![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/xAXcm3gJLv5DTjbcNfrvjeo7E3LfA0pE16KyIHD2Fig/w:400/h:400/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:82/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL2F0a2luc29uLm0td2ViLmpwZw.jpg)
Michael Atkinson is a film reviewer for In These Times. He has written or edited many books, including Exile Cinema: Filmmakers at Work Beyond Hollywood (2008) and the mystery novels Hemingway Deadlights (2009) and Hemingway Cutthroat (2010). He blogs at Zero For Conduct.
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/C5xF40iHC3w9jO0yVMEH90BtiAzoDKOLR6ugmy1MnNg/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL0F0a2luc29uX0RpQ2FwcmlvX1RoZV9Xb2xmX29mX1dhbGxfU3RyZWV0LmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Throwing Satire to the Wolf
Scorsese's latest is a romp through vicarious amorality.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/W_8y4XnMJcJtrDDa-F9McODO5Bnu2HB-BZTxWunXTqI/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL2F0a2luX0RPUlBfMDMyMDJGRC5qcGc.jpg)
Feature
American Hustle Has Nothing To Say (And That’s Okay)
David O. Russell is more about entertainment than statement, but his films still matter.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/8hxhRc__QhOr12ubkfXTmgMm-EWD8Y7jDso-PD989v0/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL0F0a2luc29uX25hcmNvX2N1bHR1cmFfcHJlc3MuanBn.jpg)
Culture
Straight Outta Juárez
A new documentary on narcocorrido, the gangsta rap that glorifies the Mexican drug trade.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/N-Jz6iTqKAbXeF74TmqD6qMYbuU5NLCPwZY-wWkrMTE/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL2F0a2luc29uXzkuanBn.jpg)
Culture
The Beats Go On
Counter-culture badassery is back in Kill Your Darlings.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/Jzm0JqcIZMB86nSSDOjEsyTlyh5GnM4wFrqiElhCGGs/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL0EtVG91Y2gtT2YtU2luLVhpYW8tWXUtWmhhby1UYW8tMDEtQ29weXJpZ2h0LVhzdHJlYW0tUGljdHVyZXMtQmVpamluZzItMi5qcGc.jpg)
Culture
Silk Road Rage
Jia Zhangke's A Touch of Sin is a grotesque portrayal of modern-day China's struggle with corruption.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/THxKEh66F6aYtOB2yWaGG1bGLQiQEl407LIjo84XGW8/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL2F0a2luc29uXzEwMzk4MzBfNDI5Nzk5NjIzNzk0NjA4Xzk4MDE5MzI2N19vLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
This Can’t Be Paradise
Dante gets an update in Austrian director Ulrich Seidl's provocative new films.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/tz0qNagUn52jaQ6cJngpTifBD9W8E585n_ewJATqW8s/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL0FUS0lOU09OX091cl9OaXhvbl8yLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Tricky Dick’s Flicks
Before going to prison, three giddy Nixon staffers took reels of White House footage.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/7C7xl6DuQflbIeRcuR9yvb1-86IHcCI0u4d8xLxlGOw/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL0F0a2luc29uX2luZG9uZXNpYV9hY3Rfb2Zfa2lsbGluZy5qcGc.jpg)
Culture
Psychonesia
Mass murderers reenact their crimes for fun in Joshua Oppenheimer's new documentary, The Act of Killing.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/h2ZICtgKRygZtjXQ9mgiy5cJPTZnuQf0lh-vzSR-C0Q/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL0F0a2luc29uX21vdmllLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Tel Aviv Rorschach
The Attack, a tasteful thriller about a Palestinian suicide bombing, will please both sides of the divide. And that's its problem.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/0CU3hdbYC-YGuxuEIzDp8B_LJBzsoCrJdXqSmS_BAHU/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL2F0a2luc29uXzEuanBn.jpg)
Feature
Robert Redford Doesn’t Know Which Way the Wind’s Blowing
Redford's 'political' film about '60s radicals, The Company You Keep, is anything but.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/je0JetwJBwhiXWE4XyCebfwh2V7q7YOhWPhKihzaDig/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL0FUS0lOU09OX3Vwc3RyZWFtY29sb3Jfa3Jpc2plZmZiaXJkc18zMDAweDEyNzcuanBn.jpg)
Culture
Upstream Color Reinvents Cinema
We've seen the future of film, and it's incomprehensible.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/szIoiuu_h5WcrVBA0s65pLukGc-xyMluFieDeGB7zIQ/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL0F0a2luc29uX0JVTExFVC1UTy1USEUtSEVBRC0xLmpwZw.jpg)
Viewpoint
Hollywood Is the Wrong Target
Entertainment isn't causing a culture of gun violence--we are.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/6inrn3vd0aC3Q45xLPq-SeE87vJQ9dJRnS-sSWSjeT0/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL2F0a2luc29uX0JleW9uZFRoZUhpbGxzLmpwZw.jpg)
Viewpoint
A Romanian Exorcism
Cristian Mungiu's film 'Beyond the Hills' will take your breath away.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/z8FvUd0jDfnnVyHlRUtfdEr7o0-LLz9fT4EOQT2glQQ/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL0F0a2luc29uXzVCcm9rZW5DYW1lcmFzX2NhbWVyYXMxLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
‘Forget About Morality’
Two Oscar-nominated documentaries present footage of Israel and Palestine you'll never see on network TV.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/88_HcWZlzHfvVc7o5tVlA_HoZCbB-Jd5_1htNJYQ6O4/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL0F0a2luc29uX1plcm9fRGFya19UaGlydHlfXzIwMTIuanBn.jpg)
