Unpacking Tucker Carlson’s 9/11 documentary
The documentary claims the Saudis were behind 9/11 – and the CIA then protected them
Books and Arts
Tuesday
Adam McEwen’s small masterpieces of the uncanny
It’s a strange time, McEwen reflects, to be an artist
Taylor Swift’s new album balances glitter with grit
The Life of a Showgirl is conceptually mature and compelling
One Battle After Another may be the worst movie ever made
It is a grand, multifaceted masterpiece of badness
The Who’s farewell tour marks the end of an era
The band never lost sight of what first made them great, and what made rock ’n’ roll great
Tuesday
Is Dan Brown finished?
The novelist’s Happy Meal plotting serves up the same constituent parts over and over
Francesca Wade’s Gertrude Stein biography is a study in frustration
The writer’s posthumous reputation and influence continue to manifest themselves in writing, music and theater
Against abstinence-based approaches to sobriety
Katie Herzog has all the serial relapser energy you would expect from the addict who has forsworn AA
Martin Mull’s short stories bring levity to serious themes
One leaves these stories not depressed, but wanting to punch the air in solidarity with these ornery old dudes
How to fix the Met
‘It’s impossible to predict hits,’ said the man paid $1.4 million a year to, well, predict hits
Witnessing Humanity: The Art of John Wilson is a must-see show
The Met’s show is tribute to a fine artist of boundless talent
The closest look yet at David Bowie’s mind and imagination
The much-missed musician is the beneficiary of a new, bespoke space inside the Victoria & Albert Museum’s East Storehouse outpost
New York Fashion Week’s shimmer feels noticeably dimmed
The week has evolved into a content-driven machine
Spinal Tap II is an amusing, honorable successor to the original film
Above all, Reiner proves his vim and vigor by the very quality of the film
Tuesday
Two wholly different but complementary ways of looking at Christianity
Twelve Churches is a hugely accomplished and endlessly readable book, rich in historical and ecclesiastical detail
Patricia Lockwood’s latest novel transcends genres
Many books mix fiction and memoir. Successfully incorporating criticism into a novel is more unusual
Patrick Ryan’s second novel doesn’t pretend to be perfect
Buckeye is a fine illustration of how drawing-room tensions can fester and become matters of historical significance.
The Life of Violet catches a side of Virginia Woolf that has been obscured
A new Woolf typescript is cause for celebration. Two cheers for Seshagiri. But this new edition is a weak casket
Trump is right to take on the Smithsonian
The curators’ political peacocking has long carried no risk
Ben Shahn’s work remains as timely as ever
The artist’s unflinching vision of a world gone awry is as powerfully direct as his late-in-life compositions of compassion and hope