‘Bugonia’ Is an Apolitical Fever Dream
Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia blends modernity and absurdity to create a sharp satire with a thriller’s pacing.
satire
Can “No Kings” Protest Humor Shrivel Away Authoritarianism?
Besides billionaires—and without needing to beg or bribe—comedians and No Kings jesters may be the next highest demographic that is thriving during these Trump-led authoritarian times.
‘RachelOrmont’ Is Peter Vack’s Candy-Colored Feel Bad Shock Cinema
Peter Vack’s candy-colored RachelOrmont dares the squeamish to reckon with the schizoid darkness happening on cellphones all around them.
Thomas Pynchon’s ‘Shadow Ticket’ Knocks Readers Sideways
Thomas Pynchon’s Shadow Ticket, should it be his last, showcases that even when he’s not at his very best, the man can pack an artful wallop.
A Serbian Film’s Dark Comedy
As political allegory, A Serbian Film dares viewers to laugh not because it’s funny, but because the scream is too loud to hear the subtext otherwise.
‘The Devil’s Bride’ Is Like a Lithuanian Teletubbies
The Devil’s Bride is surely one of the most bizarre films from the Iron Curtain; as hallucinatory as anything this side of Teletubbies.
Paul Verhoeven Made the Blueprint for Neo-Totalitarianism
Paul Verhoeven’s sci-fi films are like how-to manuals for neo-totalitarianism, which doesn’t rely on coups, martial law, violent suppression of the opposition press, or paramilitary factions roaming the streets to instill our obedience.
‘Calls May Be Recorded’ Intentionally Disconnects
Katharina Volckmer’s tale of an isolated soul’s yearning for connection, Calls May Be Recorded intentionally disconnects with its readers in that funny/not funny way.
Gravity’s Rainbow Under Today’s Hypersonic Skies
In our era of awe-inspiring hypersonic weaponry, we turn to Thomas Pynchon, who warns in Gravity’s Rainbow that the Rocket is never mere hardware; it is a nihilistic creed whose liturgy is speed.
Bad Wisdom’s Artful Offensiveness
Bad Wisdom is a brilliantly savagely offensive, gleeful parody of the rock ’n’ roll messiah complex, the seeker-narrative, and the entire tradition of male spiritual self-aggrandisement.
Weimar Comedies Have Us Laughing on the Precipice
Did Weimar cinema predict Germany’s yearning for a strong leader? Or was it largely the escapist nonsense everyone else was making?
‘Eddington’ Is a Feverishly Funny Neo-Western Provocation
No major film since Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction has tackled the culture war fray with the force, specificity, and humor of Ari Aster’s Eddington.