The Hollywood War Machine

Cover — Half Title — Title Page — Copyright Page — Contents — Preface — Chapter 1 Media Culture in the Imperial System — Legitimating Empire — Cinematic Imperialism — Descent into Barbarism–A Militarized Culture — Chapter 2 Militarism in American Popular Culture — Patriotism as Secular Religion — Gun Culture and Civic Violence — Warrior Culture and Patriarchy — Corporate Media: Reservoir of Militarism — Chapter 3 War and Cinema: The Historical Legacy — Hollywood Mobilizes for Combat — The Western as Combat Genre — The Myth of the Good War — Cold War and Popular Culture — Chapter 4 The Vietnam Syndrome: Politics and Cinema — Innocence, Defeat, Tragedy — Post-Vietnam Traumas — Robert McNamara and the Fog of History — Empathize with Your Enemy — Rationality Will Not Save Us — Maximize Efficiency — Proportionality Should Be a Guideline — Get the Data — Belief and Seeing Are Both Often Wrong — Prepare to Reexamine Your Reasoning — Never Say Never — You Can’t Change Human Nature — Chapter 5 Recycling the Good War — World War II-Again, and Again — Hollywood: War and Nostalgia — Steven Spielberg and the Spectacle of War — Pearl Harbor: Escape from History — Chapter 6 Cinematic Warfare in the New World Order — Iraq: From Spectacle to Chaos — New Rules of Engagement — Hollywood and Terrorism — The Cinema of Disguised Militarism — Chapter 7 Hollywood after 9/11 — Hollywood’s First Reactions — Cinematic 9/11 — New Perspectives on The Good War — Aliens, Vampires, Zombies, and Other Superheroes — Government Weakness and Corruption — Conclusion — Postscript: Blowback and American Sniper — Notes — Index — About the Authors