Why Schools Suck in the Movies and in Real Life
Why are educational institutions in real life more like the one in Carrie than the one in Harry Potter?
Entertainment
Review: Even in Tolkien's Middle Earth, You Can't Escape Immigration Restrictions
Elves need not apply.
Review: 'Me So Horny' and 59 Other Songs That Explain the '90s
Podcaster and music critic Rob Harvilla reminds us of the debts we owe to the tunes of that often cringeworthy decade.
Don't Let Disney Monopolize A.I.-Generated Art
The indie artists suing Stable Diffusion may not realize it, but they're doing the Mouse's dirty work.
Review: Time Meddling Becomes Altruism in Amazon's The Peripheral
It's the story of a distant future where rich denizens meddle in the affairs of the past.
Review: God Forbid Chronicles Jerry Falwell Jr.'s Fall From Grace
Falwell and his wife engaged in extramarital trysts with a younger man and introduced him to powerful friends, such as future president Donald Trump.
Review: Why Does the CIA Need a Podcast?
The director worries that the public doesn't trust his spy agency.
The Fight Over Kids at Drag Shows Is a Classic Moral Panic
Florida threatens a venue for letting minors attend a sexualized holiday cabaret performance with their parents.
Review: In Defense of Cultural Appropriation on The Great British Baking Show
For the first time, The Great British Baking Show's three best bakers are immigrants to the U.K.
Review: When Americans Turned Their Backs on Holocaust Refugees
The U.S. and the Holocaust condemns anti-refugee policies of the World War II era.
The War on Christmas Comes for the Drag Queens
Some conservatives toss “parents’ rights” out the window in a holiday culture war against kids at live shows.
Canada Threatens Free Speech in the Guise of Nationalistic Obsessions
Demands by lawmakers and government officials for locally produced content may lead to online censorship.
John Cleese on How Wokeness Smothers Creativity
The Monty Python legend on giving offense and getting laughs
Review: Is Andor the Most Political Live-Action Star Wars Release?
Star Wars remains an epic tale of good vs. evil, but underneath the myth are ordinary human motivations.
New Movie Lists Honor Jeanne Dielman and 2001, Snub TikTok
Friday A/V Club: Sight and Sound revises the film canon again.
The Best Ever Libertarian Gift Guide
Until next year's, because capitalism is always making things better.
United States of America Pageants Has First Amendment Right To Exclude Transgender Women, Court Says
Plus: The emptiness of Democrats' pro-democracy rhetoric, the real reason Social Security checks are getting bigger, and more...
Review: Better Call Saul Could Only Happen Under Drug Prohibition
The black market for drugs empowers bad actors while imposing serious burdens on innocents.
Review: Corporate Rock Sucks Covers the Slow Decline of Punk's Most Important Label
Perhaps boutique businesses with hip tastes can be as bad for bands as the biggest corporation.
Review: Halloween Ends and The Banshees of Inisherin
Return of the Big Figure, and Colin Farrell at a new peak.
Review: The Sandman and the Joys of Being Human
The series deals with themes of fate, freedom, and choice.
Should Tucker Carlson Have Protected Ye From Himself?
Plus: Supreme Court won't consider right of fetus to bring lawsuit, Biden's bid to reclassify gig workers, and more...
Review: The AnCap Revolution Goes to Mexico in The Anarchists
Activists were divided about whether to professionalize the political community or keep it ideologically pure. Sound familiar?
The Woman King Rewrites History for a Feminist Twist on the Slave Trade
Hollywood often takes liberties. But there's a distinction to be made between poetic license and historical revisionism.
In Netflix's Dahmer, Incompetent Police Fail To Catch a Serial Killer
The show depicts the killer's gruesome crimes but lays some of the blame on the Milwaukee police who failed for so long to catch him.
Review: Slow Horses Thriller Displays the Dangers of Bureaucracy
The British spy series shows the lengths to which government overseers will go to protect themselves.
Review: Prohibition Makes for Good TV but Bad Government Policy
Peaky Blinders reminds us that when the government bans or artificially limits a resource, control of that resource often gets decided through violence.
Beyoncé, Under Fire for Using an 'Ableist Slur,' Chooses Self-Censorship
"Spazzing on that ass" does nothing whatsoever to harm people with cerebral palsy.
After 'Censorship' Claims, Hulu Will Air Democrats' Abortion and Gun Ads
Plus: DeSantis threatens Miami restaurant over drag performances, Hawley blasts Amazon acquisition that might lower health care prices, and more…
Stellar Casting Elevates Boomer Spy Thriller The Old Man
This chilling cat-and-mouse hunt between Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow is worth your attention.
Diablo Immortal and the Paternalistic Futility of Video Game Loot-Box Bans
The game won't be playable in Belgium or the Netherlands thanks to local gambling laws.
Jurassic World Dominion Is a Sad, Desperate Nostalgia Trip
The original Jurassic Park is the best summer movie ever. The latest sequel just wants to remind you the original exists.
Dark Winds Brings Tony Hillerman's Navajo Tribal Police Mysteries to the Small Screen
Novel series gets six-episode launch on AMC.
HBO's Wild Irma Vep Adaptation Skewers Modern Films
Just don’t expect a whole lot of plot coherence.
