Anton Corbijn's 'A Most Wanted Man'

The price of betrayal

Though there are certainly plenty of deceptions and double crosses in A Most Wanted Man, the human element dominates throughout — particularly the very real sacrifices, compromises, and ultimate costs of its richly drawn characters.

Mark Wolverton

Aug 10, 2014 · Articles · 3 minute read

'The Newburgh Sting' on HBO

"Ain’t no gang like the government”: The truth about the Newburgh Four

In a meticulously researched, brilliantly edited, hard-hitting 90-minute exposé, The Newburgh Sting takes you through the shocking story of how the FBI carefully plotted to recruit and train these four unwitting men to make these attacks and then turned around and made a dramatic arrest that was publicized worldwide.

Carol Rocamora

Jul 27, 2014 · Articles · 5 minute read

Thinking about gender at the movies

Girl guard

Why is it so hard for Hollywood to reflect the diversity of our society? The author calls for a new Hays Office — a Helen Hayes Office — to help moviemakers.

Susan Beth Lehman

Jul 27, 2014 · Articles · 4 minute read

Scrapple TV

Saturday Night Scrapple

Television experiment Scrapple.TV injects some uniquely Philly content into your cable package.

John Simons

Jul 27, 2014 · Articles · 3 minute read

'Orange Is the New Black' Season Two (second review)

When your choices don’t matter: The terror and appeal of 'Orange Is the New Black'

Orange Is the New Black portrays a world without an underlying order — a world where individuals’ choices don’t make much difference, and the characters struggle to survive anyway.

Alaina Johns

Jul 27, 2014 · Articles · 4 minute read

2014-2015 television series finales

Parting is such sweet sorrow

Even the best TV show has to end eventually — the way it does so can make a difference to its legacy.

Paula Berman

Jul 19, 2014 · Articles · 5 minute read

'Elaine Stritch: Shoot Me'

“She’s Still Here”: Remembering Elaine Stritch

Elaine Stritch died yesterday, leaving the words of her favorite song, “I’m Still Here,” ringing in our ears. For me, she’s the epitome of show-business glamour. She glowed with the radiance of a performer who loved what she did, and she lived life to the fullest, without apology. She had sass, she had style, and she made a lot of people happy along the way.

Carol Rocamora

Jul 18, 2014 · Articles · 4 minute read

Bong Joon-ho's 'Snowpiercer'

An allegory with ax fights

Snowpiercer is worth seeing not just because of its indictment of widening global inequality, but because it seriously examines the alternatives.

Jake Blumgart

Jul 12, 2014 · Articles · 3 minute read

Paul Haggis's 'Third Person'

Third person, removed

Third Person underwhelms in its attempt to tie together three separate threads. Its downfall is the very detachment implied by its title.

Kayleigh Butera

Jul 08, 2014 · Articles · 3 minute read

Roger Ebert’s ‘Life Itself’

The secret of Roger Ebert’s success

Life Itself is a documentary about a remarkable man who spent his entire life in movie theaters yet somehow managed to develop more humane relationships with more real people than most of us who inhabit the real world.

Dan Rottenberg

Jul 07, 2014 · Articles · 3 minute read