World
The Lessons of “The Perfect Neighbor”
“The Perfect Neighbor” chronicles how Lorincz, in her attempts to turn law enforcement against members of her own community, managed only to unite the two groups in shared disgust....
Tame Impala Is an Obsessive, Not a Perfectionist
The magic of Parker’s music—what makes his records so restless, dithery, dynamic—hinges on the minuscule yet crucial difference between perfectionism (endlessly boring) and obsession (endlessly interesting). “Everyone thinks I’m...
Kelly Reichardt’s “The Mastermind” Reinvents the Heist Movie
One of the joys of reviewing movies is witnessing a longtime filmmaker’s artistic breakthrough, as has happened with Kelly Reichardt. A serious director with a principled world view, she...
Diane Keaton’s Shadows and Light
In Vanity Fair in 1987, Keaton told Joan Juliet Buck, “I was always pretty religious as a kid, but I had trouble with Jesus early on because I couldn’t...
The Hunt for the World’s Oldest Story
I read George Eliot’s “Middlemarch,” sometimes hailed as the greatest British novel, in a rain forest in western Indonesia. I was there as a graduate student, spending my days...
V. R. Lang, a Forgotten Queen Bee of Modern Poetry
Candidly. The past, the sensations of the past. Now!in cuneiform, of umbrella satrap square-carts with hotdogsand onions of red syrup blended, of sand bejewelling the prepucein tank suits, of...
Tim Curry Does the Time Warp
It does feel kind of like a play. Even people who haven’t seen it know Madeline Kahn’s “flames on the side of my face” speech. What was your experience...
The Making of “Adaptation”
I didn’t keep close track of what was going on with “Adaptation,” because I was busy with my own work and, frankly, I didn’t expect much to come of...
Rose Byrne Hits the Motherlode
Her comedic pivot would have to wait, though. After a stint living in London, she moved to New York to co-star with Glenn Close in “Damages,” the FX legal...
The Safe Space of “Good Hang with Amy Poehler”
Amy Poehler may be the most-liked woman in Hollywood. Her latest project, the mega-popular podcast “Good Hang with Amy Poehler,” certainly encourages that impression. It’s perhaps her biggest platform...
