Two High-Profile Creators Pass The Baton From 'Twin Peaks' To 'The Deuce'
David Lynch's perplexing 18-hour revival just ended on Showtime, and David Simon's latest ambitious drama is about to begin on HBO.
Arts
Director Mike White Unpacks The Impulse To Compare In 'Brad's Status'
In White's new film, a father starts to experience status anxiety while taking his son on a college tour. White says it's a universal situation, "but it's definitely a waste of time and energy."
You Can't Go 'Home Again' — Or At Least, You Shouldn't
The writing/directing debut of Hallie Meyers-Shyer (daughter of Nancy Meyers) features tired tropes, stiff acting and lots of hand-wringing about how tough it is to break into Hollywood.
'Spettacolo' Lovingly Chronicles A Tuscan Theatrical Tradition In Decline
Once a year, for 51 years, residents of the Tuscan hamlet Monticchielo have staged a play about their lives. A new documentary finds the town's younger generation is losing interest in the practice.
'It' Happens, Again And Again And Again
Stephen King's tale of a shape-shifting clown who haunts a small Maine town gets an adaptation that features fine performances, but relies on a barrage of repetitive jump-scares.
A Knock Unanswered, A Body Unmourned: 'The Unknown Girl'
Sorry, Wrong Nombre: Directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, known for stripped-down social realist dramas, bring their spare aesthetic to a surprisingly pulpy murder mystery.
Biologist Jonathan Losos Explores 'Convergent Evolution' In 'Improbable Destinies'
NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with Jonathan Losos, author of the new book, Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance, and the Future of Evolution, which explores the growing understanding of "convergent evolution."
Addiction Is A Family Affair In 'Mayhem'
Sigrid Rausing is heir to a packaging fortune and a global philanthropist, but her new memoir describes a painfully ordinary family tragedy: her sister-in-law's drug addiction, struggle and death.
People And Animals, 'Falling And Flying,' Make For A Hypnotic Read
Ben Loory's new story collection is dreamlike in the best way: both cheerfully surreal and cosmically unsettling, full of lovelorn cephalopods, discontented sloths and the occasional darker touch.
Fiery And Nuanced, 'Tales Of Two Americas' Sheds Light On Economic Inequality
This collection of essays, poems, and short stories — edited by John Freeman — makes for a gripping and intensely personal examination of inequality, transience and displacement in America.