It’s a cultural cliché to bemoan the passing of the monoculture, that bygone era when everyone seemed to watch, read and argue about the some movies and books at the same time. Yet 2026 is proving to be a real throwback, especially if you happen to live in New York: The Knicks won a championship, bringing entire neighborhoods out to watch together in the streets. Then the World Cup descended, drawing millions of simultaneous global eyeballs. Now Christopher Nolan has delivered “The Odyssey,” a film that feels old-fashioned in every sense: epic, unabashedly cinematic and seemingly the topic of every conversation. Some culture-war sniping started long before the film’s release, which Daniel Mendelsohn, who translated the epic poem, smartly dismissed in a recent guest essay. And as Sharon Waxman wrote in another essay, once the film finally arrived, rote arguments about wokeness were quickly drowned out by the film’s more intriguing political provocations. Our columnist Michelle Goldberg notes that the film is drawing audiences back to movie theaters in part because of Nolan’s ethos of hands-on craftsmanship. If you love the movie or dismiss it (or if you haven’t seen it yet), “The Odyssey” has been a welcome reminder of just how invigorating a collective cultural experience can be. We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. Games Here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle and Spelling Bee. If you’re in the mood to play more, find all our games here. Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page or contact The Times.
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