Touchstone Texts: It Can’t Happen Here
The novel’s attraction is solely its dystopian vision of a fascist America. None of its characters or situations are memorable. That is not to say that some of the characters are not interesting or diverting.
Arts & Letters
The New Who: Births and Rebirths
Doctor Who, “The Tsuranga Conundrum”
Series 11, Episode 5
Written by Chris Chibnall
Directed by Jennifer Perrott
Starring Jodie Whittaker, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, and Bradley Walsh
Guest Starring Lois Chimimba, Brett Goldstein, Suzanne Packer, and
Jack Shalloo
Original Broadcast 4 November 2018 (50 minutes)
…
The New Who: Spider Night
Doctor Who, “Arachnids in the UK”
Series 11, Episode 4
Written by Chris Chibnall
Directed by Sallie Aprahamian
Starring Jodie Whittaker, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, and Bradley Walsh
Guest Starring Sharon D. Clarke, Shobna Gulati, Tanya Fear, and
Chris Noth
Original Broadcast 28 October 2018 (50 minutes)
…
The New Who: The Marvelous Mrs. Parks
Doctor Who, “Rosa”
Series 11, Episode 3
Written by Malorie Blackman and Chris Chibnall
Directed by Mark Tonderai
Starring Jodie Whittaker, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, and Bradley Walsh
Guest Starring Vinette Robinson, Joshua Bowman, and Trevor White
Original Broadcast 21 October 2018 (49 minutes)
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Touchstone Texts: The Continuing Importance of a Classic Work
To seek a more cautious understanding of fascism through scholarly literature, there is probably no place to start more respected than Robert O. Paxton’s The Anatomy of Fascism, now more than a decade old.
What Trends in Crime Fiction Tell Us About Ourselves
I ask writer and scholar Olivia Rutigliano, who often writes about fiction for CrimeReads, what current trends reveal. Well, she replies, “as with Knives Out, many new mystery works seem to be responding very directly to the oppressions fostered by the Trump administration, and themes of misogyny and sexism that we're observing in our current #MeToo era.”
Take Five: Doc Filmmaker Lynn Novick Talks About “College Behind Bars”
Director Lynn Novick (far left), During PBS’ “College Behind Bars” session at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Beverly Hills, July 2019. (Credit: Rahoul Ghose/PBS)
After co-directing a succession of award-winning documentaries with Ken Burns, Lynn Novick stepped forward to direct one on her own, with Sarah…
The Stupid Fate of Scary Movies and the Smart Fears of Life
I remember being young and alone in a dark room, with “The Exorcist” suddenly on TV after an innocent turn of a dial. In an instant the girl’s head spun around, her mad face and deep voice full of the devil, and I felt like I might pass out.
The New Who: Off to the Races
Doctor Who, “The Ghost Monument”
Series 11, Episode 2
Written by Chris Chibnall
Directed by Mark Tonderai
Starring Jodie Whittaker, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, and Bradley Walsh
Guest Starring Shaun Dooley, Susan Lynch, and Art Mali
Original Broadcast 14 October 2018 (49 minutes)
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The New Who: I’m In Love with Her and I Feel Fine
Editor’s note: This post inaugurates the first in a series of 11 reviews of the recent reboot of Doctor Who, cast with a female doctor.
Doctor Who, “The Woman Who Fell to Earth”
Series 11, Episode 1
Written by Chris Chibnall
Directed by Jamie Childs
Starring Jodie…