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Weird Lessons from Macbeth

Travis LaCouter

Justin Kurzel’s new film adaptation of Macbeth benefits from gorgeous cinematography and a highly effective—even overpowering—soundtrack. The scenery and costumes are luscious without seeming showy, and the whole production...

The Spiritual Discipline of the Club Sandwich

Travis LaCouter

There is, of course, something tiresome about those people who only ever order the same thing at restaurants. It can evidence a striking lack of originality and even a...

Picturing Mary, Seeing Satan

Travis LaCouter

Washington, D.C.’s National Museum of Women in the Arts has since December hosted an exhibit focused on the Virgin Mary. Boasting works by Italian masters like Caravaggio, Michelangelo, Botticelli,...

Birdman’s Sly Metaphysics

Travis LaCouter

There’s a uniquely delicious scene about halfway through Alejandro González Iñárritu’s most recent film, “Birdman: Or, the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance.” Michael Keaton’s Riggan Thomson, a washed up former...

Cleaning Up the Bible

Travis LaCouter

A California book designer is cleaning up the Bible. By removing unsightly chapter and verse designations, striking footnotes and cross-references, and using thicker paper stock, Adam Greene is hoping...

Seinfeld’s Comedy of Custom

Travis LaCouter

A frenzied George, who has promised to pick up Jerry from the airport, is anxiously checking the arrivals board at JFK. He asks a well-dressed businessman next to him...

Buzzfeed as a Cultural Battleground

Travis LaCouter

The hugely popular online meta-site Buzzfeed has spent the last few years solidifying a reputation as one of the most frequent web destinations for web-browsing Millennials. For those who...

In Praise of Catholic Studies

Travis LaCouter

Seven hundred classmates and I recently graduated from a Catholic college—the oldest Catholic college in New England and the only liberal arts, strictly undergraduate, and Jesuit institution in the...