Skip to main content

Northman Is an Honorable Failure

Eileen Jones Jacobin
The Northman is about a glowering, muscle-bound man-mountain named Prince Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård, son of Stellan) who as a boy witnesses the killing of his father, King Aurvandill (Ethan Hawke), and the abduction of his mother, Queen Gudrún (Nicole Kidman), by the king’s betraying half-bastard brother Fjölnir (Claes Bang). Amleth vows revenge.

The Afterparty Is a Comedy Murder Mystery for Millennials

Eileen Jones Jacobin
The Afterparty is just one of several new comedies about stressed-out millennials finding themselves trapped in a murder mystery. So what is it about this generation that makes them all want to star in an Agatha Christie story?

John Carpenter, Apocalyptic Filmmaker

Eileen Jones Jacobin
John Carpenter’s movies provide visions of societies falling apart. No wonder his work is resonating now more than ever.

The Labor Abuses of Ellen DeGeneres

Eileen Jones Jacobin
Ellen DeGeneres’s reputation as the kindest celebrity in America has finally been shattered. But it’s not just her “mean streak” that’s the problem — it’s that she’s an exploitative boss, who cheated her employees at the height of the pandemic.

Bacurau Is the Most Must-See Movie Since Parasite

Eileen Jones Jacobin
Movies about class and inequality have made it into the global mainstream recently and are picking up major prizes. The genre-busting, edge-of-your-seat Brazilian film Bacurau is the latest. You've gotta see it.

The Half-True Story of Catherine the Great

Eileen Jones Jacobin
The Great shares a broadly similar style and subject with The Favorite, though it is neither as dark nor as committed to factual accuracy. The series shows the grotesque royal court life of Empress Catherine II of Russia, aka Catherine the Great.

Parasite Is Our Film

Eileen Jones Jacobin
Filmmaker Bong Joon-ho on his film Parasite: " I tried to express a sentiment specific to Korean culture, [but] all the responses from different audiences were pretty much the same. Essentially, we all live in the same country, called Capitalism."

Little Women for the Lean-In Generation

Eileen Jones Jacobin
With its starchy girl-power message and Meryl Streepish prestige, Little Women is bound to be a hot contender for critics’ awards, Oscars, and Golden Globes. But don’t be fooled: it’s a bad movie.

Review of "The Favourite": The British Royals Have Always Been Scum

Eileen Jones Jacobin
Despite generations of imperial murder, torture, rape, and plunder, the British ruling class still gets brown-nose treatment in historical depictions. Not so in The Favourite where they are shown as the disgusting creatures they were and still are.