Feature
Zero Nuance
Kathryn Bigelow’s “apolitical” film about bin Laden’s death might as well be a video game.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/8Iv7v0K7C01Mrz9IOQlU4rjf2b9OeIWcwakhjv3ucS4/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL2N1bHRfYXRraW5zb25fMTcyOTMwNDU1Ml9vLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
A Heathcliff We Haven’t Seen Before
Crafty casting turns Wuthering Heights into a love story haunted by the guilt and ghosts of slavery.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/pQ-llf1t3I6LLDb1HKuTbz6VgKOuzYxVJdwMyQyFNW4/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzLzM2MTBjdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Tears of Gaza
A new documentary explores the Gaza War from the point of view of children.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/UfXtvjGq1iNbQB_7S0EK-sLME5VDQ9gO9sGZzyr9eRo/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL2N1bHRfYXRraW5zb24wOS5qcGc.jpg)
Culture
There Will Be Blood ... and Movies
The evolution of our interaction with film
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/y-9B6alHf0WQ0Yzlt45oDgDTm6VMKpyg0fe6PWkxuXw/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNi8wOC9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Feature
How to Create a Cult
In Kumaré, Vikram Gandhi sets out to determine whether a fake guru could be just as convincing as a “real” guru.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/UmpsYaonqBY32LxRLQ-Jbr1HF4wbaTr7epvhgCF24b4/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:fp:0.5:0.5/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9zMy51cy1lYXN0LTIuYW1hem9uYXdzLmNvbS9pdHQtaW1hZ2VzL2N1bHRfYXRraW5zb24uanBn.jpg)
Culture
Arthritic Docs
Documentaries are everywhere, but they've become stale and clichéd.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/A8bOwqkKHSlILn4qX_bRCA8PRPXOR9uEHVESMeojNvg/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNi8wNi9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
I, Cyclops: Monocularity in a 3-D World
The future of cinema doesn't look good for the 700 million people who can't process 3-D films.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/a6Um3eCha1UjAmWsRgY8TppfBKkEjvl71njHmW2QecM/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNi8wNS9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
War and Popcorn
Serious war films are going extinct as Hollywood cranks out childish fantasies about heroism and violence.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/wbvP4KoMMrfLy3JDGsWr0RUkKk3enVZn5IJ5c6R-8zc/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNi8wNC9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Adam Curtis: Conspiracist of Long-Lost Facts
The BBC producer/director's brilliant oeuvre is nothing less than astonishing.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/vAvB1KxSszCjballS5jhwXFmeH_SoRAs6jR3W3pl7ss/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNi8wMy9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Lifting the Veil on Iranian Censors
With A Separation, Asghar Farhadi artfully subverts Iran's reactionary big-screen rules.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/zhrtUtTdMaXygRYLhegKhTjGjeWshZ6u4oKCWpxRKjc/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNi8wMi9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Required Viewing: 2011’s Top Political Films
From The Black Power Mixtape to Werner Herzog's Into the Abyss, here's what you need to watch now.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/rru4zJWf1xkDCWpqLoKQWZzQiZYebsXXWs1lqB8L_D8/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy93ZWIvd2ViL2F0a2luc29uX2hvb3Zlci5qcGc.jpg)
Culture
The Secrets, Lies and Elisions of J. Edgar
Clint Eastwood's biopic of the FBI Director inventively avoids the massive damage he inflicted.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/aiPbMpekm0iN3K6Qjz11VSlPtDsjgH5Ts1TRAx_r-yw/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNS8xMi9jdWx0dXJlX2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
George Clooney: The Man From Yesterday
Ides of March isn't great, but at least its director and star actually cares about politics, history and memory.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/CCa933yDSA4wsk52MO4Sm6edjGqQqlsCjM1oplRWeTg/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNS8xMS9jdWx0dXJlX2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
In Defense of Nostalgia
It's gotten a bum rap, but it's worth revisiting our collective history—and resisting the market's obsession with novelty.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/tqM9l6Q2bwh6liANyzpTIBgNfw2rpHdpc_L6Ae0fS1w/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNS8xMC9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Once Upon a Time in Mississippi
The Help proves, yet again, that Hollywood can't resist placing white people at the center of racial struggles.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/pxxDa07B6q7BuJTGEOafJ5QAQLIm2u_WKrBgbYutK58/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNS8wOS9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Godard’s Oblique Socialism
The French director has never been dogmatic—he'd rather ask questions.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/9NdYmM59NMGThOjGnD4IdAIzmfSsRomIIBzVyzIAt6A/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNS8wOC9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
