Author: Insights

For nearly a century, war movies have been a cinematic cornerstone, dramatizing the chaos, heroism, and heartbreak of human conflict. But as Hollywood moves midway into the 2020s, fewer films are being made and even fewer capturing significant box office attention. The genre that has given us unforgettable stories, from the Cold War fears that culminated in Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove” (1964) to the tragedy of Vietnam in his “Full Metal Jacket” (1987), appears to be in retreat. The question is, why? What happened to the war movie, a category that once commanded the attention of audiences and critics...

“Day after day for the past nine years, we crafted every urgent plea possible to persuade them: appealing to their intellects and their hearts and their humanity and their patriotism. They told us we were exaggerating, we were overreacting, that we were drifting into melodrama or delusion, that the doom we were forecasting was a fabrication of our minds, that such grim realities were virtual impossibilities. ‘The sky is not falling, Chicken Little.’ they said. ‘You need to relax.’ And now…” – John Pavlovitz Life in a politically charged era can feel like you are constantly standing at the...

Across the American South, statues of Confederate generals loomed in public squares, along courthouse lawns, and at the entrances to museums for decades. Those monuments, erected during periods of racial backlash in the early 20th century, once stood unchallenged. In the last few years, however, a widespread movement has drawn attention to the cruelty, oppression, and racism symbolized by the figures. In an era more open to conversations about sexuality and identity, some historical experts have contemplated if certain Confederate leaders might have been gay, or what we would now understand as part of the LGBTQ community. Speculation ranges...