Hannah Arendt was one of the 20th Century’s great intellectuals. A refugee from Nazi Germany, the political theorist (a description she preferred over “philosopher”) is perhaps best known for coining the phrase “the banality of evil” to describe Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi functionary responsible for implementing Hitler’s meticulously planned “Final Solution” of the Jews. Covering Eichmann’s 1961 trial in Jerusalem for The New Yorker (she was there just for the opening few weeks), Arendt was confounded by how completely ordinary the defendant appeared to be.…

You may want to slit your wrists after watching the documentary Dirty Wars; at the very least you will hang your head in shame at the egregious missteps made by the United States in its global struggle against terrorism.

War Witch, one of the five recent Oscar nominees for Best Foreign-Language Film, has a reputation as a powerful but almost unbearably grim film. Is it difficult to watch?  At times, very much so, but don’t let that dissuade you. A story of human resilience in the face of terrible cruelty and sadness, War Witch is a remarkable film on every level: emotionally raw, profoundly moving, totally engrossing and superbly acted, shot and directed. First-time actress Rachel Mwanza gives an extraordinary performance as Komona, a…