Film

wga picketers hold signs

Los Angeles Is Now the Country’s Leading Union Town Los Angeles Is Now the Country’s Leading Union Town

The West Coast capital, once famous for hostility to organized labor, emerges as the epicenter of national strike action.

Sep 1, 2023 / C.M. Lewis

A scene from “Afire.”

Christian Petzold’s “Afire” Is the Summer’s Most Beguiling Film Christian Petzold’s “Afire” Is the Summer’s Most Beguiling Film

The German director’s latest is a sly comedy about writer’s block, a bad vacation, and the catastrophe of a warming world.

Aug 29, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Phoebe Chen

Tom Hanks backstage at Late Night With Seth Meyers, 2022.

Why Did Tom Hanks Write a Novel? Why Did Tom Hanks Write a Novel?

And can we understand his vision of Hollywood from this strange artifact?

Aug 10, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Adam Nayman

Sound of Freedom

“Sound of Freedom” Is a QAnon Fever Dream “Sound of Freedom” Is a QAnon Fever Dream

The third-biggest movie of the summer is an action thriller about child sex trafficking that eagerly caters to right-wing paranoia.

Aug 7, 2023 / Chris Lehmann

When Phallocrats Go Limp

When Phallocrats Go Limp When Phallocrats Go Limp

Adrian Tomine’s dark comedy of ethnic self-hatred and male inadequacy.

Aug 4, 2023 / Jeet Heer

(L-R) American actress America Ferrera, American actress and director Greta Gerwig, and Australian actress Margot Robbie pose for a photo during a pink carpet event to promote their new film “Barbie” in Seoul on July 2, 2023.

The Feminist Moment We Didn’t Know We Needed The Feminist Moment We Didn’t Know We Needed

Women are finding camaraderie in the unlikeliest of places at a time when the forces of sexism, homophobia, and transphobia are strong and emboldened.

Aug 3, 2023 / Moira Donegan

Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer Oppenheimer

Boffo box office.

Jul 31, 2023 / OppArt / Steve Breen

How Stan Lee Became the Face of an Exploitative Industry

How Stan Lee Became the Face of an Exploitative Industry How Stan Lee Became the Face of an Exploitative Industry

The Marvel editor became a Hollywood icon by claiming credit for other people’s creations.

Jul 28, 2023 / Jeet Heer

Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling in “Barbie.”

The Muddled Feminism of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” The Muddled Feminism of Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie”

In trying to say too much, the film winds up not saying much at all.

Jul 27, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Tarpley Hitt

Margot Robbin in “Barbie.“

This “Barbie” Is in Crisis This “Barbie” Is in Crisis

Greta Gerwig tackles philosophical questions that are more daunting than a film based on a children’s toy can handle. It results in a strange, uneven, but beautiful movie. 

Jul 26, 2023 / Books & the Arts / Erin Schwartz

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