All Arts & Culture
First LookThe National Comedy Center elevates laughter, comedyFirst envisioned by Lucille Ball, the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, N.Y. celebrates comedy as an art form. Visitors can see cultural icons on exhibit, such as the 'puffy shirt' from 'Seinfeld,' spend time in interactive exhibits, and see live comedy performances.聽
'Eighth Grade' is a gently humorous and nuanced portrait of middle schoolIt鈥檚 rare to see a movie about middle school years that looks and sounds as right as 'Eighth Grade,' which is written and directed by Bo Burnham.
Documentary 鈥楧ark Money鈥� is close to a political thrillerDirector Kimberly Reed goes out of her way to present all sides of the controversy 鈥� which is not to say that she doesn鈥檛 clearly delineate, through vast documentation and testimony, her indignation at what Citizens United has wrought.聽
'Mission: Impossible - Fallout' has a core of feeling but is a little too longAs summer franchise movies go, 'Mission: Impossible 鈥� Fallout' is near the top of the heap.
Four July movies you shouldn鈥檛 missMovies including 鈥楧ark Money鈥� and 鈥楥ustody鈥� were some of Monitor film critic Peter Rainer's favorite films to be released this month.
Top Picks: 'Journey鈥檚 End' on DVD and Blu-ray, the podcast 'Masters of Scale with Reid Hoffman,' and more top picksNBC puts the focus on those who create beautiful crafts with the new reality competition 'Making It,' hosted by actors Nick Offerman and Amy Poehler, the聽Hole19 app聽can be a valuable companion if you鈥檙e planning a day of golf, and more top picks.
What are you watching? Readers recommend 'A Place to Call Home,' 'Sports Night'Monitor TV and movie fans share what they've been watching lately.
In a WordThe return of the exclamation point!Like most students in the past 100 years, I was taught to employ exclamation points 'rarely.'聽Now, though, we are in a period of exclamation inflation, and I have succumbed.
First LookFilm series poses theory question: Is there a 鈥榝emale gaze'?The Lincoln Center in New York will highlight 36 films shot by 23 female cinematographers to explore the perspectives of women behind the camera. Only 4 percent of cinematography society members are women.聽
MoviePass has changed moviegoing 鈥� will it last?MoviePass made a huge splash in August 2017 when it lowered its monthly unlimited rate to $9.95. Observers are unsure if it's sustainable, but it's already disrupted the movie theater industry.
Sequel 'Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again' appears 10 years after originalThe film cuts back and forth between the present and 1979, when Donna, blandly played as a young woman by Lily James, met her three beaus and went gaga for Greece.
'Custody' doesn鈥檛 skimp on the ordeal of the child in a custody battleXavier Legrand鈥檚 intense debut feature, 'Custody,'聽at times presents people more as symbols than as individuals.
Top Picks: Spotify's 'Songs to Sing in the Car,' PBS's 'Wonders of Mexico,' and moreThe NPR podcast 'Planet Money' makes economic news easy to understand, the movie 'The Forgiven' stars Forest Whitaker as Desmond Tutu, and more top picks.
In a WordWhy we dread the deadlineDeadline聽offers a rare case in which the popular etymology of a word turns out to be accurate. Originally it was a line that promised death if you went over it.
First LookMobile food banks roll through rural US transforming food desertsTraveling to distant grocery stores and paying for groceries can be extremely difficult for the disabled, aging, and poor living in isolated areas. Mobile pantries play an essential role in combatting food insecurity in rural counties 鈥� providing both food and hope.聽
With paint and patchwork, artists offer a new perspective on immigrationAs the immigration debate charges forward, artists are offering a different vantage point. Art provides a powerful and insightful 鈥� and safe 鈥� space to explore a topic as charged as immigration.聽
First LookStreaming continues its dominance as Netflix breaks HBO's 17-year Emmys streakBoth traditional and streaming distributors are no longer able to find a "core" audience, but the proliferation of streaming has allowed for more niche programming, appealing to "hard-core" audiences.聽- 'Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti' chronicles Gauguin鈥檚 desire to see a new wayIt鈥檚 a perplexing, fascinating, maddening movie, not quite like any other film biography of a famous painter.
'Shock and Awe' is a rote piece of workThe movie, which proves聽yet again that righteousness does not in itself make for a good film,聽depicts the work of the聽Knight Ridder journalists who worked in the lead-up to the 2003 Iraq War.
First LookHow food deliveries could change lunchtime at schoolAcross the country, more food catering programs are making it easier for students to enjoy healthy lunches at school and easing the stress of packing lunches on parents by providing alternatives to what is offered at the cafeteria.聽
