Shirley Li
She covers Hollywood and the shifting culture of the American entertainment industry. She was an editorial fellow at The Atlantic from 2014 to 2015. Before returning to the publication in 2019, Shirley worked as a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly, reporting on film and TV.
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Will Heath / NBC The SNL Sketch That Left the Cast Helpless
The show proved that the right live performances can find comedy even in a dry steak.
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Focus Features / Jaclyn Martinez / SBS Productions … The 15 Indie Films to Put on Your 2023 Watch List
Here are the most noteworthy movies to come out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
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RB / Bauer-Griffin / Getty; The Atlantic Never Underestimate Jennifer Coolidge
Even before her comeback, the actor excelled at humanizing characters who were written as mere laughingstocks.
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Joanne Imperio / The Atlantic; Mario Tama / … The Cognitive Dissonance of the Monterey Park Shooting
“How can you be celebrating and fearful at the same time?”
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HBO Max The Line That Velma Crossed
The show’s real problem is its attitude toward viewers.
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Screen Gems A Slick Mystery That Takes Place Entirely on Screens
Missing is a slick but buggy update to the genre.
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Christopher Polk / NBC / Getty The Speeches That Saved the Golden Globes
If the show succeeded, it was thanks to the likes of Michelle Yeoh, Jennifer Coolidge, and Ke Huy Quan.
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Michael Gibson / MGM Studios When a Single Conversation Can Mean Life or Death
Sarah Polley’s new film, Women Talking, is about “ending a world and creating a new one”—all in the space of a single debate.
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The Atlantic; Getty; HBO Max 13 Feel-Good TV Shows to Watch This Winter
The most comforting shows to watch during the coldest season
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20th Century Studios The Avatar Sequel’s Worst Character Actually Does the Film a Service
A (partial) defense of the most ridiculous addition to the franchise
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Julia Schimautz The 15 Best TV Shows of 2022
The year’s most essential series
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Apple TV+ Will Smith Isn’t the Main Reason to Avoid Emancipation
The film is part slavery-era drama, part survival thriller, part war epic—and all confused.
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Netflix A Film That Makes Sex Scenes Look Like Works of Art
Netflix’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover updates the book’s treatment of sex, presenting the act as not just an erotic force, but a miraculous one.
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JoJo Whilden / Universal Pictures A #MeToo Movie Devoid of Sensationalism
What She Said understands about investigative journalism
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John Wilson / Netflix Glass Onion Understands the Absurdity of Extreme Wealth
The sequel to Knives Out is one big, beautiful brainteaser.
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Marvel Studios The Unsung Heart of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Angela Bassett’s character models a trait that’s rare amid superhero chaos and violence: self-restraint.
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Keith Bernstein / Netflix The Crown Is Losing Its Shine
A season about the most salacious era in recent royal history shouldn’t feel so sedate.
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JoJo Whilden / Netflix The Good Nurse Is a Chilling Murder Mystery—And Completely Bloodless
The true-crime genre has become defined by spectacle and vulgar speculation. A new film offers another path forward.
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Getty Taylor Swift’s Best New Songs Aren’t Technically on Midnights
She hid her rawest, messiest feelings in her bonus tracks.
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Fabio Lovino / HBO The Sex Lives of the One Percent
In the new season of HBO’s The White Lotus, the rich have wandering eyes and intimate desires—and their wallets can satisfy only so much.
