Category Culture

Listening to Taylor Swift in Prison

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story The first time I heard about Taylor Swift, I was in a Los Angeles County jail, waiting to be sent to prison for murder. Sheriffs would hand out precious copies of…

The Political, Metaphysical Melodrama of “Dragonwyck”

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Hollywood novel, “The Last Tycoon,” is an admiring roman à clef about the visionary studio boss Irving Thalberg, who, in his early twenties, had more or less invented…

“Bottoms” Is a Major Film but Not a Good One

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story Laughter and tears are like sneezes, physiological responses without aesthetic substance. That’s why I don’t think less of a comedy that doesn’t make me laugh. What matters is the style with…

The Shock of Japan’s Extreme Heat

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story Japan as a nation has long possessed a keen awareness of climate. Kigo, the phrases that evoke the feel of the seasons, are the foundation of haiku poetry. Shun, the term…

The Surreal Nudes of Heji Shin

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story Alex BaraschCulture editor You’re reading the Goings On newsletter, a guide to what we’re watching, listening to, and doing this week. Sign up to receive it in your in-box. Late August…

Into the Invisible Elsewhere

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story                                                     Sourse: newyorker.com Rate this item:1.002.003.004.005.00Submit…

The Cosmic Comedy of “The Plot Against Harry”

Save this storySave this storySave this storySave this story Michael Roemer’s second professional feature, “The Plot Against Harry,” from 1969, should have become an instant classic—of American Jewish cinema, of gangster movies, of film comedy, and of bold creativity on…