What it means to call something 'Lynchian'

‘Twin Peaks’ was David Lynch’s ode to the soap opera

In the 1980s, David Lynch was primarily known as the director of art films like “Eraserhead” and “Blue Velvet.” But “Twin Peaks,” his primetime ABC show with writer Mark Frost, was a take on the soap opera, leaning into the genre’s tropes: stilted dialogue, affairs, missing person, and melodrama.

Some art critics believe that Liminalism, a form of art exploring the uncanny yet familiar, defines our present moment

While analyzing images of abandoned malls or empty hallways, art historians and critics argue that this style captures the feelings of this moment in time. Liminalism, they propose, expresses prominent themes in our age like anonymity, alienation, and anxiety.

An ‘auteur’ is another name for the chief creative mind of a film

“Auteur” is French for author. In film studies, the word refers to a film director who is considered the principal creative mind, or author, behind a film. Directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Akira Kurosawa, Steven Spielberg, and Greta Gerwig are often considered auteurs.

Breaking down the music theory of Hitchcock's 'Psycho'

One of the defining features of Hitchcock’s film “Psycho” (1960) is the music, especially the sounds you hear during some particularly grisly scenes. This analysis from The Music Professor analyzes how that music complements the film, highlighting the way strings match the intensity of the film’s screenplay and black-and-white cinematography.

What it means to call something 'Orwellian'

The adjective often refers to anything that resembles the dystopian governments of George Orwell, usually a state like the one in "1984" that monitors its citizens to ensure compliance. But as this video essay from Noah Tavlin makes clear, the more precise definition is a society that redefines language to control thought.

Defining an indie film

Indie movies have a definite history, but the use of the word by contemporary audiences can be vague. This brief explainer goes into a few tiers of indie film and a quick historical overview.

Cult classics are often defined by their polarization

Films that reach cult status are far from universally beloved. In fact, fans of cult movies often become such passionate supporters because a title has been lambasted by mainstream audiences. Stat Significant breaks down some of the most polarizing films of all time based on the data behind audience scores. It should come as no surprise that many in the top 10 are considered cult franchises.

The theory behind Dalí's 'Un Chien Andalou'

The 16-minute "Un Chien Andalou," or "an Andalusian dog," was shocking for 1929, when it was released and remains unsettling today. This brief video essay explores how the film sought to disrupt standard conceptions of art and meaning, making it an essential example of surrealism.

How American politics influenced 'Star Wars'

George Lucas believed that myths were how societies communicated notions of good and evil, and that modern myths were found on movie screens. This deep dive from the Los Angeles Review of Books explores how Lucas' disillusionment with the Vietnam War and his disgust with President Richard Nixon informed some of the themes in "Star Wars."

King is a major influence on modern genre writers

Stephen King's influence is felt across literature, film, and television—even outside the many books and adaptations that make up his long and storied career. This podcast features interviews with "Lost" showrunner Damon Lindelof and horror novelist Grady Hendrix, two writers who also happen to be King superfans.

What is Freud's idea of the unconscious?

The unconscious has become a widely used term, but Freud meant something quite specific. Here's a look into his technical use of the term.

Existentialism is a loosely defined philosophy that encouraged authentic living

The writers and thinkers often characterized as “existentialist” sometimes contradict one another. Considering that, boiling the philosophy down to a set of tenets can be difficult. Generally, those associated with existentialism were inspired by the 19th-century works of Søren Kierkegaard and Friedrich Nietzsche, and they believed that individuals needed to defy conformity and define the meaning of life for themselves.

The scientists trying to prove Jackson Pollock's symbolism

Jackson Pollock is one of the most famous American artists in history. He is well-known for his Abstract Expressionist "drip paintings," which seemed to defy interpretation. But following the artist's posthumous bipolar diagnosis, a team of scientists attempted to prove that his symptoms, including mania and psychosis, caused Pollock to embed images under his thrown paint.

'Everybody has talent and it's just a matter of moving around until you've discovered what it is. A talent is a combination of something you love a great deal and something you can lose yourself in.'

- George Lucas (1944-present)

Some refer to LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault as 'The Wolf in the Cashmere Coat'

Likely a play on the phrase, "a wolf in sheep's clothing," the nickname was earned via Arnault's "take no prisoners" approach to business. As he ages, many have wondered who will succeed him as CEO, and if it will be one of his children already employed under the LVMH conglomerate.

The story of serial killer Ed Gein who inspired pop culture

The creators of antagonists from "Silence of the Lambs" and "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" took notes from this horrifying Wisconsinite's story, known for body-snatching and creating keepsakes from corpses.

What is a lien?

A lien is a legal claim or right to someone else's property, such as a home. For instance, if someone wins a lawsuit against you and they can’t immediately collect the money you owe them, they might have the right to file a lien against your property.

