Star Points: Connections Old and New is a mystery novel in which a young couple living in Japan stumbles upon a centuries old illusive quest to solve the mystery of the "Star Points." Along the way their lives show us aspects of Japanese culture, they learn about meditation, and give us hope that the world can truly make connections and work together ... someday.

The cinema has often showcased the muscular male body, most notably in genres invoking classical Greco-Roman culture, whether peplum, epic or sword-and-sorcery. This book reassesses the classically-inflected action film as a significant cinematic form, often marginalized in media studies, that transcends such reductive labels as camp or kitsch. The focus is on the depiction of heroic masculinity, often characterized as reactionary or fascist, yet far more varied and contradictory, especially in relation to femininity and non-whiteness. These diverse representations of masculinity offer a...