Screen

“X” Is a Slasher Film with an Important Message about Sex Work and Pornography

What the golden age of porn shows us is that good sex means breaking rules, not necessarily literal rules or laws that exist in our physical world, but rules or standards governing human conduct, morality, and ethics. 

Graphic Design: The Uncomfortable History of Sex Onscreen

Beatrice Loayza traces a history of sex in TV and movies, highlighting the important work of intimacy directors in the field today.  Read more »

“Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power” Is a Fresh Critique of the Male Gaze

Nina Menkes’s new documentary, “Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power,” provides a critical but shallow introduction to feminist film theory. Read more »

Pretty Horrifying:: Video Director Maegan Houang’s Visceral Vision for Mitski’s Music

Horror is a means to this end, something that Maegan Houang views as a “tool” in their kit. “The thing about horror and music videos is that it’s a genre that creates a shorthand that allows you to tell a more concise story,” says Houang. Read more »

Maya Cade Reframes the Legacy of Black Cinema

Rosa Cartagena interviews Maya Cade about her work on the Black Film Archive, as well as movie recommendations from the collection. Read more »

Magical Medicine : 6 Fictional Healers Who Eased Our Pain

Whether their abilities are innate, learned, or thrust upon them, fictional healers have long been a staple of fantasy. These six healers use physical touch, chaos magic, and even their own saliva to mend wounds and restore health.   Read more »

Trading Faces: Our Body Swaps, Ourselves

A list of a few iconic body-swap movies from “Freaky Friday” to “Little.” Read more »

“Orlando” Is 30 Years Old, but It’s Still Groundbreaking in Its Transfemininity

While many films depicting the lives of trans folks do not stand the test of time, Sally Potter’s 1992 film does. Read more »

From Mrs. Maisel to Rory, Amy Sherman-Palladino Relies on Flimsy Anti-Heroines

With “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Amy Sherman-Palladino finally had the opportunity to lean into the anti-heroine—but she didn’t take it. Read more »

Abortion Is Under Attack. These 3 Films Illustrate the Resilience of the Reproductive Rights Movement.

Film has long been used as an intellectual battle ground over the legal state of abortion. These stories from the ’60s and ’70s are alive and sadly relevant today. Read more »

Who Does “West Side Story” Really Serve?

Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” resists a progressive update because its entire premise presents Puerto Ricans as innately, irreconcilably other. Read more »

Pages

The Dramatic History of American Sex-Ed Films

In 1948, in a seventh grade classroom in Eugene, Oregon, a teacher dimmed the lights and flipped on 16mm projector. A film called Human... Read more »

Tina Belcher's Sexual Revolution

Tina Belcher breaks all the rules of network sitcoms. That's why she's wonderful.  Read more »

No Disrespect: Black Women and the Burden of Respectability

Hollywood still filters (and distorts) the lives and histories of minorities through the eyes of the majority. Read more »

Saying Goodbye to Maria and the End of a Sesame Street Era

Growing up, Sesame Street's Maria was one of the best Latina role models I had. Read more »