Crimson staff writer
Emerson J. Monks
Latest Content
How Olivia Rodrigo Drove Right Under Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Skin’
"Skin" is as empty and immature as its premise, which is its real problem. Rather than attempting to be a song of any real worth, the song targets a teenage girl for her success.
The Bizarre Disembodiment of ‘Aporia’
“Aporia” thus follows in the footsteps of many of Stevens’s albums, which are never of poor quality, per se. The album simply lacks depth. Rather than eliciting a negative response, it is much more likely not to receive any at all.
‘Making the Cut’ Hasn’t Made the Cut — Yet
The problem at the heart of “Making the Cut" is that even the judges are far more interesting and dramatic than the competitors.
How I’m Feeling About ‘~how i’m feeling~’
“~how i’m feeling~” is repetitive, and at times mildly trite, but it also has moments of true depth.
‘Something That May Shock and Discredit You’ Is Both Shocking and Creditable
Ortberg thrives in a codependent web: narratives around his religion are interwoven with those surrounding his transition, and his writing is illuminated by both.
Looking Back at Wes Anderson’s Films
Anderson specializes in films that have not merely strayed off the beaten path, but rather have taken a left-turn into the ocean.
‘F*ck Your Diet’ Uses Levity to Talk About the Difficult Things
Most powerful is how Hilliard speaks about self-acceptance and the love of her own body.
Career Retrospective: Zendaya’s Transition from Disney to Dystopia
If anything, the slight overcorrection brought about by “Euphoria” is less a sudden left turn into raunchy gravitas than it is into layered, textured material.
Erin Morgenstern Returns to Brookline Booksmith To Promote ‘The Starless Sea’
Eight years after the publication of “The Night Circus,” Erin Morgenstern returns to the spotlight to herald the release of her second novel, “The Starless Sea.”
‘Song of the Crimson Flower’ Has a Romance that Fails to Bloom
Julie C. Dao’s “Song of the Crimson Flower” is a frothy, contrived concoction of pleasure reading and little more.
‘Read My Lips’: The MFA’s Latest Exhibit Gets Mouthy
On Saturday, the MFA launched three new exhibitions: one on contemporary art, one on African aestheticism, and one on the mouths of women.
‘Scandalous’ Hardly a Scandal
“Scandalous” aims for piping-hot controversy, but settles instead for lukewarm praise.
'Ordinary Girls' Is Anything But Ordinary
Jaquira Díaz’s memoir chronicles the vibrant color, joy, and tragedy of a life lived with inimitable passion.
‘Batwoman’ Squeaks Short
The CW’s “Batwoman,” the latest installation in the “Arrowverse,” a fictional comic universe, delivered a shaky first performance, resting on the well-trodden stones of the many superheroes and villains that came before it.
