In this book, Kevin Corbett argues that as we reconsider postmodern cinema bridging the 20th and 21st centuries, this time period marks the transition and overlap from the cultural logic of postmodernism to the still-emerging cultural logic of metamodernism. From this premise, Corbett tracks the emergence of these elements over the course of Taika Waititi's career in film and television.
At first glance, Taika Waititi's film and television work seems quite scattered. But on closer examination the variation that characterizes the writer-director's output reflects a 21st-century cultural shift that has arguably replaced (or is replacing) postmodernism as the dominant paradigm. This new paradigm has been called metamodernism. At the core of this post-postmodern worldview is the idea of oscillation: how creative and cultural products move back-and-forth between ironic distance and affective connection.
In this book, Corbett examines how Waititi's films and TV shows often bounce between humor and other devices that generate insincerity and disengagement and other elements that invite audiences to sincerely affectively connect with the characters and story. Waititi has made touching, sometimes heart wrenching stories with children and young adults as central characters (Boy, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jojo Rabbit, Reservation Dogs), quirky character sketches and whacky parodies (Eagle vs. Shark, What We Do in the Shadows, Our Flag Means Death), and two Marvel movies (Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder). Ultimately, the variations among Waititi's work as a whole – and especially the variations in tone within the individual films and programs – reveals their metamodern nature.
In this book, Kevin Corbett argues that as we reconsider postmodern cinema bridging the 20th and 21st centuries, this time period marks the transition and overlap from the cultural logic of postmodernism to the still-emerging cultural logic of metamodernism. From this premise, Corbett tracks the emergence of these elements over the course of Taika Waititi's career in film and television.
Arvustused
Kevin Corbett has written a truly original and exceptionally insightful study of the oeuvre of one of the most prolific and popular filmmakers of our time, attentive at once to the unique qualities of the individual films and series and to the socio-cultural context within which they should be understood and appreciated. This is an important contribution to both the field of film studies and the debate on metamodernism. * Timotheus Vermeulen, Professor of Media, Culture and Society, University of Oslo, Norway *
Muu info
In this book, Kevin Corbett demonstrates the prominent role of metamodern cinematic elements in Taika Waititis creative works, tracing their emergence over the course of his decades-long career in film and television.
Introduction: Sentimentalism Makes Taika Waititi Cringe
1. The Emergence of Metamodernism
2. The Evolution of Metamodernism
3. Free Cheese and My Interesting World: The Metamodernism of Eagle vs Shark
and Boy
4. Bloody Fun: What We Do in the Shadows (the film and the TV show)
5. Like Best friends and That Really is Enough, Im Getting Uncomfortable:
Hunt for the Wilderpeople
6. A Tale of Two Thors
7. I Dont Want to Grow Up: The Metamodernism of Jojo Rabbit
8. Waititis Small Screen Marginal Metamodernism: Reservation Dogs
9. Waititis Small Screen Metamodernism: Our Flag Means Death as Fully
Metamodern
Conclusion: Next Goal...?
Bibliography
About the Author
Index
Kevin Corbett is Professor in the School of Communication, Journalism, & Media at Central Michigan University, USA.
