‘Mank’ Recovers the Radical Roots of ‘Citizen Kane’ ‘Mank’ Recovers the Radical Roots of ‘Citizen Kane’
The biopic of writer Herman Mankiewicz recuperates the subversive politics of a cinematic masterpiece.
Dec 18, 2020 / Jeet Heer
A Salacious Press, an Unchecked Government: Heinrich Böll’s Prescient Fiction A Salacious Press, an Unchecked Government: Heinrich Böll’s Prescient Fiction
A 1975 film adaptation of his novel The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum looks how fragile freedom is under democracy.
Dec 8, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Phoebe Chen
Movie Theaters Aren’t Dying—They’re Being Murdered Movie Theaters Aren’t Dying—They’re Being Murdered
The Covid-19 pandemic is providing a perfect cover for media giants bent on replacing theatrical moviegoing with streaming at home.
Dec 4, 2020 / Jeet Heer
John Wilson’s Magically Poignant Urban Histories John Wilson’s Magically Poignant Urban Histories
His documentary series for HBO is a head-spinning interrogation of the chaos of New York City life.
Dec 1, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi
Don’t Cancel Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer! Don’t Cancel Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!
Far from promoting homophobia, the classic holiday special celebrates the fellowship of outsiders.
Nov 27, 2020 / Jeet Heer
Desperation and Hope Amid the Wuhan Outbreak Desperation and Hope Amid the Wuhan Outbreak
A director of 76 Days, a documentary on the harrowing first days of the Covid-19 crisis, finds compassion amid the suffering.
Nov 27, 2020 / Q&A / Nation contributor
The Horrors of Charlie Kaufman The Horrors of Charlie Kaufman
His latest existential love story, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, reveals the limits of his work.
Nov 18, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Erin Schwartz
Aaron Sorkin’s Inane, Liberal History Lesson Aaron Sorkin’s Inane, Liberal History Lesson
Why his reformist retelling of the Chicago Seven fails to tell the real story of the leftists on trial.
Nov 3, 2020 / Charlotte Rosen
Why You Should Be Watching the Film ‘Z’ Right Now Why You Should Be Watching the Film ‘Z’ Right Now
Costa Gavras’s classic antifascist thriller reminds us that the moment of reckoning constitutes not the end of the story, but the beginning.
Nov 3, 2020 / Margaret Spillane
Michael Apted’s Flawed but Brilliant Epic of British Social Life Michael Apted’s Flawed but Brilliant Epic of British Social Life
The Up series was meant to investigate inequities of British class. It also ended up telling a different story as well.
Nov 2, 2020 / Books & the Arts / Susan Pedersen