In Midnight Interview, Dracula Sees Bright Future for Democracy

‘Democracy and Vampires Have a Lot in Common,’ Says 600-Year-Old Romanian Count

I emailed Dracula’s people because I was heading to Romania, for a global democracy forum that I help lead.

While I’m in Bucharest, I asked, could I take the train up to Transylvania and spend a day chopping it up with the Count? After all, he’s been around for 600 years and has seen many, many dark times for governance and democracy.

In reply, I got a cryptic text telling me to arrive by midnight at an address in Beachwood Canyon, high in the Hollywood Hills above L.A. The place was invisible …

by Joe Mathews | May 14, 2024

A Movie That Might Be Worse Than Civil War

‘Civil War’ Offers A Vision of California Fighting the U.S. That Matches Foreign Propaganda—and Misses the Point

by Joe Mathews | April 23, 2024

The new film Civil War is a historic cinematic achievement. British director Alex Garland has made a movie that might be worse than a real American civil war.

Perhaps that was …

Tips and Tricks From an Uber Driver

Don’t Talk Politics, Store a Towel in Your Trunk, and Let Them Sing Their Songs

by TONY PIERCE | February 28, 2024

This piece publishes as part of the Zócalo/The James Irvine Foundation public program and editorial series, “What Is a Good Job Now?” which investigates low-wage …

Our Timeless Romance With Screwball Comedy

Born Out of the Great Depression, the Genre Reminds Us That Even in Hard Times There’s Laughter, Love, and Light

by Olympia Kiriakou | February 8, 2024

Ninety years ago, Columbia Pictures released a film that transformed the trajectory of American screen comedy.

Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night tells the story of spoiled Park Avenue heiress Ellie …

Writer and Producer John Lopez

I Worry Hollywood Never Fails to Take the Wrong Lesson

December 1, 2023

John Lopez is a writer, producer, and member of the AI working group in the Writer’s Guild of America. Before joining the panel for the Zócalo, Arts for LA, ASU Narrative and Emerging Media Program, and …

How Hollywood’s Black Friday Strike Changed Labor Across America

A 1945 Union vs. Studios Battle Set Off Broad Right-Wing Hysteria—Its Lessons Should Resonate Today

by Gerald Horne and Anthony Ballas | November 9, 2023

It was October 5, 1945. The Conference of Studio Unions (CSU), a union representing craft laborers in Los Angeles, including painters, carpenters, set designers, cartoonists, and others, was seven months …

Get More Zócalo