movies

Nov
15
The word "Logistics" in a white san serif font, against a black background.

Repost: What I learned watching the longest movie ever made

Logistics lasts over 35 days, and it might make you think differently about the world.
8 min read
Oct
31
Dan (Ewan MacGregor) peers through a hole in a door put there by his axe-wielding father in The Shining.

Five thoughts on Mike Flanagan's Doctor Sleep

What's sneaky smart about Doctor Sleep's portrayal of the fallout of an abusive childhood
6 min read
Oct
18
Two people in a car look back at a car parked behind them. That car's driver shines a flashlight at them.

How Zodiac perfectly places you in its characters' obsessive worldview

Zodiac is the perfect examination of our true crime obsession. And it came out 16 years ago.
9 min read
Oct
13
Regan floats into the air above her bed as Fathers Merrin and Karras perform their exorcism ritual.

The Exorcist, demonic possession, and trans stories

7 min read
Sep
29
A group of drunken men sit slouched around a table, light spilling in from a nearby window.

25 minutes on... Barry Lyndon

5 min read
Aug
23
J. Robert Oppenheimer, played by Cillian Murphy, stares into the camera while smoking in this black-and-white image.

What we discourse about when we discourse about Barbenheimer

The discourses around Barbie and Oppenheimer have followed very similar patterns.
8 min read
Aug
09
Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore (in a Steelers jersey) watch some TV on the couch in This Is Us.

You are not smarter than the art you critique

Here's my best advice for young critics: Don't presume you know better.
8 min read
Aug
19
The full horror of nostalgia

The full horror of nostalgia

A wave of recent horror movies examines our cultural obsession with nostalgia — but not that closely
8 min read
Aug
12
Lingua Franca and the beauty of second chances

Lingua Franca and the beauty of second chances

Isabel Sandoval's 2019 film about an undocumented immigrant shows new ways to tell trans stories.
5 min read
Jul
25
Retribution, restoration, and Batman

Retribution, restoration, and Batman

The 2022 film and the 1990s animated series about the character ask what justice truly looks like.
9 min read