‘Hamnet’, Memory and the Politics of Allegory
Zhao’s Hamnet subverts the “great man narrative” not by centering on the rising career of Shakespeare, but instead on the cost of his genius.
tragedy
Hobart Bosworth’s Edgy Strong Silent Type Clings to Life
What remains of Hobart Bosworth’s edgy strong silent type characters and his directing achievements cling to life in the few silent-era Hollywood films left to us.
The Penguin’s Means, Ends, and Morality
‘The Penguin’ compels us to interrogate our morality: do we treat others in our lives only as means to an end?
Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ Is a Trivial Goof Pretending at Ambition
Francis Ford Coppola’s bonkers “fable” about the clash of dreams and cynicism, Megalopolis, has a potent but unfounded belief in its importance.
Ranking the Seasons of ‘The Wire’
Years after its conclusion, The Wire continues to top best-of-TV lists. With each season's unique story arc, each viewer is likely to have favorites.
Pandemic, Hope, Defiance, and Protest in ‘Romeo and Juliet’
Shakespeare's well known romantic tale Romeo and Juliet, written during a pandemic, has a surprisingly hopeful message about defiance and protest.
’The Ferryman’: Ephemeral Ideas, Eternal Tragedies
Staggeringly multi-layered, dangerously fast-paced and rich in characterizations, dialogue and context, Jez Butterworth's new hit about a family during the time of Ireland's the Troubles leaves the audience breathless, sweaty and tearful, in a nightmarish, dry-heaving haze.
‘2Dark’ Is Not Too Dark
In 2Dark, a cartoon aesthetic quickly alters the gravity of what would otherwise be some very heavy subject matter.
The Moving Pixels Podcast Explores ‘This Is the Police’
This week we take a look at the themes and politics of This Is the Police.
Playing to Lose: The Tragedy of ‘This Is the Police’
Video gamers are not accustomed to playing to lose.
‘Leviathan’ Is a Kafkaesque Nightmare in Russia
Combine Orson Welles’ The Trial with Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, throw in some nods to Job and Thomas Hobbes, and you get Leviathan Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Leviathan.