Book Reviews
Netflix's Love, Death and Robots Is a Sci-Fi Demo Reel For the Untapped Potential of Animation
An anthology series about sad salesmen, space marines, super-intelligent yogurt, and the national debt
Captain Marvel Is a Message Movie Without a Message
Marvel's first female-fronted superhero film is a woke superhero fantasy scared to take any risks.
Spies in the Media
Journalists have long been used by governments, wittingly or not, to collect intel and spread disinformation.
The Government Can't—and Won't—Give Meaning to Your Life
A conservative technocrat tries to engineer a better world.
Why Do So Many Modern Jobs Seem Pointless?
An investigation into why people are working more without accomplishing more
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Is the Next Step in Superhero Movie Evolution
A joyous, energetic Spider-Man remix shows what superhero movies can be.
Reading Recommendations from Me and My Colleagues
mine is The Player of Games, by Iain Banks
Syfy's Adaptation of George R.R. Martin's Nightflyers Mangles a Ghost Story in Space
The show's derivative mimickry of time-skipping ruins the tension.
How Star Trek Explains Donald Trump
Kirk, Spock, and Khan have much to teach us about contemporary politics.
No, Sex Wasn't Better for Women Under Socialism
It's hard to get in the mood when you're sharing a bedroom with your mother-in-law.
Why Stan Lee's Flaws Were Part of His Virtues
Less creator than editor, pathetic company man, purveyor of childish nonsense? No amount of next-level quasi-sophisticated Stan Lee critique can avoid the proper conclusion: He was the Man.
Comics Giant Stan Lee Dead at 95
Marvel's former chief left behind a massive cultural legacy preaching tolerance and personal responsibility.
The Wild Rise of Lyndon LaRouche
What a conspiracy theorist, a Vietnam War deserter, and a Trump adviser have in common
When George Orwell Got in a Fight With the Anarchist Author of The Joy of Sex
The future 1984 scribe debated pacifism with Dr. Alex Comfort in 1942.
Venom Feels Like a Relic From When Hollywood Didn't Know How To Make Superhero Movies
The dull new movie makes for a marked contrast with the delightful new Spider-Man video game.
The Predator Raises the Question: Why Does the Predator Franchise Exist?
Shane Black's lackluster entry doesn't understand the appeal of John McTiernan's action classic.
Vietnam and the Rise of White Power
A new book ties racist reactionary politics to the war, but overreaches when it comes to militias.
Christopher Nolan's 'Unrestored' 2001: A Space Odyssey Is a Testament to the Power of Analog Cinema
The 70mm restoration of Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi masterpiece is a reminder of the ways advances in technology can help keep old formats alive.
Black Bodies, Radical Politics, and Rebellious Robots
Reading Zora Neale Hurston's study of the life of the last "black cargo" and watching Westworld
Harlan Ellison, R.I.P.
The science fiction maverick helped fill generations of fans with a winning sense of courage and rebellion.
1972: The Year That Made 2018 Seem Sane
Richard Nixon's battle with Timothy Leary puts today's culture wars to shame.
Russians and Reactionaries
The on-again, off-again flirtation between Mother Russia and the deplorables of Europe
The Politics of Star Wars
In honor of Star Wars Day, a roundup of links to my writings and talks on the politics of one of the world's most popular science fiction franchises.
Whose Dystopia Is It Anyway?
Reason writers debate which fictional dystopia best predicted our current moment.
Victor Frankenstein Is the Real Monster
Mary Shelley's misunderstood masterpiece turns 200.
'My Plan Is to Let People Do Whatever They Please'
The daily newspaper columns of H.L. Mencken
R.I.P. Ursula K. Le Guin, Author of One of the Greatest Novels About Freedom Ever Written
How libertarians learned to stop worrying and love The Dispossessed
Electric Dreams Is a Sci Fi Anthology Series That Warns Against Safe Spaces
The show, based on the work of Philip K. Dick, is like Black Mirror but if people were sometimes good.
GW Students Organize to Fight Oppression By Oppressing Reading Choices
Obvious propaganda should be labeled propaganda, obviously.
My Take on the Politics of 'The Last Jedi'
"The Last Jedi" focuses on the value of institutions, not just individual heroes. But it's still hard to tell what the rebels are fighting for.
But What Does Star Wars *MEAN*?
All culture is participatory culture, and none more so than Star Wars. A debate hotter than the twin suns of Tatooine.
