Tag Archives: movies

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

“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 →

Posted in Creativity, Movies and film, Music, Popular culture | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

“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 →

Posted in Life, Movies and film | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

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

A chance encounter with “Tubular Bells”

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Katherine Wikoff

Heard this old song on the radio driving home today. It has literally been YEARS since I’ve heard it or even thought about it. The song, “Tubular Bells,” was released in 1973 and went on to be used as the … Continue reading →

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

One final allusion in O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Posted on March 11, 2022 by Katherine Wikoff

I’ve never seen anyone comment on this before, but doesn’t the series of arches in the final moments of O Brother, Where Art Thou? remind you of the series of axe heads (the ring holes) that Odysseus (aka Ulysses, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies and film, Popular culture | Tagged , , , | 3 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 Katherine Wikoff

NOTE: This post is under reconstruction because a) the YouTube account that I originally took my clips from has been shut down and b) WordPress doesn’t seem to be working correctly to allow me to play clips to and from … Continue reading →

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

Is Hollywood Over?

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Katherine Wikoff

Really interesting article in Vanity Fair Magazine this month, “Why Hollywood as We Know It Is Already Over.” Basically it says that Hollywood is too bloated and calcified, producing unoriginal action movies that it hopes will hit big in foreign … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Movies and film, Popular culture, Television, Writing, blogging | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

What movie does my hotel shower remind you of?

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Katherine Wikoff

Yeah, me too😄 I made sure all the doors were locked before I stepped in!

Posted in Life, Movies and film, Travel | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Watching the “Up” Documentary Series (Film #5, 35 Up)

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Katherine Wikoff

This past weekend I watched 35 Up.  As I said in my last post, I’m going to try a different approach in structuring my thoughts on the film this time around by first providing a brief update on each of … Continue reading →

Posted in Life, Movies and film, WPLongform (posts of 1000 words or longer) | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments