The Rise of CliffsNotes Cinema
Oversimplified literary remakes miss the point of the works they are adapting.
Culture
Why Justin Bieber Played YouTube Onstage for Thousands of People
The pop star transformed the normal act of browsing your laptop into something interesting—and unsettling.
The New Age of Performance Anxiety
With the rise of screen culture, all the world has stage fright.
Where Did ‘Let Them’ Come From?
Years before Mel Robbins published her best-selling self-help book, a struggling writer posted a poem with a similar message.
What Shane Gillis Proved on SNL
After being fired from the show in 2019 for using slurs, the comedian returned to host as a more thoughtful version of himself.
Is Kara Swisher Tearing Down Tech Billionaires—Or Burnishing Their Legends?
She has long sought to be the best-connected of the tough reporters and the toughest of the insiders. Balancing those goals isn’t always easy.
The Last, Improbable Refuge for the World’s Endangered Languages
Deep linguistic diversity is among the least explored but possibly most consequential factors in New York City's history and makeup.
The Heartbreaking Insight of The Boy and the Heron
Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-nominated film illustrates how war can destroy that most precious of things—the innocence of a child’s soul.
They Rode the Rails, Made Friends, and Fell Out of Love With America
Hurray for the Riff Raff has made the next great American road album.
The Coen Brothers’ Split Is Working Out Fine
Drive-Away Dolls is a zany comedy with an unapologetically sexy edge.
Seven Great Graphic Novels That Go Beyond Words
These titles demonstrate how text and image can blend together to convey one voice.
The Loneliness of Jodie Foster
A star since childhood, she spent decades guarding her privacy. On-screen, she’s always played the solitary woman under pressure. But in a pair of new roles, she’s revealed a different side of herself.
The Missing Piece of the Bob Marley Biopic
A new film about the reggae legend sanitizes his commitment to social justice—and loses what made him so magnetic.
The Expats Episode That’s Practically a Stand-Alone Film
The best installment of the Hong Kong–based drama connects the privileged protagonists with a society they inhabit at a distance.