Civil War without politics or social context
Alex Garland’s film provides violent images of a civil war in America, divorced from any examination of the social forces that would produce such a conflict.
Jacob Crosse, Patrick Martin•
After 24,000 sign open letter calling for Israel’s exclusion from Venice Biennale, artist shuts down exhibition
The announcement read: “The artist and curators of the Israeli pavilion will open the exhibition when a ceasefire and hostage release agreement is reached.”
David Walsh•
Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter: A masterpiece of corporate kitsch
The star’s new album, which alternates between the forgettable and the ludicrous, is a ready-made vehicle for the promotion of racialist and gender politics, along with the generation of corporate profits.
Erik Schreiber, James Martin•
Australian actors condemn Gaza genocide, oppose Zionist crackdown on free speech
The pro-Israeli campaign of lies and intimidation has its limits, as evidenced by the principled and courageous statements of world-renowned actors Hugo Weaving and Miriam Margolyes.
Oscar Grenfell•
David Walsh•
Sandy English•
David Walsh•
Josh Varlin•
David Walsh•
British dramatist Trevor Griffiths (4 April 1935 – 29 March 2024): “I didn’t invent myself. The world invented me”
Trevor Griffiths, who died last week aged 88, was one of the outstanding radical dramatists of the last 50 years.
Paul Bond•
Documenting and misrepresenting the 1984-85 British miners’ strike
Their overriding message is that the critical experience of class struggle in post-war Britain was essentially a tragic misunderstanding. However heroic and self-sacrificing the miners’ actions over their year-long strike, the escalation was regrettable, and moderation could have ensured the industry’s managed decline.
Paul Bond•
The Bear: Comedy-drama set in Chicago restaurant mostly offers crumbs
Creator/director Christopher Storer based the film’s setting on a childhood friend’s restaurant, Mr. Beef, in Chicago’s River North neighborhood.
Ed Hightower•
Nazi Town USA: US public television examines the German-American Bund in the 1930s
The real relationship of forces, above all the role of the working class, is missing from this account.
Fred Mazelis•
David Walsh•
David Walsh•
David Walsh•
Kevin Reed, David Walsh•
David Walsh•
Civil War without politics or social context
Alex Garland’s film provides violent images of a civil war in America, divorced from any examination of the social forces that would produce such a conflict.
Jacob Crosse, Patrick Martin•
Woody Allen’s Coup de Chance: The “wonderfully wealthy” businessman as a sociopath
The newest film by Woody Allen had to be made in France because the US movie industry has essentially excluded the veteran writer-director.
David Walsh•
Dune: Part Two–An endless series of explosions and gunfights
Villeneuve hits most of the major plot points of the novel. However, so much of the book’s vitality is missing, substituted for by action sequences and dazzling special effects.
Josh Varlin•
Joan Baez: I Am a Noise—A documentary about the American folk singer
I Am a Noise sheds relatively little light on Baez’s artistic and social development, and what light it sheds on her inner life seems distorted.
David Walsh•
Jean Shaoul•
Bernd Reinhardt•
David Walsh•
Isabel Roy, Verena Nees•
Bernd Reinhardt•
Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter: A masterpiece of corporate kitsch
The star’s new album, which alternates between the forgettable and the ludicrous, is a ready-made vehicle for the promotion of racialist and gender politics, along with the generation of corporate profits.
Erik Schreiber, James Martin•
Vultures 1: Rapper Kanye West’s ongoing romance with fascism
West is unrepentant about his previous provocative statements sympathizing with Hitler and antisemitism.
Nick Barrickman•
World-renowned pianist Maurizio Pollini (1942-2024)
Pollini was one of the most important pianists and artistic personalities of the second half of the 20th century and the early 21st century.
Clara Weiss•
Joan Baez: I Am a Noise—A documentary about the American folk singer
I Am a Noise sheds relatively little light on Baez’s artistic and social development, and what light it sheds on her inner life seems distorted.
David Walsh•
Erik Schreiber•
Kevin Reed•
Kevin Reed•
David Walsh•
Barry Grey•
Ghassan Zeineddine’s Dearborn: Short stories about Arab-American life
Zeineddine’s stories concern immigrants who escaped the civil war in Lebanon (1975-90) and their children, who are negotiating their own escapes.
James McDonald•
The Best American Short Stories 2023: A step backward
Perhaps half the pieces are coming-of-age stories, that lyrical standby now usually written in a gritty but still rhapsodic voice.
James McDonald•
Killing for Country: A Family History—a harrowing but distorted view of the massacres of Australian Aboriginal people
David Marr’s Killing for Country documents many mass killings of indigenous people but falsely blames the entire population, not the ruling class and Australian capitalism.
Mike Head•
DOC NYC Film Festival 2023: Part 3
How to Come Alive with Norman Mailer: A documentary approaches the American novelist with sympathy, but not enough scrutiny
The documentary follows the writer from his boyhood in the 1930s through his service during World War II and throughout his tumultuous literary, journalistic and personal life.
Erik Schreiber•
James MacDonald, Sandy English•
Helen Halyard•
Bernd Reinhardt•
David Walsh•
Andrea Peters•
Interview with Hany Abu-Assad, Palestinian filmmaker (Paradise Now, Omar): “Gaza is the Bastille of our day … a lot is going to change”
One of his most accomplished works is Omar, a 2013 film about a young Palestinian baker (Adam Bakri) who becomes involved in complex political and moral matters.
David Walsh•
Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage denounces Israeli genocide in Gaza
“I strongly denounce state-sponsored witch-hunt and prosecution against artists and activists who have come forward against Israel’s genocide.”
Wasantha Rupasinghe•
Roger Stahl discusses Theaters of War: How the Pentagon and CIA Took Hollywood with WSWS
Department of Defense interventions into American entertainment media is to “get people acclimated to the presence of military personnel, military bases, military operations, and weapons… normalizing the presence of the military in almost every aspect of life.”
Richard Phillips•
An interview with Nadav Lapid, director of Ahed’s Knee: “One of the characteristics of sick societies … is that they don’t give you any good choices”
The WSWS recently spoke to filmmaker Nadav Lapid, director of Ahed’s Knee, on a video call.
David Walsh•
David Walsh•
Vimukthi Vidarshana and Shree Haran•
Richard Phillips•
David Walsh•
Frank Anderson•
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