FLOOD

FLOOD is a new, influential voice that spans the diverse cultural landscape of music, film, television, art, travel, and everything in between.
Daniel Harmon
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photo by David Crosby

Art & Culture
Living Hells: George Saunders, Octavia Butler, and the Quest for a Moral Fiction

George Saunders’ first novel, “Lincoln in the Bardo,” follows in the footsteps of “Kindred” and “Cloud Atlas” in attempting to create a new kind of hell for the secular world—and in the process, it shows how fiction can still make a difference in Donald Trump’s America.

June 21, 2017
Art & Culture
Breaking: Kristen Radtke

What once started as a series of essays about the ruins of civilization eventually turned into a full-blown graphic memoir—”Imagine Wanting Only This.” But it’s not as apocalyptic as it sounds.

May 23, 2017
Art & CultureFilm + TVStaff Picks
The Cynicism Cure

A sincere celebration of principled people and the art they produce.

February 13, 2017

Salesman

Art & CultureFilm + TV
Asghar Farhadi, Donald Trump, and the Art of Unintended Consequences

“The Salesman,” the latest film from the acclaimed director of “A Separation,” offers a timely portrait of people and places on the verge of collapse­—and an important reminder of the moral power of art.

February 07, 2017

Joan of Arc in Dreyer’s Joan of Arc

Film + TVStaff Picks
The Culture of Violence Cure (a.k.a. The Super Bowl Cure)

Sober-minded classics for coping with a day of boozy bloodlust.

February 03, 2017
Art & CultureFilm + TVStaff Picks
The Road-to-Ruin Cure

The things that you want are not necessarily the things that are good.

January 30, 2017

2016. Donald Trump, photo by Michael Vadon via Wikimedia Commons

Art & CultureFilm + TVStaff Picks
The Inauguration Day Cure

Prescriptions for coping with your very rational fears.

January 20, 2017

Matt Damon in the martian.

Film + TVStaff Picks
The “Unqualified for the Job” Cure

Now’s probably a good time to celebrate some people who are actually experts in their chosen professions.

January 13, 2017
Film + TV
Todd Haynes’s “Safe” Is the Movie You Should Stream Tonight

Todd Haynes’s breakout feature from 1995 is also his masterpiece.

January 11, 2017
Art & CultureFilm + TVStaff Picks
The Death Cure: Stayin’ Alive

Because 2017 is definitely trying to kill us.

January 06, 2017
Art & CultureFilm + TVStaff Picks
The “You Can’t Freeze Time” Cure

Serene entertainments to help draw out what little time we have left.

December 09, 2016

BARCELONA – APRIL 13: David Wingo of Ola Podrida performs on stage at Sala Apolo on April 13, 2010 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Jordi Vidal/Redferns)

Film + TVIn Conversation
In Conversation: “Loving” Composer David Wingo on Separating Inspiration and Imagination

Jeff Nichols is one of the most exciting directors working today, not just because of his own artistic vision, but…

December 07, 2016
Art & Culture
Green Skies Over Red Seas: A Conversation with Luke Healy, Author of “How to Survive in the North”

The graphic novelist talks about his first book, out this month from Nobrow, and shares a few pages.

November 18, 2016

Bob’s Burgers

Film + TVStaff Picks
The Toxic Relatives Cure: Families that Would Never Ruin Your Thanksgiving

Prepare for the worst by spending some time with the very best families in the history of popular culture.

November 18, 2016

NEW YORK, NY – NOVEMBER 09: Campaign signs for Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump litter the floor of the room where he celebrated his victory at the New York Hilton Midtown in the early morning hours on November 9, 2016 in New York City. In a surprise victory, Trump beat his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, to become the 45th president of the United States. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Art & CultureFilm + TVStaff Picks
The Desolation Cure: Finding Beauty in the Ruins

Now seems like a good time to remind ourselves of the beautiful things that we have the power to create.

November 11, 2016

sunset-boulevard-still

Art & CultureFilm + TVStaff Picks
The Uncertainty Cure: Resting Easy in Hard-Earned Fates

America lies in an anguished state of uncertainty as we enter the last few days before the election. But just because we don’t know the future doesn’t mean that the future is always unknowable. We now take solace in stories that begin at the end.

