Every day, professional cultural commentary seems closer and closer to marketing copy, as we slouch deeper and deeper into an era defined by our collective decision that life is too hard and we all should just slip into a warm bath of low standards and perpetual excuses. So often, criticism of any art or media is treated as an assault on the people... See more

Another phrase I see in response to people criticising media is this: “Just let people enjoy things.” And is that not just indicative of the problem as a whole? There’s this idea that criticising a piece of media somehow makes it less enjoyable, like intentionally consuming something ruins its entertainment value. Which is complete and utter... See more

Consider film and television, an easy target for cultural pessimists, and for good reason. The signs of decay are hard to ignore. If it’s not the slurry of superhero blockbusters, remakes and reboots, then it’s the straight-to-streaming slop. The familiar three-act structure, that is the craft of screenwriting, seems mysteriously missing from even... See more