Joe Allen

  • Rotten view of a rotten system

    A few recent dramas about the justice system have tried to bring a little realism to the genre. The Good Wife isn't one of them. October 1, 2009

  • Inglourious savages

    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

  • Watching Defiance with Gaza on my mind

    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 good Germans?

    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

  • Mortal combat

    The American Catholic Church faces the abyss in John Patrick Shanley's new film Doubt. January 5, 2009

  • Slumdogs of the world, unite

    The opulence, poverty and bigotry of the "new" India is exposed in Danny Boyle's hit film Slumdog Millionaire. December 11, 2008

  • Bond is Bourne-again

    James Bond unexpectedly fights the CIA and various corporate conspiracies in the latest film from the long-running series. December 4, 2008

  • To serve and protect?

    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 man who fell to earth

    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

  • Second World War: Not for whites only

    Spike Lee's new epic film Miracle at St. Anna puts Black soldiers back into the story of the Second World War. October 2, 2008

  • Batman's war of terror

    The Batman franchise is one of the most popular in U.S. history. Is the latest version propping up the war on terror? July 31, 2008

  • The trouble with Indy

    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

  • Television's buffoons and bigots

    With few exceptions, white working-class people are presented on TV via the same stereotypes that pervade American culture. May 14, 2008

  • The "Oscar moment" that didn't happen

    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 not-so-good war

    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