In the fable of “The Bell and the Cat,” a group of mice discuss how best to protect themselves from a rapacious, predatory cat who has been hunting them down. One mouse suggests they put a bell on the cat so they’ll know when the cat is approaching. Continue Reading...
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March 15, 2022
“Make it art first”: The freedom of the artist in cancel culture
Among the rarest qualities of the late American filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich, who died in January at age 82, was his conviction, repeatedly stated and consistently in evidence in his work, that the art of film had its own set of rules and precedents. Continue Reading...
March 14, 2022
Who’s writing Vladimir Putin’s Animal Farm?
It’s 1934 and Gareth Jones (James Norton), journalist and foreign adviser to British prime minister Lloyd George, is trying to convince a room full of stuffed shirts with fancy government titles that Adolf Hitler is looking to wage war in Europe, to build a thousand-year Reich. Continue Reading...
March 11, 2022
Biden admin official Eric Lander victimized more than just staffers
Allegations of abuse appear to be only the tip of the iceberg in the case of disgraced Biden administration official Eric Lander. According to Politico, the Office of Science and Technology Policy director faces scrutiny for failing to disclose financial interests in a major COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer while publicly advocating for vaccinations in his capacity as a top White House science adviser. Continue Reading...
March 10, 2022
The Batman is a modern noir mess
The story begins on Halloween, almost exactly 20 years after the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne. A new killer—an internet sensation, as it turns out—is on the loose, violently ridding Gotham City of its excesses. Continue Reading...
March 09, 2022
Chronological snobbery and the search for the authentic self
It has become commonplace in America’s elite institutions to attack and delegitimize our forebears for various crimes, some of which are undoubtedly real, while others are more imagined and anachronistic. As for the former, we can cite the fact that many Americans—including some of our greatest heroes—were slave owners and exploiters of indigenous Americans. Continue Reading...
March 08, 2022
What C.S. Lewis has to say to the creators of Jurassic Park
In case you missed it, there’s an official trailer out for the next (and supposedly final) installment of the Jurassic Park saga. Jurassic World Dominion, in theaters June 10, may be your last chance to enjoy the larger-than-life danger, drama, and dinosaurs adventure paired seamlessly with John Williams’ classic musical score on the big screen. Continue Reading...
March 07, 2022
Christianity is the world’s most persecuted religion, confirms new report
The group Open Doors USA figures that 360 million Christians last year lived in countries where persecution was “significant.” Roughly 5,600 Christians were murdered, more than 6,000 were detained or imprisoned, and another 4,000-plus were kidnapped. Continue Reading...
March 04, 2022
Natural law is human law
Perhaps the most confusing aspect of natural law is the phrase itself: “natural law.” For many people, the word “natural” implies human biology or the physical environment. For others, it means “instinct.” Continue Reading...
March 03, 2022
Oscar winner Guillermo del Toro’s Nightmare Alley is a dead end
Guillermo del Toro won Best Picture and Best Director Oscars for The Shape Of Water (2017), a movie infamous for a leading lady so desperate for intimacy that she makes love to a fish, probably the best metaphor for the ongoing moral collapse of the women who like such movies. Continue Reading...