Things are never quiet here at Castle Bright Lights. If it isn't some controversy over who filched that 1811  Château d'Yquem, or quarreling with the workmen over the new turret, or a peasant revolt (aka #Occupy Bright Lights), it's my assistant Igor regaling us with what he describes as "post-vaudeville for jaded moderns," a rather crude song-and-dance act featuring his self-penned ditties with titles like "(Is It Wrong to Long for) Chaos?" and a rather ominous number, "You'll Get Yours, Mr. Plutocrat!" sung directly at me. After the show I reminded Igor that we had more pressing things to do than indulge his dubious artistic needs – namely a new issue of Bright Lights! Grudgingly, he helped start the process that landed the present issue in your hot little cyberhands.

This issue opens with J. D. Markel's enchanting exegesis of Mike Leigh's Happy Go Lucky, but as in J.D.'s previous contribution, expands into a much wider cultural critique.  Also in the Features column this time is a provocative probing of the "going to Alaska" trope in cinema — Into the Wild and Grizzly Man among others — by another BL returnee, Gregory Stephens.

In the Articles section, readers can begin with Norm Ball's broad-ranging riff on Bansky, Exit Through the Gift Shop, cave art, and even Johnny Cash. As always, associate editor Andrew Grossman fills in today's ever-enlarging cultural blanks in two exciting pieces: in "Pseudo-Innocence and Encased Fantasies," his visit to the National Rifle Association Museum yields some startling insights, while his ruminations in "The Perverse Privilege of Degradation" include skewering of the present political nightmare, the Logo Channel, and other horrors. Politics is also preoccupying our Cardiff-by-the-Sea pal Dave Saunders, who scintillatingly surveys the little-seen doc The Flaw and visits some surprisingly relevant subtexts in Capra's Meet John Doe. In "On Dangerous Ground," Alan Jacobson cleverly corrals some noteworthy "moving camera movies" that came out in 2010.

In the Movies section, one of our new writers — come on down, Graham Daseler! — appears with two delightful entries, one on My Dinner with Andre, the other on the life and career of John Huston. BL regular David Pike authoritatively analyzes Denis Villeneuve's disturbing feature Incendies, while BL newbie Barry Stephenson offers a thoughtful study of ritual in Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited. First-time contributors William Anselmi and Sheena Wilson shine light on the dark side of cinema technologies in a daring piece on Inception. And two recent returnees to these cyberpages, Mark Chapman and Alex Kirschenbaum, stylishly weigh in on, respectively, the "aesthetic of disavowal" of Haneke's La Pianiste and Scorsese's The Color of Money as a film about transitory states and process.

In the Experimental/Avant-Garde section is Rob Smart's thoughtful tribute to experimental/avant-garde, not to mention wildly productive, unfettered, and Kucharian, auteur Bob Moricz. This issue also features two homages to distinctive television personalities. Frank Bren uses the release of The Ernie Kovacs Collection as an excuse for a loving look at this surrealist master of the medium, while William Leung poignantly profiles Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman and finds, well, wonders. In the Stars section, associate editor Alan Vanneman returns after a too-long absence with his latest, irresistible take on Charlie Chaplin — this time the first part of the Tramp's year at Keystone.

The Directors section, in addition to the John Huston entry mentioned above, features a lively screed on "Bergman's woman" by two new contributors to Bright Lights: Mark Cresswell and Zulfia Karimova. It's hard to imagine something new being written about the dour Swede, but this article does it, with style.

Bright Lights regular Gordon Thomas sat down with a stack of worthy DVDs — including Miklós Janscó's fascinating Red Psalm, a couple of Buster Keaton silents, and the mesmerizing Phantom Carriage —and wrote them up with his usual élan.

Igor kindly took a break from his sit-down strike next to the moat to remind me that we have several film festival write-ups this time. For those who couldn't get to Busan or Melbourne this year, Lesley Chow will make you feel you did in two fine reviews. And as much as we love Abu Dhabi this time of year, we're glad it was BL veteran Robert Keser who was there to cover it and not us. A hat-tip to Robert for his excellent sampler.

Finally, in this era of library closures, e-book takeovers, and general cultural insanity, we like to do our part to keep the idea of "books" in the minds of, at least, our readers. This time we have two reviews. Erich Kuersten uncovers the glories of Pauline Kael as revealed in the new Library of America collection devoted to her, while Chad Trevitte expertly engages with Christopher Sorrentino's book on Death Wish.

With this issue, we invite you to "#Occupy Bright Lights". Every revolution needs its diversions.

Gary Morris