Feature in which Martha will explore some particular life moment that was shaped or influenced by some particular pop culture or even vice versa
Over the weekend of July 15th I was hanging out with friends and we decided to embark on a journey 30 years in the making: we watched the 1993 Super Mario Bros film. One of my friends got his hands … Continue reading Pop Optics: Mario Mario Mario!
Hi everyone. Been awhile. Let’s do this right. Way back in middle school, my summer breaks felt like a preview of life to come when I could call myself a teenager properly. Until then, I was just a pre-teen/tweener/early adolescent, … Continue reading The Return of Pop Optics is Proudly Goth and Queer
Today is my birthday but I don’t want this thread to be about that. Instead, I want to turn this into an opportunity to share our favorite pop culture from the year 1987. Every year on this date I reflect … Continue reading Pop Optics Forum: The Pop Culture of 1987
Last night I was watching episode 5 of Moon Knight and then just this morning I have Ghostbusters 2 on in the background. What’s the connection between those two? Aside from playing fast and lose with other entities possessing mortal … Continue reading Pop Optics Forum: Pointy Party Hats and Other Tropes
I have a memory of visiting my sister when she attended Iowa State University, located in Ames. It was the summer of 1996, not exactly sure of when, but likely before my 9th birthday in August. My mother and I … Continue reading The Complicated Feelings of Hometowns
Hey y’all! Posting a random PO Forum as I’ve got Double Dragon on and the scene where they’re roller blading came up and it got me thinking “You know… 90s films really though that roller blading was neat and was … Continue reading Pop Optics Forum: Depictions of Counter Culture in Film
I’ve already written at length about how horror films had a hand in popularizing the concept of movie franchises. In that article, I acknowledge a tendency for those sequels to rewrite or covertly reboot the timeline either due to time … Continue reading Pop Optics Forum: Sequels That Completely Upended The Series
Before getting into the post proper, I want to take a moment to lay out my “refresh” for Pop Optics in 2022. When I first conceived of this series, it was to discuss how a particular piece of pop culture … Continue reading Pop Optics Forum: A Personally Transformative Piece of Pop Culture
I’m not traditional by nature. I won’t say I abhor tradition, but I’m a person of few. Call it contrarian, but there’s always been a need to remain independent at my core. How I present myself isn’t necessarily a representation … Continue reading Pop Optics: The Unconventional Spirit of Christmas
Welcome to the inaugural entry of DisenFranchisement, a sub-feature of Pop Optics that I am dedicating to the exploration of film franchises. I’m going to focus on horror right now because that’s a film genre rife with franchises and long-running … Continue reading Pop Optics: Introducing DisenFranchisement!
When I first thought about writing some sort of retrospective about 9/11, I wanted to do so from my perspective and through a lens I know well: pop culture. Specifically, how the aftermath of 9/11 (in)directly closed the door on … Continue reading Pop Optics: A Brief Reflection on 9/11
A brief pondering on Friday the 13th, the most linear and coherent of horror films. I won’t spend too much time discussing this topic. It’s something I’ve dwelled on a lot and would like to share. The Friday the 13th … Continue reading Pop Optics: A Brief Synopsis of the Friday the 13th Timeline
There’s a moment in The Truman Show where our titular character, Truman Burbank, stares dead-eye into his bathroom mirror. This gives pause to two technicians in the observation room as they suspect that perhaps Truman has finally figured them out … Continue reading Pop Optics: The Truman Show and the Sudden Realization Your Life is a Lie
Fargo had a wide release on March 8, 1996. On its 25th anniversary, I want to think out loud about how a few of its principal characters were quite the fools and how their hubris was their downfall. Not that … Continue reading Pop Otpics: Fargo and the Art of the Fool
I have no plan here. No outline. No deep thoughts. This past year doesn’t deserve it. The end of 2020 doesn’t mean an end to all the injustices and bullshit that happened to occur in the last 366 days, but … Continue reading Pop Optics: No Requiem for 2020
The Exorcist III would have been brilliant if it were just George C Scott and Brad Douriff starring in William Peter Blatty’s supernatural take on My Dinner With Andre. It’s a “tortured genius” kind of brilliant, nonetheless. As far as … Continue reading Pop Optics Extra: An Incidental Exorcist III Analysis
The objective of this article is to not be an in-depth cataloging or inventory of every horror sequel ever, but rather an observation from someone who has seen their fair share of horror sequels and wishes to comment on it. … Continue reading Halloween II And The Shape of Horror Sequels to Come
Hello, Avocado! Allow me to resurrect another dormant feature of mine, Pop Optics. Formerly, this was meant to be a series of entries where I would relate a pop culture topic to some aspect of my life or being. Now, … Continue reading Pop Optics: Film Franchises That Peaked Early
Welcome to Pop Optics! This is a feature in which I will explore some particular life moment that was shaped or influenced by some particular pop culture or even vice versa. When Home Alone was released in November of 1990, just … Continue reading Home Alone As Kid Wish Fulfillment… Unless You’re a Latchkey Kid
Welcome to Pop Optics! This is a feature in which I will explore some particular life moment that was shaped or influenced by some particular pop culture or even vice versa. Halloween changed me. It haunts me. It is a … Continue reading Halloween: Or How I Learned to Stop Screaming and Love The Shape
Disclaimer: This article contains references to abuser Marilyn Manson. This article was written and published before recent revelations of the extent of his abuse against past partners. It is the opinion of the author that Manson is a piece of … Continue reading I Was A Teenage Anti-Christ!
