#recurring-characters

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Books
fromPsychology Today
7 hours ago

Do You See Yourself in a Story?

Comic books have evolved into a serious medium for exploring trauma and psychological depth, exemplified by works like Maus.
Television
fromThe Atlantic
1 day ago

Seven Documentaries for Fans of Fiction

Documentaries can effectively tell engaging stories, appealing even to those typically averse to the genre.
Film
fromDefector
3 days ago

'The Drama' Has More Going For It Than A Provocative Twist | Defector

Kristoffer Borgli uses dark humor and controversy to engage audiences and promote his films.
NYC parents
fromVulture
4 days ago

All The Mistakes in Big Mistakes

Nicky and Morgan's theft of a necklace leads to dangerous consequences involving criminals and escalating family drama.
Books
fromInverse
5 hours ago

49 Years Later, Star Wars Just Inverted Its Most Formative Plot Trope

Villains in Star Wars, like Maul, often perceive their journeys similarly to heroes, showcasing the complexity of their narratives.
Relationships
fromInsideHook
1 week ago

What Men Can Learn From 17 Unforgettable On-Screen Proposals

Real-life proposals differ from romantic comedies, but lessons from memorable on-screen moments can guide men in crafting meaningful proposals.
fromThe New Yorker
1 week ago

In Film, Sometimes the Greatest Drama Is Offscreen

"Cinematic Immunity" offers a workers'-eye view of Hollywood on the Hudson, revealing the intricate dynamics of filmmaking in New York City from 1954 to 9/11.
Independent films
Television
fromwww.theguardian.com
3 days ago

There's no shortage of terrifying technology': how AI became TV drama's new go-to villain

AI is portrayed as a powerful and dangerous tool in modern surveillance and military operations.
#romantic-comedy
Film
fromInsideHook
6 days ago

"The Drama" Has No Idea How to Handle Its Controversial Twist

The Drama presents a romantic comedy that takes a dark turn with a shocking revelation about a character's past involvement in a school shooting plot.
Film
fromVulture
1 week ago

The Drama Is Too Cowardly to Commit to Its Provocative Premise

The film presents a dark romantic comedy featuring complex characters and a central premise that challenges audience expectations.
Film
fromThe New Yorker
1 week ago

"The Drama" Struggles to Justify Its Combustible Premise

Charlie and Emma navigate their relationship's challenges through humor and the concept of starting over.
Books
fromFlowingData
4 days ago

Visual guide for Infinite Jest

Christian Swinehart created Infinite Digest, an illustrated companion to Infinite Jest, visualizing its structure and character connections.
Board games
fromWGB
2 weeks ago

The Succession of Changing Kings - Review

The Succession of Changing Kings is a text adventure game where players navigate decisions to become king while managing resources and consequences.
fromAnOther
6 days ago

Night Stage: Anatomy of a Modern Erotic Thriller

The illicit thrill of hidden desires definitely propels Night Stage, a riveting queer noir about an up-and-coming actor Matias and an aspiring politician Rafael who begin hooking up in public spaces.
Film
fromVulture
2 weeks ago

Sure, They Will Kill You, But Can They Get On With It Already?

Realm of Satan captures members of the Church of Satan in droll tableaux, engaging in rituals or group sex, but often seen in mundane activities like beekeeping and hanging linens.
Independent films
Books
fromPsychology Today
1 week ago

Coping With the Up-and-Down Arc of a Prolific Writer's Life

Merrill Joan Gerber's latest book reflects her writing journey from the 1960s to the present, showcasing selected stories from her extensive career.
Film
fromVulture
1 week ago

The Twist in The Drama Is Not the Problem

The film features a controversial plot twist involving a character's past plan for a school shooting, sparking significant online speculation and backlash.
#literature
fromThe Atlantic
1 week ago
Books

Unconventional Novels About Conventional People

Aging revolutionaries and conformists share parallel narratives of disillusionment and the loss of youthful dreams in recent literature.
Books
fromThe Atlantic
1 week ago

Unconventional Novels About Conventional People

Aging revolutionaries and conformists share parallel narratives of disillusionment and the loss of youthful dreams in recent literature.
#film-vs-literature
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
4 weeks ago

The Shift That Happens When You Write a Non-Fiction Book

Writing a book transforms tacit knowledge into explicit frameworks, forcing experts to articulate intuitions they've developed through experience into clear, communicable ideas.
Writing
fromBig Think
1 month ago

"If it sounds literary, it isn't": The deceptively simple rules behind good writing

Neal Allen and Anne Lamott co-authored Good Writing by combining Allen's 36 writing rules with Lamott's annotations, creating a collaborative guide where Allen explains rules and Lamott provides practical examples and alternative perspectives.
Books
fromPsychology Today
2 weeks ago

