The Journalists Who Wring Life Out Of Death: 'Obit'
Critic Andrew Lapin says this documentary about the New York Times' Obituaries desk is "a touching inquiry on the nature of public legacy amid the ceaseless march of time."
Arts
For 'New York Times' Obit Writers, 'Death Is Never Solicitous Of A Deadline'
Bruce Weber and Margalit Fox have written obituaries for thousands of people, ranging from heads of state to the inventor of the Etch-a-Sketch. They are featured in the new documentary Obit.
'The Radium Girls' Is Haunted By Glowing Ghosts
Kate Moore's account of the sufferings and struggles of the Radium Girls — factory workers who were poisoned by the glowing radium paint they worked with — reads like a true crime narrative.
In 'Walkaway,' A Blueprint For A New, Weird (But Better) World
Cory Doctorow's latest novel is set in a ripped-from-the-headlines near future dystopia, where the creative and the capable — and the lost — are walking into the wilderness to build a new world.
Filmmaker Jonathan Demme, Director Of 'Silence Of The Lambs,' Dies At 73
Filmmaker Jonathan Demme died this morning in his New York apartment, of complications from esophageal cancer. He was 73 years old. Demme had the seemingly effortless ability to cross over from big budget Hollywood movies like "Silence of the Lambs" and "Philadelphia" to documentaries about Haiti and rockumentaries about Talking Heads and Neil Young.
'Handmaid's Tale' Wants You To Feel Like 'This Could Happen Here'
Elisabeth Moss and Samira Wiley star in Hulu's TV adaptation of Margaret Atwood's 1985 dystopian novel — in which fertile women become reproductive surrogates for powerful men and their barren wives.
The High Price Of Fake Authenticity: $425 'Muddy' Jeans Inspire Mockery
This week, the Internet discovered that Nordstrom sells premium denim with a "crackled, caked-on muddy coating" — that is, fake dirt. Former Dirty Jobs host Mike Rowe had some thoughts about that.
Now You Can Own JFK's Personal Reflections On History, For A Hefty Price
As a young journalist seven decades ago, John F. Kennedy witnessed a bombed-out Berlin and Adolf Hitler's bunker. Bidding on his diary starts Wednesday and is expected to top $200,000 Wednesday.
Jonathan Demme, Director Of 'Silence Of The Lambs,' Dies At 73
During more than four decades behind the camera, the Oscar-winning filmmaker forged a wide-ranging career — from documentaries to horror. He died Wednesday from complications of esophageal cancer.
Hulu's 'Handmaid's Tale' Delivers A Timely And Feminist Message
A new 10-part adaptation of Margaret Atwood's 1986 novel stars Elisabeth Moss as a woman living in a totalitarian state. Critic David Bianculli says the miniseries depicts a bleak and haunting future.