Essays


Emotional realism isn’t easy to watch
13 Reasons Why is sad and fascinating and disturbing and enraging and occasionally funny, romantic and cathartic.

In all its messy, bloody, thrilling glory
Logan is not only one of the best X-Men films – if not the best – but it’s also the best representation of the Wolverine character in all its messy, bloody, thrilling glory.

Glimmers in the darkness
I will repeat what everyone else has said over and over again: 2016 was dreadful, and as I write this, it continues to be wretched,

On the effects of cultural discourses of addiction
If you’re not one of my Facebook friends, you may not know what’s going on in my non-film-critic professional life. I’m an anthropologist, remember?If you’re not one of my Facebook friends, you may not know what’s going on in my non-film-critic professional life. I’m an anthropologist, remember?

How to make a revolution boring
Let’s get this part over with first: Roland Emmerich, the director of the new film Stonewall as well as the disaster blockbusters The Fourth of July and The Day After Tomorrow, is a dope.