review

"Nomadland" and the Pursuit of American Ghosts

Chloé Zhao’s Nomadland is one of the most celebrated films of the year. It’s also one of the year’s most disorienting films. It refuses easy answers or character judgments, leaving the viewer with an array of questions and, for some, an empty feeling that in no small way resembles the expansive, empty American landscapes that […]

Review: Overanalyzing Taylor Swift's "evermore"

Review: Overanalyzing Taylor Swift's

Coney Island in the winter is a completely different place than during summertime, when it’s a brightly lit beachside amusement park. In the song “coney island,” featuring The National, Taylor Swift brings her listeners to the wintertime side of New York’s infamous seaside paradise, inviting us to join her on a bench as she mourns […]

Could the "Hillbilly Elegy" Movie Have Been Saved?

Could the

The film Hillbilly Elegy has been almost universally panned by critics, torn to shreds in a way possibly not seen since Cats. Problems abound. First off, the movie is, somehow, fairly boring. It’s almost entirely lacking in aesthetic style, and it’s also completely devoid of politics. Why is that a problem? Like the average moderate […]