Category Archives: Movies and film

Will “Oppenheimer” save cinema? (Or, Going to “The Show”)

Posted on August 7, 2023 by Katherine Wikoff

Which is what we called it in my small town back in the day. We had one movie theater in town and thus one movie available to us per week. Hence, “the show.” Not “a” show, and not even “a” … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies and film, Popular culture, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

I ASSURE YOU; WE’RE OPEN!

Posted on May 11, 2023 by Katherine Wikoff

Quite an existential feat this furniture store has managed to pull off! It is closed, as evidenced by the security gate across its entrance. It is open, as evidenced by the lit-up sign in the window. And it is timeless, … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Milwaukee, Movies and film, Photography, Popular culture | Tagged , | 11 Comments

A song about sunscreen from Baz Luhrmann and some thoughts on Leo DiCaprio

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Katherine Wikoff

This “song” came on the radio when I was driving home from work the other day. Baz Luhrmann, of course, is the incredibly talented director of films like William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (1996), Moulin Rouge! (2001), The Great Gatsby … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies and film, Popular culture | Tagged | 2 Comments

The Birds?

Posted on November 17, 2022 by Katherine Wikoff

There’s a big flock of birds—of starlings, actually. And I guess they’re not called a “flock” of starlings but a “murmuration” of starlings, which I learned from my Twitter friend Keith Freeburn, a photographer in Wales, last time I wrote … Continue reading →

Posted in Milwaukee, Movies and film, Nature | Tagged | 2 Comments

“When You’re Good to Mama” — Heard on a head-clearing coffee run to Starbucks

Posted on November 7, 2022 by Katherine Wikoff

I have so much work to do! But as I finished one project and faced the daunting prospect of beginning the next one, I forced myself out of the door because I knew it would be good for me to … Continue reading →

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500 tabs and counting down

Posted on October 23, 2022 by Katherine Wikoff

Does anyone else have a tab hoarding problem? I have a habit of opening tabs on both my computer and my phone and then just leaving them open for easy reference instead of bookmarking them, which requires extra work on … Continue reading →

Posted in 500 tabs and counting down, Digital society, Life, Movies and film, Popular culture | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

“Hoosiers” – Evoking Nostalgia for America’s Midwestern Autumn

Posted on October 16, 2022 by Katherine Wikoff

Hoosiers (1986) gets Midwestern autumn exactly right, both the beauty of the landscape and the nostalgic harkening to a wholesome, mythic era that has slipped into the past. I love this film’s quiet opening, from its first image of headlights … Continue reading →

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A podcast series worth listening to

Posted on April 18, 2022 by Katherine Wikoff

I stumbled across a page I’d bookmarked months ago and gave a listen. Really enjoyed it and thought I’d share here. The podcast series is by “Team Deakins,” aka legendary Academy Award winning cinematographer Roger Deakins and his wife, James … Continue reading →

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Why this year’s Best Picture award dooms the Oscars to irrelevance

Posted on March 28, 2022 by Katherine Wikoff

The last film that students watch in my film and media studies course is whatever has won the Best Picture Oscar that year. I was a little nervous to see what won this year because some of the nominees were … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Higher education, Media studies, Movies and film, News, Popular culture, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Fifty Years of the Corleone Family Onscreen

Posted on March 27, 2022 by Katherine Wikoff

Tonight is the Academy Awards broadcast. I saw somewhere that there’s going to be a reunion of The Godfather cast tonight, as this year is the 50th anniversary of that film’s release. Fifty years! What a masterpiece. And this movie … Continue reading →

Posted in Media studies, Movies and film, Popular culture | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment