One of Miyazaki’s most enduring classics, Princess Mononoke addresses the concepts of violence and hatred in a way young viewers can understand.
Category Archive: Features
Columns, thinkpieces, and opinions on every inch of pop culture.
Remembering the cult hit that combined timeless themes of love and vengeance with grungy goth style.
Porco Rosso is yet another swashbuckling adventure in the grand tradition of Hayao Miyazaki, a high-flying caper about a flying pig who’s also a sea pirate.
As the first generation of Marvel superheroes hangs up their claws and helmets, we wonder just how long pop culture will actually let them stay dead.
Miyazaki’s animated classic effortlessly blends magical realism with a relatable coming-of-age story about building community.
In 1988, Hayao Miyazaki found a bright, adorable way to explore the freedom and exuberance of childhood, and invites adults to see it anew.
While it doesn’t have the reputation of Miyazaki’s later works, Studio Ghibli’s sophomore film serves as a lovely steampunk primer to the man’s filmography.
Before Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki honed his craft on one of the liveliest anime action-adventures of all time.
Full of racist jokes & sexual assault subplots, John Hughes’ teen rom-com classic has aged like bad cheese. But is there anything worth saving about it?
For May, The Spool is taking a deep dive into the works of one of Japanese animation’s greatest pioneers.
Kasi Lemmons’ wistful, eerie, criminally underrated directorial debut features complex characters & asks unsettling questions about memory & perspective.
Five years on, Ava DuVernay’s gripping account of the march from Selma to Washington stresses that MLK’s fight is far from over today.
David Robert Mitchell’s latest might just be reviled precisely because it prods at the solipsism of the film bros who tend to drag it.
Our exploration of black women directors continues with a look at Gina Prince-Bythewood’s sensitive, layered romantic drama.
We take a look back at Cameron Crowe’s 30-year-old romantic comedy, a film that’s much more than John Cusack and a boombox.
A pioneering work of Black Queer Cinema, Cheryl Dunye’s vibrant “Dunye-mentary” reckons with traditional queer narratives and the racism of Old Hollywood.