November 04, 2016
Art & Culture
Sex, Death, and Suffering: A Conversation with Julia Gfrörer, Author of “Laid Waste”

The graphic novelist talks about her latest book, out this month from Fantagraphics, and shares exclusive pages.

November 01, 2016
Film + TV
He Said, He Said: Do Ghost Stories Suck or Nah?

Uh…boo! It’s everyone’s favorite Halloween topic: the effectiveness of ghost stories. Two of our spookiest contributors make their case using the preferred forum of pop-culture enthusiasts everywhere: Slack.

October 31, 2016
Art & CultureFilm + TVStaff Picks
The Inferno Cure: History Lessons that Are Not Punishingly Awful

Some suggestions about what else you might do if you’re hungry for some cultural edification but can’t stomach another two hours with Robert Langdon.

October 28, 2016

The Lady Vanishes poster

Film + TVStaff Picks
The Delayed Launch Cure: A List of Currently Streamable Classics

The launch of the new TCM/Criterion streaming service FilmStruck got pushed to November, but that doesn’t mean that we have to wait to get our share of quirky classics.

October 21, 2016

Colson Whitehead / photo by Madeline Whithead

Art & CultureReviews
Beyond the Great American Novel: On “The Underground Railroad”

Colson Whitehead’s latest novel brings America’s subterranean history up into the light.

October 18, 2016
Film + TV
A New Kind of Film for a Modern Form of Menace: Keith Maitland on “Tower”

Using rotoscope animation and imagined talking-head interviews with survivors and victims, the Austin director brings us back to the scene of the 1966 massacre at the University of Texas.

October 17, 2016
Film + TVStaff Picks
The Creepy Clown Cure: A Celebration of Some of Our Most Basic Fears

Enough with creepy clowns, slender men, and other viral freak-shows. Let’s focus instead on more enduring horrors.

October 14, 2016

Independence Day (1996)
Directed by Roland Emmerich
Shown: White House exploding

Film + TVStaff Picks
The “One Month Until the Election” Cure: Luxuriating in Pop Culture’s Quiet Preambles

It’s a little more than a month until the United States will have an election that has the capacity to literally make Donald Trump the most powerful man in the world. But right now, today, we simply wait. We are not there yet. And these first acts celebrate that vibrating moment before the plot thickens.

October 07, 2016

Celebrity Jeopardy board from SNL screenshot

Film + TVStaff Picks
The Ignorance Cure: Easy Ways to Avoid Having Your Own Aleppo Moment

Because no human being should be made to look like a contestant on “Celebrity Jeopardy.”

September 30, 2016

HOLLYWOOD, CA – NOVEMBER 05: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt attend the premiere of “By the Sea” at the 2015 AFI Fest at TCL Chinese 6 Theatres on November 5, 2015 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)

Film + TVStaff Picks
The Brangelina Cure: Relationships That Will Restore Your Shattered Faith in (the Noble Lie That Is) True Love

Brad and Angelina are Brangelinathingofthepast, but rather than brooding upon the ephemerality of romantic relationships or the fragility of human projects as a whole, let’s celebrate, instead.

September 23, 2016
Art & CultureFilm + TV
The Back Pages: Tom Tykwer and The Wachowskis’ “Cloud Atlas”

The 2012 film adaptation of David Mitchell’s grand story has its share of flaws, but it exceeds Mitchell’s work in the novel’s grandest ambition: being a moral work of art.

September 21, 2016

BETTER THINGS “Sam/Pilot” Episode 1 (Airs Thursday, September 8, 10:00 pm/ep) — Pictured: (center-right) Pamela Adlon as Pam, Olivia Edward as Duke). CR: Colleen Hayes/FX

Film + TVReviews
The Opposite of Death and Diarrhea: On Pamela Adlon’s “Better Things”

On a network overflowing with jaded takes on everyday life, “Better Things” stands out as a show that’s serious about its laughs.

September 19, 2016

Mel and Sue Great British Bakeoff cred Des Willie

Art & CultureFilm + TVStaff Picks
The Hosts Are Leaving Us Cure: Friendly Faces to Ease the Transition Into a Mel and Sue–less World

“The Great British Bake Off” is losing its two lovely hosts, but [author has something in eye, pauses, swears, composes self, resumes] there are more where those came from!

