Now that we've brought democracy to those pesky Iraqis, established a warm and personal link between the government and every phone call and email message we send and receive, started the privatization of Medicare, enjoyed a fabulous "jobless recovery" — I could go on, but you get the idea. Yes, our culture and those who've shaped it have triumphed in just about every area imaginable, so it's time to kick back and enjoy the fruits of all those wonderful efforts. And how better, we ask, than with the new issue of Bright Lights?

This time around, we're doing our part as unabashed patriots to remind readers of the many good things to appreciate in l'art du cinema. We've always prided ourselves on seeing the cup half full — whether it's got anything in it or not.

In that spirit, we invite the readers to "set aspell," as Homer and Jethro so aptly put it, and enjoy a tour of the world from the safety of armchair, toilet stall, prison cell, or gutter, depending on your present (or pending) location. Stalwart associate editor Alan Vanneman weighs in with a tantalizing photo essay on Hitchcock's motifs — eyes, hair, hands, you name it. AV, as we call him here in the cavern, also surveys Shakespeare via Kiss Me Kate and Fred and Rita via You Were Never Lovelier. Uncowed by contemporary cinema, he also takes on, in a few pithy paragraphs, those hitherto unnoticed queer undertones in Master and Commander.

Bob Castle expands the canvas with a look at the related darknesses of The Shining and Fargo, and finds curiously compelling connections between the (squalid) real world and two cinematic portraits of leaders unhinged: The Caine Mutiny and Tunes of Glory. BL regulars Julian Upton and David Boxwell celebrate, respectively, the glorious Katrin Cartlidge, who died at 41, and, yes, those hitherto unremarked queer undertones in reviled pre-Code comic duo Wheeler and Woolsey — no small achievement in the latter case. And our Brit pal Ben Dickenson gives a pithy view of the "Governator" in a late addition to this issue.

A tip of the chapeau is in order to our new writers this issue. Christopher Dow exhaustively analyzes the "Private Snafu" series of World War II. Andrea Dahlberg finds much to cheer in Ousmane Sembene's seminal Borom Sarret. Walter Rankin thoughtfully explores the beloved Robinson Crusoe on Mars for all manner of undertones. Garrett Chaffin-Quiray offers an enticing examination of Atanarjuat (The Fast Runner).

Festival coverage this time is on the meaty side. BL veteran Megan Ratner did double duty with the New York Film Festival and the Edinburgh Fest, covering an astoundingly wide range of films between them. Joanne Bealy takes a look-see at the Montreal festival, while BL warhorse Bob Keser jumps feet first into the Chicago Film Festival. Bob also kindly provided an irresistible look at the documentary Cinerama Adventure.

The flood of DVD releases continues, and Bright Lights is there to meet it. Scott Thill, editor of the ever-thrilling Morphizm zine, critiques Jonathan Miller's 1966 cult version of Alice in Wonderland. BL newbie Adam Bingham takes a big bite out of Fassbinder's Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, and our pal Matt Kennedy stomps all over several recent releases and gives qualified praise to a couple more.

Not to be outdone, yours truly has supplied an interview with pioneer of gay porn Joe Gage and a collection of brief reviews of films showcasing important themes like amputee sex, trains to nowhere, and that perennial favorite, supermasochism!