ELF’s Appetite for Destruction
The new documentary If a Tree Falls details the doomed saga of the Earth Liberation Front.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/C37pbgKclmCeK7OcrWY6lzDZcclDsqAuB8pP0NexM5M/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNS8wNy9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Atrocities Beyond Our Gates
City of Life and Death details the Rape of Nanking—and reminds us of the 20th century's widespread horrors.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/YTL7MeHSoMgcFmAKa7jJEFfkJGpK78QJtRnj_mJmBYQ/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNS8wNi9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Another Grunt’s-Eye View
Like Restrepo, the battle documentary Armadillo hyperfocuses on homegrown Everyboys. Not a good idea.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/UmpvmDDoWgwXHHbX4fMYNuqiSkC-vEleKana5fBijk8/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNS8wNS9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Chile’s One-Man Truth Commission
Patricio Guzmán's latest film extends his 35-year yowl of rage.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/LW9wswRsPCezcRcKzmbX3Bmh32k1hrbnLa3AR2rq3vk/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNS8wNC9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Meet Joe, the World’s Most Original Filmmaker
2011 has hardly begun, but Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is probably the year's best film.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/lpMI0zkXKTVoukc3_psgCu7coabjGUCzDTylQdpts8U/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNS8wMy9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Gareth Edwards’ Monstrous Realism
Monsters explores the frontier of Americans' privileges and presumptions.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/Vw0SA5wBCVTNc2FrBFZMIt-YPzd6XU8lrBp0nCiijpM/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNS8wMi9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Friend Your Day Away: The Anti-Social Network
The Social Network and Facebook are seriously overrated.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/DZxZbe-Vg_QqusyKVm5QkkOxM9Z9h8hoiJyeVQhOA7w/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNS8wMS9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Get Angry: The Year’s 10 Best Political Docs
From Eliot Spitzer to Daniel Ellsberg, documentary filmmakers didn't lack engrossing subjects this year.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/I2dOzWHc3dAnjI1R6NWOwlPBWMcda55kCoMMZwpZ4S0/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNC8xMi9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
The Politics of a New Metropolis
Fritz Lang's newly expanded dystopian classic looks better than ever. Its vision of humanity? Not so much.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/2QVOobo9CQNHFLRcxtbdBeCDFJd7rUVt5qjVILK6I-8/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNC8xMS9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Reading Gandhi in Budrus
A new documentary illuminates the power of nonviolent protest in a Palestinian village opposing the West Bank barrier.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/7GtLZevxcSpppFKzqFAEyYCy04zV7B3VVrCQiFOUacU/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNC8xMC9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
The Fog of Jihad
The Oath, now out on DVD, brilliantly explores the muddy battle lines between the U.S. and al Qaeda.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/7CVbkPOUj-783IorQ0NnD3rd7zFQLbqS3w54KPapLDQ/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNC8wOS9jdWx0dXJlX2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Once Upon a Time, in America…
The right has one fundamental advantage over its opponents: storytelling.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/3ZrLiXh4SlkaGCmXHIg4irWbUK-oZP_KN0K56Yz1hoE/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNC8wOC9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Todd Solondz’s Dystopia in Suburbia
In his sixth film, Life During Wartime, the film director offers another twisted modern fairy tale that revels in taboos.
Michael Atkinson
![](https://imgproxy.gridwork.co/bJh3PfawDbU-ezesD59jm4j4sEAB6O9IIMVXqUXp1UA/w:256/h:171/rt:fill/g:sm/q:70/el:1/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbnRoZXNldGltZXMuY29tL2ltYWdlcy8zNC8wNy9jdWx0X2F0a2luc29uLmpwZw.jpg)
Culture
Virtually Conservative
Most video games—in which you accumulate stuff and/or dominate the world—are the opposite of progressive.
Michael Atkinson
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Culture
Plight of the Living Dead
The strange longevity of George A. Romero's zombies.
Michael Atkinson
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Culture
Always Look on the Bright Side of Genocide
When did the Holocaust become morally ambiguous?
Michael Atkinson
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Culture
A Massacre in 3/4 Time
Waltz with Bashir is hallucinatory, relentless, and amazing.
Michael Atkinson
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Culture
Moore Than You or Me
Slacker Uprising offers nothing new, but it will be worth something if it affects November's election
Michael Atkinson