Ghosts in the Machine
Forty years ago, Hollywood made gremlins loveable—portraying them as adorable, furry creatures. Their folkloric origins are far more sinister.
Lee: The Past Ever Haunts the Present
A new film shows how American photographer Lee Miller used the camera to bring the brutalities of World War II to the homefront.
Did Romans Really Fight Rhinos?
A sports historian explains the truth behind the battle scenes in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator II.
In the Stereoscope, Another World
Developed in the nineteenth century, the stereoscope gave people a new way of seeing themselves and the world around them.
How Jazz Albums Visualized a Changing America
In the 1950s, the covers of most jazz records featured abstract designs. By the late 1960s, album aesthetics better reflected the times and the musicians.
The “Soundscape” Heard ’Round the World
The rich origins of an everyday word about everyday sound—and why we celebrate composer R. Murray Schafer on World Listening Day.
The Enduring Drive-In Theater
Even as televisions spread across the American landscape, the drive-in movie theater grew in popularity in the years following World War II.
How Keanu Reeves Radically Rescripts Race
Reeves’s career showcases his transnational mobility as well as a representational flexibility granted by the melding of races, ethnicities, and cultures.
Doctor Who, the Traveling Time Lord
Though they each arrive with an individual sense of humor and fashion, the fifteen Doctors reflect the political and social issues of their respective eras.
The Development of Central American Film
A new collection of essays examines the reasons behind the recent boom in feature and documentary film-making from Belize to Panama.