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.
Archivists Aren’t Ready for the ‘Very Online’ Era
The challenge: how to catalog and derive meaning from so much digital clutter
Dear James: I’m Not Very Punk Rock
But I am quite convinced of the cruel pointlessness of existence. (Is this any way to live?)
Diddy’s Trial Is Revealing a Conspiracy, but It’s Not the One People Expected
The speculative guesswork distracts from the all-too-ordinary issues at the center of his case.
The Novelist Who Learned to Write Anger—And Its Aftermath
Susan Choi’s new book, Flashlight, considers the evolution of rage.
How to Open a Hole
A poem
Making Religion Matter for Secular People
Reformed, the latest TV show featuring a charming rabbi, stands out for leavening existential depth with comedy.
When Mission: Impossible Had No Mission
The series first made a name for itself by eschewing the blockbuster-franchise formula.
The Muddled Message of Bring Her Back
The new horror movie is best when it’s not trying to say something.
How to Look at Paul Gauguin
He was misunderstood, then adored, then vilified. Who was he really?
It’s the End of the World (And It’s Their Fault)
The tech bros have ascended to movie-villain status.