Fiction Is Indispensable to Life's Journey

Fiction is essential for emotional connection, learning, and social cognition, allowing us to escape reality and engage deeply with narratives.
Books
fromBustle
2 weeks ago

The 10 Best New Books About Women Breaking The Mold

Successful women often defy expectations, and quieter forms of rebellion deserve recognition alongside visible rule-breakers.
Arts
fromwww.npr.org
1 month ago

If you loved 'Train Dreams,' here's what to watch next

Train Dreams depicts early 20th-century American working-class life through poetic cinematography, earning four Academy Award nominations for its portrayal of loggers and railroad workers.
Television
fromVulture
1 month ago

The Beauty's Most and Least Sensical Transformations, Ranked

The Beauty explores how insecurity about appearance drives people to pursue a transformative virus, examining vanity, body horror, and the disconnect between external appearance and internal identity.
fromMedium
1 month ago

Things that don't matter when you write

To deny one's own experiences is to put a lie into the lips of one's own life. It is no less than a denial of the soul. The concept I stick to - my core principle - is simple: I write in plain English, and only when I actually have something to say.
Writing
Film
fromenglish.elpais.com
1 month ago

Insult or adaptation? Why films still struggle to adapt novels

Film adaptations of literature often transform source material through cinematic techniques, sometimes sacrificing literary depth for visual spectacle and narrative restructuring.
Books
fromThe New Yorker
4 weeks ago

Briefly Noted Book Reviews

Two literary works explore complex themes through innovative narrative techniques: Morrison's essays examine challenging craft elements in Toni Morrison's writing, while Nganang's memoir uses the scale as a metaphor connecting personal experience to colonial history.
Philosophy
fromBig Think
1 month ago

The 3 colors: What folktales teach about how to grow wise

European folktales use red, black, and white colors to represent three modes of being that map human maturation: red as ambition and life force, black as introspection and shadow, and white as wisdom and transcendence.
Music
fromwww.npr.org
1 month ago

Why music has become such a big part of the romance novel reading experience

Romance novel readers increasingly use pop music playlists to enhance their reading experiences, creating a community that bridges book fandom and music fandom, exemplified by Charli XCX's Wuthering Heights album.
Books
fromThe Atlantic
1 month ago

How Not to Recommend a Book

Reader's advisory—the skill of matching specific books to individual readers' preferences—is essential for successful book club experiences and literary recommendations across libraries, bookstores, and online platforms.
Video games
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

It's a loving mockery, because it's also who I am': the making of gaming's most pathetic character

Baby Steps uses deliberate frustration and an inept, awkward protagonist to transform player irritation into empathy, identification, and unexpected affection.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Scarlet review Mamoru Hosoda turns Hamlet into tale of prowling knights and deep nothingness'

Mamoru Hosoda's anime adaptation of Hamlet, Scarlet, features stunning visuals but suffers from incoherent storytelling, arbitrary world-building, and heavy-handed philosophical messaging that undermines its narrative impact.
US politics
fromPsychology Today
2 months ago

A War of Narratives

Clear, simple narratives improve understanding; truth-focused, superior narratives are necessary to counter disinformation and avoid equating falsehoods with facts.
fromHarvard Gazette
2 months ago

Moved by what's missing in Homer's 'Harrow' - Harvard Gazette

At first sight, Winslow Homer's " The Brush Harrow," which depicts two young boys, a horse, and a harrow against an arid landscape, evokes a feeling of somber isolation - but it's hard to pinpoint why. During a talk by curator Horace D. Ballard at the Harvard Art Museums on Jan. 29, visitors learned that Homer painted the scene in 1865, as the Civil War was ending, making the emotional underpinnings of the work clearer.
Arts
Writing
fromThe Atlantic
2 months ago

The Writer's Secret Weapon

Swimming and physical exertion enhance creative thinking by muffling sensory input, boosting neurotransmitters, and enabling deeper, more original idea generation.
Arts
fromwww.npr.org
2 months ago

An AI judge, a time-traveling 10-year-old and more in theaters

An AI courtroom thriller traps a hungover detective in a lethal chair with 90 minutes to prove his innocence using pervasive surveillance archives.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Why are today's children's books and films often so much better than adult ones?

