Arts & Culture
Arts & Culture, Good Living, Reviews
Tangled, Directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard
Andreea Mincu June 9, 2021
Tangled shows the crucial role of bravery, independence, and self-esteem in overcoming obstacles to achieve one’s values and thus live fully.
Arts & Culture, Biographies
Michael Crichton: Jurassic Renaissance Man
F. F. Mormanni May 20, 2021
Michael Crichton is a source of unparalleled inspiration, demonstrating the power of an extraordinary imagination and showing how a few bold ideas are capable of sparking a worldwide revolution in entertainment.
Arts & Culture, Reviews
Ibsen’s Kingdom: The Man and His Works by Evert Sprinchorn
Timothy Sandefur May 14, 2021
“One of the most extraordinary features of Ibsen’s works,” Sprinchorn writes, is the way “each play grows out of its predecessor.” By examining them in order, he draws out their weightier elements, combining an acute understanding of theater and a thorough grasp of the political, social, and artistic controversies that set the background for Ibsen’s career.
Arts & Culture, Politics & Rights
‘Representation and Inclusion Standards’: The End of the Oscars
Andreea Mincu April 26, 2021
If the Oscars are to continue “celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking,” the Academy must scrap the preposterous idea of inclusion requirements and—as it has, historically—instruct its voting members to judge films “solely on . . . artistic and technical merits.”
Arts & Culture, History, Reviews
The Free World: Art and Thought in the Cold War by Louis Menand
Timothy Sandefur April 13, 2021
Louis Menand is a writer of great gifts, whose 2000 book The Metaphysical Club is a masterpiece of intellectual history. Unfortunately, The Free World: Art and Thought in the Cold War fails to recapture the magic. That’s partly because despite its bulk—880 pages—it’s curiously incomplete.
Arts & Culture, History, Politics & Rights
Celebrating Progress and Combating Complacency: An Interview with Virginia Postrel
Jon Hersey March 19, 2021
Award-winning writer Virginia Postrel discusses the stasist/dynamist divide, how it impacts people’s views on such things as style and glamour, and the incredible (though oft-overlooked) achievements that made possible the modern textile industry.
Arts & Culture, Reviews
WandaVision, Created by Jac Schaeffer
Thomas Walker-Werth March 12, 2021
WandaVision makes the viewer think while also providing a feast of artistic detail and a gripping mystery story. It’s a rare gem in today’s television landscape.
Arts & Culture, Education & Parenting, Reviews
Phineas and Ferb by Dan Povenmire and Jeff ‘Swampy’ Marsh
Andreea Mincu March 2, 2021
Cheerful songs, witty writing, benevolent humor, and contagious optimism make Phineas and Ferb a great work of soul-fueling art, not only for children but for adults as well. Its brilliant optimism and reality-first approach make every episode a delight.
Arts & Culture, History, Reviews
Sophocles: Oedipus the King, A New Verse Translation by David Kovacs
Timothy Sandefur March 2, 2021
Oedipus the King has been considered a masterpiece for two and a half millennia. No less a luminary than Aristotle called it the ideal tragedy. But today’s readers are often disturbed by its apparent injustice. How is it fair that the gods consign Oedipus—a genuine hero who strives to avoid committing the sins for which he is damned—to such an awful fate?
Arts & Culture, Reviews
The Iron Lady, Written by Abi Morgan
Angelica Walker-Werth February 12, 2021
Margaret Thatcher is one of the most controversial figures in modern history. Some consider her to have been a cruel, heartless villain who destroyed jobs and livelihoods, whereas others revere her as a valiant defender of liberty and the free market who saved her country’s economy.