Do the Right Thing (1989)
Spike Lee, Danny Aiello
Credit: Universal Pictures/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

Forming a Critical Sense of Race with Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing”

Interpretations of the film may differ by race, media scholar Kelli Marshall finds.
Lego Luke Skywalker crossing light sabers with his father (aka Darth Vader)

May the 4th Be With You…The Ego and Id in The Empire Strikes Back

A Freudian reading of The Empire Strikes Back for Star Wars Day
Marc Maron podcasting in his garage.

Why You Know Marc Maron Better Than Your Own Family

How the transmedia work of Marc Maron engages with fans.
Willie Robertson

Rednecks: A Brief History

What is a "redneck" exactly? Kelli Marshall explores a brief history of the word.
Karla Mosley credited as Maya Avant, her character on The Bold and the Beautiful

Coming Clean on Gender in Soap Operas

Academic scholarship on gender in soap operas.
Ghostbusters (1984)
 Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Harold Ramis
Credit: Columbia/Courtesy Neal Peters Collection

How “Ghostbusters” Changed the Way We Speak

A controversial and little-known aspect of Ghostbusters cultural influence can be found in a seemingly simple suffix, “-busters.”
A glass slipper

Interrogating “Cinderella”

Cinderella, the ever-changing fairytale, inspires no shortage of analysis and debate.
Advertisement for King Lear starring Derek Jacobi

Streaming Shakespeare in the Twenty-First Century

What does "live theatre" truly mean when it's broadcast to cinema screens? And how does streaming Shakespeare stack up to the theatrical version?
Still from The Sound of Music showing the von Trapp family sprawled out and circling a guitar-playing Maria

“The Sound of Music” at 50

Iconic musical "The Sound of Music" celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Illustration of a conductor at the front of the stage directing a framed painting

Animated Gifs: A Throwback to Cinema’s Beginnings

Animated gifs function like early cinema in several ways.