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.
Five Books That Offer Readers Intellectual Exercise
Each of these titles exercises a different kind of reading muscle so that you can choose the one that will push you most.
Birthmark
A poem for Wednesday
My Boyfriend Is About to Move In With His Ex
Am I wrong for thinking this is a deal-breaker?
Apocalypse, Constantly
Humans love to imagine their own demise.
What Not to Wear
The false promise of seasonal-color analysis
The Agony of Indulging in Squid Game Again
The Netflix hit’s second season can’t quite break out of its own vicious cycle.
Bob Dylan Broke Rules. A Complete Unknown Follows Them.
The biopic turns its subject’s independence and idiosyncrasies into the stuff of bland summary.
The Darkest Movie of the Year
Even the camera seems to fear the grunting, shadowy demon in Nosferatu.
Why Are My Neighbors Screaming at Me?
Everyone seems so on edge.
Trapped—And Lavishly Rewarded—For Playing a Part
The protagonists of Babygirl and Black Doves are stuck in their “perfect” lives—and find illicit fulfillment outside them.