Culture

Why the People Behind Quibi Are So Confident

The video platform is backed by dozens of Hollywood A-listers and executives. But its launch during a global pandemic will be the real viability test.

• Todd S. Purdum
• 6:00 AM ET

A Brilliant Indie Movie That’s Accidentally Getting a National Release

Because of the pandemic, Eliza Hittman’s empathetic film about a teen seeking an abortion has been released to a broad audience online.

• David Sims
• April 4, 2020

The Spanish Sci-Fi Thriller Putting a Brutal Spin on Inequality

Netflix’s The Platform, a film about a vertical prison filled with gluttony and cannibalism, is striking a chord with American viewers now.

• Hannah Giorgis
• April 4, 2020

Bill Withers’s Life Was as Rich as His Songs

The “Lean on Me” and “Lovely Day” singer, dead at 81, was too great a talent and too independent an individual to be eclipsed by his own influence.

• Spencer Kornhaber
• April 3, 2020

We’re All Larry Davids Now

Who isn’t suspicious of other people, overtly worried about hygiene, and trigger-happy with a bottle of hand sanitizer?

• David Sims
• April 3, 2020

Books Briefing: If Your Attention Span Is Shrinking, Read Poetry

A concentration cleanse: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Myles Poydras
• April 3, 2020

The Perfect Quarantine Joke Is Not About Quarantine

Comedy, the adage goes, is tragedy plus time. But in this pandemic, even humor has no idea what the future holds.

• Megan Garber
• April 2, 2020

Ina Garten’s Quarantine Playbook

In an inordinately stressful moment, the Barefoot Contessa’s Instagram page has become one of the most soothing and wholesome places on the internet.

• Sophie Gilbert
• April 1, 2020

The Importance of Partying Alone

Is it any coincidence that the No. 1 song in the country is about loneliness and empty streets—or that it’s making people dance like Richard Simmons in their bedrooms?

• Spencer Kornhaber
• April 1, 2020

Getting Through a Pandemic With Old-Fashioned Crafts

Like many others in these times, I’ve turned to arts such as crochet and knitting to make sense of the chaos around me.

• Rosa Inocencio Smith
• April 1, 2020

When a TV Adaptation Does What the Book Could Not

Hulu’s take on the novel Little Fires Everywhere doesn’t just translate the story to the screen. It goes where the author felt she couldn’t go on her own.

• Shirley Li
• March 31, 2020

Escape From Quarantine With a Western Movie

The best genre for the age of social distancing is one full of gorgeous scenes of the great outdoors.

• David Sims
• March 30, 2020

The Show That Illustrates the Numbness of Staying Alive

The British HBO series Years and Years imagines a near-future defined by two phenomena: catastrophe and resilience.

• Sophie Gilbert
• March 29, 2020

Homes Actually Need to Be Practical Now

One of the ironies of social distancing is that it can put privacy in short supply.

• Megan Garber
• March 29, 2020

Even the Most Versatile Actors Can’t Find Work

“We’re just kind of on a wing and a prayer now.”

• Shirley Li
• March 28, 2020

Ageism Is Making the Pandemic Worse

The disregard for the elderly that’s woven into American culture is hurting everyone.

• Louise Aronson
• March 28, 2020

The Books Briefing: Books for Feeling Better

Hopeful stories for difficult times: Your weekly guide to the best in books

• Rosa Inocencio Smith
• March 27, 2020

We’re Finding Out How Small Our Lives Really Are

No new friends. No new plans. Where is there to go in isolation but backwards and inward?

• Spencer Kornhaber
• March 26, 2020

‘The Fact That I Can’t Fix Things Now Is Breaking My Heart’

In the restaurant industry, how to get cash to out-of-work servers—and food to gig workers suddenly without income—is the question on everyone’s mind.

• Corby Kummer
• March 26, 2020

The Controversial Novel That Immerses Readers in Teen Abuse

The difficulty of My Dark Vanessa lies in its adult narrator, who refuses to acknowledge her childhood trauma even as she recounts it.

• Sophie Gilbert
• March 25, 2020