September 16, 2016
Art & Culture
The Lonely Patrolman: Policing the Moon with Tom Gauld and His Graphic Novel “Mooncop”

The Guardian artist—and author of Goliath—talks about his new book, due out later this month from Drawn + Quarterly.

September 08, 2016

Jennifer Lawrence walking

Film + TVStaff Picks
The “Where’s the Women” Cure: More Great Recent Films from Women Directors

A supplement to the BFI’s (very white, very male) list of the the twenty-first century’s 100 Greatest Films.

August 26, 2016
Art & CultureFilm + TV
FLOOD Book Club, Episode One: A Conversation about Emma Cline’s “The Girls” with Marguerite Moreau

We get cultish with the “Wet Hot American Summer” actor, who played Manson girl Susan Atkins in the 2004 version of “Helter Skelter.”

August 24, 2016
Film + TVStaff Picks
The Ben-Hur Cure: An Antidote to Uninspired Adaptations

Just a reminder: We don’t have to shackle ourselves to the past when we stand on the shoulders of giants.

August 19, 2016

NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 10: A man identified as ‘Steve from Virginia’ is grabbed by police as he climbs up the Trump Tower on August 10, 2016 in New York City. The man used suction cups to scale more than 20 stories of GOP Presidential Candidate Donald Trump’s signature skyscraper in Manhattan. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Film + TVStaff Picks
The Over-the-Top Solutions Cure: Because Going to the Mat Isn’t Always a Bad Idea

Pop culture recommendations for those of us who may have big dreams, but who lack the ability to climb up the face of a glass-fronted skyscraper in order to pursue them.

August 12, 2016

Karina Longworth / photo by Meghann Lee

Art & Culture
Breaking: Karina Longworth

What do you do when you’re tired of being a film critic but you still love the movies? If you’re Karina Longworth, you turn the history of film into a longform podcast series.

August 05, 2016
Art & CultureFilm + TV
The Human-Interest Cure: Because Great Olympic Athletes Don’t Always Make for Great Stories

Olympic telecasts go heavy on human-interest content, but not every human being is interesting—and many, in fact, are dull (and many of those have a monomaniacal devotion to sport). So let’s put away our thirst for meaning and medals for a moment and just enjoy some lives well lived.

August 05, 2016
Film + TVReviews
Resistance Is Futile, Again: On “Anthropoid”

Sean Ellis’s WWII drama tells the story of how the Czech resistance managed to assassinate Nazi general Reinhard Heydrich (a.k.a. “The Butcher of Prague”) and shows what they suffered as a result—but it fails to answer the question of why this story matters.

August 04, 2016

2016. BoJack Horseman screenshot

Film + TV
Little Bundles of Joy: “BoJack Horseman” and the Art of the Minor Epiphany

“BoJack Horseman” is a show that’s about a lot of things—adulthood, ambition, depression, Los Angeles, legacies, and more—but the recent “Fish Out of Water” episode shows how it can deliver profundities even when it isn’t trying, simply by plumbing the depths of its utterly original world.

August 01, 2016

1983. Return of the Jedi Star Wars promo image

Art & CultureFilm + TVStaff Picks
The Diabolical Friendship Cure: Alternatives to the Unholy Bro-ly Alliance of Trump and Putin

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are threatening the evil friendships genre by implicating it in their anarchic plot to destabilize the world; but that doesn’t mean that all diabolical friendships are bad. Let us count the ways.

July 29, 2016

ONE USE ONLY. Republican National Convention Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Art & CultureFilm + TVStaff Picks
The Convention Cure: Non-Toxic Alternatives to Life at the RNC in CLE

We’ve all spent a lot of time in Cleveland this past week, metaphorically speaking; let’s remedy that with some R&R at these pop cultural paradises.

July 22, 2016

2016. The Night Of screenshot

Art & CultureFilm + TVStaff Picks
The “Night Of” Cure: Great Procedurals That Won’t Force You to Wait Until Next Week

You’ll need to wait two full months before seeing the climax of HBO’s new series, but that doesn’t mean you have to wait to get your daily dose of great procedural entertainment.

July 15, 2016

Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler in “Armageddon”

Art & CultureFilm + TVStaff Picks
The Anti-America Cure: Patriotic Thrills That Won’t Endanger the Republic (or Your Soul)

Hot dogs, flags, and fireworks lose some of their appeal in light of the nativist hysteria gripping America at the moment, but this list will help you think America’s kind of great again.

