Alex Garland’s ‘Civil War’ Refuses Righteousness
Alex Garland’s Civil War refuses righteousness. Instead, it takes a hard, unflinching look at the true costs of war for everybody and everything it touches.
journalism
Lucy Lawless Reimagines the Myth of Icarus in Margaret Moth Film
Lucy Lawless’ debut documentary about combat journalist and trailblazing camerawoman Margaret Moth, Never Look Away, reimagines the Myth of Icarus.
‘Wolfish’ Warily Looks Metaphorical and Literal Fear in the Eye
Wolfish: Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear engagingly weaves ecology, sociology, and history into a rich tapestry to warily gaze into the unblinking eye of fear.
The Russo-Ukraine War Is a Mediated War – Not Just a War on the Media
How the Russo-Ukraine War generated a media dimension of its own and how it linked the myths of the past century to the challenges of our own.
‘Writing With Fire’ Filmmaker Rintu Thomas on Indian Women Journalists and Social Progress
Writing With Fire co-director Rintu Thomas talks with PopMatters about hope and courage and the women journalists who are changing the world one byte at a time.
How the Template for Modern Combat Journalism Developed
The superbly researched Journalism and the Russo-Japanese War tells readers how Japan pioneered modern techniques of propaganda and censorship.
‘Chasing Chopin’ from the Concert Hall to the Jazz Club
Annik LaFarge's Chasing Chopin is a slim book but it stands out because it's a hybrid work—biography and journalism—with utterly lovely, vivid descriptions of Chopin's music.
On Difficulties with Acculturation in ‘From Chernobyl with Love’
Journalist Katya Cengel's memoir, From Chernobyl with Love, is more illuminating of the American mindset than it is of Latvia and Ukraine.
A Biography Worthy of ‘Hiroshima’ Author John Hersey
John Hersey covered Hiroshima and America's race riots with empathy, courage, and profound humility. Jeremy Treglown's biography, Mr. Straight Arrow, should bring a new generation of readers to Hersey's work.
Should America Negotiate with Terrorists? An Interview with Joel Simon
Joel Simon, Executive Director of the Committee to Protect Journalists, discusses his new book, We Want to Negotiate, which argues for sweeping changes to the way the US responds to hostage-taking.
‘On Press’ Shows That Journalism Has Survived Tough Times Before
Matthew Pressman's engaging, historical dive into the fourth estate, On Press, looks at the forces that contributed to the decline of news in print, gave rise to interpretive reporting, and the new challenges and advantages available to news reporters and consumers today.