Mort Sahl, 1927–2021: The Comic as Social Critic Mort Sahl, 1927–2021: The Comic as Social Critic
Sahl diagnosed the disease of America in 1967 as “right-wing social democracy,” an ideology that is fine with war.
Nov 15, 2021 / Column / David Bromwich
Joanna Hogg and the Art of Life Joanna Hogg and the Art of Life
Her remarkable two-part film The Souvenir examines how an artist turns the fragments of their personal history into an enduring story.
Nov 11, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Devika Girish
“Succession”’s Repetition Compulsion “Succession”’s Repetition Compulsion
In Succession’s moral universe, no one can ever get what they want or what they deserve.
Nov 10, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Sam Adler-Bell
Dave Chappelle’s Comedy of Bitterness Dave Chappelle’s Comedy of Bitterness
In his recent special The Closer, and his response to critics of it, he outlines a strange version of identity politics where comedians are always the victims.
Nov 9, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Stephen Kearse
What “Passing” Can Still Teach Us About Identity What “Passing” Can Still Teach Us About Identity
A film adaptation of Nella Larsen’s novel dramatizes the mercurial and sometimes dangerous consequences of a person's performance of self in the public.
Nov 4, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Elias Rodriques
On Film, a Window Into Haiti On Film, a Window Into Haiti
Gessica Généus discusses Freda, the first movie by a female Haitian director to be nominated for an award at Cannes.
Nov 3, 2021 / Q&A / Clair MacDougall
Why Mike Nichols Was the Egalitarian Auteur Why Mike Nichols Was the Egalitarian Auteur
Mark Harris’s biography of the filmmaker shows that one cannot be an auteur without some help.
Nov 3, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Lindsay Zoladz
Which Version of Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” Reigns Supreme? Which Version of Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” Reigns Supreme?
Is the latest posthumous addition to his canon released today the Holy Grail?
Oct 22, 2021 / Column / Ethan Iverson
“Squid Game”’s Capitalist Parables “Squid Game”’s Capitalist Parables
Netflix’s breakout series depicts a world of violent and macabre individualism and desperation.
Oct 20, 2021 / Books & the Arts / E. Tammy Kim
We Came Here to Get Away From You We Came Here to Get Away From You
Port Townsend, Washington Downhill, a skeleton of an orca suspended: a female beached; belly full, at that time, of seal and fish; the seal and fish full, at that time of poison. T…
Oct 19, 2021 / Books & the Arts / Donika Kelly