movies
The Invite, Obsession, and the runaway success of movies for straight people to argue about
Who is responsible for your own unhappiness? The answer may disappoint you.
it's a wonderful life
The memories of a deadly pandemic hidden in one of America's most beloved films
Art about pandemics and plagues rarely gets made after the fact. Yet here's the Spanish flu in It's a Wonderful Life.
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma
Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, or learning to love your own horniness
Jane Schoenbrun's new film is about a very common trans experience. And a very common human experience too.
the odyssey
The City Burners
Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey reimagines one of our oldest stories for a world on the brink of ending.
Toy Story 5
How the Toy Story toys are a little like vampires
Both the venerable Pixar franchise and Interview with the Vampire use immortality to explore personhood.
movies
People don't want YouTube movies. They want something new.
The considerable success of Backrooms and Obsession might lead Hollywood to learn all the wrong lessons. Again.
review
The shot in Blue Heron that still makes me cry days later
The film about one family navigating an impossible situation does remarkable things with memory and storytelling.
movies
It takes an ex-believer to make a film as holy as Wake Up Dead Man
The latest Benoit Blanc mystery offers a bracing look at what makes faith so necessary and so dangerous, writes Emily St. James.
frankenstein
On Gothic sincerity and del Toro's Frankenstein
Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein wears its themes on its sleeve. Lily Osler writes on how that works – and how it doesn't.
Rundown
Episodes Monday Rundown October 27–November 2 2025
This week: KPop Demon Hunters, del Toro's Frankenstein, and two different Paranormal Activities
horror
Shelby Oaks, Bring Her Back, and the context collapse of YouTube horror
The video platform has been influencing films for years. That's only going to happen more, writes Emily St. James.
halloween
14 under-the-radar tales to freak you out this Halloween
Including movies, books, podcasts, and asking your friends to tell you a scary story.