What happens when a gothic lit expert moves into a haunted houseVox - Constance GradyWelcome to Vox’s weekly book link roundup, a curated selection of the internet’s best writing on books and related subjects. Here’s the best the web has to offer for the week of May 19, 2019. At LitHub,
Aladdin The fraught cultural politics of Disney’s new Aladdin remakeVox - Aja RomanoDisney’s live-action Aladdin, a remake of its 1992 animated film, has finally arrived in theaters, and on one level, it’s something of an achievement. The production, helmed by Guy Ritchie, had a hefty
Booksmart is like Superbad, but with girls and betterVox - Alissa WilkinsonWhen I was a teen in the mid-’90s, it felt like most movies and TV shows about my generation depicted us as mostly self-absorbed and a little bit ridiculous. Even the best teens were only really thinking
TV Series Why HBO’s Succession will be the new Game of ThronesVox - Todd VanDerWerffWith Game of Thrones over, one big question hangs over the TV industry, TV fans, and people who more casually enjoy water-cooler shows: Will there ever be another show like this? I answered this question
Culture The best movies out this weekendVox - Vox StaffHeaded to the movie theater this weekend? Here are the 13 best comedies, dramas, and documentaries playing in the US right now — some of which may also be streaming on services like Netflix and Hulu. list
Play buttonOlivia Wilde BooksmartVox - Alissa WilkinsonBooksmart is Olivia Wilde’s debut directorial feature, and it’s a very satisfying movie for anyone who was never one of the cool kids. Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein), best friends who’ve
Play buttonPokémon: Detective Pikachu Pokémon Detective PikachuVox - Alissa WilkinsonPokémon Detective Pikachu is one of the more unlikely movies to hit the theaters recently, and the premise sounds sort of like it was cooked up in a state of delirium. Tim (Justice Smith) teams up with
Rotten Tomatoes Audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are easily manipulated. That’s about to change.Vox - Alissa WilkinsonThe website is changing the way it tabulates audience scores by only allowing users who bought a movie ticket through its parent company, the ticket-selling giant Fandango, have their reviews count toward
Lil Nas X Lil Nas X and Wrangler collaborated on a clothing line. Some country music fans aren't having it.Vox - Allegra Frank“Old Town Road” star Lil Nas X’s latest move is into fashion, courtesy of a collaboration with Wrangler, the legacy denim and apparel brand that’s become a signature element of the Western aesthetic. chart-topping
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is Tarantino’s fun, haunting homage to the summer of ’69Vox - Alissa WilkinsonName a movie Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and you’re tipping your hand from the start. Quentin Tarantino’s ninth feature (and penultimate, if the director’s threat to retire after his 10th is to be believed)
Tech Industry Meet the man with an impossible job: cleaning up YouTubeVox - Peter KafkaYouTube, the world’s largest video site, has 2 billion users. Most of them just use YouTube to watch … anything. But some YouTubers put their own videos on the site, too. And those people do that a lot:
Play buttonDaenerys Targaryen 20 lingering questions about the Game of Thrones series finaleVox - Alex Abad-SantosThe nicest thing I can say about the Game of Thrones series finale — and even its final season — is that a lot of things happened. “The Iron Throne” included the murder of Daenerys Targaryen; Jon Snow
Fleabag (TV Series) Amazon’s Fleabag season 2 is gorgeous, heartbreaking — and so, so funnyVox - Todd VanDerWerffFor most of my life, I’ve had the vague suspicion that I am a fictional character. Ever since I was a kid, like a really, really little kid, I’ve had a sense of the edges of my reality, of the people the
Aladdin Disney’s live-action Aladdin is almost a charming rom-com — when it’s not a sluggish musicalVox - Aja RomanoHow do you solve a problem like Aladdin? Disney’s questionable live-action remake of its acclaimed 1992 animated film, which finally hits theaters May 24, has been dogged by controversy and skepticism
Play buttonJames Holzhauer Jeopardy champion James Holzhauer’s phenomenal winning streak, explainedVox - Allegra FrankOf all the must-see pop culture out right now — including behemoths like Avengers: Endgame and Game of Thrones — Jeopardy may sound like the odd man out. But the long-running, venerated game show is currently
