America has lost her Top Gun spirit
And no well-intentioned sequel can pretend otherwise
Culture
The good, the bad and the ugly in books, exhibitions, cinema, TV, dance, music, podcasts and theatre.
May 26, 2022
Deep water Winslow
Books and ArtsWinslow Homer has been put out to sea at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Diaries from Eighties New York
Books and ArtsDuncan Hannah chronicles growing up and getting down in Eighties New York
Is Hans Zimmer a genius or a charlatan?
Books and ArtsA Zimmer score is seldom less than a pleasure to listen to, as has been the case for decades
Throwing curveballs
Books and ArtsRace and sex in Paradise Square and Take Me Out
The final word on the millennial generation
Books and ArtsThe Worst Person in the World’s ticking clock makes it both urgent and sad
May 25, 2022
Ricky Gervais, Netflix and clickbait controversy
Audiences are increasingly wise to knee-jerk manipulation
May 20, 2022
Zelensky is the star of the Cannes Festival
Cannes is back, bébé
May 15, 2022
Evelyn Statsinger’s otherwordly art
The underappreciated artist is getting some well-deserved attention
May 9, 2022
Why are government unions never the bad guys?
One of the worst villains in American life gets ignored by Hollywood
May 1, 2022
Are critics useless?
Viola Davis calls them out for their smugness while sounding a bit vainglorious herself
April 29, 2022
Relive James Corden’s most valuable contributions to America
As the Brit announces his departure from The Late Late Show
April 28, 2022
Bob Dylan’s and T.S. Eliot’s search for truth
Eliot lingered in Dylan’s consciousness as he sought to answer the question “what is it?”
April 19, 2022
What is David Lynch up to now?
As rumors about ‘Wisteria’ swirl, the director is being typically mysterious
April 18, 2022
Blues for Pablo
Books and ArtsAn exhibition of early Picasso has landed at the Phillips Collection in Washington
Jewel aid
Books and ArtsCartier’s sleek modernity finds its roots in Islamic art history
Charles Mingus at 100
Books and ArtsHe isn’t for the faint of heart, but it’s worth confronting his life’s work
Midcult madness
Books and ArtsThe Music Man and Plaza Suite reviewed
Around and around the world
Books and ArtsMasterpiece has brought Around the World in 80 Days to the small screen
Beach for America
Books and ArtsSpring Breakers revisited
April 17, 2022
Robert B. Shaw sees things as they are
He is one of those poets who is profound without sounding so
April 16, 2022
‘Father Stu’ and the merits of suffering
We’ve forgotten how to suffer well
April 15, 2022
Ocean Vuong’s immature poetry
His latest collection shows the limits of confessional poems
April 14, 2022
Hollywood won’t say gay in China
Free speech exists in the entertainment industry — but only within CCP limits
April 7, 2022
Time to slay J.K. Rowling’s ‘Fantastic Beasts’
Let’s hope the latest film in the series is the last
April 6, 2022
‘Slow Horses’ is thriller television at its best
It’s not funny, but it’s terrific
April 4, 2022
Don’t cancel John Donne’s poetry
He’s being attacked as a colonialist but his work was far more complex and erotic than that
Is Andy Warhol really an artist?
The Supreme Court will grapple with that question in an upcoming copyright case
April 1, 2022
The bitter irony of Bruce Willis bowing out
Wealth and success don’t make one immune to aging
