Kate Wicker of Momopoly – Movies and the Masses

Welcome to Movies and the Masses, a weekly segment where we talk about movies with people from all walks of life. This week’s guest is Kate Wicker, the owner and operator of Momopoly. If you’ve got kids or know someone who does, then I can guarantee that you’ll find something to relate to on this excellent site. Before we get into the questions, here’s a brief bio supplied by Kate:

“Kate Wicker is a wife, mom of three little girls, and journalist. When she’s not searching for MIA sippy cups, she writes for various media and is a senior writer for Faith & Family. Her first book will be published in 2011. Unlike her concise brother, she is a woman of (too) many words. Also unlike her brother, she prefers getting lost in a good book to watching a movie. She has nothing against the silver screen, but being an at-home, homeschooling mom doesn’t leave much time for movie going. Although Kate grows tired of talking about herself in the third person, she thinks it might sound more professional. Please let her know if she’s fooling herself.”

In addition to her website, you can also find out what Kate Wicker is up to by checking out her Twitter account. Everyone else is doing it, so why not be one of the cool people for a change?

Only Good Movies: What’s the first movie you remember seeing?
Kate Wicker: E.T. I was almost 4 (I think), and I got to see it in the movie theatre with my parents and older brother. When we returned home, I have a faint memory of standing by my bedroom window and searching the night sky for any signs of extraterrestrial life. My older brother, on the other hand, did not share my warm and fuzzy feelings about E.T. After he saw the movie, he made my mom search his menagerie of stuffed animals to make sure E.T. wasn’t hiding out in there. (Aliens, even the friendly variety, still freak him out.)

I also vaguely recall seeing Disney’s Bambi, probably because it was traumatic for me. When Bambi’s mom died, I stood up with fists furled and tears streaming down my face and shouted angrily, “His mommy can’t be dead! This is a cartoon!”

Mom says Cinderella was the first movie I saw on the big screen, but I have no recollection of this. Probably because everybody lived happily ever after and no animals–cartoon or not–were injured in the making of the movie.

OGM: If you only had a few hours to live and could do nothing but watch five movies, which films would you select?
KW: Life is Beautiful
It’s a Wonderful Life! (I actually watched the movie in its entirety for the first time this year. Now I know why my mom watches it every single Christmas!)
Bella
Up (the opening montage documenting a marriage had me sobbing. “What’s wrong, Mommy?” my little girls asked. “Nothing, nothing. Your mom’s just a sentimental sap.”)
Gran Torino

OGM: What’s your favorite movie?
KW: I always cop out on questions like this. I’m not sure I can pick just one movie, or, if I did, I’d probably remember a movie I liked better after I put my answer out there. There are so many different genres; it’s difficult for me to compare so I’m going to break them down into categories and just pick the first movie that comes to my mind.

• Foreign: Life is Beautiful
• Thriller: Exorcist (Jaws and this movie are the only films that have ever given me nightmares.)
• Musical: The Sound of Music
• Romance: Kate & Leopold. I know, I know. I can’t believe I’m admitting that, but I have thing for old-fashioned courtships and men who ride horses.
• Fantasy: Lord of the Rings Trilogy or the Narnia films
• Action: The Bourne Trilogy
• Family: Babe

I haven’t seen many movies in the theater since becoming a mom (I did take my oldest to Disney’s Oceans recently, and it was so nice to take her to a movie that didn’t star talking animals or vegetables), but my favorite film I’ve seen recently on the big screen was Gran Torino. My parents encouraged my husband and me to go see it on a rare date night out. We typically don’t like to waste our precious alone time together in a movie theater, but this movie was worth it.

OGM: What’s your least favorite movie?
KW: Gentlemen Broncos. We received it on Netflix. It was supposed to be quirky, but it came off as bad, bad, bad.

OGM: Do you subscribe to an online rental service like Netflix or Blockbuster Online? Why or why not?
KW: I heart my Netflix. We just recently subscribed to DirectTV. Prior to that we didn’t have access to even basic cable, so if we wanted to watch something, it came on Netflix. We fell in love with Jack Bauer watching 24’s first season in just a few nights, thanks to Netflix. The service is great for families on a budget. I try out everything from workout DVDs to educational programs for my young children.

OGM: In 50 years, which modern movies do you think will be viewed as classics?
KW: Braveheart. Maybe Avatar, just because of the tremendous special effects (my movie buff of a brother and I went to see this one together, and it was a feast for the eyes, although the story line/plot could have been better; some plot points were not explained at all or very well).

OGM: If you see a movie based on a book, are you then more or less likely to read the book?
KW: I’m an avid reader, so I hate to admit this, but if I see a movie first, I’m less likely to pick up the book because it ruins it for me. When I read, I like my imagination to be in control. I create characters in my head based on the descriptions, and it’s really distracting if a movie has done all the work for my mind’s eye and has already put images to the words. If I hear a movie is coming out that’s based on a book that’s on my “to-read” list, I try to crack the spine right away to avoid this problem. I’m also strict with my kids’ media diet. Even though my oldest daughter is only 5, I make sure to read classic books like Charlotte’s Web aloud together before she sees the movie. I want their imaginations–not Hollywood–to create pictures in their heads.

OGM: Who’s your favorite celebrity?
KW: I’ve been staring at this question for several minutes now and cannot think of one single celebrity whom I’d call a favorite. Jack Nicholson popped in my head as being a talented actor.

OGM: Is there any actor or actress whose movies you actively avoid?
KW: I can’t think of any.

OGM: How do you feel about all the remakes of older and classic films?
KW: If they’re done well, they don’t bother me.

OGM: Which actor or actress do you find most attractive?
KW: My husband teases me about Hugh Jackman. He says I blush when he’s on the screen. No comment. Reese Witherspoon has always appealed to me, and I adore Kate Winslet’s classic style.

OGM: Do you read movie reviews? If so, which critics do you read most often, and why do you like them?
KW: I generally don’t read movie reviews, although my husband and I do check out Rotten Tomatoes from time to time.

OGM: What type of people annoy you when going to a movie theater?
KW: I hate it when people are texting or chatting on their cell phones. Give technology a rest. When I used to go to more movies, I’d occasionally see young children with their parents at rated-R movies that contained violent images. This bothered me even in my pre-mom days. Now I find it reprehensible. Aside from the fact that a crying toddler provides his own soundtrack to the movie experience, it’s terribly unfair to the child. One of my little ones balks at any loud noise coming from the screen. Even innocuous educational programs can frighten her if the music booms at all. I can’t imagine taking her to a rated-R movie–or even a PG movie–before I screened it first.

OGM: Do you consider movies to be works of art?
KW: Yes. Most anything that finds its genesis in human creativity is considered art to me.

OGM: What type of candy or drink do you consider essential to your movie watching experience?
KW: I’m boring, but popcorn is always a good bet. I’m a water drinker, so nothing exciting there. However, when we watch movies at home together, I’ve been known to sip one of my husband’s signature mojitos or a glass of vino.

I’d like to thank Kate Wicker for taking part in this edition of Movies and the Masses. Be sure to visit her website and show your appreciation, as well. Join us again next week, when we’ll have an all-new guest to rake over the coals. Until then, here are a few interviews from the past to tide you over.

• Christopher Gates – Minnesota Vikings Blogger
• Nick Norelli of Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth
• Elsie Flannigan of Red Velvet Art

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