Film
The Meaninglessness Is the Point
‘Civil War’ is not a partisan film for a partisan era—it’s a meditation on war.
Truth Against Tyranny
How Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Foreign Correspondent’ sounded a warning against isolationism.
‘Cabrini’ and the American Dream
For the Catholic religious sister, compassion and ambition went hand in hand.
‘Dune: Part Two’ and the Art of the Adaptation
Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi sequel goes to deeper, darker places than its predecessor.
The Oscars in an Age of Distraction
Our arts and culture editor predicts who will win at the 2024 Academy Awards.
How ‘American Fiction’ Satirizes Wokeness
A thoughtful new comedy skewers progressive pieties around race.
The Artist, ‘The Boy and the Heron’
Hayao Miyazaki’s latest film reflects on grief and the value of art.
The Dispatch’s Best of 2023
The culture and content we enjoyed the most this year.
Is the Cure to Male Loneliness … ‘Her’?
Spike Jonze’s AI romance remains a timely meditation on the wonders of and obstacles to intimacy.
A Great Year for Free Market Capitalism in Film
Five movies that captured the thrill and agony of markets, dynamism, risk, and competition.
‘Saltburn’ and the Allure of Social Media Influence
The film’s scathing critique of unchecked ambition applies to politics in the TikTok era.
Living Well at the End of Western Civilization
Nora Ephron’s ‘You’ve Got Mail’ explored the dawn of the internet age with a counterrevolutionary bent.
The Privileged Few
‘The Holdovers’ shows that privilege is real but that the divisions it creates are not insurmountable.