Culture and News Writer

Hannah Long

19 articles 2015–2018

Hannah Long is a writer who contributed to The Weekly Standard between 2015 and 2018, covering cultural commentary and news stories. Her work for the magazine ranged from pop culture criticism—including pieces on franchises like Star Wars, Doctor Who, and The Lord of the Rings—to reporting on humanitarian and religious liberty issues such as the Charlie Gard case and the deportation of Iraqi Christians.

Great Escapes

December 14, 2018 · Books & Arts, culture, Pop Culture

Hannah Long on how escape-room operators are locking in fun and profit.

The Steward of Middle-earth

November 24, 2018 · Books & Arts, culture, Magazine

The extraordinary fidelity of Christopher Tolkien, last of the Inklings.

J.D. Greear and the Rejection of Partisanship, but Not Politics

July 18, 2018 · culture, Web Only, Southern Baptist Convention

J.D. Greear, the new president of the Southern Baptist Convention, wants to distance his church from political partisanship. But it would be a mistake to assume that means a retreat from the public sphere.

Stories of Berlin

February 9, 2018 · Casual, Magazine, Hannah Long

Not many people knew he was named Berlin. A roly-poly, soft-spoken man with a scruff of white hair and a big belly, Berrell Long lived quietly in a rundown house in Fries, Virginia. Thin, patchy wallpaper held the place together. There was no insulation, so he had to pile logs in a dirty old…

Ranking the Male Companions on the Who-niverse

October 26, 2017 · Pop Culture, Today's Blogs, Magazine

With Doctor Who set to welcome the first female incarnation of its eponymous hero, it’s also getting ready to shake up the usual Doctor-companion dynamic. The BBC announced Sunday that the doctor will now have three companions, played by Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, and game show host, Bradley Walsh.

Charlie Gard's Parents Announce 'It's Too Late' for Treatment

July 24, 2017 · Euthanasia, Today's Blogs, Magazine

Charlie Gard’s parents have announced they will withdraw their application to take their son to from London to the U.S. for experimental treatment. Their decision comes in response to new medical evidence which showed it was “too late” for Charlie to benefit from nucleoside therapy.

Doctor Who vs the Social Justice Warriors

July 18, 2017 · Today's Blogs, Conservative Newsstand, Magazine

Sunday was an exciting day for nerds everywhere, with both the season premiere of Game of Thrones and the announcement of a new Doctor in the British sci-fi show Doctor Who.

The 10 Best Brit Detective Shows, Ever

July 7, 2017 · TV, Mysteries, television

The trailer for the new adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express is just weird. For one thing, Kenneth Branagh’s Poirot, trim and blond, looks very little like Christie’s rotund, black-haired sleuth. He overdoes the mustache, adorning his face with an enormous, Chester Alan…

Evangelicals Voice Opposition to Deportations of Iraqi Christians

June 21, 2017 · Iraq, travel ban, Donald Trump

Prominent evangelical leaders are condemning the Trump administration’s efforts to deport Iraqi immigrants, which include Chaldean Christians, as part of a deal struck with the Iraqi government to remove the country from the Trump administration’s travel ban.

Wonder Woman So Woke

June 13, 2017 · wonder woman, Today's Blogs, Conservative Newsstand

There's something about kids: their wide-eyed innocence, their unimpeachable earnestness, their progressive ideas about gender politics. After all, as everyone knows, elementary school students are the foremost political thinkers the internet has to offer. Oh, you didn't know that? Well, it's a…

Peter Sallis, 1921 - 2017

June 6, 2017 · Today's Blogs, Magazine, Hannah Long

Actor Peter Sallis died on Monday at the age of 96. Sallis was best known for voicing Wallace in the Wallace and Gromit films, as well as serving as a regular performer in the world's longest-running sitcom, Last of the Summer Wine.

The Strong Silent Types

August 3, 2016 · movies, culture, Hannah Long

In Sunset Boulevard, Gloria Swanson plays a washed up actress living as a recluse. When a stranger stumbles into her mansion, he pauses for a moment: "You're Norma Desmond. You used to be in silent pictures. You used to be big."

Isle of Retribution

March 11, 2016 · Magazine, Hannah Long, BBC

It’s been a long time since the heyday of the great ensemble detective story. The last such production may be 2001's Gosford Park: less a mystery than a meditation on the class system. Sherlock Holmes's 21st-century metrosexual alter ego disdains mystery for melodrama, substance for style. Murder…

Two Second Acts

December 18, 2015 · television, Magazine, Hannah Long

In many ways, the current TV scene resembles a time warp. From The Muppets to Fargo, it's a good season for nostalgia. As the first ads for a miniseries revival of The X-Files begin to air, production is well underway on another '90s cult classic: Twin Peaks. Of course, the sudden spate of remakes,…