Seeing Through the Eyes of a Semiologist: A Tribute to Umberto Eco
Many of Eco’s observations read true in our hyperkinetic era of the Internet, the experience economy, the Disneyfication of entertainment, the mega-blockbuster.
Simulacra Beat
Wriggling Down the Rabbit Hole Again With ‘The Esquire’, the Follow-up to ‘The Institute’
Arye Michael Bender reprises his role as defrocked '70s guru Octavio Coleman in the upcoming part spin-off, part sequel, part prequel and completely mind-bending film, The Esquire.
Contemplations on the Nature of Truth: True Crime and Dark Empathy
How well can one digest murdertainment's darkest elements?
Contemplations on the Nature of Truth: True Crime, ‘True Detective’, and ‘Serial’ Obsessions
True Detective and Serial mark our society’s preoccupation with all things illegal, especially when they end in murder.
Fear, Inc.: Beyond the Shadows of the American Haunt Industry
Haunted houses. Extreme haunts. Big scares. Big money. Maybe even big health benefits (when used with caution, of course). Step inside, if you dare.
Neither Here Nor There: ‘The Institute’, the Game, and the Thread to Elsewhere
The trend in alternate reality gaming fits a traditional definition of hyperreality; the condition where fiction and the real become indistinguishably blended together.