July 01, 2016
Film + TV
Too Many Kings and Too Many Kingdoms: The Problem of Depth in “Game of Thrones”

“Game of Thrones” is striving admirably to carry its abundance of characters, territories, and plotlines. But it doesn’t have to.

June 29, 2016

Andy Samberg “Popstar”

Film + TVReviews
Needs More Cowbell: On The Lonely Island’s “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping”

First, a bit of context: I’m confident that I could watch eighty-six minutes of Lonely Island digital shorts and feel…

June 07, 2016

Psycho screenshot Janet Leigh in car

Art & CultureFilm + TVStaff Picks
The Death Cure: A Return to the Days When Killing Your Darlings Was Still a Power Move

Pop cultural deaths that occurred back before death was cool.

June 03, 2016

Still from Le Mepris (aka Contempt) of Brigitte Bardot

Film + TVStaff Picks
The Summer Movie Cure: Ten Seasonally Appropriate Alternatives to Cinema’s Dog Day

Pop culture recommendations to aid with your blockbuster fatigue.

May 27, 2016
Art & CultureFilm + TVStaff Picks
The C.K. Cure: Self-Esteem Boosts from Ten Abject Failures

Pop culture recommendations to aid with your justified sense of inadequacy.

May 20, 2016

Wikipedia logo header

Art & Culture
He Said, He Said: The Wikipedia Hall of Fame

Two of our editors discuss their use (and abuse) of the online encyclopedia using the preferred forum of pop-culture enthusiasts everywhere: G-chat.

May 17, 2016

2016. Donald Trump, photo by Michael Vadon via Wikimedia Commons

Art & CultureFilm + TVStaff Picks
The Trump Cure: Ten Enjoyably Explicable, Despicable Men

Pop culture recommendations to aid in coping with the Donald.

May 06, 2016

Jeremy Saulnier / not credited

Film + TV
Breaking: Jeremy Saulnier

The “Green Room” director is slashing his way to the top.

May 05, 2016

Green Room / Patrick Stewart / photo by Scott Patrick Green Courtesy of A24

Film + TVReviews
The Taste of Death: Jeremy Saulnier’s “Green Room”

Even a slaughterhouse has its rules. But is that enough?

April 15, 2016

Midnight Special

Film + TVReviews
“Midnight Special” Takes Highway to Heaven, Highway to Hell

Jeff Nichols’ latest film gamely shifts across genres without signaling.

March 31, 2016

2016. Kumail Nanjiani cred Ramona Rosales

Film + TV
Kumail Nanjiani Can Hot Take It or Leave It

The multi-hyphenate star of “Silicon Valley” joins us ahead of the show’s April 24 season premiere to discuss birthdays, podcasts, Donald Trump, and ketchup.

March 21, 2016

The Witch

Film + TVReviews
Occult Classic: Robert Eggers’ “The Witch”

The winner of the Director’s Award at last year’s Sundance burns slowly—and brightly.

February 24, 2016

Álvaro Enrigue / photo by Zony Maya

Art & CultureReviews
The Magic of Realism: On Álvaro Enrigue’s “Sudden Death”

The New York–based writer plays tennis with history.

February 16, 2016

Anomalisa screengrab

Film + TVReviews
OK, Great: Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman’s “Anomalisa”

Kaufman’s puppet-play allows us to find grace in the despair of everyday life.

January 06, 2016

“Hitchcock/Truffaut” trailer

Film + TVReviews
Precision and Soul: Kent Jones’s “Hitchcock/Truffaut”

A critic’s documentary about an iconic dialogue gives new life to old debates.

December 18, 2015

Macbeth screengrab

Film + TVReviews
Horror Show: Justin Kurzel’s Marvelous “Macbeth”

Supernatural terrors conspire with the evils of war in this bold new adaptation.

December 07, 2015
Film + TVReviews
Going Homeless: John Crowley’s “Brooklyn”

The film adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s novel burns quietly.

November 09, 2015
Art & CultureReviews
The Gears of Reincarnation: On David Mitchell’s “Slade House”

The celebrated British novelist returns with his followup to 2014’s “The Bone Clocks.”

November 04, 2015