Chris Beasley is Professor of Politics at the University of AdelaideHeather Brook is Senior Lecturer in Women’s Studies at Flinders University

‘This is an important book which helps us better understand a key political and cultural phenomena – Hollywood films. The book is engaging, packed with insights, and helps us understand film as ‘political objects’. The authors remind us that we have to critically think about films as diverse as Avatar, Mama Mia! and Bride Wars, and see them not just as cultural artefacts; but as a wider part of reinforcing and sustaining wider power relations. This is a book that finely judges the balance between levity and gravity – it’s a book with a serious project at this core, but never loses sight of the passion and excitement of cinema-going.’Rob Manwaring, Flinders University

• Foreword by Douglas Kellner1 Introduction: the cultural politics of popular film2 FramesPart I: Security3 Security: order and disorder4 War and order5 Disorder and fear6 Fearsome monstersPart II: Relationalities7 Gender and intimate relationships8 Romance9 BromancePart III: Social critique10 Against the grain? Socially critical movies11 Questioning the criticalPart IV: Global agendas12 The big picture: the ‘metropole’ and peripheral ‘others’13 Responses from ‘the margins’Index

Chris Beasley is Professor of Politics at the University of AdelaideHeather Brook is Senior Lecturer in Women’s Studies at Flinders University

‘This is an important book which helps us better understand a key political and cultural phenomena – Hollywood films. The book is engaging, packed with insights, and helps us understand film as ‘political objects’. The authors remind us that we have to critically think about films as diverse as Avatar, Mama Mia! and Bride Wars, and see them not just as cultural artefacts; but as a wider part of reinforcing and sustaining wider power relations. This is a book that finely judges the balance between levity and gravity – it’s a book with a serious project at this core, but never loses sight of the passion and excitement of cinema-going.’Rob Manwaring, Flinders University

• Foreword by Douglas Kellner1 Introduction: the cultural politics of popular film2 FramesPart I: Security3 Security: order and disorder4 War and order5 Disorder and fear6 Fearsome monstersPart II: Relationalities7 Gender and intimate relationships8 Romance9 BromancePart III: Social critique10 Against the grain? Socially critical movies11 Questioning the criticalPart IV: Global agendas12 The big picture: the ‘metropole’ and peripheral ‘others’13 Responses from ‘the margins’Index

Chris Beasley is Professor of Politics at the University of AdelaideHeather Brook is Senior Lecturer in Women’s Studies at Flinders University

‘This is an important book which helps us better understand a key political and cultural phenomena – Hollywood films. The book is engaging, packed with insights, and helps us understand film as ‘political objects’. The authors remind us that we have to critically think about films as diverse as Avatar, Mama Mia! and Bride Wars, and see them not just as cultural artefacts; but as a wider part of reinforcing and sustaining wider power relations. This is a book that finely judges the balance between levity and gravity – it’s a book with a serious project at this core, but never loses sight of the passion and excitement of cinema-going.’Rob Manwaring, Flinders University

• Foreword by Douglas Kellner1 Introduction: the cultural politics of popular film2 FramesPart I: Security3 Security: order and disorder4 War and order5 Disorder and fear6 Fearsome monstersPart II: Relationalities7 Gender and intimate relationships8 Romance9 BromancePart III: Social critique10 Against the grain? Socially critical movies11 Questioning the criticalPart IV: Global agendas12 The big picture: the ‘metropole’ and peripheral ‘others’13 Responses from ‘the margins’Index