PBS Arthur’s same-sex marriage episode didn’t air in AlabamaVox - Allegra FrankPBS kicked off the 22nd season of its long-running cartoon Arthur with a groundbreaking episode that lovingly featured same-sex marriage. The episode revealed that Arthur’s teacher, Mr. Ratburn, was engaged,
Play button James Charles and Tati Westbrook have put their YouTube feud to rest — for nowVox - Alex Abad-SantosOver the past two weeks, a very public feud between top beauty vloggers, and former friends, James Charles and Tati Westbrook has shown us the real side of Youtube’s beauty and makeup community — revealing
Play buttonToy Story 4 Toy Story 4’s new trailer: Keanu Reeves’s daredevil Duke Caboom makes his flashy entranceVox - Aja RomanoDisney has released the second full-length trailer for Toy Story 4, and where the first trailer introduced a new “toy” to the cast and walked us through something of an existential crisis, this one sees
Culture How to publish classic books that aren’t just by dead white menVox - Constance GradyAs the canon of English literature slowly, gradually opens itself up to books by women and authors of color, Modern Library and Penguin Classics have just launched two new series aimed at rediscovering
Play buttonSilicon Valley (TV Series) How Superstore got so goodVox - Todd VanDerWerffIt’s a Friday morning, and the set of NBC’s Superstore is filled with more than a dozen of the show’s regular and recurring characters. As I look around at the actors gathered, I abruptly realize there
Lighthouses The Lighthouse, starring Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe, is easily one of the wildest films of the yearVox - Alissa WilkinsonThe Lighthouse is, I can safely say, one of the most over-the-top movies I’ve ever had the good fortune to see. Robert Eggers — whose last film, the wild 2015 horror movie The Witch, lit Sundance on fire
Play buttonHBO Of course there’s going to be another Game of Thrones-size hitVox - Peter KafkaYou, a normal person, are interested in discussing the finale of Game of Thrones. Bless you. But for people who pay attention to the media business, the question isn’t Bran vs. Sansa: It’s, “Will there
Play buttonSansa Stark What Sansa Stark’s coronation hairstyle says about her character developmentVox - Gaby Del ValleThroughout Game of Thrones’ eight seasons, Sansa Stark’s appearance has always mirrored the powerful people she’s tried to emulate — or, in some cases, to protect herself from. At the end of the series
Game of Thrones Games of Thrones season 8Vox - Vox StaffThe game of thrones is over, just as Game of Thrones is over. All six of the final episodes of HBO’s blockbuster fantasy epic Game of Thrones have aired, and we now know how it all ends. It’s safe to this
Game of Thrones Game of Thrones fans are giving Brienne the ending she deservedVox - Aja RomanoGame of Thrones’ polarizing series finale has been met with plenty of unimpressed and negative reviews, but if you were a fan of Brienne of Tarth, the character’s final solo scene might have left you an
Terrence Malick Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life is not a typical World War II dramaVox - Alissa WilkinsonEveryone wants to imagine themselves the hero in a movie about heroes. Not everyone wants to consider what it would take to do what’s right when nobody may ever know — when their actions will be hidden.
George R.R. Martin HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel series and spinoffs: everything we know so farVox - Allegra FrankGame of Thrones is over. The series concluded its eighth and final season on May 19 with “The Iron Throne,” capping off a polarizing final season that drew mixed reviews from critics and fans. It’s undeniable,
Art Basel Why is art so expensive?Vox - Gaby Del ValleLast week, a 1986 sculpture by Jeff Koons sold for $91.1 million at Christie’s, setting a new record for the most expensive work sold by a living artist. The sculpture, a large, silver reflective rabbit,
Game of Thrones Game of Thrones’ finale had another on-set snafu: plastic water bottlesVox - Aja RomanoIf you thought Game of Thrones could make it through its series finale, “The Iron Throne,” without another coffee cup debacle, then you’ve clearly missed how many missteps this show has made in its final
