Hollywood movies are rapidly becoming vehicles for the ulterior marketing and advertising motives of studios and their owners, rather than entertainment in their own right. Behind the Screens explores this trend toward "hypercommercialism" through phenomena such as product placement, tie-ins, merchandising and cross-promotions. It combines multiple examples taken directly from the movies with incisive interviews provided by film scholars, cultural critics, political economists, and an Oscar-nominated screenwriter. Behind the Screens presents an accessible argument designed for school and college-age audiences-- precisely the demographic most prized by both Hollywood studios and advertisers alike. It features examples drawn from movies such as Wayne's World, Forrest Gump, The Lion King, Summer of Sam, and Toy Story.
On the night of October 30, 1993, River Phoenix is set to play with his band at the Viper Room on Su...
Fans forever love Will Smith who are reassured they will always be entertained. Follow the journey o...
The story of pioneering women making iconic TV ads that changed the world: from Shake n' Vac and Lev...
From ayahuasca retreats to ketamine therapy, celebrities and scientists alike explore the healing po...
Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual cu...
The dawn of the 21st Century has found much of modern society obsessed with occult mysteries, sadist...
As the first "blonde bombshell," Mae West reigned supreme and changed the nation's view of women, se...
Known for his personification of the Western Hero, it was Montana-born Gary Cooper's horse-riding sk...
He went from street-wise tough to art-collector liberal-activist, from circus-acrobat hunk to Academ...
Every year, thousands of commercials are made that never reach our TV screens, deemed too shocking t...
Hollywood is a hot spot for celebrities, and tour guide Scott Michaels (E!'s "20 Most Horrifying Hol...
An insider's account of Jack Warner, a founding father of the American film industry. This feature l...
Actor Glynn Turman makes his Broadway debut at 12 years old in the original production of “A Raisin ...
Five unique individuals in pursuit of a big life change. Through auditions set up in small towns acr...
The larger-than-life story of Kim Dotcom, the 'most wanted man online', is extraordinary enough, but...
This documentary captures the sounds and images of a nearly forgotten era in film history when Afric...
A documentary incorporating footage of Montgomery Clift’s most memorable films; interviews with fami...
When looking at Pedro Almodóvar’s filmography, it becomes evident that women are everywhere; in fact...
Adam remains a consistent favorite among fans who are comforted that they will always have a good ti...
This short travelogue depicts snippets of locations in Hollywood, California, most of them as seen f...