Is Tom Cruise the Last Action Hero? Is Tom Cruise the Last Action Hero?
After a strange, controversial career, he has become one of the few figures who upholds the old rules of Hollywood—where the human body is the greatest special effect.
Sep 3, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Vikram Murthi
Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Remakes the Family Drama Branden Jacobs-Jenkins Remakes the Family Drama
His latest work, Purpose, evokes Chekov in its exploration of faith, parents, and politics.
Aug 27, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Alisa Solomon
How China Engineered the Next Century How China Engineered the Next Century
Dan Wang argues that the battle between China and the United States is simply a conflict between engineers and lawyers. The situation is much more complicated than that.
Aug 26, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Rollin Hu
The Myth of Clean Energy The Myth of Clean Energy
Is all the hope placed in renewables an illusion?
Aug 25, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Trevor Jackson
The Empty Provocations of “Eddington” The Empty Provocations of “Eddington”
Ari Aster’s farcical western is billed as a send-up of the puerile politics of the Covid years. In reality, it’s a film that seems to have no politics at all.
Aug 21, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Kelli Weston
The Rot at Fort Bragg The Rot at Fort Bragg
Seth Harp exposes how all the death and crime surrounding one military base is not an aberration but representative of the fratricidal impulse of the armed forces at large.
Aug 20, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Lyle Jeremy Rubin
The Revolutionary Politics of “Andor” The Revolutionary Politics of “Andor”
The latest addition to the Star Wars series offers an intricate tale of radicalization and its costs.
Aug 19, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Jorge Cotte
The Art and Genius of Lorna Simpson The Art and Genius of Lorna Simpson
A new exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art tracks what has changed and what has remained the same in the artist’s work.
Aug 18, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Rachel Hunter Himes
Catherine Lacey’s Missed Connections Catherine Lacey’s Missed Connections
In her most personal work, The Möbius Book, Lacey uses a devastating moment of heartbreak to ruminate on the messy intersections between life and writing.
Aug 13, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Alana Pockros
Imposter Ghazal for Forugh Imposter Ghazal for Forugh
Aug 12, 2025 / Books & the Arts / Mandana Chaffa