Real Fake/Fake Real: Pro-Wrestling’s Kayfabe Conundrum
An anthropologist takes on pro-wrestling at the intersection of gig-economy precariousness and post-truth politics.
“Let it Go” and “Defying Gravity”: Queer Anthems in Lockstep
The leading songs from Wicked and Frozen emphasize the importance of self-determination and being true to oneself.
Why Are Video Games So Fond of Opera?
Video games have a long history of using musical excerpts from opera and classical music, but some creators take the in-game operatic sequence even further.
Henry Cowell’s One True Desire
To “live in the whole world of music” was all the influential, experimental composer wanted—and did, even while imprisoned at San Quentin.
From The Host to Parasite: Hollywood’s Hidden Hand
Bong Joon-ho’s films interrogate the ways modern Korean culture has been shaped by the post-war relationship between the United States and South Korea.
Surrealism in Cinema, 100 Years On
A century after the publication of the first Surrealist manifesto, the role played by film in the movement is still unfolding.
The War on Bugs
In the 1950s, supersized insects were the villains in a rash of big-screen horror movies. What did those monstrous roaches represent, and how were they vanquished?
Can You Photograph a Ghost?
William Hope claimed to be able to document the visitations of ghosts. The controversial images he produced add to our understanding of the history of photography.
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.