Film

“El Gran Movimiento” Is a Masterful Portrait of Capitalism at Work

“El Gran Movimiento” Is a Masterful Portrait of Capitalism at Work “El Gran Movimiento” Is a Masterful Portrait of Capitalism at Work

Kiro Russo’s new film takes us to La Paz, following unemployed miners, mystics, and others hoping to find solace in the shadow of a rotten economy.

Aug 25, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Eli Rudavsky

David Cronenberg’s Tableaux of Pain and Pleasure

David Cronenberg’s Tableaux of Pain and Pleasure David Cronenberg’s Tableaux of Pain and Pleasure

His latest film, Crimes of the Future, continues a decades-long project to explore the limits of the body and the supposed rules of reality.

Jul 21, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Beatrice Loayza

Tom Cruise poses in a navy tuxedo with black bow tie.

The Rise of Bad Art and the Decline of Political Candor The Rise of Bad Art and the Decline of Political Candor

Though the language of cliché has switched from the middle-class respectability of the 1950s to our current obsessions with “inclusion” and concern for the marginalized, the practi...

Jul 11, 2022 / Column / David Bromwich

The Brutal Verisimilitude of “The Northman”

The Brutal Verisimilitude of “The Northman” The Brutal Verisimilitude of “The Northman”

Robert Eggers’s latest work, a Viking epic, pushes his obsessive and detail-oriented filmmaking to its limit. 

Jun 30, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Erin Schwartz

The World-Making Aesthetic of Hong Sangsoo

The World-Making Aesthetic of Hong Sangsoo The World-Making Aesthetic of Hong Sangsoo

While he has long been seen as an apolitical filmmaker, his work is anything but. The auteur’s films engage with the dreams and contradictions of Korea like no other.

Jun 21, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Dennis Zhou

The “Wobblies” Documentary Reminds Us Why Bosses Are Still Scared of the IWW

The “Wobblies” Documentary Reminds Us Why Bosses Are Still Scared of the IWW The “Wobblies” Documentary Reminds Us Why Bosses Are Still Scared of the IWW

The recently rereleased 1979 film can teach today’s workers how to throw their weight around.

Jun 16, 2022 / Highlights / R.H. Lossin

China’s Battle for Cultural Power Begins at the Box Office

China’s Battle for Cultural Power Begins at the Box Office China’s Battle for Cultural Power Begins at the Box Office

A conversation with Erich Schwartzel about the vexed relationship between Hollywood and Beijing, how movies became a vehicle for Chinese ideology, and his new book Red Carpet.

May 10, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Han Zhang

The Many Lives of Billy Wilder

The Many Lives of Billy Wilder The Many Lives of Billy Wilder

From Galicia to Berlin to Paris and eventually to Hollywood, the prolific director and screenwriter never let go of what proved to be his most formative experience: being in a stat...

Apr 19, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Noah Isenberg

Black Like Me? “Bridgerton” and the Fantasy of a Non-Racist Past

Black Like Me? “Bridgerton” and the Fantasy of a Non-Racist Past Black Like Me? “Bridgerton” and the Fantasy of a Non-Racist Past

We can imagine a world where the only thing wrong with racial inequality is that non-white people are not allowed to share in the spoils of empire—but would we really want to live ...

Apr 4, 2022 / Feature / Gary Younge

Nadav Lapid’s Cinema of Shame

Nadav Lapid’s Cinema of Shame Nadav Lapid’s Cinema of Shame

His new film Ahed’s Knee is a shallow cri de coeur against the Israeli state. 

Mar 31, 2022 / Books & the Arts / Kaleem Hawa

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