On Media
Reviews of film, TV, and more
One Day at a Time and the many ways to be Latina
The sitcom offers a complex and funny look at ethnicity, gender, and faith.
Hamilton is so much bigger than Hamilton
Being in the audience felt like a communal experience, almost a liturgical one.
Why we miss Niebuhr now
Martin Doblmeier’s new documentary shows how theology drives our use of power.
Run the Jewels and the burden of prophecy
What counts as truth in a post-truth world? Run the Jewels 3 makes the case that truth sounds like rap music.
When God is silent
Silence is both a historical film and a timeless commentary on power and persecution.
How Paterson sidesteps the clichés embraced by La La Land
Escapism can be delightful. But artistic creation also uses the fodder of daily life.
A multiracial family’s questions and fears
This Is Us depicts the dangers of life alone and the complications of life together.
Ta-Nehisi Coates stewards a story
The new Black Panther series uses genre conventions to say something true.
Robots of the West
Westworld’s claim is that memory leads to consciousness, which leads to violence.
J. K. Rowling’s wizards in the Jazz Age
Fantastic Beasts diagnoses how rising fear leads to demonizing others.
A movie in your earbuds
The Truth podcast—with actors' voices, music, and sound effects—is a radio drama for today.
The birth of a church?
Nat Turner led a slave rebellion. He also heard the voice of God.
The Night Of and the nights after
On HBO's new series, a young Muslim is accused of murder. But whether he's guilty isn't the point.
The next monster
Stranger Things reassures us that the stories of the past can give us the courage to face whatever danger looms.
What's outside the photograph's frame?
In a gallery or on Instagram, a camera's lens poses ethical questions.
A rebel mom and her nemesis
It’s too bad that Bad Moms sets up its conflict as one between women.