Shirley Li

Parenting Is the Least of Her Worries In Die My Love, a struggling new mom loves her child—but can’t stand anyone else.

In “Die My Love,” parenting is the least of a struggling new mother’s concerns, @shirklesxp.bsky.social writes:

The alien-conspiracy-theory-filled “Bugonia” sounds like a sci-fi thriller. The film is much more interested in the human condition—and in having very long conversations about it. @shirklesxp.bsky.social writes: https://theatln.tc/yJApHaeC

Photo of Philip Kaufman wearing a white shirt and looking to the left, standing behind a camera.

“Intrepid doesn’t even begin to describe a director who, among his many considerable achievements, gave Indiana Jones his first assignment and inspired the NC-17 rating,” said LAFCA President Robert Abele. “A criminally underappreciated director, Philip Kaufman could never be pigeonholed, from his early days absorbing the independent spirit of homegrown DIY-ers and the European New Wave, to his cool, vivid command of genre in the ’70s, followed by a handful of uncompromising historical epics, including The Right Stuff and The Unbearable Lightness of Being, that belied anybody’s notion that American filmmakers couldn’t be versatile, intelligent and entertaining about big ideas. The L.A. Film Critics Association is immensely proud to be honoring this dyed-in-the-wool iconoclast.”

Our 2026 Career Achievement Award recipient is Philip Kaufman

The Worst Art Thief in America “The Mastermind” is far more successful as a character study than as a heist movie.

“The Mastermind,” about an art-museum robbery gone wrong, doesn’t try to be a heist movie—to its benefit, writes @shirklesxp.bsky.social:

When One Word Changes an Entire Film "After the Hunt" seems to reckon with cancel culture, before revealing where its true interest lies.

“After the Hunt” is built on incendiary moments, but it saves the most pointed provocation for last—by flipping the entire film on its head. Shirley Li writes:

It’s Not Enough to Read Orwell A new film argues that, in an era of rising authoritarianism, audiences have become too numb to the speculative force of “1984.”

Surveillance and propaganda reign supreme in the fictional world of “1984”—for which generations have found real-life parallels, again and again. The new film “Orwell: 2+2=5” argues that noting such similarities isn’t enough, writes Shirley Li:

Lower Than Cowards The surrender of America’s elites

as usual @adamserwer.bsky.social says it best: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

The 14 Movies to Watch Out for This Fall The most exciting films heading to theaters through the end of the year

This year’s film-festival circuit produced a rich array of movies: existential thrillers, whodunits, musicals, and more. @shirklesxp.bsky.social on the 14 standouts to add to your watch list this season:

FILM CRITICS’ GROUPS DENOUNCE NEXSTAR AND DISNEY-ABC DECISIONS TO SUSPEND “JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!” We, the members of the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the National Society of Film Critics, strongly condemn the actions taken by Nexstar and Disney-ABC to pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air. For decades, our organizations have represented a profession that is enabled by the First Amendment. Kimmel’s long-running talk show promotes free speech, including when it gives film artists the chance to discuss their work. There is only one word to describe the decision by powerful media corporations to silence an individual’s perspective due to fear of repercussions by the government: censorship. This is the antithesis of the values embodied by our work. We demand a reversal of this decision and encourage our colleagues across the industry to do the same.

We strongly condemn the actions taken by Nexstar and Disney-ABC to pull JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE! off the air.

Hello! @sophiegilbert.bsky.social and I will be on Reddit later today to talk this weekend's Emmys, because as they say about TV, a little counterprogramming goes a long way. Who's "they"? Who knows, but that's a question you can ask us during our AMA! See you there at 3 pm EST!

A Famed Director Tried to Build a Fan Base for His Movie. It Was Awkward. Francis Ford Coppola’s recent road show for "Megalopolis" is an attempt to dictate its legacy—and a misunderstanding of how fandom works.

Francis Ford Coppola’s epic box-office bomb, “Megalopolis,” fits the vague outlines of a future cult classic. But the director’s attempts to mythologize the movie reveal how difficult it is to actually build a devoted fan base, writes @shirklesxp.bsky.social:

As kids’ TV has become more sprawling, figuring out what’s actually enriching has become more daunting than ever. @shirklesxp.bsky.social reports on recent cuts to public-media funding, the growing pains of children’s entertainment—and where it’s headed: https://theatln.tc/pCD9t51V

‘Andor’ Was the Reawakening Star Wars Needed The best “Star Wars” story in years challenged the classic good-and-evil dichotomy.

