Cover -- Half Title -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Preface -- Chapter 1 Media Culture in the Imperial System -- Legitimating Empire -- Cinematic Imperialism -- "Descent into Barbarism"--A Militarized Culture -- Chapter 2 Militarism in American Popular Culture -- Patriotism as Secular Religion -- Gun Culture and Civic Violence -- Warrior Culture and Patriarchy -- Corporate Media: Reservoir of Militarism -- Chapter 3 War and Cinema: The Historical Legacy -- Hollywood Mobilizes for Combat -- The Western as Combat Genre -- The Myth of the Good War -- Cold War and Popular Culture -- Chapter 4 The Vietnam Syndrome: Politics and Cinema -- Innocence, Defeat, Tragedy -- Post-Vietnam Traumas -- Robert McNamara and the Fog of History -- Empathize with Your Enemy -- Rationality Will Not Save Us -- Maximize Efficiency -- Proportionality Should Be a Guideline -- Get the Data -- Belief and Seeing Are Both Often Wrong -- Prepare to Reexamine Your Reasoning -- Never Say Never -- You Can't Change Human Nature -- Chapter 5 Recycling the Good War -- World War II-Again, and Again -- Hollywood: War and Nostalgia -- Steven Spielberg and the Spectacle of War -- Pearl Harbor: Escape from History -- Chapter 6 Cinematic Warfare in the New World Order -- Iraq: From Spectacle to Chaos -- New Rules of Engagement -- Hollywood and Terrorism -- The Cinema of Disguised Militarism -- Chapter 7 Hollywood after 9/11 -- Hollywood's First Reactions -- Cinematic 9/11 -- New Perspectives on "The Good War" -- Aliens, Vampires, Zombies, and Other Superheroes -- Government Weakness and Corruption -- Conclusion -- Postscript: Blowback and American Sniper -- Notes -- Index -- About the Authors