant readings that characterized most writing and film from the rest of Latin America at the time. By the 1980s, the critics at Hablemos de cine had helped to engender a commercial, Hollywood-influenced cinematic vision--best exemplified by Peruvian auteur Francisco Lombardi--and stimulated a unique, if isolating, national identity through film. The first book-length study of Peruvian film culture to appear in English, Middents's work offers thoughtful consideration of the impact of criticism on the visual stylings of a national cinema.

Teaching Documents by Jeff Middents

Arts and culture have the power to enable people to see beyond their differences. Creativity is a... more Arts and culture have the power to enable people to see beyond their differences. Creativity is an antidote to isolationism, paranoia, misunderstanding, and violent intolerance. In the countries most affected by the immigration ban, it is writers, artists, musicians, and filmmakers who are often at the vanguard in the fights against oppression and terror. Should it interrupt the ability of artists to travel, perform, and collaborate, such an Executive Order will aid those who would silence essential voices and exacerbate the hatreds that fuel global conflict.-excerpt from PEN America's open letter to President Trump, February 21, 2017 If we have believed that national (and nationalist) identity no longer mattered in the 21 st Century age of globalization, the Executive Order issued by the United States government on January 27, 2017 brought the reality of these concepts into full relief. In listing seven nations, called " countries of concern " by the Department of State, whose citizens were banned from entering the United States, the government offered a blanket assessment of the potential ideologies determined by nation of origin. This is nothing new, of course: the list of seven echoes the countries given the moniker " The Axis of Evil " by U.S. government officials in the early 2000s, a name that itself echoes the " Axis powers " (Japan, Germany and Italy) from World War II. Such proclamations make blanket statements about " foreign nationals " and their habits, their thoughts and their lives. How can we dig beyond such overarching assumptions proffered by the news and government officials to explore other cultures, the perspectives of the " other " ? This course will resist monolithic claims about " hostile nations " and explore how to search for and interpret contemporary literature (and, where available, films) from those countries, despite the fact that we do not speak the original languages spoken in these countries. As a class, we will likely be tempted to make connections between countries that are different from each other – and for those countries in the same

Using methods that both embrace and critique the study of national cinemas, this course provides ... more Using methods that both embrace and critique the study of national cinemas, this course provides a survey of cinema from across the Latin American region, concentrating on the changing tropes of contemporary cinema.

Latsploitation, Exploitation Cinemas, and Latin America, 2009

Studies in Hispanic Cinemas, 2012

Slayage: The Online International Journal of Buffy …, 2005

With its nondescript high school, architecturally classic Main Street, and single Starbucks café,... more With its nondescript high school, architecturally classic Main Street, and single Starbucks café, Sunnydale evokes contemporary suburban America. Despite the Scooby gang's having to fight off all sorts of demons, the characters are meant to be otherwise everyday people with everyday lives and everyday problems. In a sense, the outer appearance of Sunnydale is that of a utopian (if otherwise nondescript) suburbia: friendly, pretty and relatively peaceful, if only with an awfully high death rate. The town-along with its inhabitants, blissfully ignorant of its location over a Hellmouthindeed helped establish the universality that brought the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer a large and committed audience.

Transnational Cinemas, 2013

ABSTRACT Within the context of contemporary globalization, the concept of ‘Latin American cinema’... more ABSTRACT Within the context of contemporary globalization, the concept of ‘Latin American cinema’ has become increasingly problematic, particularly since such geographically based terms (such as ‘national’, ‘continental’, ‘transnational’, ‘regional’, ‘local’, ‘rural’ and/or ‘metropolitan’) invoke intense cultural, ideological, political and economic references and debates that are often cloaked in nostalgic references to the period of militant film-making from 1960s and 1970s. This article therefore highlights the multiple methodological approaches that must be taken into account when narrating ‘place’ with contemporary Latin American production, whether the contexts be international (e.g. through transnational funding and exhibition opportunities in Europe, especially Spain, and the United States) or intranational (e.g. encouraging one kind of production for domestic audiences and another to negotiate the international film festival circuit).

Short Film Studies, 2011

Although the title Alumbramiento references childbirth, children are conspicuously absent through... more Although the title Alumbramiento references childbirth, children are conspicuously absent throughout the film: motherhood defines Maria, but not her children. In framing death by referencing the absence of children, the film also comments on the discontinuous nature of the post-Francoist Spanish family.

Short Film Studies, 2011

Although the title Alumbramiento references childbirth, children are conspicuously absent through... more Although the title Alumbramiento references childbirth, children are conspicuously absent throughout the film: motherhood defines Maria, but not her children. In framing death by referencing the absence of children, the film also comments on the discontinuous nature of the post-Francoist Spanish family.

Within the context of contemporary globalization, the concept of ‘Latin American cinema’ has beco... more Within the context of contemporary globalization, the concept of ‘Latin American cinema’ has become increasingly problematic, particularly since such geographically based terms (such as ‘national’, ‘continental’, ‘transnational’, ‘regional’, ‘local’, ‘rural’ and/or ‘metropolitan’) invoke intense cultural, ideological, political and economic references and debates that are often cloaked in nostalgic references to the period of militant film-making from 1960s and 1970s. This article therefore highlights the multiple methodological approaches that must be taken into account when narrating ‘place’ with contemporary Latin American production, whether the contexts be international (e.g. through transnational funding and exhibition opportunities in Europe, especially Spain, and the United States) or intranational (e.g. encouraging one kind of production for domestic audiences and another to negotiate the international film festival circuit).

