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.
Albert Einstein’s Brilliant Politics
The physicist fought for the promise of a diverse, meritocratic America. We need his optimism today.
A Bizarre, Challenging Book More People Should Read
The true pleasure of literature can be found in demanding works such as Your Name Here, by Helen DeWitt and Ilya Gridneff.
Five Books About Going Out That Are Worth Staying In For
If you don’t have the energy for New Year carousing, pick up these books instead.
The Holiday Traditions of a Nation Long Dead
Soviet New Years, a ritual that survived the country’s dissolution, may be in danger of slipping away.
The Sad Dads of Hollywood
Three of the year’s buzziest films hold career-obsessed, absentee fathers accountable.
North Road, Fall 2020
A poem
The Best Poetry for Dark Winter Days
Each collection speaks to a different seasonal mood, but all are worth slowing down with before the new year.
Where Stranger Things Lost Itself
The Netflix drama’s final season settles for “compulsively watchable.” Is that all we get?
Watching Someone Fail Shouldn’t Be So Fun
In Marty Supreme, Timothée Chalamet delivers both cringe and charisma.
Why Did We Ever Watch To Catch a Predator?
A new documentary probes the influential Dateline series—and the titillating nature of true crime itself.