Economist Richard Wolff: Capitalism is the reason COVID-19 is ravaging America
There is no legitimate way Trump can win Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, the state that I have been proud to call home for more than two decades, is poised to decide the 2020 presidential election... and there is no legitimate way Trump can win this state. Even if he garners the most votes, a Trump victory in Pennsylvania will betray the precious heritage we inherited from William Penn, Benjamin Franklin, David Wilmot, Thaddeus Stevens, Gifford Pinchot...
Trump’s age, weight put him at “high risk” among COVID-19 patients
Greenland’s rapid melting could mess with the oceanic “conveyer belt” — with drastic consequences
Scientists say social distancing is working — for a completely different disease than COVID-19
Can California’s wine country survive the climate crisis?
Metal particles, breathed by pregnant women, show up in placenta: study
A judge just dismissed efforts to stop pesticides and GMO crops from being used in wildlife refuges
The FDA spent nine years “dragging its feet” on monitoring high-risk foods, watchdog says
Scientists believe they have found a system of briny underground lakes on Mars
“Sling Blade” is a movie about love, suffering and atonement
As I write this review, I'm about to visit my family to celebrate Yom Kippur. It is the Jewish holiday associated with atonement and reflecting on the human condition... and "Sling Blade," though it does not directly deal with Jewish culture, confronts the moral ideas behind this holiday as effectively as any drama ever captured on celluloid. "Sling Blade" is a movie about judging people by...
Review for “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”
As I ranked the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) movies near the end of 2019, I had no trouble figuring out that "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is the best of the lot. In my own words: "It is a perfect MCU movie because every element works just right: The special effects look real instead of like CGI, the action scenes are breathtakingly well-choreographed, the story is intelligently...
Pollsters were convinced Clinton would win in 2016. Can they be trusted in 2020?
“Red Dragon” is the ultimate rewatchable crime thriller
It's hard to say what exactly makes a certain movie "rewatchable." Obviously you need an interesting story, a talented cast, well developed characters and top notch writing. It usually helps to build a world around your plot, or at least give the impression that a larger one exists. For a movie to be rewatchable, it is not enough that it be merely good, or even great. It must feel like a home...
I Am Freddy Lounds: How a subplot from a forgotten Hannibal Lecter movie spoke to me as a member of the “fake news”
I am not here only to review "Manhunter," but I definitely recommend it. The obscure 1986 crime thriller is mostly remembered for being the first movie to feature iconic fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter, although the part is played by Brian Cox instead of Anthony Hopkins. It is a quality film, adapted from the Thomas Harris novel "Red Dragon" by director Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral,...
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” is deliciously misanthropic, despite the Coen Brothers’ protesting otherwise
I'm not a fan of Westerns, but I loved "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs." To understand my reluctance to embrace Westerns, check out this piece I wrote for Salon three years ago in which I compared the cinematic genre to superhero movies. Like superhero flicks, Westerns tend to follow the same formula beat-for-beat and have limited capacity to create three dimensional characters. There are some...