Reading Rita Moreno's and Lena Horne's episodes together demonstrates how, curing its first sesas... more Reading Rita Moreno's and Lena Horne's episodes together demonstrates how, curing its first sesason in 1977, The Muppet Show worked within the racialized constructs of each perfomer’s established star persona while also providing complex, sophisticated commentary on the same through performance and costuming.

Studies in Hispanic Cinemas 9.2, 2012

This introduction to a special volume dedicated to translations of recent writings from underexam... more This introduction to a special volume dedicated to translations of recent writings from underexamined cinematic traditions in Latin America (such as Bolivia, Cuba, Colombia, Peru and Puerto Rico) argues for the amplification of voices from 'small' cinemas as essential to understanding contemporary cinema from the region as a whole.

Although the title Alumbramiento references childbirth, children are conspicuously absent through... more Although the title Alumbramiento references childbirth, children are conspicuously absent throughout the film: motherhood defines Maria, but not her children. In framing death by referencing the absence of children, the film also comments on the discontinuous nature of the post-Francoist Spanish family.

In Latsploitation!: Latin America and Exploitation Cinemas. Victoria Ruetalo and Dolores Tierney, eds., 2009

In Representing the Rural: Space, Place and Identity in Films About the Land. Catherine Fowler and Gillian Helfield, eds. , 2006

Democracy in Chile: The Legacy of September 11, 1973. Silvia Nagy-Zakmi and Fernando Leiva, eds., 2005

JouWriting National Cinema traces the twenty-year history of the Peruvian film journal Hablemos d... more JouWriting National Cinema traces the twenty-year history of the Peruvian film journal Hablemos de cine alongside that of Peruvian filmmaking and film culture. Similar to the influential French journal Cahiers du cinema, Hablemos de cine began with a group of young critics interested in claiming the director's use of mise-en-scene as the exclusive method of film analysis rather than thematic or star-oriented topics -- hence, the title of the publication, derived from their battle cry at post-screening discussions: "Let's talk about film." Their critical authority grew with the rise of local filmmaking and the nationalist fervor of the late 1960s and early 1970s. When government sponsorship spurred feature filmmaking in the mid-1970s, their perspective eschewed the politically militant readings that characterized most writing and film from the rest of Latin America at the time. By the 1980s, the critics at Hablemos de cine had helped to engender a commercial, Hollywood-influenced cinematic vision--best exemplified by Peruvian auteur Francisco Lombardi--and stimulated a unique, if isolating, national identity through film. The first book-length study of Peruvian film culture to appear in English, Middents's work offers thoughtful consideration of the impact of criticism on the visual stylings of a national cinema.

Arts and culture have the power to enable people to see beyond their differences. Creativity is a... more Arts and culture have the power to enable people to see beyond their differences. Creativity is an antidote to isolationism, paranoia, misunderstanding, and violent intolerance. In the countries most affected by the immigration ban, it is writers, artists, musicians, and filmmakers who are often at the vanguard in the fights against oppression and terror. Should it interrupt the ability of artists to travel, perform, and collaborate, such an Executive Order will aid those who would silence essential voices and exacerbate the hatreds that fuel global conflict.-excerpt from PEN America's open letter to President Trump, February 21, 2017 If we have believed that national (and nationalist) identity no longer mattered in the 21 st Century age of globalization, the Executive Order issued by the United States government on January 27, 2017 brought the reality of these concepts into full relief. In listing seven nations, called " countries of concern " by the Department of State, whose citizens were banned from entering the United States, the government offered a blanket assessment of the potential ideologies determined by nation of origin. This is nothing new, of course: the list of seven echoes the countries given the moniker " The Axis of Evil " by U.S. government officials in the early 2000s, a name that itself echoes the " Axis powers " (Japan, Germany and Italy) from World War II. Such proclamations make blanket statements about " foreign nationals " and their habits, their thoughts and their lives. How can we dig beyond such overarching assumptions proffered by the news and government officials to explore other cultures, the perspectives of the " other " ? This course will resist monolithic claims about " hostile nations " and explore how to search for and interpret contemporary literature (and, where available, films) from those countries, despite the fact that we do not speak the original languages spoken in these countries. As a class, we will likely be tempted to make connections between countries that are different from each other – and for those countries in the same

Using methods that both embrace and critique the study of national cinemas, this course provides ... more Using methods that both embrace and critique the study of national cinemas, this course provides a survey of cinema from across the Latin American region, concentrating on the changing tropes of contemporary cinema.

Office hours: Mondays 4-7pm, Thursdays 12-2pm, or by appointment The American film critic Manny F... more Office hours: Mondays 4-7pm, Thursdays 12-2pm, or by appointment The American film critic Manny Farber said that every movie transmits the DNA of its time. The Day the Earth Stood Still was made right in the middle of the Cold War, and it has the tension, the paranoia, the fear of nuclear disaster and the fear of the end of life on planet Earth, and a million other elements, more difficult to put into words. These elements have to do with the play of light and shadow, the emotional and psychological interplay between the characters, the atmosphere of the time woven into the action, the choices that were made behind the camera and that resulted in the immediate film experience for viewers like myself and my parents. …

Critical Approach to the Cinema introduces students to one of the most powerful media of our time... more Critical Approach to the Cinema introduces students to one of the most powerful media of our time: the film. Students in the course will learn to evaluate and interpret movies, skills which require the comprehension of minute detail and the ability to probe the artistic intentions of directors. This talent to question, support and evaluate existing art will lead to an enhanced knowledge of how to approach artistic creations critically.