Screen

Doug Judy, left, and Andy Samberg wear matching tiger track suits and sit on the hood of a car that has a bird decal on the hood

Cop Out: “Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s” Finale Fails to Reckon with Its Pro-cop Legacy

by s.e. smith
September 29, 2021 at 11:12am
Brooklyn Nine-Nine was, at heart, copaganda—a show that, in the midst of a growing real-life reckoning, made viewers feel good—or, if not good, better—about American policing. Read more »
Jessie Mei Li as Alina Starkov (left) and Daisy Head as Genya Safin on the set of Shadow and Bone. They are setting at an ornate table opening a letter. Four crew members are holding cameras and boom mics while filming the scene.

The Ends Justify the Screens: Why Onscreen AAPI Representation Simply Isn’t Enough

by Thulasi Seshan
September 15, 2021 at 11:28am
Within a few weeks of each other, scandals regarding racist production practices on both Kim’s Convenience and Shadow and Bone made headlines. Read more »
A frowning, frumpy Linda Tripp stands in a shadowed hallway

All the Ladies in the House: “Impeachment: American Crime Story” Has a Woman Problem

by Cate Young
September 14, 2021 at 2:04pm
A paper-thin portrait of political women leans into the prurient, and assumes the worst. Read more »
Steve Zahn as Mark, a distraught white man sitting at the bar beside iMurray Bartlett as Armond, a white man wearing a colorful shirt, in The White Lotus

“The White Lotus” Shines Its Tiki Torch on Settler Colonialism

by Dejan Jotanovic
September 2, 2021 at 9:00am
The White Lotus looks to critique masculinity and its many toxicities. Read more »
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays Anthony, a dark-skinned, tall Black man, who is wearing a paint-splattered jean jacket in Candyman

Summoning Yourself: The Role of Conjure in “Candyman”

by Lea Anderson
September 1, 2021 at 9:00am
Sometimes desire is layered with disbelief, but the summoner gets what they asked for regardless. Read more »
Ilana Glazer plays Rose, a white woman with short brown hair, who is lying on her back in a hospital gown on an exam table

Demon Seed: “False Positive” Treats Wombs as Receptacles for Terror

by Sadaf Ahsan
August 25, 2021 at 10:36am
In each of these films, it’s the male ego that guides the doctors and fathers. Read more »
Julie Rodgers, a thin, white woman with her blond hair pulled into a ponytail and wearing a light-blue collared shirt, looks down in a church pew in Pray Away

False Hope: Can Anyone Stop Religious Conversion Camps?

by Reece Sisto
August 18, 2021 at 1:51pm
Pray Away cracks open the duality of “belonging.” Read more »
Jesse Leigh, a Chinese and American nonbinary actor, stands with a clip board and short brown hair next to Dana L. Wilson, a Black woman with shoulder-length black hair.

Land Mine: Did “Rutherford Falls” Need to Center a White Guy?

by Amanda Gokee
August 18, 2021 at 10:05am
The story draws on a narrative that has gained traction in the reckoning around race and history. Read more »
Mary Hawke, a white woman with light brown hair, is laying on the ground as she is being dragged by her feet and her mouth open in a scream.

Queer Fear: The “Fear Street” Trilogy Refuses to Bury Its Gays

by Alani Vargas
August 17, 2021 at 11:41am
Fear Street refuses to prioritize straight, white leads like the slasher films of the past. Read more »
Actor Asa Butterfield, a young white man with brown hair and an embarrassed look, sits next to Gillian Anderson, a white woman with short, blond hair, sit on a couch.

Better Than Sex Ed: Pop Culture Is Teaching Teens About Sex

by Addissyn House
August 13, 2021 at 12:15pm
When sex education isn’t what kids need, they look to pop culture for the answers. Read more »

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Best of Bitch

The Dramatic History of American Sex-Ed Films

by Sarah Mirk
June 17, 2014 at 10:29am
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 »

"Moonlight" is an Essential Work of Art for the Current Political Moment

by Nijla Mu'min
December 5, 2016 at 8:15am
Moonlight displays the kind of empathy and humanity that we desperately need right now. Read more »

Films and TV Portray Abortion as More Dangerous Than It Is

by Erica Thomas
February 19, 2014 at 3:47pm
Films and television shows tend to present a skewed portrayal of abortion—when fictional movies and TV shows include a plotline about abortion... Read more »

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

by Angely Mercado
August 13, 2015 at 5:52pm
Growing up, Sesame Street's Maria was one of the best Latina role models I had. Read more »