Archive - Contrawise

On Performative Spectatorial Wankerdom,

or crimes against a collective morality of film viewing

Jul 13 •

On being Audio-Viewers: A response to FilmStack Challenge #4

Sound (in the broadest sense the concept) has been a central preoccupation to my cinematic work. The latest FilmStack challenge offered the opportunity…

Jul 10 •

1:48:46

The Learned and The Learner

Recent writing and conversations from The Cinematologists Podcast feed into a line of continued line of thinking about symbiosis between teaching and…

Jul 4 •

and

[Indistinct Chatter]

39:31

June 2025

Critic Adrian Martin and Filmmakers Thinking

In his new book, veteran critic Adrian Martin brings his satisfyingly rigorous yet accessible style to the task of "translating" a series of directors…

Jun 26 •

and

1:21:02

Should cinemas embrace the responsibility of film education?

Could cinemas fill a gap in film education left by the universities? Making a long term commitment to a future film-going audience could sustain…

Jun 20 •

500 films that define cinema - Part 1: 1898-1985

A grandiose claim for sure. I discovered this list on a creaky old hard drive & it got me thinking about advantages and pitfalls of mapping out an index…

Jun 9 •

In Conversation with Prof. Vivian Sobchack

Last year I spoke to a seminal thinker of film studies, and a recent viral Note inspired me to repost my conversation with her, here on Sunstack.

Jun 5 •

1:27:20

Écrire le Soi Cinématique with Sara Cemin

, or "writing the cinematic self". A key question for Cinema Body/Cinema Mind, and it was a pleasure to dissect this with the voice behind Welcome to No…

Jun 2 •

and

52:14

May 2025

Mission: Still Possible (Just Less Fun)

My favourite franchise comes to a spectacular if bloated end. Cruise, the adrenalised Peter Pan, is still pushing the entertainment as death-wish…

May 23 •

Cinema, According to Mark Jenkin

The latest episode of Cinema Body/Cinema Mind is an extended conversation with a filmmaker who is known for his unique aesthetic sensibility and who is…

May 16 •

Cinema: Isn't this Nostalgia all a bit sentimental?

Leos Carax Holy Motors (2012) is one of my favourite films of all time. It's a playful meditation on the death of cinema which, ironically reminds us of…

May 11 •

Why Tech Needs the Humanities in the AI Era

Machinations: AI through a cultural lens, Vol. 1

May 8 •

#nojs-banner { position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; padding: 16px 16px 16px 32px; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; background: red; color: white; font-family: -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; font-size: 13px; line-height: 13px; } #nojs-banner a { color: inherit; text-decoration: underline; } This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts