James Daniel Elam

Northwestern University

As contributor

In Media Res

Nights @ Indian Call Centers

By
James Daniel Elam Northwestern University

October 26, 2009
1 comment

Nights @ Indian Call Centers otherness India globalization call centers Curator's Note One Night @ the Call Center opens on a late-night train from Kanpur to Delhi, as author Chetan Bhagat realizes he is sitting across from a mysterious, beautiful wo ...
In Media Res

What Bad Does

By
James Daniel Elam Northwestern University

March 20, 2009
3 comments

What Bad Does music video camp bad movies Curator's Note From the opening “A Time of Darkness/A Time of Light/The Crusade Begins” to the closing “Love Has Enemies,” it is hard to turn away from this video. It includes innumerable science-fiction/fant ...
In Media Res

Bollywood’s Index: Allusions and Inside Jokes in Om Shanti Om

By
James Daniel Elam Northwestern University

March 12, 2008
1 comment

Bollywood’s Index: Allusions and Inside Jokes in Om Shanti Om globalization Bollywood intertextuality parody 1970s media capitals distribution Farah Khan Om Shanti Om Curator's Note Bollywood director and choreographer Farah Khan’s 2007 blockbuster “ ...
In Media Res

It’s Carrboro!: Local Pride in a Global Space

By
James Daniel Elam Northwestern University

August 06, 2007
It’s Carrboro!: Local Pride in a Global Space Youtube space/place music video hip hop globalization global/local Carrboro Curator's Note Carrboro, North Carolina is a unique place: its radical political identity (and notoriety) stands in all but dire ...

As commenter

In Media Res

Re: Bollywood Bad: Toward an Aesthetics of the Failed Future

Dystopia? Utopia?

By
James Daniel Elam Northwestern University

Tuesday, March 17, 2009 — 5:35 pm
Great post, Bart. We've made an interesting move from paracinema to mainstream commercial cinema here- from The Grusome Twoso me of yesterday to a major studio endeavor today. There's more to say about that, especially in relation to Sconce' ...
In Media Res

Re: Anxious Coed Spontaneous Fried-Chicken Dance Party

Less Talk More Fruggin'

By
James Daniel Elam Northwestern University

Monday, March 16, 2009 — 2:11 pm
Thanks, Jeff, for your post. Although I'm impressed with the spontaenous dance party/sensual consumption of KFC, I'm wondering what you think of the dialogue. While watching the clip, I'm not quite sure who to blame for the flat acting: the ...
In Media Res

Re: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the "Killer Condom"

Who's bad?

By
James Daniel Elam Northwestern University

Thursday, March 19, 2009 — 2:19 pm
Excellent post, Kaelin, and thank you for finally writing on Killer Condom. After watching this clip and Google-researching Killer Condom (but not, to be fair, having seen the movie), I wonder what genre the movie is parodying. Grauen means horror, and th ...
In Media Res

Re: Some movies are bad, but some are undead: Watchmen

Hast du etwas Zeit für mich, dann singe ich eine Lied für dich

By
James Daniel Elam Northwestern University

Wednesday, March 18, 2009 — 9:25 pm
Excellent posts, Jocelyn (and Bart, Kaelin, and Jeff)! I haven't seen either 300 or Watchmen, but I'm very convinced by your post. I won't be able to provide a thoughtful response, but I would to hear what you all think of this critic: &q ...