All Culture
First LookBroomsticks at the ready: Quidditch and other kids' games go proGames popularized in parks, schoolyards, and novels 鈥� including dodgeball, foosball, Quidditch, and kickball 鈥� all now have international professional sports leagues.聽
'Far From the Tree' chronicles very different children, parentsAuthor and psychologist Andrew Solomon鈥檚 bestselling 2012 book 'Far From the Tree' chronicled some 300 case histories of families in which a child and the child鈥檚 parents were vastly unalike. Rachel Dretzin鈥檚 documentary draws on his book.
Top Picks: The Fiat Lex podcast, Culture Pass, and moreThough late to the music streaming party, YouTube Music has its charms, civic engagement just became easier with the聽Countable app, and more top picks.
How 鈥榟oly days鈥� became vacationThe etymology of聽holiday聽is easy to see, coming from 'holy day,' a day of particular religious significance, often celebrating the life of a saint, during which no work was to be done.
What we know about blackberriesThat galloping sound? The rising darkness? Look out! Here they come!
First LookHuge sea-life sculptures made from plastic waste shock, amazeIn an effort to raise awareness about plastic entering the ocean, an artist is transforming beach trash into sculptures of sea creatures ranging from great white sharks, made partly of bottle caps, to a jellyfish constructed of cut-up water bottles.聽
Theater students empathize, trust themselves at JimmysThe high-schoolers, coaches, and choreographer of the Jimmy Awards say that what matters to them about theater is learning to empathize with characters and bringing audiences into that process. It鈥檚 an experience they say matters even more in the current political climate and during the complex years of high school.聽
First Look'Filthadelphia' cleans up its actPhiladelphia, renowned for its piles of litter, has begun an initiative to clean up its streets, starting with taking down ubiquitous, illegal signs, which will be handed over to local artists to be transformed into public artwork.聽
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
The book next to the one I was looking forI never mastered the art of efficient library research. But I found great stuff.
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.