Contemporary children's literature and media, exemplified by Harry Potter and modern authors, demonstrate superior characterization, world-building, and ethical complexity compared to classic children's books from previous generations.
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

The rallying cry of the rich and horrible': the song that TV villains love to sing

Although the works of Gilbert and Sullivan have gained a reputation for being chummy, collegiate and a little pompous, For He is an Englishman is in fact a bitingly satirical piece of faux-patriotism. Although it sounds like something to be bellowed by tipsy Last Night of the Proms poshos, the song speaks to the kind of blind nationalism that bases exceptionalism purely on the location of one's birth.
Television
fromSilicon Canals
2 months ago

7 things people do when telling stories that make others tune out immediately without realizing it - Silicon Canals

We've all been there. Someone starts telling a story, and within seconds, your mind starts wandering. Maybe you pull out your phone, suddenly remember an urgent email, or find yourself mentally reorganizing your weekend plans. The storyteller doesn't notice. They keep going, completely unaware that they've lost their audience. After interviewing over 200 people for various articles, I've noticed patterns in how people communicate their experiences. Some captivate you from the first word, while others lose you before they've even gotten to the point.
Writing
fromwww.npr.org
1 month ago

'Crime 101' is an old-fashioned heist film that pays off

If there's anything I miss in pop culture, it's the presence of ordinary movies. I don't mean blockbusters like Avatar or cultural events like Barbenheimer or Oscar contenders like One Battle After Another. I'm talking about the routine, well-made entertainments that, for nearly a century, used to open in theaters every week. You'd go see them because the story sounded good or you liked the stars or you just wanted to enjoy something as part of an audience.
Arts
fromBig Think
1 month ago

From myth to machine: The technological evolution of storytelling

I wanted to write a book about how the smartphone changed the world, but the more I researched, the clearer it became that phones were actually the latest step in this evolution of storytelling technology that stretches all the way back to prehistoric times.
Books
Television
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

A modern masterpiece': writer Jack Thorne's best TV shows from This Is England to Adolescence

Jack Thorne is a prolific British playwright and screenwriter responsible for many acclaimed TV dramas, stage plays, and films, with several major projects forthcoming.
Writing
fromThe New Yorker
2 months ago

Joseph O'Neill on Why a Story Should Be Like a Poem

People conceal shameful deeds and also quietly perform unrecognized good acts; withholding specifics preserves mystery and influences how others perceive moral character.
Writing
fromThe Atlantic
2 months ago

I am here in the evening light

An enduring presence promises return through nature, offers land and comfort, and reframes endings as ongoing continuity amid memory and quiet dusk.
Television
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Eternally spellbinding': the TV shows that baffle you but you can't get enough of

Catterick, Monkey Dust, The OA, and Mrs Davies deliver surreal, darkly comic, and increasingly bizarre narratives blending crime, dreamlike animation, sci‑fi, and oddball humor.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

People feel like they're in on the joke': the new wave of pseudo-biopics

Filmmakers increasingly create pseudo-biopics that borrow recognizable elements from real people and events while changing names and details to avoid legal liability and maintain creative freedom.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

It's already yesterday again: the 20 best time-loop movies ranked!

Time-loop films recycle the reset premise while varying stakes and constraints, with urgency or exposition determining whether repetition enhances drama or undermines suspense.
Books
fromThe Atlantic
1 month ago

How to Put Sex in a Novel

Contemporary literary fiction increasingly avoids depicting heterosexual intimacy while queer novelists freely explore sex's complexities, as exemplified by Jan Saenz's unconventional novel about selling experimental orgasm-inducing pills.
fromThe Independent
1 month ago

17 great movies ruined by terrible endings

10 Cloverfield Lane Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman and John Gallagher Jr are locked in an underground bunker for the majority of this left-field sequel to Cloverfield, with thrilling results. In the film's final throes, Winstead's character exits the bunker, and finds that her captor was telling the truth about an alien invasion above - a twist that completely and ruinously dissipates the hard-earned tension that came before.
Film
Film
fromwww.mercurynews.com
1 month ago

Sirat:' is not the movie you think it is it's better

Sirat is a sensory-driven film that transcends conventional thriller storytelling through hypnotic sound design, unexpected plot developments, and exploration of universal themes like faith, death, and redemption.
Books
fromThe Atlantic
1 month ago

When Did Literature Get Less Dirty?

Philip Roth's Zuckerman Unbound functioned as a response to the controversial reception of Portnoy's Complaint, with Roth's protagonist expressing regret over writing sexually explicit material that drew accusations of anti-Semitism and misogyny.
fromThe Atlantic
2 months ago

A Biography Without 'The Boring Bits'

Sophia Stewart poses a choice that many biographers struggle with: "what to do with the boring bits."
Books
Film
fromThe New Yorker
1 month ago

Say It Again: A Treatment

Clara, a spy whose family and friends were repeatedly targeted by Russian gangs, travels to London and infiltrates M.I.6 to find a Russian double agent.
Film
fromInsideHook
2 months ago

