All Culture
In a WordReaching into the past for words about RussiaA "revanchist Moscow," "Potemkin village" armed forces, Vladimir Putin’s violent "irredentism." The war in Ukraine is also a war of words.
The lives my clothes have ledShopping in a thrift store merely to save a buck is like traveling to Florida simply because it’s warm. There is so much more to the experience.
‘Infinite Storm’: How a mountain rescue became a filmJoshua Rollins, screenwriter for the new film “Infinite Storm,” discusses the humanity and humility behind the heroic actions of hiker Pam Bales.
‘Writing With Fire’: Film captures resolve of female journalists in IndiaOscar-nominated documentary “Writing With Fire” shows how a team of reporters overcomes caste and gender biases to bring light and justice to India.
Letter from the diaspora: Why Ukraine will endureUkraine – and its culture, its history – lives in the hearts and minds of people like my grandparents, my parents. And now it lives in me.
Oscar is only a start: A world of best performances from the past yearAhead of the Oscars ceremony on Sunday, the Monitor’s film critic shares his choices for the performances that transported audiences in the past year.
In a WordWhat makes learning a new language hard?Unfamiliar grammar and writing systems throw curveballs to those of us used to the rules and contours of English, our language columnist writes.
In Pixar’s ‘Turning Red,’ a panda and puberty steal the showThe latest Pixar film, “Turning Red,” covers familiar ground in the exploration of identity, but also experiments with more directly addressing puberty.
- In Pixar’s ‘Turning Red,’ a panda and puberty steal the show
The latest Pixar film, “Turning Red,” covers familiar ground in the exploration of identity, but also experiments with more directly addressing puberty.
In a WordWhat is the hardest language for English speakers?Access is important. Are there materials online, or do you have to raft down the Maici River in Brazil hoping someone will teach you Pirahã?
There is no ping without a pongIt takes two willing partners to play table tennis, after all, and two people with an equal stake in each other’s happiness to make a marriage.
First LookBest movies of 2021? British 'Oscars' offer a sneak preview.The British Academy Film Awards gave the best picture prize to the western “The Power of the Dog." The sci-fi epic “Dune” won five awards.
First LookHow the Gilded Age launched America's architectural Renaissance“The Gilded Age,” the new HBO series from Julian Fellowes, offers insight into a late 19th-century architectural movement in North America that gave New York City some of its most iconic monuments.
Time travel + Ryan Reynolds = Fairly fun ‘The Adam Project’“The Adam Project” draws on its sci-fi predecessors and the charm of its leading man to take viewers on a mostly entertaining ride.
For this family recipe, too many cooks were just enoughEvery time I make my vegetable beef soup, I’m reminded of the people who inspired each additional ingredient I’ve added to it over the years.
Burger shaming is out: Coaxing carnivores to climate-conscious eatingWant people to eat more veggies? Watch your words. A study about meal choices in restaurants recommends welcoming carnivores into the plant-based fold.
In a WordWhy have so many ‘bad’ words gone good?Awe-inspiring Black jazz musicians were "bad." Surfers throw out compliments like "sick" and "gnarly." This inversion is called amelioration.
Overcast, but not downcastAfter any random social gathering we end up with an umbrella or two. They belong to the newcomers, freshly arrived in the Pacific Northwest.
Religious leaders preach radical hospitality – even after church shootingsReligious leaders forge fresh thinking to counter fear in the wake of church violence: Open-armed welcome is as practical as security measures.
‘The Batman’: Gritty storytelling propels latest Gotham caperBatman’s many incarnations range from campy caped crusader to dark knight. Does the latest, brooding version offer something new?
