Jorge Cotte

is a writer living in Chicago. His essays and reviews have appeared in The Los Angeles Review of Books and The New Inquiry.

Dune: Part Two

What’s Missing From “Dune: Part Two” What’s Missing From “Dune: Part Two”

While Frank Herbert’s original series was about the dangers of messianism, Denis Villeneuve’s rendition wields ambivalence like a secret weapon in its effort to avoid the tough qu...

Mar 8, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

A scene from True Detective: Night Country.

The Unanswered Questions of “True Detective” The Unanswered Questions of “True Detective”

Like a Raymond Chandler detective story, Night Country ultimately wants to turn its audience’s attention away from the mysteries of the dead toward those of the living.

Feb 19, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

The Dark Message of “Killers of the Flower Moon”

The Dark Message of “Killers of the Flower Moon” The Dark Message of “Killers of the Flower Moon”

Unlike the visions of unbounded freedom found in traditional westerns, Martin Scorsese’s new film is a study of a West bounded by the vertical geometry of oil rigs and the violent...

Oct 25, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

The Psychic Theater of Boots Riley

The Psychic Theater of Boots Riley The Psychic Theater of Boots Riley

Absurdist, darkly funny, I’m a Virgo tells a story of first love, capitalism’s surreal excesses, the contradictions of Black life, and how much politics a work of art can bear.

Jul 25, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

Cillian Murphy in “Oppenheimer”

The Many Enigmas of Oppenheimer The Many Enigmas of Oppenheimer

In Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan neither indicts nor vindicates the physicist. Instead, he offers a study of a man full of contradictions.

Jul 21, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

A scene from “Asteroid City.”

Is “Asteroid City” Wes Anderson’s Greatest Film? Is “Asteroid City” Wes Anderson’s Greatest Film?

In his latest film, Anderson asks us how art and storytelling give our lives meaning.

Jul 5, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

Joaquin Phoenix in “Beau Is Afraid.”

Is There Anything Below the Surface in “Beau Is Afraid”? Is There Anything Below the Surface in “Beau Is Afraid”?

When mothers and dreams are involved, it is hard not to think of Freud. But in Ari Aster’s latest, very little is left to the imagination.

May 16, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

Edward Norton and Mia Maestro in Extrapolations

The Banal Politics of “Extrapolations” The Banal Politics of “Extrapolations”

The new Apple TV series knows the world is going to shit but is uninterested in the kind of change needed to prevent this from happening.

Apr 12, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte

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