Christmas, Pleasant: 'Last Christmas' Gives You Its Heart
Paul Feig directs Emilia Clarek, Henry Golding and Emma Thompson (who co-wrote the script) in a Yule-themed "fun, if shaggy, character study."
Arts
'Honey Boy' Is Flawed But Fascinating, Like Its Lead Character
Actor Shia LaBeouf's autobiographical film lacks the nuance of director Alma Ha'rel's previous documentary work, but star Noah Jupe's performance is astounding.
'Doctor Sleep' Is Haunted By The Ghost Of Stanley Kubrick
Mike Flanagan directs a meandering, imitative sequel to both the Stephen King book and the Stanley Kubrick movie, The Shining; its nonhorror elements prove more persuasive than its scares.
A Middling 'Midway'
Roland Emmerich's CGI-heavy depiction of the WWII battle that turned the tide in the Pacific isn't boring, but it's familiar beats ensure it's more a movie about war movies than it is about war.
'We're All Struggling': Writer Saeed Jones Reflects On Identity And Acceptance
"It was perilous to be a black gay boy in America," Jones says of the fear and isolation he experienced growing up in Texas in the 1990s. His new memoir is How We Fight for Our Lives.
'The Mysterious Affair At Olivetti' Attempts To Find A Cold War Conspiracy
Biographer Meryle Secrest chases a theory that two key Olivetti computer visonaries' deaths did not happen as officially recorded. While a gripping read at times, there's not a lot of solid ground.
'The Deep' Sings With Many Voices
Rivers Solomon's lyrical, wrenching new novella is based on a track from the experimental rap group clipping., about a peaceful undersea race descended from slaves thrown overboard in the Atlantic.
In 'Mobituaries,' Mo Rocca Gives People The Second Send-Offs They Deserved
The humorist has expanded his podcast series into a book of essays on the historical figures (and objects, like station wagons, and empires, like Prussia) that didn't get enough love the first time.
'A Marvelous Life' Holds Stan Lee High As The Man Who Made Superheroes Matter
Danny Fingeroth spends some time unpacking Lee's long-running dispute with Jack Kirby and others over ownership, but mainly offers strong insights into the forces that drove Lee and Marvel to success.
From Anorexia To Dystopia, New Operas Eloquently Tackle Contemporary Topics
Ellen West, a new one-act chamber opera presented by Opera Saratoga, is based on a tragic poem by Frank Bidart, while Poul Ruders' The Thirteenth Child draws on Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.