Let's talk about why movies matter.

Roger Ebert once called the movies an “empathy machine.” But how does this machine actually work? Reading Movies takes Ebert’s machine apart and examines how narrative, form, and historical contexts make the movies meaningful.

Your Host, PT Klein.

Join film historian and cultural critic PT Klein as he maps the historical, political, and technological contexts that make movies matter.

In each issue, Paul considers how different aesthetic and cultural inputs alter our relationship to the movies. We don’t just watch movies—we inhabit them. Reading Movies explains how.

As fresh as hot, buttered popcorn.

Reading Movies is an informal and semi-regular newsletter that considers how cinema shapes our world. As a subscriber, you’ll receive short essays about classic and contemporary cinema and the state of the film industry. Reading Movies also publishes watchlists and recommendations for viewers hoping to learn more or branch out into new movies.