A timeless classic fit for our own times

Valley Stream, L.I.: Last week, I was privileged to see one of the great films of the past few decades. “The Odyssey” manages to be a stunning, thrilling epic as well as relevant to the times we live in, with stern warnings about the direction we’re headed. I’m a cinephile who sees basically everything, but I came out of this experience practically skipping with joy. I’m also pleased that it’s a commercial success.

I find this extremely satisfying because for the past few months, the right wing of this country (aka MAGA) has been doing everything in its power to put this film down without actually seeing it. There have been outright racist and transphobic complaints regarding the casting by the usual gang of idiots, like Elon Musk. Thirty years ago, these people would have had to hide in their basements when they spewed their hate, but now it seems acceptable to say things you would hear at a KKK or Aryan Nation rally.

Besides my contempt for their viewpoints, it also strikes me how absolutely joyless it must be to be one of those people, rejecting art without bothering to consider it because of their considerable prejudices. My advice for those folks: Just wait for the next Kirk Cameron film. For everyone else, my recommendation is to see another Christopher Nolan masterwork. You have time, it’ll be in theaters for months.

Belvidere, N.J.: Voicer Arthur Martello is muddying the definition of socialism versus communism by singling out Social Security and Medicare as the sole comparison. The philosophies of socialism and communism are compatible with each other, while socialism and capitalism are incompatible. Socialism is the........

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