Film

A still from “I Love Boosters.”

Boots Riley’s Communist Heist Film Boots Riley’s Communist Heist Film

Yes, it even has Marxist teleporters.

Aug 12, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

Skydance CEO David Ellison attends a UFC bout in Las Vegas in January.

David Ellison’s Delusional Stab at Self-Justification David Ellison’s Delusional Stab at Self-Justification

While the Skydance–Warner Bros. merger is in legal limbo, the CEO seeking to pull it off makes a disingenuous case for it in the court of public opinion.

Aug 10, 2026 / Ben Schwartz

Still from “The Odyssey.”

Do Epics Need Heroes? Do Epics Need Heroes?

In recent years, the online right has contested adaptations of epic in order to make an argument about masculinity. The Odyssey is their latest target.

Aug 8, 2026 / Orlando Reade

Media mogul David Ellison at CinemaCon 2026, in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 16, 2026.

This Isn’t About Rosebud, David Ellison This Isn’t About Rosebud, David Ellison

Antitrust law exists so that a free press and an open market never hang on the temperament of one well-meaning billionaire.

Aug 5, 2026 / Zephyr Teachout

Still from “Union of Pinnacle Tenants.”

Mamdani’s Team Redefined Political Video. Now They’re Betting on Short Films. Mamdani’s Team Redefined Political Video. Now They’re Betting on Short Films.

Premiering exclusively in The Nation, a new short film produced by City Hall and narrated by Morgan Spector highlights the efforts of the biggest tenant-led union in New York City...

Aug 3, 2026 / Natalia Winkelman

Matt Damon as Odysseus in “The Odyssey.”

Impale and Cry: Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” Impale and Cry: Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey”

In the latest rendering of the epic, there is plenty to feel guilty about even if you did not mean it.

Jul 24, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Christian Lorentzen

Odyssey

Nolan’s “Odyssey” Misses the Point Nolan’s “Odyssey” Misses the Point

The big-budget movie keeps much of the violence and spectacle but none of the nuance and wit of the classical epic.

Jul 23, 2026 / Katha Pollitt

A still from “Disclosure Day.”

Steven Spielberg’s Aliens Steven Spielberg’s Aliens

“Disclosure Day” has plenty of UFOs and extraterrestrial species but very little of the human insights found in the filmmaker’s past work.

Jul 1, 2026 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse

Why Amazon Ditched Its Prestige Sam Altman Biopic

Why Amazon Ditched Its Prestige Sam Altman Biopic Why Amazon Ditched Its Prestige Sam Altman Biopic

Artificial had a roster of premier talent and a topical subject—but it no longer fit in with Jeff Bezos’s financial ambitions.

Jun 29, 2026 / Ben Schwartz

Israeli director Nadav Lapid at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival.

The Curious Case of the Nadav Lapid Boycott Campaign The Curious Case of the Nadav Lapid Boycott Campaign

In seeking to punish artists for ties to Israeli organizations, are boycotters choosing the right targets?

Jun 15, 2026 / Ben Schwartz

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