'Fifty Shades Darker' But Several Shades Short Of A Movie
The sequel to the 2015 softcore BDSM film Fifty Shades of Grey gets a tiny bit smuttier than its predecessor, but its story and characters remain just as limp as ever.
Arts
'A United Kingdom': A Tense Political Thriller Marred By A Dull Love Story
Director Amma Assante's film about the backroom gamesmanship that led to the birth of a new African nation grows "vigorous and sharp" once it gets past its lead characters' cliche-ridden courtship.
'The LEGO Batman Movie' Really Clicks
The Dark Knight lightens up, already: In this frenetic, loosely structured Bat-sequel to 2014's The LEGO Movie, Will Arnett's arrogant Batman finally gets over himself.
Soapmaker Dr. Bronner Releases Posthumous Album Of His Own Words
Walk into any health food store, and you'll find a bottle of Dr. Bronner's soap. It's famous not only for its cleansing power but for its label, which is full of Dr. Bronner's religious and philosophical writings. Now the company is releasing an album of his words set to music. He was a Holocaust survivor, business genius and a difficult family man.
Students Seek To Recreate Ancient Beer Recipe Discovered In Pottery Vessels
Archaeologists discovered a 5,000-year-old beer recipe by studying the residue of pottery vessels found in an excavated site in northeast China. Now Stanford University students are recreating the recipe.
George Saunders Re-Imagines A President's Grief With 'Lincoln In The Bardo'
The acclaimed short-story writer sets his first novel in the cemetery where 11-year-old Willie Lincoln was buried. Critic Maureen Corrigan calls Lincoln in the Bardo "searing, inventive and bizarre."
Memory And Loss Haunt The Stories In 'The Refugees'
Viet Thanh Nguyen's new collection looks at how it feels and what it means to be a refugee. It's a wonderful group of stories that prove fiction can do more than tell stories, it can bear witness.
'Tower' Pays Tribute To A 1966 Campus Shooting That Was 'Pushed Aside'
Fourteen people were killed by a sniper at the University of Texas on Aug. 1, 1966. But director Keith Maitland says people were "encouraged to move forward and not linger in the terrible tragedy."
Atlanta Rolls Up, Moves An Old Oil Painting — All 374 Feet And 12 Tons Of It
On Thursday, one of the world's largest oil paintings starts its trip to a new home. The immersive "cyclorama" puts viewers in the Battle of Atlanta, and is one of just a few of its kind in the U.S.
'Autumn' Champions Free Spirits And The Lifeforce Of Art
Ali Smith kicks off a seasonally-themed quartet with this ultimately uplifting look at the lifelong friendship between a young woman and her unconventional childhood soulmate, an artistic gay man.