Block Cinema

Day for Night Magazine

Mediators, Mediocrities, and Miniscreens
BY THE EDITORS

Like a vixen back from sabbatical, Day for Night has been revamped. Astute readers will notice that we have organized the magazine into three distinct sections: feature articles, Northwestern events, and DVD reviews. In each issue, the features articles will explore an issue that threatens to transform cinema as an art form, a culture, and a business. A vague air of menace and fear will adhere to these articles, which is how you will know they’re important. The Northwestern section will include articles about Block Cinema programming, student films and filmmakers, campus events and the like, and our keen aesthetic sense will help you sift through the mountain of new Criterion

Collection DVDs that are released each month. In addition, witty editorials will now fill the extra space. In this issue, we’ve trained our incisive critical gaze on globalization and its effect on contemporary cinema, in America and elsewhere. Yes, the New York Times Magazine already did this. However, whereas much of the public dialogue revolves around the movement of actors and movies themselves across borders and cultures, we’re looking at something more subtle and intangible. In this issue, we examine the movement of plotlines, formal techniques, and mediocrity across the channels opened by globalization, and even the way the channels themselves have changed.

The story of globalization extends beyond the familiar bleak story of the increasing vapidity of American blockbusters marketed to the world, to which the only
antidote is the small number of foreign films that trickle into the art houses and the festivals. Though long dominated by America, the film world has always been global. Bollywood releases more movies than all the U.S. studios combined, film geeks have united in praise of Korea’s Old Boy, and Renoir’s Rules of the Game still graces Top 10 lists the world over. In short, foreign cinemas continue to make important contributions to the global film community. In fact, many of our most famous directors have been profoundly influenced by foreign cinema. Look no further than Martin Scorsese for a severe case of overexposure to Italian film. Needless to say, globalization is out there. It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead. Or maybe it will simply bring more subtitles to megaplexes. Either way, it’s our job at DFN to give the public a glimpse, albeit a brief one, into the constantly shifting global film industry and its implications for both foreign and American audiences alike. So listen and read, and you may find yourself viewing movies beyond the traditional American lense.

Block Cinema
About the Block Exhibitions Collections Education Block Cinema Summer Outdoor Movies Rare Baseball Films Reeltime Admission Info Day for Night Magazine Publisher's Notes Past Issues Contact Us Visit the Block Support the Block Calendar Benefit Join Our E-mail List Home
	Day for Night Magazine Mediators, Mediocrities, and Miniscreens BY THE EDITORS Like a vixen back from sabbatical, Day for Night has been revamped. Astute readers will notice that we have organized the magazine into three distinct sections: feature articles, Northwestern events, and DVD reviews. In each issue, the features articles will explore an issue that threatens to transform cinema as an art form, a culture, and a business. A vague air of menace and fear will adhere to these articles, which is how you will know they’re important. The Northwestern section will include articles about Block Cinema programming, student films and filmmakers, campus events and the like, and our keen aesthetic sense will help you sift through the mountain of new Criterion Collection DVDs that are released each month. In addition, witty editorials will now fill the extra space. In this issue, we’ve trained our incisive critical gaze on globalization and its effect on contemporary cinema, in America and elsewhere. Yes, the New York Times Magazine already did this. However, whereas much of the public dialogue revolves around the movement of actors and movies themselves across borders and cultures, we’re looking at something more subtle and intangible. In this issue, we examine the movement of plotlines, formal techniques, and mediocrity across the channels opened by globalization, and even the way the channels themselves have changed. The story of globalization extends beyond the familiar bleak story of the increasing vapidity of American blockbusters marketed to the world, to which the only antidote is the small number of foreign films that trickle into the art houses and the festivals. Though long dominated by America, the film world has always been global. Bollywood releases more movies than all the U.S. studios combined, film geeks have united in praise of Korea’s Old Boy, and Renoir’s Rules of the Game still graces Top 10 lists the world over. In short, foreign cinemas continue to make important contributions to the global film community. In fact, many of our most famous directors have been profoundly influenced by foreign cinema. Look no further than Martin Scorsese for a severe case of overexposure to Italian film. Needless to say, globalization is out there. It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead. Or maybe it will simply bring more subtitles to megaplexes. Either way, it’s our job at DFN to give the public a glimpse, albeit a brief one, into the constantly shifting global film industry and its implications for both foreign and American audiences alike. So listen and read, and you may find yourself viewing movies beyond the traditional American lense.