The Oscars 2013: Hollywood’s CIA Celebration The Oscars 2013: Hollywood’s CIA Celebration
The feel-good portrayal of the agency in 'Argo' glosses over its role in previously overthrowing Iran's democratically elected leader.
Feb 26, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Robert Scheer
Politics and Oscar Night Politics and Oscar Night
The Academy Awards this year were supposed to be “political.” A reminder of a time when that word really meant something.
Feb 25, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Rick Perlstein
The Weird Blend of Apolitical Denial and Shameless Propaganda at the Oscars The Weird Blend of Apolitical Denial and Shameless Propaganda at the Oscars
This year’s Oscars swung the pendulum from strangely apolitical to peddled propaganda.
Feb 25, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Allison Kilkenny
Sundance, the Oscars and the Decline of Film Criticism—Not Just a Lady Problem Sundance, the Oscars and the Decline of Film Criticism—Not Just a Lady Problem
The Sundance-to-Oscar pipeline has been great for independent film directors—at least the male ones.
Feb 22, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Roya Rastegar
A Night at the Oscars for Israel-Palestine A Night at the Oscars for Israel-Palestine
Two brilliant nominees, The Gatekeepers and 5 Broken Cameras, along with other recent documentaries, have deepened our understanding of the conflict.
Feb 20, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Roane Carey
Hollywood Ending? Hollywood Ending?
Steven Soderbergh’s Side Effects; Lynne Sach’s Your Day Is My Night
Feb 19, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Stuart Klawans
Shelf Life Shelf Life
Robert Bresson’s The Devil, Probably; Maurice Pilat’s Police; Leo McCary’s My Son John.
Feb 13, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Akiva Gottlieb
Torture and Taboo: On Elaine Scarry Torture and Taboo: On Elaine Scarry
How the work of a literary critic became the proxy for our preoccupation with the horrors of torture.
Feb 5, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Samuel Moyn
‘Zero Dark Thirty’, Snuff Film ‘Zero Dark Thirty’, Snuff Film
The film’s torture scenes do not excuse or glorify torture; they do something worse: draw the audience into accommodating it.
Jan 30, 2013 / Books & the Arts / JoAnn Wypijewski
Crazy, Stupid, Guns Crazy, Stupid, Guns
Moussa Touré’s La Pirogue, Ruben Fleischer’s Gangster Squad
Jan 23, 2013 / Books & the Arts / Stuart Klawans