productivity. me. separate ends of the universe.

Tuesday, March 02, 2004, at 09:58AM

By Eric Richardson

I've been "writing" a paper all morning on "extra-cinematic cultural products and leisure acitivities" in postmodern Hollywood cinema. The only thing I've managed to do well so far is use a Simpsons reference as my intro:

A recent Simpsons episode opened with a movie inside the Springfield Googolplex. Soldiers are seen landing on a beach, gunfire flashing around them. A storming soldier stands over a slain foe, and then reaches into his foe's pocket and pulls out -- a buzz cola. Voiceover tells the audience, "Buzz Cola -- the taste you'll kill for." The dead soldier leans up to add in a German accent, "Available in ze lobby!" Lisa is appalled. She asks, "Do they really think cheapening the memory of our veterans will sell soda?" Almost before she can finish her question Homer is rising from his seat: "I have to go to ze lobby!"

Lisa is objecting to a central element of post-modern cinema. Though present to some extent in other eras of film, postmodern cinema has made extra-cinematic elements integral to all aspects of the movie-making process.

I then go on to talk about nothing, but my Simpsons reference quota is fulfilled so that's not as bad as it could be. I really need to write 4 pages or so in the next two hours.