Bruce Isaacs: Hollywood Making and Breaking Culture

Hollywood has the clout to make, break, and cancel cultures. But what happens when Marvel and Disney turn into political cinema?

When movies like Black Panther and Wonder Woman make a billion dollars at the box office on the back of apparently progressive racial and gender politics? Is this something entirely new or just Hollywood’s way of cashing in on the next wave of political unease?

Join Bruce as he looks at the emergence of something potentially radical in the Hollywood mainstream: a committed, engaged political cinema for a global mass audience.

Bio

Bruce's work looks at how movies, TV, and popular culture impact our lives from artistic and political points of view. His most recent book is The Art of Pure Cinema: Hitchcock and His Imitators, published by Oxford University Press in 2020.

Also speaking at this location at 6:00pm is Heba Khamis.

About PS40

The main appeal of this bar by Michael Chiem and Thor Bergquist is its in-house sodas. The bar's taps pour PS Soda's core range – wattle cola; bush tonic; smoked lemonade; and blackstrap ginger – plus a seasonal flavour. Lo-Fi Wines put together a wine list of around 35 bottles. Its focus is on organic wines from small producers. The bright, high-ceilinged interior is dominated by bold swathes of black and white. Custom-built stools and tables rest alongside elegant windows facing the bustle of King Street. The soda-making plant sits on a raised platform opposite the long bar.