Movies don’t just entertain us—they train our imaginations. In this episode, New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson helps us think about Hollywood, media, AI, and the stories shaping our shared reality. It’s a thoughtful conversation about truth, criticism, and how to choose better narratives in a fractured age.

In this episode

• Hollywood is an American “dream machine”
• Movies shape both personal identity and national self-understanding
• What happens when shared cultural stories fragment
• The bright side of film: friendship, representation, and moral imagination
• Joan Didion on truth, spin, nostalgia, and storytelling
• Why criticism matters and how it can model civil disagreement
• How advertising, lifestyle branding, and media shape our picture of the good life
• Why AI-generated video poses a serious challenge to truth
• Practical habits for becoming a more discerning viewer
• Alyssa’s thoughts on the 2026 Oscar nominees and a few films worth seeking out

Books mentioned

• We Tell Ourselves Stories by Alissa Wilkinson
• Salty by Alissa Wilkinson
• How to Survive the Apocalypse by Alissa Wilkinson and Doug Joustra
• An Experiment in Criticism by C. S. Lewis

Films mentioned

• The Truman Show (1998)
• The General (1926)
• Ratatouille (2007)
• E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
• Sinners (2025)
• The Testament of Ann Lee (2025)
• Train Dreams (2025)
• Hidden Figures (2016)
• The Lord of the Rings (2001 - 2003)
• My Girl (1991)
• Tron (1982)