A Love Letter to the Theatre
An interview with Sean Mathias, the director of a daring and original new film adaptation of ‘Hamlet.’
Hannah Gal
· 12 min read
Cinema
A collection of 93 posts
Donald Duck and Bugs Bunny Fight Fascism
The animation industry was perhaps the United States’ most potent cultural weapon during World War II.
Jacob Bielecki
· 15 min read
The Best Picture Nominees, 2024
A look at the ten nominees for this year’s Best Picture Oscar.
Allan Stratton
· 17 min read
Bestseller Reparations
In ‘American Fiction,’ director Cord Jefferson brings a devil-may-care effrontery to bear on the culture of self-censorship, progressive pieties, and artistic hypocrisy.
Thomas Larson
· 7 min read
Leonard Bernstein Deserved Better Than ‘Maestro’
Netflix somehow managed to turn the most talented, beloved, and complex American musician in history into a two-dimensional domestic villain.
Daniel Lelchuk
· 9 min read
To Save Us All From Satan’s Power
William Friedkin’s horror classic is 50 years old.
George Case
· 7 min read
How Superhero Franchises Are Killing Original Cinema
Most new movies feature neither good storytelling nor innovative filmmaking. Instead, they rely on the nostalgia of ready-made fan bases.
Jacob Bielecki
· 7 min read
History on Horseback: Napoleon Bonaparte
The French emperor and military commander played a pivotal role in an epochal transformation.
Ralph Leonard
· 16 min read
Black Progress and Black Rage
A new biopic about Bayard Rustin and the New York Met’s opera about the life of Malcolm X celebrate very different notions of black struggle.
Joshua Muravchik
· 8 min read
Hollywood Autocrat
A newly restored Blu-ray release of ‘Foolish Wives’ offers a welcome reintroduction to one of cinema’s most gifted and eccentric artists.
Jaspreet Singh Boparai
· 12 min read
Israel’s Everywoman at War
Helen Mirren’s Golda Meir offers a profile of greatness in the face of overwhelming adversity.
Michael Oren
· 16 min read
How Accurate is Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’?
A nuclear engineer reviews the blockbuster film.
Robert Zubrin
· 10 min read
Dare to Be Brilliant
Nolan’s kaleidoscopic biopic may be his most ambitious picture to date.
Brad Strotten
· 4 min read
Bob Ross, Populist Artist
A Netflix documentary and a new film about the beloved American TV painter explore a life marked by popular success and personal betrayal.
Julia Friedman
· 10 min read
“Be Vigilant, America”
Two forgotten films from 1942 about Japanese internment offer a window into the shameful nativism of wartime America.
Thomas Doherty
· 10 min read