Category: Pop Culture

Photo edit of image of three women from the 2001 movie Josie and the Pussycats. The words Josie and the Pussycats are written over the image in neon lettering.
Film, Movie Review, Pop Culture

Josie and the Pussycats (2001): Subliminal Messaging & Capitalism in the MTV Age.

My original intent when watching Josie and the Pussycats was to do a second entry in my “That’s So 2000’s” series. However, after rewatching this movie, I found it to be ahead of its time and painfully relevant today. So, it’s deserving of its own full deep dive, that’s much more than “remember this movie?”. It is important, I think, to know that this movie … Continue reading Josie and the Pussycats (2001): Subliminal Messaging & Capitalism in the MTV Age.

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Collage of images from the movie Idiocracy (2005)
Film, Movie Review, Pop Culture

Revisiting Idiocracy in 2025

In a future where basic science is ignored, corporations control the government, and…wait. When I tell you that I have been avoiding this movie like the plague in recent years, I mean it. Mike Judge has this weird ability to have his finger directly on the pulse of what is going on and, just because Idiocracy came out nearly twenty years ago, that doesn’t mean … Continue reading Revisiting Idiocracy in 2025

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Film, Pop Culture

What Makes A Christmas Movie

It’s an argument I hear every year: What qualifies a movie as a Christmas movie? I’ve stayed silent, year after year. But, I cannot stay silent any longer. That Old Picture Show’s definitive definition of what makes a Christmas movie: A movie that has a plot that is dependent on the holiday season, can be considered a holiday movie. A movie can have a scene … Continue reading What Makes A Christmas Movie

Kristen Marie3 Comments
Film, Pop Culture

The Villainy of Grandpa Joe and Willy Wonka

One of my all-time favorite films is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. NO. Not the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp one. That one is called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.. I’m talking about Gene Wilder in all his screaming glory Willy Wonka. Now, just because I love a film, does not mean that I am blind to any flaws that it may have. Or, in this … Continue reading The Villainy of Grandpa Joe and Willy Wonka

Kristen Marie5 Comments
Film, Industry News, Pop Culture

Disheartened With Hollywood

I have been feeling very disheartened for the past couple of months with the state of the Film Industry in the United States. It’s why I didn’t write about Barbie, even though I saw it twice in theaters. It’s why I didn’t write about Oppenheimer. It’s why I didn’t write about my experience with a Barbenheimer double feature (so much fun. Was correct: Oppenheimer first, Barbie second). … Continue reading Disheartened With Hollywood

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Film, Pop Culture

A Brief Discussion with Joe Dante

On December 3rd, 2022, I had the pleasure of sitting in on a panel at Los Angeles Comic Con. The panel, hosted by the podcast Geekscape, was a Q&A with Gremlins director Joe Dante and one of the Executive Producers of the upcoming Gremlins project at HBO: Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Brendan Hay. The nerd in me was super excited about this. Gremlins played a crucial part … Continue reading A Brief Discussion with Joe Dante

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Film, Movie Review, Pop Culture

A Green Dress, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Understanding the Delicate Formula of the Movie Musical

I want to talk about the delicacy of the movie musical. And, how it’s not often that somebody has a grasp on both stage musicals and movie musicals, simultaneously. Earlier this week, a much anticipated deleted scene from Tick, Tick…BOOM! was released. Fans of the film finally got to see the much-talked about sequence, which had required an awful lot of choreography on the parts of … Continue reading A Green Dress, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Understanding the Delicate Formula of the Movie Musical

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Film, Pop Culture

Films to Hold in HIGH Regard

Have any of you ever watched The Matrix while high? How about Videodrome? Or even Godspell?  There is something completely different that occurs when watching a film under the influence of good ol’ Mary Jane. In some cases, I’m utterly lost within the first 10 minutes while in others I’m not only following along with the film, I’m absolutely enthralled by everything about it. In some cases, watching … Continue reading Films to Hold in HIGH Regard

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Film, Movie Review, Pop Culture

A Love Letter to 2002’s Scooby-Doo

It’s about time that this film, the live action Scooby-Doo got the recognition that it deserves. From start to finish, this film is perfection. Let’s begin with the casting, shall we? There is not a more perfectly casted film ever in the history of cinema. Not only did they nail it with the looks of each character, but each actor really sold their performance. They were believable … Continue reading A Love Letter to 2002’s Scooby-Doo

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Film, Pop Culture

Kevin McCallister is a Sadistic Child (and Other Home Alone Observations)

In order to refresh my memory, I have watched both Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and I can say three things with complete confidence: 1. Kevin McCallister is a sadistic child, who only gets worse over time, 2. Kevin’s father, Peter, has to be a member of the mob, and 3. After Lost in New York particularly, both Harry and Marv should be … Continue reading Kevin McCallister is a Sadistic Child (and Other Home Alone Observations)

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