Why Was The Abyss a Flop?Critics and audiences rejected James Cameron’s underwater “nightmare” in 1989. But its imperfections only add to its deranged grandeur.
ByBilge Ebiri
the work of art
How’d You Make That?Three masterpieces from glimmer through struggle to breakthrough.
ByAdam Moss
tv review
The Remorseless Mr. RipleyAndrew Scott’s phenomenal take on Patricia Highsmith’s con man anchors a deliciously mean adaptation.
Our Sweetheart of the RodeoBeyoncé’s Cowboy Carter chronicles an artist with a voice pliable enough (and a following large enough) to crash whatever scene she pleases.
ByCraig Jenkins
documentaries
Two StevesSteve Martin’s life is split into distinct halves in Morgan Neville’s refreshing new documentary about the comedy legend.
ByHershal Pandya
overnights
Shōgun Recap: Family MattersAs we learn more about Toranaga’s past, his plans for the future seem more uncertain than ever.
‘I Don’t Know How Much of It Is Immoral’Jerrod Carmichael’s surreal new HBO docuseries Reality Show puts all his relationships to the test. He’s still living with the aftermath.
ByMatthew Jacobs
buffering
Can TV Procedurals Save Streaming?Max and Netflix are making old-school hospital dramas from network veterans. Is this the next front in the streaming wars?
ByJosef Adalian
stand-up
No One Ends a Comedy Show Like Tig NotaroIn her specials and albums, the stand-up constantly pushes the boundaries of what audiences might expect from a closing joke.
ByHershal Pandya
movie review
Did We Really Need Kaiju to Get All Cute?Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire doesn’t deliver the giant-monster goods, but it does make its creatures disconcertingly adorable.
ByAlison Willmore
one love
The Flattening of Bob Marley’s RadicalismThe biopic One Love continues a long tradition of downplaying the late reggae star’s lifelong commitment to the liberation of Black people.
Jerrod Carmichael Makes the Camera His GodIn his HBO series, the comedian needles at whether the spectacle of his own personality and pain eclipses his ability to care about others.
The TroubadourHow Alynda Segarra, a former train-hopping punk from the Bronx, became one of America’s best songwriters.
ByJenn Pelly
remember that time
A Gunshot in the CourtroomTen years after Will’s demise, Josh Charles and The Good Wife’s creators reflect: “The only wall high enough to keep the two lovers apart was death.”
A Royale LineageThe Carol Burnett Show inspired her career. Now Kristen Wiig is starring in a TV show with her hero.
ByMatt Zoller Seitz
gold rush
Who’s the Most Overdue for an Oscar Right Now?For some, the most-nominated people are the ones who “deserve” to win. But that’s an awfully clinical way of looking at this! Ever heard of vibes?
We Don’t Know AnythingThe Oscar-winning Anatomy of a Fall is a courtroom thriller and a marital drama, but it’s also about how we’ve lost the ability to grasp reality.
ByBilge Ebiri
movie review
Bustin’ Makes Me Feel BlehIn Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, the jokes are witless, the emotions artless, and the film joyless.
Top Chef Serves Up Chaos MenuThe venerable cooking competition returns in reinvention mode, but its newly Bear-ified visual style feels undercooked.
ByRoxana Hadadi
movie review
A New Road House by Way of Looney TunesJake Gyllenhaal is better at oddballs than heroes — thank God he’s playing one of the former in this Road House remake.
