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.
Beauty
A short story
M. Night Shyamalan Made a Comedy
Trap may be the director’s most unserious movie yet.
The Brilliance in James Baldwin’s Letters
The famous author, who would have been 100 years old today, was best known for his novels and essays. But correspondence was where his light shone brightest.
The DeLorean Owners Association Strikes a Pose
The unexpected delight of group photos
What Happens When a Beloved Rock Star Gets Fed Up?
Neil Young was never more paranoid or pessimistic than with 1974’s On the Beach—for good reason.
The Painful Reality of Loving a Conspiracy Theorist
What do you do when a family member falls for QAnon?
How M. Night Shyamalan Came Back From the Dead
The filmmaker weathered some of the wildest hype and harshest backlash that Hollywood has to offer. Then he found a different path.
This Was the Best Opening Ceremony Paris Could Give Us?
The city seemed exhausted, not exuberant.
This Bad-Vibes-TV Moment Needs to End
When did television shows become so averse to having an actual plot?