Caryn James

Amy Sherald Cancels Her Smithsonian Show, Citing Censorship

Huge respect to Amy Sherald for not giving in. I'm sorry for the people in D.C. who won't get to see her show, one of the most bracing by a contemporary artist in recent years. Her Michelle Obama portrait is, frankly, the least of it. Show is still up at the Whitney.
www.nytimes.com/2025/07/24/a...

Mystery sauces! You're a martyr for your profession, Matt.

One of the first things Vladimir Putin did on becoming president was take over NTV, the TV channel that hosted a satirical puppet show because he didn't like the Putin doll and how he was portrayed. He arrested NTV's owner and only released him when he signed the channel over. #Colbert

‘Late Show’ Shocker: CBS Ending Late-Night Franchise in 2026 Host Stephen Colbert announced the news during the taping of Thursday’s show.

No one believes the CBS line that this is all about finances. No one.
www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/c...

Is the New York Times trying to wreck Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral bid? | Margaret Sullivan With their made-up scandal, combined with the pre-election editorial, the Times looks like it’s on a crusade against Mamdani

Typically astute, to-the-point take from @sulliview.bsky.social "The Mamdani story, however, fell far short of the newsworthiness bar."

They buried the lede: NYT is poring over the hacked confidential information.

Maybe you can DM me here?

Jurassic World Rebirth review: 'Stale' and with 'few thrills', it may be the weakest of the franchise Starring Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Bailey, the latest in the dinosaur blockbuster series follows the template created by the original Jurassic Park – but it's no match for it.

In a word: Eww! Jurassic World Rebirth is pretty stinky.
www.bbc.com/culture/arti...

Oh no – please don't call them Karens! (No one takes spelling into account.)😊

28 Years Later review: Zombie-apocalypse horror is a 'never-dull' monster mash-up Alex Garland and Danny Boyle have reunited for a follow-up to their 2002 classic. It has visual flair, terrifying adversaries and a scene-stealing performance from Ralph Fiennes.

Part zombie-apocalypse, part Heart of Darkness, but best of all: Ralph Fiennes.
www.bbc.com/culture/arti...

It's not a very good show, but no one blames you.

Materialists review: This 'captivating' romantic drama explores love and money with 'piercing honesty' Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal make for a starry love triangle in this exquisite new film from director Celine Song, who previously made the Oscar-nominated Past Lives.

Celine Song beautifully sidesteps the romcom

www.bbc.com/culture/arti...

Neon Appoints Ryan Werner from Cinetic Marketing to Newly-Created President of Global Cinema Role Ryan Werner is exiting Cinetic Marketing to be Neon's President of Global Cinema.

Ryan Werner is exiting Cinetic Marketing to be Neon's President of Global Cinema.

Trump announces 100% tariff for movies produced outside US Trump said he was authorizing the U.S. Trade Representative to process the institution of the tariff because the United States' movie industry is dying "a very fast death" due to other countries offering incentives to attract filmmaker's and studios.

Oh, apparently now he's calling foreign films "a national security threat" 😂
www.reuters.com/business/med...

The Four Seasons to And Just Like That…: 10 of the best TV shows to watch this May From Tina Fey's new relationship comedy to an action drama from the creator of Lost, and the return of Sarah Jessica Parker in the third season of And Just Like That...

Starry May: Julianne Moore, Cynthia Erivo, Nicole Kidman, Alexander Skarsgard and more . . .
www.bbc.com/culture/arti...

You *could* vote for him for this post alone.

Warfare to Sinners: 10 of the best films of 2025 so far BBC film critics Caryn James and Nicholas Barber pick their cinema highlights of the year so far, from a brutal war epic to an ambitious period vampire drama.

Sinners is at the top of my list. Sex, blues and vampires – what more could you want?
www.bbc.com/culture/arti...

I did. I thought everyone in the flm world knew that!

The Last of Us season two review: 'The plot twist tears the heart out of the series' The video game adaptation won many plaudits for its grim-but-humane first season. Amidst a semblance of civilisation, the second series is an uneven odyssey.

Being too faithful to source material is the worst thing an adaptation can do ... Posting my Last of Us (no spoilers) review now that the jaw-dropping event has happened.
www.bbc.com/culture/arti...

unprecedented protests this morning on heard and macdonald islands, as the population rises up against trump imposition of 10% across the board tariffs.

The Scorses episode is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time!

The Scorsese episode is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time.

Savage Trump Jokes Dominate Conan’s Kennedy Center Ceremony Another famous “orange” man was in the spotlight as the Kennedy Center undergoes a number of major Trump-inspired changes.

I'll be watching to see if Netflix edits out the Trump jokes when it drops there. No excuse for doing that.
www.thedailybeast.com/savage-trump...

It's so smart and funny! Curious to see how it will play to people not immersed in the entertainment world. I suspect it will work very well.

From 100 YEARS OF SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: “New cast member Zeppo Marx walked out in protest, but Lorne Michaels defended his choice of host for the 1933 Christmas episode. ‘You can’t deny Adolph Hitler is an interesting figure, and that’s what we do here — the new, the interesting.”

Oscars 2025 predictions: Who will win - and who should? In one of the most exciting and dramatic awards seasons ever, the field is wide open in several fields. Here are the BBC film critics' expert predictions.

For everyone thinking movies are are great escape/ consolation, this is your weekend! I'm guessing Anora for Best Picture, but Conclave is a real possibility.
www.bbc.com/culture/arti...

I don't know where Coppola posted this, but it's the best acceptance speech since any of Kieran Culkin's (high bar).

'It's exactly what the country needs': How Brazil propelled drama I'm Still Here to be this year's Oscars dark horse Starring Fernanda Torres and centring on a family torn apart by Brazil's military dictatorship, I'm Still Here is up for three major awards – and could pull off an upset on the night.

Looks like this year's Best International Film at the Oscars.
www.bbc.com/culture/arti...

Four essentials for the press right now If we have any hope of preventing a full slide into permanent autocracy, these must happen

From @sulliview.bsky.social 's Substack. No one is better at analyzing what the media needs to do:
margaretsullivan.substack.com/p/four-essen...

The White Lotus season three review: 'Feels flabby and elongated, with far less satiric bite' The "very slow-burn" new series of the satire about a luxury resort is uneven and disappointing.

Best to approach this season with lowered expectations. Some great actors but overall a wasted opportunity.

www.bbc.com/culture/arti...