Angelica Jade Bastién is a critic for New York and Vulture focusing on pop culture. She was once described by a close friend as “deliciously vulgar”.
best of 2022
The Best Movie Performances of 2022From the deliciously jittery Jake Gyllenhaal to a perfectly arch Rebecca Hall to Taylor Russell as a cannibal, and so much more.
Nikyatu Jusu’s FablesThe director of Nanny, this year’s most acclaimed film at Sundance, blends West African folklore and horror.
performance review
What Was Brangelina?The couple were always known for their image-making savvy. Now, as their divorce reenters the press cycle, we’re reminded of who’s better at it.
close read
The Hollow Impersonation in BlondeIn life, Marilyn Monroe was a complex artist and human being. In the hands of Ana de Armas, she’s an eternal victim.
close read
Harley Quinn Grows UpThe animated series’s third season excavated some deep emotional terrain, at the expense of its gonzo humor.
The 102 Best Movie Sequels of All TimeWho in the world wanted a Top Gun sequel? Not even Tom Cruise, but that didn’t stop Maverick from getting made and soaring in our ranks.
behind the seams
The Tantalizing Failures of Irma VepOlivier Assayas’s remix of his own film is playful and wild, but it lacks what it needs to succeed: a true star performance.
urgent reconsideration
Atlanta Season Three Was a Bad TripAfter a four-year break, Donald Glover’s FX series returned unsure of what it wanted to say. Four Vulture writers and critics try to make sense of it.
Writing Through the MomentThe Kings are known for making TV that captures the Zeitgeist. It’s a high-wire act that’s gotten trickier post-Trump.
tv review
The Handsome Tragedies of Y: The Last ManThe FX on Hulu show poses spiky questions about gender, family, and human nature in the midst of trauma. Does it have the skill to answer them?
movie review
Candyman Is a Soulless, Didactic ReimaginingNia DaCosta and Jordan Peele’s horror sequel gravely misunderstands the allure of the original and has nothing meaningful to say on its own.
Them Is Pure Degradation PornHeavy on torture and low on meaning, the Little Marvin–created, Lena Waithe–produced series reveals the empty promise of representation in Hollywood.
Euphoria Special Recap: Most GirlsIn its second, Jules-centric holiday special, the series returns to its ostentatious roots, undercutting the potential of its own story.
endings
Emerald Fennell Explains HerselfHer icy film Promising Young Woman set off a fascinating conversation about what we expect from rape-revenge stories.
movie review
The Empty Spectacle of Wonder Woman 1984The disappointing sequel highlights not only the dire state of the live-action superhero genre, but the dire state of Hollywood filmmaking as a whole.
