Ethan Gilsdorf

Cognoscenti contributor

Ethan Gilsdorf is a writer, critic and author of "Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks." His articles, commentaries, essays and film and book reviews have appeared in the New York Times, New York Times Book Review, Wired, Salon, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Psychology Today, Esquire, National Geographic, Boston Globe, Boston Magazine and Art New England. Read more at ethangilsdorf.com.

Recently published

In 1973, Motorola vice president John F. Mitchell demonstrated the Dyna T-A-C Portable Radio Telephone System. He said the phone would allow a user to call from anywhere in the metropolitan area to any telephone in the world. (Bettmann/Getty Images)

The cell phone turned 50 this year. To celebrate, I’d like to be a little less connected

Cell phones are always with us. But some days, I just want to lose myself in nature or allow my brain to run deep, writes Ethan Gilsdorf.

Cognoscenti

Sep 20, 2023

"I meet his gaze for a moment and widen my eyes, showing interest in what he’s doing. He smiles back," writes Ethan Gilsdorf. (Getty Images)

A connection with a stranger reminded me how to play

For once, I am not focused on my journey to come or any of my usual worries. I'm simply finding hope and pleasure in this wordless form of connection, writes...

Cognoscenti

Mar 23, 2023

A television at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, captures the final images from the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) just before it smashes into the asteroid Dimorphos on Sept. 26. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

NASA crashed into an asteroid! Nerds like me are in heaven

We've been dreaming about blasting space rocks from the sky for decades, writes Ethan Gilsdorf. Sci-fi and reality have truly collided.

Cognoscenti

Sep 28, 2022

The author's Royals Little League team of Durham-Lee-Madbury, New Hampshire. (Courtesy Ethan Gilsdorf)

Watching the Red Sox. Looking for my mom

America’s favorite pastime is personal, and tinged with nostalgia. For me, writes Ethan Gilsdorf, baseball is inexorably linked to my late mother.

Cognoscenti

Apr 15, 2022

"Was this the children’s revolution, and was it being televised?" writes Ethan Gilsdorf. (Courtesy WGBH)

In the '70s, the 'Zoom' kids were my people

The kids on "Zoom," which came to television 50 years ago, weren’t actors, writes Ethan Gilsdorf. They were real, like me.

Cognoscenti

Feb 1, 2022

A nod to the origami unicorn from "Blade Runner." (Courtesy NEON Retrofest)

Why '80s Nostalgia Endures

A new three day (and night) festival in Rhode Island is betting that the new interest in '80s culture is not only about nostalgia, but also about an emerging culture...

Local Coverage

Aug 23, 2018

Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool. (Courtesy Twentieth Century Fox)

Here's Where A Clever But Sarcastic Headline For Our Review Of 'Deadpool 2' Goes

The original comic book character from 1991 was known for breaking the fourth wall. In the hands of Hollywood, Deadpool’s meta-referencing becomes an art form, writes critic Ethan Gilsdorf.

Local Coverage

May 15, 2018

The cast of Season 1 of "The Muppet Show." (Courtesy Disney)

'Muppet Guys Talking': A Look Inside The Motley, Misfit, Multi-Species Mosh-Pit

More than creating entertainment and silly kids stuff, the documentary shows how founder Jim Henson wanted to make a better world.

Local Coverage

Mar 29, 2018

Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa in "Black Panther." (Courtesy Film Frame/Marvel Studios)

'Black Panther' Rises To Top Of Marvel Pantheon With Its Own Powerful Myth

Director Ryan Coogler aims to give African-Americans a superhero -- someone who, like all superheroes, is flawed and makes mistakes, but ultimately saves the day, writes critic Ethan Gilsdorf.

Local Coverage

Feb 14, 2018

A still from "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." (Courtesy Film Frames Industrial Light & Magic/Lucasfilm)

Resistance Isn't Futile: 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Delivers, With Rebellious Detours Along The Way

In the hands of new director and writer Rian Johnson, the Star Wars universe feels intact. But this big-hearted, socially-minded and long-winded sequel to “The Force Awakens” also stretches that...

Local Coverage

Dec 12, 2017