Film, Music, Visual Arts

Miles Davis, Style Beyond Style

    Thirty years ago, on September 29, 1991, trumpeter Miles Davis died at the age of 65. His death may have been untimely in one sense as, by today’s standards, we do not consider him to have been of an especially advanced age. On the other hand, Davis had not been in good health […]

The Day of the Dead Stamps—and Their Backstory

  The U.S. Postal Service was canny about how they announced their fabulous new stamps: “Lively Day of the Dead Stamps Available Soon.” Lively, because in this country, death is not. Death scares us. But these stamps are “colorful”—that adjective is at the top of the news release. They do not have the pallor of […]

Why Nobody Knows Moholy-Nagy’s Name

    Now that dinner parties are back, try this experiment. When you are introduced to someone new, ask them questions, anything you can think of that might touch on their professional expertise in some way. Then wait for them to parry, explaining that actually, their research is confined to the mating habits of the […]

The New Who: Best of Enemies

Doctor Who, “Resolution” New Year’s Special 2019 Written by Chris Chibnall Directed by Wayne Yip Starring Jodie Whittaker, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, and Bradley Walsh Guest Starring Daniel Adegboyega, Nicholas Briggs, Nikesh Patel, and Charlotte Ritchie Original Broadcast 1 January 2019 (60 minutes)     When the BBC announced in October 2018 that Doctor Who […]

The New Who: The Last Battle

Doctor Who, “The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos” Series 11, Episode 10 Written by Chris Chibnall Directed by Jamie Childs Starring Jodie Whittaker, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, and Bradley Walsh Guest Starring Mark Addy, Percelle Ascott, Phyllis Logan, and Samuel Oatley Original Broadcast 9 December 2018 (49 minutes)     Doctor Who’s Series 11—despite the […]

The New Who: When Worlds Elide

Doctor Who, “It Takes You Away” Series 11, Episode 9 Written by Ed Himes Directed by Jamie Childs Starring Jodie Whittaker, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, and Bradley Walsh Guest Starring Sharon D. Clarke, Kevin Eldon, Christian Rubeck, Lisa Stokke, and Eleanor Wallworks Original Broadcast 2 December 2018 (49 minutes)     No matter how good […]

The New Who: Witchy Women

Doctor Who, “The Witchfinders” Series 11, Episode 8 Written by Joy Wilkinson Directed by Sally Aprahamian Starring Jodie Whittaker, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, and Bradley Walsh Guest Starring Alan Cumming, Siobhan Finneran, Tricia Kelly, and Tilly Steele Original Broadcast 25 November 2018 (49 minutes)     Thanks to a terrific writing staff assembled by showrunner […]

The New Who: Special Delivery?

Doctor Who, “Kerblam!” Series 11, Episode 7 Written by Pete McTighe Directed by Jennifer Perrott Starring Jodie Whittaker, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, and Bradley Walsh Guest Starring Julie Hesmondhalgh, Leo Flanagan, Claudia Jessie, and Lee Mack Original Broadcast 18 November 2018 (50 minutes)     Perhaps it was inevitable, given the ongoing controversies about the […]

The New Who: Births and Rebirths

Doctor Who, “The Tsuranga Conundrum” Series 11, Episode 5 Written by Chris Chibnall Directed by Jennifer Perrott Starring Jodie Whittaker, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, and Bradley Walsh Guest Starring Lois Chimimba, Brett Goldstein, Suzanne Packer, and Jack Shalloo Original Broadcast 4 November 2018 (50 minutes)     For anyone who thought that Doctor Who Series […]

The New Who: Off to the Races

Doctor Who, “The Ghost Monument” Series 11, Episode 2 Written by Chris Chibnall Directed by Mark Tonderai Starring Jodie Whittaker, Tosin Cole, Mandip Gill, and Bradley Walsh Guest Starring Shaun Dooley, Susan Lynch, and Art Mali Original Broadcast 14 October 2018 (49 minutes)     As Doctor Who’s Series 11 unfolds, showrunner Chris Chibnall is […]