James Lewis Hoberman, more commonly referred to as J. Hoberman, was laid off as senior film critic of the Village Voice in 2012. Hoberman is unquestionably one of the most influential critics of the last forty years. Once the newsRead more…
Kingston Mines
I waited outside Kingston Mines, one of the most popular blues clubs in Chicago, in a long line on an unseasonably warm night in October. As I stood and waited with my friend, a man screamed in a raspy voiceRead more…
Common and the Contemporary
Defining the contemporary could be really simple. If someone broke into my house, shook me awake and asked what it meant, I would probably just tell them it means belonging to or occurring in the present. If that same personRead more…
Evaluating Barry Jenkins’s Breakout
Moonlight might be the best movie of the year. Critics have swooned over Barry Jenkins’ second feature-length film, which premiered on October 21. The film explores the trials and tribulations of a queer black man, Chiron, that struggles with hisRead more…
The New Sensibility of the 80’s
The Reagan era sought to reform America based on a heteronormative Christian ideal that was simply not reality for the majority of America. Jerry Falwell, a prominent evangelist, founded the “Moral Majority” in 1979, an organization that aimed to eliminateRead more…
Revolution and Cinema in Iran
When I walked into Hamid Naficy’s compelling collection of Iranian movie posters at the Block Museum, my reaction to the first poster I saw, The Golden Heel, was, “That’s an Iranian film?” The exhibit features many posters from theRead more…
Deliverance-Thrilling and Prejudiced
“You don’t beat it. You don’t beat this river,” says Lewis, portrayed by Burt Reynolds, after canoeing the exhaustive rapids of the Cahulawassee River. Indeed, Lewis does not beat the river, but to his credit, he did not anticipate beingRead more…
Criticism in the Amazon Age
“But some of these concerns become moot when you think back to the impulse that lies behind serious criticism: the impulse to analyze, to explain, to teach, to judge meaningfully.”-Mendelsohn “The art critic, however, formalizes and deliberately exemplifies theRead more…