“The Pitt” and the Gritty Return of the Hospital Drama “The Pitt” and the Gritty Return of the Hospital Drama
In the frenzied medical drama, the limits and problems of the healthcare system serve as the basis for the show’s plot.
Feb 12, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte
The Empty Thrills of Alfonso Cuarón’s “Disclaimer” The Empty Thrills of Alfonso Cuarón’s “Disclaimer”
Why did the great Mexican filmmaker make a soapy thriller?
Dec 19, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte
The Ornery Intrigues of “Slow Horses” The Ornery Intrigues of “Slow Horses”
Emblematic of post–prestige television drama, AppleTV+’s spy thriller relies on the dyspeptic repartee and verbal sparring instead of sophisticated plot twists.
Sep 16, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte
The Many Worlds of HBO’s “The Sympathizer” The Many Worlds of HBO’s “The Sympathizer”
The adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel is a study of migration—between identities and countries and also between different historical periods and genres.
May 21, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte
What’s Missing From “Dune: Part Two” What’s Missing From “Dune: Part Two”
While Frank Herbert’s original series was about the dangers of messianism, Denis Villeneuve’s rendition wields ambivalence like a secret weapon in its effort to avoid the tough qu...
Mar 8, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte
The Unanswered Questions of “True Detective” The Unanswered Questions of “True Detective”
Like a Raymond Chandler detective story, Night Country ultimately wants to turn its audience’s attention away from the mysteries of the dead toward those of the living.
Feb 19, 2024 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte
The Dark Message of “Killers of the Flower Moon” The Dark Message of “Killers of the Flower Moon”
Unlike the visions of unbounded freedom found in traditional westerns, Martin Scorsese’s new film is a study of a West bounded by the vertical geometry of oil rigs and the violent...
Oct 25, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte
The Psychic Theater of Boots Riley The Psychic Theater of Boots Riley
Absurdist, darkly funny, I’m a Virgo tells a story of first love, capitalism’s surreal excesses, the contradictions of Black life, and how much politics a work of art can bear.
Jul 25, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte
The Many Enigmas of Oppenheimer The Many Enigmas of Oppenheimer
In Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan neither indicts nor vindicates the physicist. Instead, he offers a study of a man full of contradictions.
Jul 21, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte
Is “Asteroid City” Wes Anderson’s Greatest Film? Is “Asteroid City” Wes Anderson’s Greatest Film?
In his latest film, Anderson asks us how art and storytelling give our lives meaning.
Jul 5, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte