The Rings of Power just might turn Tolkien in his grave
The new Amazon Prime series is an exercise in artistic necrophilia
Culture
The good, the bad and the ugly in books, exhibitions, cinema, TV, dance, music, podcasts and theatre.
August 30, 2022
The time trap of Irma Vep
Books and ArtsThe HBO Max miniseries shows a rare interest in the present moment
Country music finds its independent streak
Books and ArtsNew singers are bucking bro-country and reconnecting with their roots
Chroma chameleon
Books and ArtsThe Met brings out its bread and butter: stunning galleries devoted to Greek and Roman art
Not your average Jo
Books and ArtsJoanna Hiffernan is now at the center of The Woman in White, an exhibition at the NGA
Closing the curtain on Norm Macdonald’s comedy
Books and ArtsHe was willing to pulverize all we hold dear in modern America
Crimes of the Future is David Cronenberg at his best
Books and ArtsWhich scenes will cause you to walk out or flee in disgust? Caveat emptor
August 26, 2022
The dynamic genius of Milton Avery
His work exists on the boundary of abstraction and realism
August 24, 2022
Beast is a throwaway summer thriller too tame for its own good
Though you do get to see Idris Elba punch a lion
The Hillary and Chelsea Clinton docu-series of your wildest dreams
Thanks for making this, Apple!
August 23, 2022
Game of Thrones was the last water cooler show
While its prequel seems just another tale of a girlboss girlbossing
August 22, 2022
The delight of Only Murders in the Building
In some ways, the series is about itself: the fun of following along with an investigation, however grisly
August 19, 2022
Disney’s transgender tampon experts
Why the streaming service is striking out
The quiet end of the Golden Age of television
The Better Call Saul finale wraps up an era
August 17, 2022
Bryce Dallas Howard’s throwback femininity
Old-fashioned women make the world go round
The ongoing farce of Ezra Miller
Why does the actor still have such a hold on film executives?
What’s so wrong with Netflix’s Purple Hearts?
The movie offers near-perfect messaging for post-woke Netflix
August 15, 2022
Di another day
There’s a Princess Diana photography exhibition in a DC shopping mall. Why?
Bullet Train is a neon-washed delight
The fun thriller breaks up the summer’s lengthy movie drought
August 14, 2022
Robert Icke’s smart pairing
The British director offers seven hours of Hamlet and Oresteia
August 11, 2022
The Sandman is a confused disappointment
The problems begin in the first episode, a kind of demonic take on Downton Abbey
August 5, 2022
Why do films get canceled?
Batgirl is the latest movie to get the ax
Louis’s comebaC.K.
The canceled comedian has directed a new movie
August 3, 2022
Taylor Swift finally faces the woke mob
Her response to reports about her private jet sparks ire
August 1, 2022
Philip Guston in the padded room
Books and ArtsAfter a controversial postponement, the Philip Guston retrospective has landed in Boston
Sinking into the pixels
Books and ArtsWe’re All Going to the World’s Fair is an important film about the internet
Ukraine in black and white
Books and ArtsRecalling the moral clarity of Lillian Hellman’s The North Star
Arcade Fire: the last of the art-rockers?
Books and ArtsThe band’s return is not just welcome but overdue
The underrated Kenny Dorham
Books and ArtsOn the fiftieth anniversary of his death, it’s well worth revisiting his remarkable career