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.
My Deepest Condolences. Signed, ChatGPT.
When a friend’s in need and you’re at a loss for words, why not use AI?
Not All Men, but Any Man
The mass-rape trial in France exposes a case that’s both wholly unprecedented and dully familiar.
What’s the Appeal of Indie Rock’s New Golden Boy?
The singer-guitarist MJ Lenderman has been hailed as his genre’s next big thing—probably because he’s offering more of the same.
Cold Showers Are Free
So is meditation. And push-ups. And breathing.
Game Change Knew Exactly What Was Coming
The movie seems much more complicated now than it did in 2012.
Country Music’s Philosopher King
Kris Kristofferson’s songs couched intimate moments in cosmic terms, pushing country in an existentialist direction.
Lost Bullied Its Unlikeliest Hero
Twenty years after Lost’s premiere, the show’s mistreatment of Hurley has become only more obvious.
The Playwright in the Age of AI
Ayad Akhtar’s new play, McNeal, starring Robert Downey Jr., subverts the idea that artificial intelligence threatens human ingenuity.
Even SNL Is All About the Vibes
The show’s Season 50 premiere set the tone for how it will cover the presidential election’s final weeks.
The Ghosts of Wannsee
A short story