Category Archives: Movies and film

Wham! “Freedom” in China

Posted on July 25, 2018 by

I heard Wham!’s “Freedom” on the radio while driving yesterday. I’ve always liked this song, but what I’ve especially always remembered about it was its official video, which details the 1980s duo’s groundbreaking trip to China. Wham! was the first Western … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Creativity, History, Life, Movies and film, Music, Photography, Political Analysis, Popular culture | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Homage in The Shape of Water – Monsters who like candy

Posted on May 17, 2018 by

Colonel Strickland, the cruel government agent who pulled the amphibious fish/man out of the river muck in South America, continually crunches on green (lime?) hard candy throughout The Shape of Water. Strickland isn’t cinema’s only early-’60s  antagonist with a sweet … Continue reading →

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Homage in The Shape of Water – Odessa Steps

Posted on May 16, 2018 by

The last movie we watch in my film studies class every spring is always whatever has won the Academy Award for Best Picture that year. This year we’re watching The Shape of Water. This is a really brilliant movie, and I … Continue reading →

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Mesmerizing music visualization

Posted on May 12, 2018 by

I’m reading paper drafts from students in my film studies course, and one of them is writing about baptism/assassination montage in The Godfather. I was pretty sure the music playing through that scene is Bach, but I looked it up … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Movies and film, Music | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

The “Kicker”

Posted on April 11, 2018 by

I couldn’t think of a good title for this post (“Cement and Metal”???) until I circled back to the one detail that had caught my eye in the first place and made this a photo worth snapping. Because I’m teaching … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Milwaukee, Movies and film, Photography | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Birth of a Nation: Lighting and (mostly “non”) camera movement, racism, and Abraham Lincoln’s assassination reenacted a mere 50 years after

Posted on March 27, 2018 by

I’m teaching my film studies course this quarter, and this post was actually prompted by the utilitarian need to have a couple of neatly-cut film clips for efficient class use. But because it might also be interesting for people outside … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Life, Movies and film, Political Analysis, Popular culture, Teaching | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Red Arrow in bright sunlight

Posted on February 27, 2018 by

Days like this I wish I had a better camera. Or maybe I should say: I wish I had a better phone, because I actually do have a better(ish) camera at home that is never handy for spur-of-the-moment shots. Here … Continue reading →

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