Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2023, American Culture Studies

Good Times? is an examination of the American film industry of the 1990s, with a focus on how both the major studios and independent distributors capitalized on cultural recycling of the 1970s. On the side of the major Hollywood studios, intellectual property became increasingly important as established brands could effectively be revived and resold to audiences. In independent cinema, filmmakers sampled the music, stars, and their own personal experiences from the 1970s, in line with larger aesthetic trends of postmodernism. The films studied in this project essentially mark a meeting point between these multiple trends. An appeal to nostalgia, broadly defined, for the 1970s provided a useful strategy for both reviving brands of that time and using them in the new ways afforded by postmodernism (such as parody and sampling) and the diverse perspectives of multiculturalism. My central argument is that, in the 1990s, both Hollywood and independent cinema utilized “the seventies” as a product to be sold and the past as something to be marketed. The primary way studio and independent films achieved this was through marketing tactics that made the seventies into a brand on multiple synergistic channels. Chapter one surveys the industrial landscape impacting the entertainment industry of the time, while chapter two covers the cultural trends of multiculturalism and postmodernism. Chapter three shows how ‘70s-set coming-of-age films from Gen X filmmakers had a rather serious take on growing up while their distributors glossed over these elements to highlight elements associated with nostalgia. Chapter four analyzes the studios' role in the nostalgia wave through recycling brands via synergy, as Paramount/Viacom did with The Brady Bunch. Chapter five examines independents' sampling of imagery and stars associated with blaxploitation to promote their films and ancillary products. Employing an industry studies perspective, the project uses a diverse collection of text (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Cynthia Baron Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Cortland Rankin Ph.D. (Committee Member); Andrew Schocket Ph.D. (Committee Member); Melissa Burek Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: American Studies; Film Studies

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2023, English

In this thesis, I examine the resurgence of Blaxploitation ideas in contemporary Black films, with specific focus on BlacKkKlansman (2018) and Judas and the Black Messiah (2021). I argue that these two recent films draw on historical events and Blaxploitation films of the 1970s to depict a continuum of Black resistance to anti-Black racism and social injustice. I assert that just like the Blaxploitation films served as the pop culture expression of Black social justice organizations like the Black Panther Party in the 1970s, BlacKkKlansman and Judas also articulate the importance of contemporary social justice movements like Black Lives Matter. In the introductory chapter, I establish the historical background, ideological motivation, and aesthetic signifiers of Blaxploitation films. The chapter reveals that Blaxploitation films emerged as a response to the racist representation of Black people in early mainstream Hollywood films, as well as to anti-Black racism in the wider culture. In chapter two, I interpret BlacKkKlansman as a film that yokes historical events with Blaxploitation tropes, such as Black cultural expression and collective struggles, to depict a continuum of Black resistance to anti-Black racism. In chapter three, I argue that Judas and the Black Messiah celebrates Black resistance to social injustice by valorizing the self-defense ideology and social organization of the Black Panther Party. I conclude by drawing an ideological connection between the Black Panther Party and Black Lives Matter, emphasizing the importance of both groups to Black social justice struggles.

Committee: Erin Labbie Ph.D (Committee Chair); William Albertini Ph.D (Committee Member) Subjects: African American Studies; African Americans; Black Studies; Ethnic Studies; Film Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2022, Mass Communication (Communication)

Media and representation of minorities have long been a focus of attention in communication and social science research. Media representation allowed scholars to move beyond understanding people in the mediated texts as just a portrayal or reflection of the existing reality. It saturated the media stream and established norms and common sense about minorities, cultures, and institutions in modern society. While a great deal of academic research has been conducted on the representations of Arabs and Muslims in Western media and Hollywood, little research which examines the representations of Arabs in Disney animated films were noticed. Therefore, this dissertation centers on the portrayal of Arabs in Disney animated films. It aims to identify the most prominent frames used by Walt Disney to portray Arabs, focusing on whether such films frame Arabs regarding their penchant for violence and terrorism and how they may exhibit sexist images. In addition, it seeks to explore a realization among Disney online audiences of possible negative depictions of Arabs and the story patterns assigned to them. The basis of this research was ten Disney animated films and audiences' opinions and reviews on those films. A mixed-methods convergent parallel design was employed to attain a complementary set of results that would complement one another and, therefore, strengthen the research's overall findings. Specifically, both framing analysis and quantitative textual analysis were used. Framing analysis findings revealed that the behavioral and violence frames were the most prominent frames of Arabs in Disney animation. Also, detailed explanations of Arab images in terms of violence, terrorism, and sexism were offered and discussed. The results on quantitative textual analysis of the IMDb dataset indicated that six main themes emerged, Aladdin, Original Disney, Disney Music, Disney Magic, Entertainment Production, and Animate. Also, the quantitative results illustrated the main concepts (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: M. Laeeq Khan (Advisor) Subjects: Film Studies; Mass Communications; Mass Media

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2018, East Asian Languages and Literatures

Over the years, the topic of cross cultural humor has received little attention and research. Those who have researched the subject have approached the subject from a psychological point of view or have tried to create their own theory for being humorous in one culture or the other. However, this is not an exercise in creating a new theory for how to be humorous in both China and America. I strictly observed how both audiences responded to ten different types of laughing points from both American and Chinese comedy films. Those types of laughing points are: humorous anger, awkward humor, blunt humor, dark humor, funny faces, juxtaposition, puns/play on words, referential humor, sarcasm, and sexual humor. Although many assumed that humor would not be able to cross culture due to cultural differences, all laughing points except for juxtaposition were able to cross culture at least one way. Humorous anger, puns, referential humor, and sarcasm only crossed culture one way. American audiences laughed at Chinese humorous anger, referential humor, and sarcasm while Chinese audiences laughed at American puns. Awkward humor, blunt humor, dark humor, funny faces, and sexual humor were able to cross between both cultures. This thesis had two goals: to prove that humor can cross culture and deserves research, and to produce results that would be beneficial to both Hollywood and Chinese film companies. These results prove that humor can cross between Chinese and American cultures and that comedy films and cross-cultural laughing points deserves further research. It also shows that Hollywood should plan to use awkward humor, blunt humor, dark humor, funny faces, puns, and sexual humor to better appeal to the Chinese Audience.

Committee: Xiaobin Jian (Advisor); Galal Walker (Committee Member) Subjects: Asian Studies; Film Studies; Foreign Language

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2018, American Culture Studies

With the advent of technology and globalization, our societies have become more connected than ever before, especially in the ways that technology has enabled us to gain awareness of different cultures and identities. Although there are many benefits to this exchange, powerful mass media often produce misrepresentations of culture and identity such as stereotypical images that do not fully express reality. This thesis aims to explore American film representations of Japanese identity and culture. Specifically, this thesis focuses on two American films from different time periods as cultural artifacts—Gung Ho (1986) and Ghost in the Shell (2017)—in order to examine how American-produced media view Japanese culture, and how media representation plays a role in international and intercultural communication. By analyzing specific scenes and dialogues, we can describe and interpret the stereotypes and misrepresentations of Japanese identity and culture. Moreover, a brief summary of the history of Japanese immigrants, racial concepts and ideologies, and Hollywood's general approach to Japanese identity and culture helps us to understand problematic portrayal of the Japanese in the United States. Although these two films are categorized in different genres and time periods, they present similar portrayals and concepts of Japanese identity and culture. One of the key findings of this thesis is the significance of Orientalism ideology. Specifically, this concept sustains the arguments of racial hierarchy and obscure cultural portrayals under the larger category of “Asian” or “oriental”. While exploring media representations of Japanese identity and culture is perhaps very complicated because Japanese culture has historically been influenced by its Western counterpart and it is difficult to define cultural traits, it is important to acknowledge the continuity of problematic representations. Ultimately, this thesis provides recommendations for both Japanese and non-Japanese pe (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Alberto Gonzalez Dr. (Advisor); Robert Sloane (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies; Mass Media

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2016, American Culture Studies

While popular movies are often overlooked in film studies, the action-adventure genre in the 1980s has drawn considerable academic attention. The consensus among the literature is that a conservative backlash (spurred on by Ronald Reagan's two terms in office) against a resurgent equality movement gave rise to hypermasculine movies like First Blood and Predator and hypermasculine stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. While this still holds true, a closer look at the movies and the era reveals a much more nuanced picture. A thorough examination of the culture, the movies, and the male bodies on-screen in the 1980s—through the lens of affect theory, cinematography, and spectacle, among others—uncovers a number of significant cultural phenomena that have the potential to shape future academic work. This study not only elucidates and reconstructs the conception of filmic spectacle to include the male body on-screen, it also identifies two types of male bodies on-screen in the 1980s—the muscle-bound, aesthetically spectacular body and the lithe, kinesthetically spectacular body. Additionally, this study argues that filmic spectacle (as experienced by viewers) is actually made up of two discrete dimensions, a physical dimension composed of massive scale and explosions and a physiological one composed of affect and emotion. Unpacking spectacle in this way ultimately produces a number of new tools for film scholars while reimagining, in a significant way, American culture in the 1980s, the action-adventure movies of the decade, and the greater cultural currents in the Reagan era.

Committee: Theodore F. Rippey Ph.D. (Advisor); Thomas A. Mascaro Ph.D. (Other); Andrew E. Hershberger Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jeffrey A. Brown Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Aesthetics; American Studies; Cinematography; Comparative; Ethnic Studies; Film Studies; Gender; Gender Studies; Mass Media; Motion Pictures

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2016, East Asian Languages and Literatures

Over the years, the topic of Hollywood's influence on China has received much attention and research, however very few people have formally studied the influence that China has on Hollywood. Along with China's continuous development and increasing international status, China's film market has also undergone rapid growth. Chinese box office revenue has maintained consistent growth rates, surpassing the growth rate of the North American box office. At the same time, Hollywood is becoming more reliant on the international box office. With China ranked as the second largest film market in the world and quickly surpassing North America to become the first, their impact over Hollywood is increasing. Under this context, this thesis plans to research the development of the Chinese film market as well as its influence on Hollywood.

Committee: Xiaobin Jian (Advisor); Galal Walker (Committee Member) Subjects: Asian Studies