I love this term: Fan Industrial Complex. Chris thinks he heard it from someone else, so I will need to investigate it. Because from a media ecology perspective, it’s very useful. That’s what we have now with online mediated fan-producer networks. The technologies and economic systems require a symbiosis between more ardent fans and producers,…
Category: Film Studies
Transjective Media Studies and Reciprocal Determinism
Yep, that’s right — I’m being one of those academics. Engaging in neologisms to make a name for myself. But what I am working through here is an idea for a book project, and I’d love peoples’ comments to help me to do so. Redefining Media Studies A medium is a technology for the storage,…
Der Dibuk: An Early Judaic Take on Exorcism
Now it is time to watch one of the first exorcism movies, and one of the few Polish/Yiddish movies: Der Dibuk (1937). This is one of the few Yiddish language movies to come out of Poland, and it is based on a famous Polish play. Opening prolouge talking about the dybbuk, about how all spirits,…
Indian Cinema Godfather
For the fifty-third episode of The Pop Culture Lens podcast, Christopher Olson and I are joined by friend and Ph.D. candidate Anis Rahman to consider one of the most important creators in Indian cinema: Satyajit Ray. Thanks to his Bangladeshi heritage, Anis provides important insights into the life and work of Ray. Along with these…
Betty Boop and Hentai Studies
This episode on Betty Boop is our final episode of the season, and one of my favorites because I get to talk about hentai, one of my favorite subjects to study. I have a complicated relationship with hentai. On the one hand, I really don’t care what a person’s kinks are. On the other hand,…
A Christmas Story Christmas Gift
In this special episode of The Pop Culture Lens podcast for the 2018 holiday season, Christopher Olson and I discuss the nostalgic appeal of A Christmas Story (1983) by Bob Clark and Jean Shepherd. In this episode, the co-hosts address the question of how the movie mixes nostalgia with anti-sentimentalism to create a realistic portrayal of Christmas…
Backwards and in High Heels
In the forty-second episode of The Pop Culture Lens podcast, Christopher Olson and I discuss the on-screen dancing duo Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. In this episode, the co-hosts analyze the star personas of the classic duo for how they represent issues regarding gender and power dynamics. They interrogate the now famous saying that Rogers…
Pop Culture Lens Returns with Arnold!
To start the new season, in the forty-first episode of The Pop Culture Lens podcast, Christopher Olson and CarrieLynn Reinhard are joined by unofficial third co-host Joe Belfeuil to discuss the star, screen, and political persona of Arnold Schwarzenegger. In this episode, the co-hosts review Schwarzenegger’s biography to understand where he came from and how…
CfC for Book on Mental Illness in Entertainment Media
Call for Chapters for Book Proposal The editors are seeking chapter proposals for a collection of essays that examine positive, healthy, and accurate portrayals of mental illness in entertainment media. Proposed Title: Quieting the Madness: Entertainment Media’s Shift into More Accurate Depictions of Mental Illness Editors: Malynnda A. Johnson (Indiana State University) and Christopher J….
The Pop Culture Lens on Mental Health
For this special episode of The Pop Culture Lens, Christopher J. Olson (Seems Obvious to Me) and I address a question: are representations of mental health issues in pop culture helpful? Our answers delve into the many different mental health issues represented in television and film, from bipolar disorder and depression to mental health facilities and…
