The Reckless History of the Automobile The Reckless History of the Automobile
In The Car, Bryan Appleyard sets out to celebrate the freedom these vehicles granted. But what if they were a dangerous technology from the start?
Mar 13, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Paris Marx
The Many Labyrinths of Alejandro Iñarritu’s Oscar-Nominated “Bardo” The Many Labyrinths of Alejandro Iñarritu’s Oscar-Nominated “Bardo”
Disjointed, unnerving, and divisive, Bardo challenges its viewers to make sense of it.
Mar 9, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Ilan Stavans
What the Oscars Represent: Meritocracy Without Merit What the Oscars Represent: Meritocracy Without Merit
In Michael Schulman’s extensive history of the awards, Oscar Wars, he documents how the institution’s reactionary origins still leak into today’s film culture.
Mar 8, 2023 / Books & the Arts / David Hajdu
The Cult of J. Edgar Hoover The Cult of J. Edgar Hoover
A zealot through and through, he ran the FBI like a religious sect.
Mar 7, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Adam Hochschild
The Costs and Contradictions of Ballet The Costs and Contradictions of Ballet
Alice Robb’s Don’t Think, Dear and Ellen O’Connell Whittet’s What You Become in Flight explore both the liberating sense of art and the domineering logic of ballet.
Mar 4, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Glory Liu
Nan Goldin’s Life Between Art and Activism Nan Goldin’s Life Between Art and Activism
The impact of her pioneering photography and her advocacy on behalf of those harmed by Purdue Pharma is chronicled in Laura Poitras’s All the Beauty and the Bloodshed.
Mar 4, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Barry Schwabsky
Gwendoline Riley’s Biting Realism Gwendoline Riley’s Biting Realism
By turns bracing and comical, her novels find in everyday domestic dramas the art of life.
Mar 2, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Robert Rubsam
A Comic That Captures the Antic Energy of a Post-Truth World A Comic That Captures the Antic Energy of a Post-Truth World
A conversation with the makers of The Department of Truth, a comic series that examines the intersection of American conspiracy and Western propaganda.
Mar 1, 2023 / Books & the Arts / ML Kejera
Death, Destruction, and Lars Von Trier Death, Destruction, and Lars Von Trier
In his return to television, a sequel to his 1990s series The Kingdom, the Danish director's trollish hospital drama aims to shock.
Feb 28, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Beatrice Loayza
“Argentina, 1985” Is a Political Tale for Our Time “Argentina, 1985” Is a Political Tale for Our Time
Argentina’s nominee for Best Foreign Film offers an urgent warning to democracies in Latin America and across the West.
Feb 27, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jacob Sugarman