Louise Erdrich’s ‘The Sentence’ Is a Ghost Story and Epitaph for the Covid Shutdown
Louise Erdrich’s The Sentence becomes a way to acknowledge the surrealism that has always pulsated just beneath the surface of American life.
magical realism
Jonathan Carroll’s Multiverse in ‘Mr. Breakfast’ Leaves Readers Hungry and Grumpy
There are seemingly infinite possibilities for how the ability to see into multiple lives might change a person; in Mr. Breakfast, Jonathan Carroll manages to avoid them all.
‘Bliss Montage Is a Surrealistic Meditation on the Human Condition
Ling Ma’s short story collection, Bliss Montage, brilliantly explores the absurdity and alienation of living under late-stage capitalism.
In Nickelodeon’s ‘Rocko’s Modern Life’, Corporations Steal Our Souls to Enchant Their Commodities
In a society of things, social responsibility requires a recognition of the influence of commodities upon our most foundational spiritual experiences. Nickelodeon's animated series, Rocko's Modern Life, puts it simply.
‘She Would Be King’, an Afrofuturist Novel of Nation-Making in Liberia
Wayétu Moore's She Would Be King is an important exploration of power, identity, and belonging at a major historical junction in African diasporic and Liberian history.
‘She Would Be King’ Is a Resounding Parable for Contemporary Society
She Would Be King ranges from detailing the quotidian to historical transformation all the while relying on magical realism to create chimeric energy.
‘Loving Vincent’ Is the “Sincerest Form of Flattery”
Seldom does a biopic about Vincent Van Gogh illustrate the depth of emotion many had for the artist.
‘Dreadful Young Ladies and Other Stories’ Applies Description Masterfully
Kelly Barnhill’s collection of stories, Dreadful Young Ladies and Other Stories, is entertainingly subversive and often questions normative culture.
Will the Oscars Be a ‘Starry Night’ for ‘Loving Vincent’, the First Fully Painted Animation Film?
This unusual rotoscope film captures Vincent van Gogh's art beautifully. But does it capture the mysterious van Gogh himself?
The Valley Unpleasant in ‘Mount Pleasant’
Ruined by blind ambition, Mount Pleasant stands as a cautionary tale to any writer possessed of more aspiration than art.
Nature and Eco-Poetics in Akira Kurosawa’s ‘Dreams’
The short films in Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams wind like a trail through a wood, reminding us of our primal fascinations and fears of nature and the key part nature stories play in storytelling.