I am co-organising 'Geriaction Cinema: A Symposium on the Ageing Action Star' with my colleague, Dr Laura Crossley. This event will take place on Friday May 11th, at Bournemouth University's Executive Business Centre (map), and will offer delegates the opportunity to discuss the concept of the ageing action star across historical periods, genders, ethnicities and national cinemas, bringing together diverse perspectives on the historical and political coordinates of this enduring genre. You can get tickets here.
The programme for the day is as follows:
9:30 – 10:00 Registration.
10:00 – 10:10 Opening Comments.
10:10 – 11:10 Panel One: Go the Distance: Sylvester Stallone and 80s Action:
Mark McKenna (Independent) ‘Sylvester Stallone and the Economics of the Ageing Film Star’ / Jorge Pérez Iglesias (Pompeu Fabra University) ‘The Decline of the Muscle Cinema in Last Action Hero and Demolition Man’
11:10 – 11:30 Break.
11:30 – 12:30 Keynote Address. Professor Rajinder Dudrah (Birmingham City University)
12:30 – 1:30 Lunch.
1:30 – 3:00 Panel Two: Gender and Transnational Cinema:
Lisa-Nike Bühring (University of Gloucestershire) ‘Retired, Extremely Dangerous and Female: Helen Mirren Kicking Ass in R.E.D. / Christa Van Raalte (Bournemouth University) ‘21st Century Cowboy? Deconstructing The Hero in Late Clint Eastwood Movies’ / MaoHui Deng (University of Manchester) and Fraser Elliott (Independent Scholar) ‘Fighting with Dementia: The Bodyguard and Contemporary Hong Kong Cinema'
3:00 – 3:15 Break.
3:15 – 4:15 Panel Three: Old Spies in a Hurry:
Laura Crossley (Bournemouth University) ‘Palmer, Smiley … and Powers: Old Spies in a Young Man’s Game’ / Alexander Sergeant (Bournemouth University) ‘007’s "Nasty Habit of Surviving": "Working-Through" Temporality and Aging in the James Bond Franchise’
4:15 – 4:30. Break.
4:30 – 5:30. Panel Four: Industrial History:
Pawanpreet Kaur (Jawaharlal Nehru University) ‘Stardom on the Sidelines: Making a Case for Mumbai’s Stunt Workers’ / Christopher Holliday (King’s College London) ‘Next Generation Hollywood: Digital De-Aging and the Virtual Recreation of Youth’
5:30 – 6:00. Open discussion and closing comments.