Opinion & reviews

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• I Want Your Sex: Hollywood's New Age Gap Trend opinion-review

  Karley Sciortino's film 'I Want Your Sex,' co-written with director Gregg Araki and starring Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman, explores a BDSM relationship between an older female…

• Nolan's 'Odyssey' Reimagines Ulysses as a Dark, Guilt-Ridden Hero opinion-review

  Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey' (2026) reinterprets Homer's epic through a contemporary political lens, casting Matt Damon as a guilt-ridden, dark Ulysses. The film positions…

• The Case for Confronting Lookism as Epistemic Injustice opinion-review

  Stephanie Fairyington's new book "Ugly: A Letter to My Daughter" argues that discrimination based on unattractiveness, or lookism, remains a taboo form of bias. She draws on…

• Democracy's Public Spaces: Beyond India's Plazas opinion-review

  An article by Ankitha Gattupalli on ArchDaily explores the limitations of traditional public spaces like plazas and marches for democratic expression. Published July 24, 2026, it…

• Architecture's shift from permanence to adaptability questions belonging opinion-review

  ArchDaily publishes an essay by Valentina Díaz exploring how contemporary architecture increasingly prioritizes flexibility, reversibility, and responsiveness to address climate…

• Nolan’s Odyssey avoids Homer’s horticultural mastery opinion-review

  Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film adaptation of Homer’s *The Odyssey* is praised for its cinematic ambition but criticized for failing to capture the epic’s rich horticultural…

• Pierre Bourdieu's Legacy Revisited by Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht opinion-review

  In an interview with NZZ, emeritus Stanford professor Hans Ulrich Gumbrecht reflects on the legacy of Pierre Bourdieu, once an intellectual superstar, and the rise of humanities…

• Jason Stanley: US-Faschismus droht nun auch in Deutschland opinion-review

  Der Philosoph Jason Stanley, der bereits 2018 Donald Trumps Politik als faschistisch bezeichnete und daraufhin in die USA auswanderte, sieht nun ähnliche Tendenzen in Deutschland…

• Luigi Einaudi's Vision of Charismatic Capitalism opinion-review

  In an article on Doppiozero, Alfredo Gigliobianco and Anna Stefi revisit Luigi Einaudi's distinction between capitalism and a free market society. Einaudi, a liberal economist,…

• Miquel Lacasta on the Aircraft Carrier Paradox and Urban Transformation opinion-review

  Miquel Lacasta applies the 'aircraft carrier paradox' to urbanism and climate action, arguing that small, sustained course corrections (15-degree turns) are more effective than…

• Mayor Mamdani Urged to Reclaim NYC’s Jefferson Statue opinion-review

  In late May 2026, the quill of David d'Angers's 1834 statue of Thomas Jefferson broke while being moved at the New-York Historical Society for the exhibition "Democracy Matters."…

• AI and the New Currency of Hierarchy: Thinking as Class Marker opinion-review

  Paweł Skała-Piękoś argues that AI doesn’t erase hierarchy; it reshapes its value system. What used to be a respected skill—being articulate—has become more ordinary, shifting how…

• Byung-Chul Han's Performance Society and Its Impact on Literature opinion-review

  In an essay published by La Tempestad, the author reflects on Byung-Chul Han's concept of the "performance society" from his 2010 book "The Burnout Society" and its effects on…

• Brenda Zlamany on Backrooms, Cubism, and the Class Politics of Horror opinion-review

  Artist Brenda Zlamany reflects on the 2026 film Backrooms, directed by Kane Parsons, in a personal essay for Two Coats of Paint. She contrasts the film's non-linear,…

• Joanna Latała on Musicians' Fear of Taking Time Off opinion-review

  Cellist and researcher Joanna Latała, founder of Achieve Performance Mindset, argues that classical musicians are conditioned to fear rest, equating time away from their…

• Visual Clarity as a Trust Signal in Digital Design opinion-review

  In a FAD Magazine article, iGaming writer Maddison Dwyer argues that visual clarity in digital design functions as a trust signal, influencing readers' perception of credibility.…

• Financial Guide for Artists: Revenue, Margins, and IRS Realities opinion-review

  The article from RedDotBlog offers a financial primer for visual artists, focusing on the journey from first gallery sale to sustainable profit. It breaks down income into three…

• Bank of England Governor Defends Cyber Defenses Against Frontier AI Threats opinion-review

  Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey published a letter in response to Connor Axiotes' Daily Mail article warning that frontier AI could accelerate cyber attacks. Bailey refuted…

• Slavoj Žižek on Nolan's 'Odyssey' as End of Machine Age opinion-review

  Philosopher Slavoj Žižek interprets Christopher Nolan's film 'Odyssey' as a symbol of the ending machine epoch, soon to be replaced by the AI era. The film has sparked a rare…

• Porsche's 'No AI' Viral Ad Sparks Debate on Handcrafted Luxury opinion-review

  Porsche released a Christmas advertisement five days before the holiday that went viral not for its nostalgic animation of a red Porsche driving through snow toward a giant…