In Defense of Movie Sex Scenes

Onscreen sex scenes can be narratively essential but are often gratuitous, harmful, or disruptive when objectifying participants, reinforcing stereotypes, or damaging a film's flow.
Books
fromwww.nytimes.com
1 month ago

Romance Glossary: An A-Z Guide of Tropes and Themes to Find Your Next Book

Lists 101 romance-genre terms (e.g., cinnamon roll, shadow daddy, fae) to help readers identify subgenres and find recommended books.
Film
fromThe Atlantic
2 months ago

Zombie Movies Should Always Be This Hopeful

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple presents a hopeful vision of postapocalyptic humanity, subverting the genre's expectation of survivors preying on one another.
Books
fromMedium
1 month ago

How to start writing (like it's easy)

A profoundly immersive book can deeply alter readers and provoke self-doubt about one's own creative abilities.
fromwww.aljazeera.com
2 months ago

The Unknown: A Filmmaker's Search for Lost Connections

Filmmaker Simplice Ganou, from Burkina Faso, spends his time documenting people and relationships, but when he travels to Winterthur, Switzerland, he faces a new challenge: nobody wants to talk to him.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

There's only one bed', fake dating' and opposites attract': how tropes took over romance

Tropes, as these bullet-point ideas have come to be known, have taken over romance. Those who write, market and read romantic fiction use them to pinpoint exactly what to expect before the first page is turned. On Instagram, Amazon and bookshop posters you'll find covers annotated with arrows and faux-handwritten labels reading slow-burn or home-town boy/new girl in town. Turn over any romance title and they'll be there listed in the blurb.
Books
Film
fromIndieWire
2 months ago

'Scarlet' Tells a Classical Revenge Story - Just Don't Call It a Shakespeare Adaptation

Scarlet reimagines Hamlet as a gender-swapped revenge tale that becomes a purgatorial journey questioning whether cycles of vengeance are worth perpetuating.
Books
fromSlate Magazine
2 months ago

Are We Just Recycling Old Stories, Ideas, and Styles?

21st-century culture is abundant and accessible but suffers an innovation deficit, leaving a "blank space" where original cultural creation should emerge.
Film
fromwww.dw.com
2 months ago

An undying trend: How vampires hold a mirror to society

Vampires in storytelling symbolize societal fears and reflect historical social and racial violence, as shown by a 1930s-set horror about community-targeted vampires.
Film
fromVulture
2 months ago

The Marty Supreme Vampire Alternate Ending Is Real

Josh Safdie planned a supernatural ending for Marty Supreme revealing Milton Rockwell as a literal vampire, ending with Marty bitten at a Tears For Fears concert.
Books
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Is listening to an audiobook as good as reading?

Audiobooks and comics are legitimate, effective forms of reading that expand access, boost literacy, and contribute significantly to the publishing industry.
Film
fromIndieWire
2 months ago

Highlighted by Nicole Holofcener, the Sundance Episodic Series Refuse to Judge How We Live in 2026

Sundance's final Park City edition combined nostalgia with urgent political protest while episodic premieres emphasized present-day human resilience and everyday survival.
fromKqed
2 months ago

'Arco' Is a Dystopian Tale Imbued With a Surprising Amount of Optimism

In all the dystopian visions of the future that the movies have trotted out over the last few decades, the one that sticks the most, surprisingly, is WALL-E. That's not just because of the chastening sight of an over-polluted Earth or those sedentary humans glued to their screens. It's because those quite plausible possibilities mean something different in a kids movie. It's their future, after all.
Film
Books
fromThe New Yorker
2 months ago

How Do You Write About the Inexplicable?

Rational skepticism coexists with a persistent tendency to personify evil and read coincidences as omens.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Stitch Head review animated adaptation of hit Frankenstinian tale hangs loosely together

Stitch Head is a tentative, derivative British children's animated film that shows a director's awkward pivot from gritty live-action to familiar, Pixar-like visual territory.
Books
fromPsychology Today
2 months ago

Curing Zombies in "The Bone Temple"

Monsters evolve to mirror the cultural anxieties and ambitions of their eras, revealing societal fears about race, empire, mental health, and scientific cure.
Film
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Another World review kaleidoscopic afterlife fairytale with the dark fury of a Greek tragedy

Another World is a visually stunning, violent fairytale animation exploring human destructiveness and the beauty of the human heart.
Film
fromVulture
2 months ago

Which 2026 Awards Contender Will Be This Year's Oscar Villain?

Oscar villains are films singled out by online communities for collective dislike, shaped by shifting political anxieties and changes in social-media culture.
Film
fromVulture
2 months ago

Why Are So Many Movies About Kidnappings Right Now?

Contemporary hostage films use captivity to interrogate power imbalances, allowing marginalized figures to confront untouchable elites and reflect wider social anxieties.
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