We’ve Lost the Plot
Our constant need for entertainment has blurred the line between fiction and reality—on television, in American politics, and in our everyday lives.
Frontiers of Sports
There’s Good Reason for Sports to Be Separated by Sex
If the practice stopped, top-level women’s sport as we know it might cease to exist.
Six Books That Will Change How You Look at Art
These titles expand our understanding of creative work—and affirm that it is fundamental to how we process the world.
The Case of the Unknowable Human
Dorothy Sayers’s most famous character is a detective who solves crimes with elegance—but he finds the deeper enigmas of human beings always out of reach.
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.
What Is It About Pamela Anderson?
The model and actor drove men wild. She’s still enduring the consequences.
The Band That Best Captures the Sound of the ’70s
Other groups made a bigger splash, but Blondie was a true genre chameleon.
Knock at the Cabin and the Terror of Raising Children
M. Night Shyamalan understands how to make a ludicrous horror concept work: Add in a healthy dose of tenderness.
A New Way to Read Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald never explicitly states Jay Gatsby’s race.
Did George Washington Burn New York?
Americans disparaged the British as arsonists. But the rebels fought with fire too.
The Miraculous Salman Rushdie
His enchanting new novel is a triumph.
Background
A short story
Elaine Hsieh Chou on the Ethics of ‘Trauma Porn’
“If you are retraumatizing the very audience a piece of media is supposedly for, can it really be for them?”
Never Underestimate Jennifer Coolidge
Even before her comeback, the actor excelled at humanizing characters who were written as mere laughingstocks.
SNL Is Excelling in One Particular Way
The sketch show’s pretaped segments are outshining its live comedy.
Infinity Pool Isn’t Just Another Satire of the Ultra-Wealthy
But the gory, existential horror film can’t keep up with its own premise.
What to Read When You’re Expecting
These writers go beyond the realm of standard guidebooks to offer generous insight and reassurance.
Sam Smith’s Radical Centrism
One of the world’s most prominent queer entertainers thrives at playing to the middle.
The Meme That Defined a Decade
Over the past 10 years, the “This Is Fine” dog has evolved from a joke into an indictment.
The Cognitive Dissonance of the Monterey Park Shooting
“How can you be celebrating and fearful at the same time?”
Poker Face Has a Sting in Its Tail
Natasha Lyonne is extremely fun to watch as a crime-solving waitress on the run.
An Asian American Grief
May we all find peace in the new year.