Fire, Screens and Shutdown
From a Los Angeles fire to a federal shutdown: culture under heat, scrutiny, and delay.
Latest
Literature
To Be or Not To Be
Is still the open ended question in this day of modern online discourse and never ending opinions, but do we need to answer it differently and change our mode of conversing with others?
Animation
Being Beautiful is Too Much Work: Meg Knows It, and So Do Thousands of Teens
Whether it’s the town of Quahog or the very real world of beauty marketing, schools, and social media, young teenagers like Meg are frequently pressured by their surroundings into feeling not enough.
Film & TV
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Stories of revolution have long faced the struggle of delivering a message meant to agitate through a medium designed to satisfy and entertain.
K-Pop, Cinematic Anxiety, and Political Extremes
This week, we look at how pop culture and politics mirror our fears, desires, and divisions.
Literature
We are Primitive Man
Rachel Kushner's novel Creation Lake shows us that liberal activists want the same things that humans have always wanted, and conservative forces just want to be left alone to do as they please. The differences in political extremes often lead to the same end points.
Animation
K-Pop in Animation & Manga, and How It’s Done, Done, Done
From the spotlit fictional stage to the real-life practice rooms and competitions behind the curtains, what do KPop Demon Hunters and Girl Crush each say about the modern K-Pop industry?
Film & TV
Anxiety is the Cinematic Spirit of the 2020s
Artists like Nathan Fielder and Tim Robinson are playing out our social fears on the screen, and the results are equal parts hilarious and disturbing.
Weekly Newsletter
When Art Explodes in the Mountains
From fireworks on sacred peaks to films that thrive in silence, literary detectives, and a timeless Brazilian groove—your weekly dive into art and culture.
Culture
Girl, So Detective
It is so confusing to be a girl raised on Nancy Drew, Miss. Marple, and J.B. Fletcher when you realize how scrutinized these characters are today, considering their historical context.
Film & TV
Movies Are Better When They Know How to Shut Up
Dialogue is great. We all love dialogue. But when movies let it go, they can ascend to even greater, more distinctly cinematic heights.
Art
Fireworks Show on the Himalayas Sparks Fierce Controversy: Is Nature a Canvas for Human Artistry?
Famous outdoor brand Arc'teryx and pyrotechnic artist Cai Guoqiang lately apologized after their collaborative fireworks display nearly blew up Tibet's sacred mountains and damaged the local ecosystem