So Here's to You, Buck Henry Most of us are distant spectators to the roped-off paintings that line the museums inside our aesthetic imaginations. Some of the pieces have been removed; others donât have appropriate labels. Art Tavana 28 Jan 2020 · 10 min read
'The Report' ReviewâA Careful Examination of the CIA's Interrogation Methods As unpleasant as this kind of harsh treatment was, defenders of EITs maintained that it fell short of torture. Michael J. Totten 9 Jan 2020 · 10 min read
'White Christmas' and the Triumphs of the Greatest Generation Michael Curtizâs 1954 classic White Christmas is so popular that it generates new think-pieces every time the holiday season rolls around. Last year, the New York Times republished its own original review of the film, in which the late Bosley Crowther panned the movie. Other pieces in other places Kevin Mims 20 Dec 2019 · 11 min read
'The Rise of Jordan Peterson'âA Review The Rise of Jordan Peterson constructs a kaleidoscopic narrative that enables the viewer to look at the same sequence of events in several different ways. Carol Horton 14 Oct 2019 · 11 min read
Fear of a White Joker: When Did the Left Stop Caring About Crime's Root Causes? The key to reducing violence amongst any demographic is in ascertaining the specific attributes of violent individuals. Samuel Forster 9 Oct 2019 · 6 min read
'Cancel Culture,' Roaring Twenties-Style The term âcancel cultureâ has become hotly contested of late. Critics say it is indiscriminately used to describe different degrees of mass opprobrium produced by transgressions that range from the trivial to the criminal. Now, while mob justice is never a particularly good idea, it is certainly true that some Kevin Mims 27 Sep 2019 · 12 min read
Once Upon a Time...Film Critics Became JoylessâA Review Tarantino is quintessentially American. He lets us linger and watch Tate in all her Technicolor radiance. He lets us love her. Whatâs more, he lets her watch and love herself. Steven Volynets 17 Aug 2019 · 9 min read
From Academia to Hollywood: An Interview with Tony Tost Right now, Iâm maybe most spooked by how a living, breathing cultural memory is seeming to evaporate. Clay Routledge 13 Jul 2019 · 21 min read
How Prophetic Was Gattaca? Gattaca was prophetic, but not quite in the way Niccol intended. George Schifini 8 Jul 2019 · 5 min read
The Conservative Manifesto Buried in 'Avengers: Endgame' If you havenât seen Endgame yetâor if you take comfort in the delusion that Marvel is âwokeââstop reading now. Aaron Sibarium 14 Jun 2019 · 10 min read
Dragged Across ConcreteâA Review In a cultural moment that has seen reputations destroyed by a single tweet, each transgression can become the entirety of a personâs character. David G. Hughes 22 Mar 2019 · 6 min read
Don't Deny Girls the Evolutionary Wisdom of Fairy-Tales Yet, this is the sort of hysteria used to justify yanking away the wonderful fun of watching Disney princess films. Remember fun? Amy Alkon 16 Dec 2018 · 7 min read
Representation and the Communitarianization of Cinema Identity has become the locus of cultural value and representation the means of its transmission. Oliver Whiskard 18 Oct 2018 · 10 min read
âThe Apartment,â Authority, and Consent On a topic of particular pertinence to our own cultural moment, Billy Wilderâs 1960 classic is a fascinating artefact well worth revisiting. Matthew Stahlman 7 Feb 2018 · 10 min read