All Culture
At these interfaith dinners, Palestinians and Israelis share hope for peaceOur annual interfaith dinners bring together Muslims, Jews, and Christians. After all, hate can’t survive across a dinner table we build together.
After $1 billion and 2 Oscars, ‘Joker’ is back (with songs). Our team weighs in.“Joker” broke box-office records in 2019 and raised questions about violence in storytelling. Five years later, with the debut of “Joker: Folie à Deux,” the Monitor’s film critic and chief culture writer consider, Will it succeed?
How Netflix’s ‘Rebel Ridge’ turned ‘civil asset forfeiture’ into a No. 1 hitThe film, with more than 70 million views on Netflix, takes its cues from “Rambo” – and police reform.
Old Dhaka is noisy and crowded. It’s just the jolt of life a traveler needs.Bangladeshis don’t see solace in spaces less crowded than their bustling capital’s historic district. They see emptiness.
Paddling down memory lane: Our big fish storyThe dip and plunk of paddles, the ripples on the lake. For Dad and me, fishing is a beloved family ritual. Our biggest catch? Time spent together.
Mrs. Tippet’s school of life: The teacher who made me fall in love with writingWith her gold-tipped fountain pen, fanciful flourishes, and after-recess story times, my fifth grade teacher indelibly shaped my career – and life.
In ‘The Wild Robot,’ a 5-star fable for our AI age“The Wild Robot” is a love story about community and intimacy. It is the quintessential fable. The wilderness might be harsh, but we don’t have to be.
Five comedians walk into a barbershop. Why secret shows are selling out worldwide.Don’t Tell Comedy’s success reflects the remarkable boom of live comedy since the pandemic. Held on boats or in boxing gyms, the pop-up shows sell out to audiences that don’t know whom they’re seeing – or where they’re going.
First LookMaggie Smith, grande dame of British actors, remembered for her wit and intellectMaggie Smith, who died on Sept. 27, was world-renowned for bringing to life characters in “Downton Abbey” and the Harry Potter films. With a shelf full of awards, she was a monolith of British acting in a generation that includes Vanessa Redgrave and Judi Dench.
Francis Ford Coppola spent $125 million on ‘Megalopolis.’ How is it?“Godfather” director Francis Ford Coppola waited 40 years to make his passion project. After seeing it, the Monitor’s film critic wonders, “What in tarnation has he wrought?”
The ‘other’ Alaska cruise: Got a week? Pitch your tent on deck.Alaskan ferries are a vital connection for remote communities and a rare and charming disconnect for tourists.
Start your engines, grab some earplugs: Old cars race loud and proudIt's easy to get revved up watching old race cars go roaring down the rack.
First LookIn New Hampshire, African refugees get a plot of their own to farm crops from homeAfrican refugees who escaped wars are now finding community as small business owners growing and selling crops in New Hampshire with the help of a local nonprofit. They offer staples like corn and tomatoes and also African favorites such as okra and sorrel.
A bittersweet farewell: I’m a New Yorker, but Mississippi has my heartWhen a born-and-bred New Yorker prepares to move back to the big city, he discovers that Mississippi has made itself at home in his heart.
One week, 20 movies, and Springsteen: Our critic’s picks from TorontoAt the Toronto International Film Festival, our critic detected an overarching mood that coming together is better than breaking apart. “If I’m right in believing that filmmakers these days are looking more to unite audiences than divide them,” he writes, “who is a greater uniter than The Boss?”
‘Water connects all of us’: Black artists create a new relationship with the seaThe relationship between Black people and the Atlantic Ocean is often a heavy, tragic one. But artists in “Becoming the Sea” use the exhibit as an opportunity to reclaim and transform the water narrative.
As summer wanes, I'm chasing flickers of nostalgia by the campfireI yearned for my childhood summers by the lake. With my son, I have a chance to revisit that enchantment.
How James Earl Jones’ iconic voice became our voice of conscienceJames Earl Jones’ legacy as a voice of reason is a reminder of what we might overcome when we face our trauma and find our purpose. His voice was a well of dignity, a reservoir of resonance that echoes not only from his career, but in all of us who heard him.
Commentary‘1992’ says something important about race in America – and Tyrese GibsonThe new film “1992” is a reminder of America’s cycles of racism and rebellion. Actor Tyrese Gibson stands out as a portrait of hope.
Burton and Keaton resurrect the fun in ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’Tim Burton and Michael Keaton are clearly having a good time in this sequel to the 1980s cult classic – and fans of the original will, too. Just watch out for those plot holes.
