<nettime-ann> [pub] M/C Journal: 'review' issue now available

["Axel Bruns" <a.bruns@qut.edu.au>]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 30 October 2005

                         M/C - Media and Culture
             is proud to present issue five in volume eight of

                               M/C Journal
                  http://journal.media-culture.org.au/

      'review' - Edited by Emma Nelms, Kate Cuthbert, and Tim Milfull

Reviews occupy an uneasy position in society. There are those that argue
that reviewing is an art in itself, that a well-written review stands
alone. There are those that argue that reviewers enjoy a parasitic
relationship, piggy-backing on another's creation. Still others see
reviews as mere advertisements, one more cog in the publicity wheel.
Regardless of which faction you support, however, it must be admitted
that reviewing is fast becoming one of the most controversial forms of
writing. 

What is it about reviews that make them so popular (or unpopular) with
consumers? Can a review really affect the way consumers act or feel? Why
will people read the opinions of a reviewer they already dislike? What
gives the critic the right to pass judgement on another person's work and
when do we consider them suitably qualified to do so? At what point does
one move from being 'Monday's expert' to a valid opinion-holder, whose
views would be welcome in a wider public forum? 

What is the difference between a run-of-the-mill review and a piece that
offers a critical analysis of an art form; and why do some readers prefer
one over the other? Is reviewing an art form, and when does a review
merely provide a platform for the reviewer? This issue considers these
and other aspects of 'review'.


  Feature Article
"Diary of a Film Reviewer: Intimate Reflections on Writing about the
Screen
for a Popular Audience"
  - Rochelle Siemienowicz
Rochelle Siemienowicz explores the power and the pressure of arts
reviewing. As a film reviewer, Siemienowicz occasionally feels
uncomfortable with her role. As she asks - who is the reviewer to tell us
what to watch? Her exploration and justification for her choices are
presented in a diary format, creating an informal, informed, and highly
readable journey through her review process. The thoughtfulness
demonstrated through the personal account of working as film editor for
The Big Issue may well lead to a jump in sales for the not-for-profit
magazine.

  Articles
"The Book Review as Closet Drama"
  - Matthew Bolton 

"On Reviewing Don Quixote"
  - Will Noonan 

"Creativity, Commodification, and the Making of a Middlebrow Book
Review"
  - Jeffrey Charis-Carlson 

"The Tortoise and the Hare"
  - Dean Biron 

"Reviewing Symbolic Capital"
  - John-Paul Stephenson 

"Reviewing the Scourge of Self-Plagiarism"
  - Lelia Green 

"Inciting Reflection: A Short Manifesto for and Introduction to the
Discursive Reviewing of the Arts"
  - Jonathan Marshall 

"Eye of the Beholden: Reflections on the Role and Perception of the Arts
Reviewer"
  - Barnaby Ralph 

"Reviewing Gender"
  - Claudia Schippert 

===========================================================================

Upcoming M/C Journal issues in 2005:

'affect' - article deadline: 21 Oct. 2005
         - release date:     16 Dec. 2005

Issues for 2006 will be announced shortly.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
M/C Journal 8.5 is now online: <http://journal.media-culture.org.au/>.
Previous issues of M/C Journal on various topics are also still
available.
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Visit all three M/C publications at <http://www.media-culture.org.au/>.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
All contributors are available for media contacts:
mc@media-culture.org.au.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

end


-- 
Dr Axel Bruns, General Editor                
editor@media-culture.org.au
M/C - Media and Culture                 
http://www.media-culture.org.au/



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