Culture

The Stanford Prison Experiment Actually Shows We Are Not All Born Potential Tyrants

The film adaptation of the Stanford prison experiment explores little of its ambiguity.

Eileen Jones

If the GOP Wants To Attract Young People, Maybe It Should Stop Screwing Them Over

Kristen Soltis Anderson’s The Selfie Vote suggests Republicans use "microtargeting" to win over the youth.

Chris Lehmann

A Spy’s Guide to Protecting Whistleblowers

Journalists now compete with spooks and spies, and the spooks have the home-field advantage.

Brandon Smith

The Tribe Is a Silent Lord of the Flies

Though entirely in Ukrainian Sign, without subtitles, Slaboshpytskiy's remarkable film will speak to a hearing audience.

Michael Atkinson

A Century After Ota Benga’s Captivity, Elites Still Don’t Understand White Supremacy

Over a century after a Congolese man was displayed at the Bronx Zoo monkey exhibit, white elites still stubbornly believe they are benevolent, not supremacist.

Chris Lehmann

A Shaky Launch for HBO’s The Brink

The new black comedy about nuclear war misses its target.

Eileen Jones

The Climate Change-Induced Dystopia of ‘The Water Knife’ Is Not Just Sci-Fi—It’s Already Here

The climate change-induced tragedies The Water Knife chronicles are already happening today; they’re just not happening to us—yet.

Jessica Stites

Austerity: The Real Winner of the UK Elections

May’s elections delivered the familiar thud of disappointment.

Jane Miller

Why Some Vets Want to Relive Vietnam

A new documentary follows the weird subculture of Vietnam War reenactors—some of whom were actually there.

Eileen Jones

Pigeons Under Late Capitalism

An existentialist Swedish movie occupies a completely original universe.

Michael Atkinson

Detained at Her Majesty’s Pleasure

The UK keeps migrants in detention centres for unspecified periods of time.

Jane Miller

Why Silicon Valley Won’t Solve the World’s Problems

In Geek Heresy, former Microsoft do-gooder Kentaro Toyama reconsiders tech-based social-change initiatives.

Chris Lehmann

Inside the Happiness Racket

Can money buy happiness? A new book explores the history of those who have tried to sell it.

Joanna Scutts

Bitcoin: Digital Fool’s Gold?

Silicon Valley investors are betting heavily on the online currency. But is it a libertarian boondoggle?

Chris Lehmann

Our Anger, Ourselves

Mary Dore's documentary, 'She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry,' reminds us of '70s feminism's daring and creativity

Jude Ellison Sady Doyle

Jihadis Invade London

We are no wiser as to who indoctrinated 'Jihadi John.'

Jane Miller

Asghar Farhadi’s Early Masterpiece

Through a seaside mystery, About Elly explores the irrational rules placed on women in Iran.

Michael Atkinson

PHOTO-ESSAY: Caravan of the Mutilated

Having lost limbs on the dangerous trip across Mexico, 13 Hondurans sought an audience with President Obama—but are instead facing deportation.

Joseph Sorrentino