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 the Success of Inside Out 2 Means for Hollywood
The movie industry is still recovering from 2023’s dual strike, but there are clear signs of life.
The Lies Los Angeles Was Built Upon
Chinatown is about the secret history of how Los Angeles became a paradise—but it offers a warning for the city’s future.
Social Media Broke Slang. Now We All Speak Phone.
The irony: Online is where we most need the identity cues that idiosyncratic language used to provide.
The Improbable, Unstoppable Rise of Goose
Meet the jam band that just might persuade you to love a jam band.
The ‘Espresso’ Theory of Gender Relations
Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, and Charli XCX are ushering in a new kind of bad girl.
The Enduring Fascination With Women in Water
Female swimmers have always challenged the boundary between sport and spectacle.
Kinds of Kindness May Test Your Patience
With his new film, Yorgos Lanthimos returns to his freaky-deaky roots—with mixed results.
How a Band Falls Apart, According to Stereophonic
The Tony-winning play explores the heartbreak and turmoil that sometimes accompany great music.
A Pulitzer-Winning Playwright Makes a Great Cinematic Leap
Annie Baker’s debut film, Janet Planet, is an affecting tale of existential wandering.
What to Read to Understand How People Get Tricked
Each of these titles will stick with you and, perhaps, make you more likely to realize when you’re not seeing the truth.