The Power of Alternative History in Barry Jenkins’ Series’ ‘The Underground Railroad’
Barry Jenkins’ beautiful and brutal adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s alternative history, ‘The Underground Railroad’, indulges in compelling retro Afrofuturism.
Television
‘Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In’ Still Socks It to Us
Watch Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-in and you will receive a sound education in America’s politics and pop culture of the late ’60s / early ’70s.
WandaVision’s Grief Is America’s Grief
To cope with her grief WandaVision‘s Wanda reverts to a comforting but false alternate reality set in idealized 1950s America. Sound familiar?
The Unreality of MTV’s Reality Shows
MTV’s early ’00s reality shows were entertainment for the channel’s younger viewers, but they also provided an “identity workbook” for their audiences.
NBC Comedy ‘Superstore’ Tackles Capitalism with Humor and Pathos
Superstore consistently depicts with humor and pathos how corporate America keeps working-class people in a perpetual state of precarity.
Saturday Night Live’s Laraine Newman Lived in Interesting Times
How much coke would a Conehead snort if a Conehead did snort coke? A lot says Laraine Newman in her memoir about her early days at Saturday Night Live.
The Latest Anthology on RuPaul’s Drag Race Is Gag-Worthy
The Cultural Impact of RuPaul’s Drag Race turns a fierce lewk without overriding any of the iconic moments served by its predecessors.
The Dizzying Montage of Fragments in Adam Curtis’ Excellent Docu-Series ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’
Adam Curtis’ Can’t Get You Out of My Head is an ambitious and, at times, overwhelming documentary series that charts the ‘emotional history of the modern world.’
Nurse Ratched vs. Nurse Ratched
Each portrayal of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’s infamous Nurse Ratched reflects what has changed in American society’s attitudes toward women — and what has not.
‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’ Makes Tragedy Tawdry
Lee Daniels’ melodramatic mess, ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’, squanders every chance to turn Holiday from a victim into a person.
‘Firefly Lane’ Betrays the Golden Rule of Chekhov’s Gun
Netflix's Firefly Lane put the gun on the stage. Creator Maggie Friedman had the characters pick it up and play with it.