‘Lost Maya Cities’ Digs into the Nitty-Gritty of Archaeology
Slovenian archeologist Ivan Sprajc's memoir, Lost Maya Cities, is a pleasant read but it could have dug deeper.
history
Judy Irving’s Nuclear Weapons Documentary ‘Dark Circle’ Remains Timeless
When America developed the hydrogen and atom bombs in WWII, the Atomic Age's eyes opened upon our species. They have yet to blink. Judy Irving's Dark Circle is now available for on-line viewing from First Run Features.
‘Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President’ Portrays an Over-Simplified Man
The nostalgic, feel-good documentary, Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President, explores Carter's connections to the music world but misses a lot about this not-so-simple man.
How the Cultural Revolution Turned China Against Itself
Yang Jisheng's remarkable historical autopsy, The World Turned Upside Down, is scrupulous in detailing the Cultural Revolution's horrors and insanities but too often leaves out the human side of history.
Vuillard’s ‘The War of the Poor’ and Historical Storytelling
Éric Vuillard's engaging The War of the Poor takes a literary approach that is more art than history, but that is a wonderful way to convey important historical events and their long reach into our troubled times.
The Mystery of History in Jia Zhangke’s ‘I Wish I Knew’
In Jia Zhangke's documentary, I Wish I Knew, many discuss the pivotal year of 1949, the year the Chinese Communist Party officially took over China, reaching Shanghai. It was also the year my mother, putting a finger in the wind, left China with my sister.
Celebrate People’s History Vol. 2: Power to the People!
Our fight for justice throughout the world is captured in this dynamic collection of posters, Celebrate People's History Vol. 2, courtesy of Feminist Press and Justseeds Artists' Cooperative.
Featured: Top of Home Page/Features/Music/Music Reviews/PopMatters Picks/Reviews/SAVE/ IGNORE: popular
MetalMatters: The Best New Heavy Metal Albums of October 2020
Mr. Bungle re-record their thrash demo, Anaal Nathraak solidify their stature as one of the most extreme black metal acts, Sumac carry on their free rock infestations, and Armoured Saint with Spirit Adrift stand as torchbearers to heavy metal's past and future.
‘The Edge of Democracy’ and Parallels of Political Crises
Academy Award-nominated documentary The Edge of Democracy, now streaming on Netflix, lays bare the political parallels of the rise of Bolsonaro's Brazil with Trump's America.
Nicholas Buccola’s ‘The Fire Is Upon Us’ Is Obscured by the Smoke
Nicholas Buccola's The Fire Is Upon US is, at times, marred by glibness, impatience, and ahistorical tendencies that suggest, to an extent, it is also a reflective of the deteriorating conditions that mark our public discourse in 2020.