theaters
Why is Hamilton mostly remembered for the things it's not?
The musical, now 10 years old, seems forever defined by the political moment in which it debuted.
Emily St. James
Emily St. James is a writer and critic whose work has appeared in Vox, The A.V. Club, and the New York Times. She is the co-creator of the podcast Arden and a writer on the TV series Yellowjackets.
Rundown
Episodes Monday Rundown August 25 - 31 2025
This week: Sabrina Carpenter, '90s Trek, and two great video essays.
ai
Maybe AI could make something interesting. It couldn't make "art."
Death to art that only wants to serve us up what we already know we want.
movies
Episodes Monday Rundown August 18 - 24 2025
This week: folk horror, not-so-scary monsters, and giant moths. In three different projects!
Mailbag
August mailbag
This month: Greta Gerwig's How I Met Your Dad, The Addams Family, and bad advice.
writing
How I write (hopefully) effective dialogue
Here's some advice for you to take or leave.
Episodes 6.0
Submit your August mailbag questions!
It's that time again!
Rundown
Episodes Monday Rundown August 11 - 17 2025
This week: Eddington, Alien: Earth, and Strange New Worlds fanservice
horror
What Weapons is "about"
Zach Cregger's excellent and very funny new horror film hides a dark and lonely core.
Rundown
Episodes Monday Rundown August 4 - 10 2025
This week: Princess Mononoke! Weapons! A much larger number of lepers than usual for this feature.
TV
Did Hank Hill vote for Trump?
And before you answer, ask yourself one thing: Why do we care?
books
What if it's supposed to be bad?
Artists make choices. What if those choices are intentionally off-putting?