• Trajal Harrell's 'Music, Music' at Festival d'Avignon 2026 Criticized as Imposture opinion-review

  A scathing review of Trajal Harrell's performance 'Music, Music' at the 80th Festival d'Avignon, staged at the Cloître des Carmes on July 22-24, 2026, labels the work an…

• The ethical danger of anthropomorphising AI systems opinion-review

  Anthropomorphising AI—treating it as if it has human emotions, intentions, or consciousness—is both an ethical and practical problem, according to a recent opinion piece. The…

• Botox and Empathy: A Personal Experiment opinion-review

  A Vogue writer delves into how Botox might help with depression, citing research like the case study "Botulinum Toxin Therapy for Psychiatric Disorders in Clinical Practice." At…

• Mass tourism as cultural colonialism: an alien invasion analogy opinion-review

  Marcello Faletra draws a parallel between mass tourism and alien invasion, referencing the 1967 Cold War TV series 'The Invaders'. He argues that tourism reduces local histories…

• Christopher Nolan: The Divisive Genius of Contemporary Cinema opinion-review

  Christopher Nolan, the most commercially successful director globally, is also one of the most polarizing figures in cinema. His films like 'Interstellar', 'Inception', and…

• Tiny balconies in London: useless tokens of outdoor space opinion-review

  Jessica Furseth critiques the proliferation of tiny, unusable balconies in new apartment blocks, particularly in East London's Isle of Dogs and Hackney. These balconies, often…

• L'Altro dimenticato: riflessioni su empatia e democrazia nell'era della violenza spettacolare opinion-review

  Un articolo pubblicato su Artspecialday il 23 luglio 2026 analizza la crisi del riconoscimento dell'Altro nella società contemporanea, citando Hannah Arendt e Günther Anders.…

• Victor Man's Miasmic Paintings of Death and Memory opinion-review

  Victor Man's painting explores a miasmic world where death is overseen by the elegant souls of the living, who are reminded of their duty to eulogize what has been lost. The work…

• Milo Rau warns of far-right normalization in Germany opinion-review

  Swiss director Milo Rau, in an interview with NZZ, reflects on the 2011 Utøya massacre by Anders Breivik and draws parallels to contemporary political shifts. Rau argues that in…

• Il giornalismo nel frullatore del web: due libri sulla trasformazione dei media opinion-review

  Nicoletta Vallorani recensisce due libri affini sul giornalismo, esaminando come la rappresentazione della realtà sia diventata lo strumento principale per condividerne il senso.…

• Australian arts philanthropy inquiry reveals key donor motivations opinion-review

  A Federal Government parliamentary inquiry into arts and cultural philanthropy, meeting since February 2025, has gathered submissions from major institutions including the…

• Congressional Hearing Grills Smithsonian Over 'Rewriting American History' opinion-review

  On Capitol Hill, a House Committee held a hearing called 'Rewriting American History: Examining the Smithsonian's Efforts to Reshape the Past.' This event was prompted by a July 4…

• Žižek on Nolan's Odyssey: A Mirror to the AI Era opinion-review

  Philosopher Slavoj Žižek offers a surprising take on Christopher Nolan's monumental film adaptation of Homer's Odyssey, arguing that the blockbuster is less about epic spectacle…

• Antonio Donghi's portrait and the unchanging essence of art opinion-review

  In a philosophical essay published on rivistasegno.eu, the author argues that while the art world evolves daily—through market shifts, new exhibition modes, and social media…

• Review: Hockney's iPad Paintings at Serpentine Fall Flat opinion-review

  So, there’s been quite a backlash regarding David Hockney's posthumous exhibition, "A Year in Normandie and Some Other Thoughts About Painting," held at Serpentine North Gallery…

• Architectural Workers International challenges Reinier de Graaf's op-ed on globalization opinion-review

  Architectural Workers International (AWI), a group of over twenty organizations advocating for architectural labor, has responded to Reinier de Graaf's opinion piece in AN. De…

• Grey Gardens Offers Hope Amid Australia's Musical Theatre Crisis opinion-review

  The musical theatre industry in Australia faces a crisis, with high-profile shows like Annie, Back to the Future, Beetlejuice, and Waitress closing early or canceling tours.…

• Paramount-Warner Merger Opponents Misread Movie Market, WSJ Argues opinion-review

  A Wall Street Journal opinion piece argues that opponents of the proposed Paramount-Skydance-Warner merger are defining the movie market incorrectly. The author contends that by…

• Kenneth Branagh leads RSC Cherry Orchard lacking Chekhov's poignancy opinion-review

  Kenneth Branagh stars in a Royal Shakespeare Company production of The Cherry Orchard, directed by an unnamed director, also featuring Helen Hunt and Bill Pullman. The production…

• KI-Ausbruch: Realistische Bedrohung oder Horrorfantasie? opinion-review

  Ein aktueller Artikel in der Süddeutschen Zeitung thematisiert die öffentliche Wahrnehmung von Künstlicher Intelligenz, die angeblich „ausbricht“ und ein Eigenleben entwickelt.…