Why is British espionage drama so in vogue?
We may not want to be on the receiving end of their attentions, but it’s hard not to be seduced, all the same
Culture
The good, the bad and the ugly in books, exhibitions, cinema, TV, dance, music, podcasts and theatre.
November 25, 2024
What will Elton John learn from Tammy Faye’s flop on Broadway?
Its failure mirrors that of American Psycho
November 21, 2024
Presenting our planet and perilous situation as art
Philippe Pastor is an artist on a mission to educate, alarm and call to action
Will & Harper is a road trip into self-obsession
With Will Ferrell left in the passenger seat
Why Alice Neel remains a vital presence
Books and ArtsThe artist’s path to success was long and arduous, paved with heartbreak and poverty
The ups and downs of making Chaplin
Books and ArtsThe biopic made its star Robert Downey Jr.’s name. But its production was as eventful as any Chaplin picture
Memories of David Niven
Books and ArtsI recall nothing of our lunch conversation, which has evaporated after fifty years. But I do have a clear memory of the icon of cinema
Barcelona turns thirty
Books and ArtsRevisiting Whit Stillman’s sophomore picture
November 18, 2024
Does Dune: Prophecy have what it takes to be a hit?
There may come a point that Dune fatigue sets in — and we may pinpoint this series as that very situation
November 15, 2024
Can Conan O’Brien save the Oscars?
He is an inspired choice
November 14, 2024
Can a TV show survive the loss of its star?
The final few episodes of Yellowstone may offer an experience akin to watching King Lear without the king
November 4, 2024
The late Quincy Jones, a man of many talents
He delighted and occasionally shocked the world throughout his seventy-five-year career
October 31, 2024
Is Rivals the most outrageous show on television?
Come for the outrageousness and scandal, stay for the surprisingly sweet heart at its center
October 21, 2024
Disclaimer is the best show on TV — and the most underrated
Sex, death and wealthy people being vile to one another — what’s not to like?
How controversial is The Apprentice?
Books and ArtsAbbasi’s heady weaving of the antic and the deadly serious may explain some of the criticism that’s been leveled at the film
Twenty-five years of Fight Club and American Beauty
Books and ArtsWhat the notorious films have to say about masculinity in crisis?
War, one artwork at a time
Books and ArtsUkrainian nationals and their allies have been working tirelessly to promote the voices of a people under siege
A classic monument for World War One
Books and ArtsSabin Howard brings classicism back to the Mall
October 18, 2024
Where has the erotic film gone?
Depictions of sex in cinema have collapsed
October 15, 2024
Are politician films really such a good idea, after all?
Ali Abbasi’s Donald Trump drama The Apprentice has flopped
October 8, 2024
Saturday Night Live is helping Trump
The show has done more to link Harris to Biden in two episodes than the weak-kneed GOP establishment has done since she became the Democratic candidate
October 7, 2024
Are we seeing the death of auteur cinema?
Joker: Folie à Deux has flopped, and then some
September 27, 2024
RIP, Dame Maggie Smith
Her death represents the passing of a generation
September 23, 2024
The Penguin, Agatha All Along and the perils of spin-offs of spin-offs
There is a chronic lack of imagination
September 20, 2024
A Very Royal Scandal — a very controversial series?
If you’ve seen Scoop , you may feel that this is inessential and unrevelatory
September 16, 2024
Emmys 2024: Shōgun, shocks and surprises
The Japan-set drama won virtually everything this year
September 12, 2024
Caligula’s second wind
Books and ArtsThe notorious film may be the most expensive, most unpleasant adult movie ever made
The world needs more Lars von Triers
Books and ArtsThe director has spent his time pushing the boundaries of cinema to the extreme
Bud Powell should be a household name
Books and ArtsHe cherished the few joys in his life and celebrated them through his innovative approach to the piano