Dr. Mabuse's Kaleido-Scope

From AcademicBlogs

Dr. Mabuse's Kaleido-Scope is a group academic media blog that was started in the fall of 2005 by several interconnected graduate film students, most of whom are still actively involved with the blog. Since that time, over thirty academics have subsequently joined, expanding its scope beyond graduate students only, and new members are always invited. Dr. Mabuse's has no particular ideology, but does focus mostly on film from an academic perspective, often discussing academic issues. The site has also become an unofficial spot for discussing academic conferences and publishing opportunities - along with organizational issues pertaining to The Society of Cinema and Media Studies. Any subject which one of its members raises to the blog's attention is considered a fair topic. These include intelligent book and movie reviews, along with more detailed theoretical digressions. The title of the blog is a hybrid, originating from Scott Balcerzak's suggesting a title referencing Fritz Lang's Dr. Mabuse films, whose title character is a villainous master of telepathic hypnosis and can be seen as representational of film and media's own mesmerizing entrapments as a topic. It also comes from Jason Sperb's fascination with Ray Bradbury's short story, "Kaleidoscope," about people hurlingly endlessly in the weightlessness of space after their spaceship explodes. But they are still alive in their space suits and can still talk to one another via transmitters, even though they cannot reverse course. And, certainly, the "-Scope" marks off the blog's desire "to-be-film-ish-ness."