The “Star Wars” story “Andor,” whose series finale aired last night, questioned the franchise’s good-and-evil dichotomy—and wasn’t afraid to blur the lines, writes @shirklesxp.bsky.social:

The Catharsis in Re-Creating One of the Worst Days of Your Life Making the film “Warfare” was an exercise in exposure therapy for the veterans whose memories it reconstructs.

The film “Warfare,” now streaming, is a visceral reimagining of a harrowing day during the Iraq War—and in co-director Ray Mendoza’s life. “I don’t know what’s real and what’s not real sometimes,” the former Navy SEAL tells @shirklesxp.bsky.social:

The Conversation That Moviegoers Don’t Need to Be Having “Sinners” has made a splash at the box office, but analysts want to focus on the money it isn’t making.

wrote about it: www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

‘All We Wanted to Do Was Play Video Games’ Streamers such as Zack “Asmongold” Hoyt have more influence than ever. What are they really saying?

*Terrific* piece by @skornhaber.bsky.social about how the language and metaphors of video games have become central in the world of highly-online, Trump-positive young-dude streamers ...

... and how it inflects their political thinking: www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

Here Are the Attack Plans That Trump’s Advisers Shared on Signal The administration has downplayed the importance of the text messages inadvertently sent to The Atlantic’s editor in chief.

Gift links to the Signal leak pieces (second one is the transcripts):
1. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...
2. www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

Mickey 17 Is Sad, Strange—And So Much Fun Bong Joon Ho’s first film after Parasite is another satire, this time with a delirious sci-fi veneer.

The director Bong Joon Ho’s first film since “Parasite” is a big, weird, occasionally messy sci-fi romp. But even if it might feel familiar, “Mickey 17” is still unmistakably original, writes @shirklesxp.bsky.social:

@shirklesxp.bsky.social and @davidlsims.bsky.social are watching this year’s Oscars to see who will take home awards—and whether any lesser-known films snag an upset.
On Monday, they’ll answer all your questions about the awards show on Reddit. Ask them anything. www.reddit.com/r/movies/

Conan O’Brien Understood the Assignment The Oscars host was silly and serious by turns—and delightfully in control of the evening.

The Oscars host Conan O'Brien opened the evening by playing the unruly jester—to delightful effect, writes @shirklesxp.bsky.social:

The Rise of the Anti-Fan Artists are transforming the pop culture they can’t stand into impressive original works of their own.

Happy #Oscars Sunday! I wrote about this year's biggest snub: C̶h̶a̶l̶l̶e̶n̶g̶e̶r̶s̶ Johanne Sacreblu, for @theatlantic.com: www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

A Woman Under the Influence—Of Anger The new film Hard Truths is an astonishingly sensitive portrait of a perpetual grump.

“Hard Truths” finds humor in a bitter housewife’s perpetual grumpiness. But the film’s brilliance—overlooked by this year’s Oscars—lies in its astonishingly sensitive approach, writes @shirklesxp.bsky.social:

‘I’ve Never Seen Anything Like This’ The Palisades Fire is destroying places that I’ve loved.

A really lovely essay by @nancywalecki.bsky.social, who is a seventh-generation Californian. Worth reading: www.theatlantic.com/science/arch...

Since the Election, I Fear Men How do I get over this anxiety?

Hey, Bluesky friends: I work on The Atlantic’s advice column “Dear James,” written by the inimitable James Parker. Is anything ailing, torturing, or nagging at you? Are you beset by existential worries? James would love to hear from you: dearjames@theatlantic.com. Threading some examples...

What Demi Moore Reveals About the Hollywood Comeback "The Substance" is one of several recent films skewering the industry’s relationship to older female performers.

Really nice piece by @shirklesxp.bsky.social about some of the year’s most interesting and relevant cinematic statements www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

The Film That Rips the Hollywood Comeback Narrative Apart "The Substance" is one of several recent films skewering the industry’s relationship to older female performers.

I'm sure I wasn't the only one struck by Demi Moore's speech at the Golden Globes on Sunday. For @theatlantic.com, I look back at her work in The Substance, along with two other films also about (and led by) women wrestling with age and their fading stardom: www.theatlantic.com/culture/arch...

The Agony of Indulging in Squid Game Again The Netflix hit’s second season can’t quite break out of its own vicious cycle.

“Squid Game” expands beyond its hyper-violent playground activities in Season 2. But the show is best when it’s at its most brutal, writes @shirklesxp.bsky.social:

Adapting One Hundred Years of Solitude Sounded Impossible. It Wasn’t. Netflix’s ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ conjures the idiosyncratic beauty of Gabriel García Márquez’s prose.

Netflix’s adaptation of “One Hundred Years of Solitude” succeeds by conjuring the idiosyncratic beauty of Gabriel García Márquez’s prose, writes @shirklesxp.bsky.social: