Culture

Former U.S. Solicitor General Ted Olson, who died Nov. 13, who argued 65 cases before the Supreme Court, including fighting for same-sex marriage. Mr. Olson “left the law, our country, and each of us better than he found us,” said former adversary David Boies.

“Emilia Pérez” is a feminist musical crime thriller about a transgender cartel boss. Part operetta, part telenovela, it shimmies between the archetypal and the intensely personal, writes Monitor film critic Peter Rainer.

Mexican author Juan Rulfo helped invent magical realism and influenced a generation of beloved Latin American writers. His novel “Pedro Páramo” just received a twisty adaptation on Netflix.

My wife and I have gardened together for years without marital incident – until the great birch tree challenge of 2024. 

With over 350 buildings lovingly restored, the city of Nelson boasts on its website that some call it “the prettiest small town in Canada.” 

Just as the Spanish women’s national team was celebrating its 2023 World Cup victory, it found itself embroiled in a fight with the soccer federation president over an unwanted kiss. A Netflix documentary looks at the scandal.

The beautiful thing about the full-circle moments experienced this week by sports stars Freddie Freeman and LeBron James is what’s at the center of them, writes the Monitor’s cultural commentator – pure and abiding love.

“A Real Pain,” written by, directed by, and co-starring Jesse Eisenberg, is the kind of movie that creeps up on you, says film critic Peter Rainer. It has a way of seeing that, in its own modest way, owes something to the Yiddish sensibility that informed storytellers like Isaac Bashevis Singer.

Celebrating fall: The riot of russet tones, the brisk air, the crunchy leaves. The answer to what ails us? It’s often as simple as stepping outside.

With “Son of a Broken Man,” Grammy winner Fantastic Negrito tackles his relationship with his father, and considers how to overcome the darkness in our lives.