Rihanna Is Back in the Pop Game—On Her Own Terms
Thank goodness.
Bob Dylan Reveals Himself Through 66 Songs
And it’s the closest we’re probably going to get.
Don’t Blame a Man for Midnights
Taylor Swift’s new album surely sounds how it sounds because she, not her producer, wanted it to.
A World Where Death Isn’t the End
Namwali Serpell’s new book explores grief as it’s really experienced.
Where My Characters Come From
I don’t choose them; they choose me.
House of the Dragon Actually Pulled It Off
The Game of Thrones spinoff crammed a 19-year family saga into 10 episodes of television—and somehow, it worked brilliantly.
Six Books That Show No One Can Hurt You Like a Sibling
The unique feeling of sharing parents, or of growing up together, makes this relationship unlike any other.
‘I’m Trying to Get All the Coolness Out of My Movies’
Martin McDonagh, the man behind In Bruges and The Banshees of Inisherin, thinks he might be mellowing out.
Black Country Is Not a Fad. It’s a Legacy.
“The root of country music is blues, and it’s Black as hell.”
America’s Favorite Marilyn Monroe Cliché
Let’s be clear: She was not Norma Jeane. She chose to be Marilyn.
The Beautiful Banality of Taylor Swift’s Midnights
The album treads aggressively familiar territory—but with new wisdom and confidence.
How to Avoid the ‘White Savior Industrial Complex’
A missionary in turn-of-the-century Persia gave up his privilege and became a force for good.
The Gleeful Cynicism of The Banshees of Inisherin
Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson make the best, bloodiest frenemies.
Carly Rae Jepsen Pierces the Fantasy
“I thrive on a little chaos,” the queen of bubblegum pop said, describing her new album’s grit and glitter.
Black Adam Is the Nadir of Superhero Movies—And of Dwayne Johnson
Dwyane Johnson delivers a charmless performance in his latest movie.
The Secret of How We Move
Two new books show that movement helps us see the rhythms we all share—whether in the angular works of Martha Graham or in the natural choreographies of daily life.
TV’s Last Truly Unbothered Show
Behind the scenes with Cate Blanchett and Fred Armisen on an esoteric labor of love
The Trap
What it takes to make it in hip-hop’s new capital
The $30 Million Lottery Scam
How a Michigan real-estate broker became convinced he had cracked the lottery—and how he tricked his investors into financing his scheme
The Host SNL Needed Right Now
Megan Thee Stallion’s charisma brought her sketches to another level—and emphasized the blandness of the rest of the show.