Large chunks of the Murdoch story are there in Citizen Kane: A one-time reformer who becomes a vindictive scandal-monger and friend of dictators. July 20, 2011
Actress Tallulah Bankhead is the subject of a new Broadway play, but it leaves out her most controversial role--as a fierce opponent of Jim Crow. February 19, 2010
The "love of movies" can sometimes get in the way of making a great film. A case in point is Quentin Tarantino's latest film Inglourious Basterds. September 10, 2009
Unless you live in a bubble, you can't help noticing the parallels between the struggles for survival of the Jews depicted in Defiance and of the Palestinians of Gaza.
January 29, 2009
The problem with Tom Cruise's new thriller, Valkyrie, is that the conspirators who plan to kill Hitler are a lot like the dictator himself. January 8, 2009
An important story of Los Angeles Police Department corruption and incompetence has been rescued from obscurity in Clint Eastwood's film, Changeling.
November 6, 2008
The problem with Life on Mars is that it portrays the police as "better" now--more sophisticated, less brutal--than in the distant past of the 1970s. October 16, 2008
George Lucas' Indiana Jones series aimed to pay homage to the serials of the 1930s and '40s--many of which were filled with offensive stereotypes. May 29, 2008
For those of us who watch the Oscars for the moment when a winner tells the truth about the real world, the recent ceremonies were a big disappointment. March 7, 2008
Charlie Wilson's War is well made--which is why it's important to say that this is a thoroughly reactionary film from beginning to end.
January 25, 2008
The right-wing, scandal-ridden "charity" that isn't really a charity
For many people, the American Red Cross is the very embodiment of lifesaving. Millions of Americans donate blood or hard-earned pay to the organization each year, or during special appeals like after the Gulf Coast hurricanes. But the real story of the Red Cross isn't nearly as noble and humanitarian as the image. October 21, 2005
