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 Trump Missed at the Kennedy Center
The president may love Les Mis—but he completely misunderstands it.
He Surfed a Different Kind of Wave
Music wouldn’t be the same without Brian Wilson. That’s not an overstatement.
A Stephen King Adaptation With (Almost) No Scares
The Life of Chuck takes a difficult-to-translate novella and turns it into a feel-good film.
Two Paths for the Pop Star
Miley Cyrus and Addison Rae are taking their music very seriously, with different results.
The Singer Who Saw America’s Best and Worst
Sly Stone fused joyful visions of the country with a deep understanding of its worst ills.
Inside the Exclusive, Obsessive, Surprisingly Litigious World of Luxury Fitness
How Tracy Anderson built an exercise empire
How One Animal Divided Europe
A new book explores what the wolf’s return to the continent means for people who have never known its presence.
When a Nasty Habit Is Part of Your National Identity
As France bans cigarettes in most public places, it stands to lose a strong cultural signifier.
‘Look, This Show’s Good. It’s Essentially Moral.’
The Simpsons has always been a wholesome show—even if some critics didn’t necessarily understand that.
The Trap of the Cinematic Side Quest
The new John Wick spin-off shows that expanding a franchise is harder than it may seem.