‘Firefly Lane’ Betrays the Golden Rule of Chekhov’s Gun
Netflix's Firefly Lane put the gun on the stage. Creator Maggie Friedman had the characters pick it up and play with it.
Television
JoBoxers Frontman, Actor, and Poet Dig Wayne Walks to a Boxerbeat
Whether a spry youth thrashing about in punk clubs, a writer publishing poetry, or an actor appearing on police procedurals, JoBoxers frontman Dig Wayne's life has spanned a full artist's spectrum.
‘City So Real’ and the Politics of a Modern Metropolis
One of the crowning achievements of City So Real is that it shows that the fight for racial justice in Chicago became adopted by people of all identities thanks to the tireless work of organizers.
The Artless Losers: Trump and Monty Python’s Black Knight
Are we meant to admire those who, like the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, just won't concede defeat?
Why Racially Diverse British Period Dramas Matter
To this day, the history of people of color in England is often erased from dominant cultural narratives. Fictions, however, can collectively shift cultural narratives; we need stories to counter stories.
The Mandalorian’s Political Allegory: Diversity Is the Way
When the president of Lucasfilm Kathleen Kennedy announced there will be more than 10 Star Wars shows and films coming out, she declared that popular culture is a space of diversity. All stories can and should be told simultaneously and adjacently.
Pretend It’s a City Proves Once Again, You Can’t Argue with Fran Lebowitz
Fran Lebowitz's ubiquitous little smirk is still going as strong as it ever did because—and this is why she is sexier now than she was 50 years ago—there is really just no way whatsoever to make her feel bad about herself.
Beauty and Horror in George C. Wolfe’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
The characters in Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, distinct as they are, besiege the viewer's mind as metaphors, mythic exemplars of a disturbing legacy America seems unable or unwilling to address.
Steve McQueen’s ‘Small Axe’ and Emerging Institutions of Black Power
In contrast to the pervasive attitude of cynicism that declares the world fixed and existing power structures unbeatable, Small Axe narrates how Black Power has been and remains a viable force that shapes British and world history.
We Need a Reality Check on Unreal Christmas Rom-Coms
It's time Christmas rom-coms move beyond the twin swaps, the dead spouse who comes back as an angel, the bad blind date, etc., and instead, turn to real-life stories for healthy models of lasting love forged in the fires of the holiday.