'Labyrinth' initially flopped

The fantasy movie, directed by Henson and starring David Bowie, exited theaters less than a month after its release. Later, though, the movie would become a cult classic and would inspire many writers and artists to create similarly whimsical worlds.

Friedrich's perspective draws in viewers

Friedrich produced several works, including "Wanderer," portraying figures with their back to the viewer. The effect—called Rückenfigur, or ”figure from the back”—can create complex emotions of longing, immersion, or awe.

A pop culture taxonomy of the Byronic hero

The Byronic hero, a moody but ultimately noble archetype credited to Lord Byron, isn’t just a fixture of romanticism: the character type can still be found throughout popular culture. Look no further than this detailed explainer from TV Tropes, which illustrates the Byronic hero’s characteristics and appearances in different media.

A linguist argues Jane Austen's language is what defines her fiction

While many readers love Austen's novels for their characters and their romantic plots, Chi Luu argues that many people (including literary luminaries like Mark Twain, Virginia Woolf, and Ralph Waldo Emerson) underestimate how her adept wordplay, sense of irony, and memorable turns of phrase are what have made readers fall in love with her fiction for centuries.

Dylan was called 'the voice of his generation,' but rejected the title

By the mid-60s, Dylan made it clear he had no desire to be a spokesman for anyone but himself. He found the title stifling and believed it would prevent him from creating authentic art.

Ginsberg, Kerouac, and Burroughs were influenced by their classmate Lucien Carr

Much has been written about Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and William S. Burroughs’ time at Columbia University in the 1940s, but less attention has been paid to Lucien Carr, another student and one of the trio’s close friends, who murdered his childhood stalker.

Lucid dreaming: the ability to control or influence your dream environment

Every night, most of us dream, but about 20% of people experience lucid dreaming at least once a month. In these rare moments, dreamers are aware they're dreaming, and can even control their actions. Though linked to increased frontal lobe activity, why this state occurs remains a mystery.

LSD (better known as acid) was created in 1938 by Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann

Lysergic acid diethylamide, better known as LSD or acid, was first developed synthetically in 1938 by Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann. It's since become a linchpin for an entire aesthetic, fueled a counterculture movement, and is being studied for potential therapeutic uses.

Netflix profits when you're not watching, and its movies are designed that way—read a detail-rich critical essay exposing lesser-known Netflix takes

The first horror movie is believed to be George Méliès' 1986 short 'The Haunted Castle,' which pioneered the use of special effects

The Dracula character, now seen as the vampire archetype, was inspired by a seafood-induced nightmare its creator experienced.

After her fellow cult members tried to kill her with an LSD-infused hamburger, one member of the Manson Family, the murderous cult led by Charles Manson, decided to testify against the group's leader.

Georgia O'Keeffe's flower paintings are often assumed to be sexual, though the artist claimed she was simply interested in highlighting the beauty of flowers that most people neglect

Browse a detailed visual analysis of over 200,000 similes—comparisons that often use 'like' or 'as'—from popular fiction to see how frequently writers the same idiomatic expressions.

The distributor behind 'Rocky Horror' pulled the film from its scheduled national release, believing it would be a failure, though it eventually amassed a dedicated fanbase through midnight showings, a trend that continues over 50 years later.

The concept of phantom limbs, the perception that amputated limbs are still present, dates back to a French military surgeon in the 16th century.

In 1945, Surrealist artist Salvador Dalí and legendary animator Walt Disney began collaborating on a short film that was not completed until 2003, years after both men had died.

Existentialist writer Jean-Paul Sartre coined the famous phrase 'Hell is—other people' in his play 'No Exit'

A Yale student wrote a profound essay about the consulting industry's influence on elite college students that was published in a book of her writing after she died in a post-graduation car accident.

Abraham Lincoln was almost assassinated weeks before his inauguration as he traveled from Illinois to DC through Baltimore in 1861; it took two independent claims for Lincoln to be convinced the threat was real

See the most iconic photos from four decades of LIFE magazine

Poison ivy's characteristic rash is caused by an allergic response to an oily compound in the plant called urushiol.

The word 'jazz' evolved from 'jasm,' 19th-century American slang for 'energy'

Before writing 'Walden,' transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau nearly burned down his hometown with a campfire that grew out of control.

Dirty lightning is a thunderstorm created from friction between rising and falling flows of ash and smoke during volcanic eruptions.

'Shogun,' a 1980s TV series, helped popularize sushi in the US by stimulating an American interest in Japanese culture.

Legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright designed the SC Johnson headquarters in Wisconsin, aiming to make a cathedral-like workplace

Sony set the standard for cylinder-shaped batteries when it repurposed manufacturing equipment used to make rolls of magnetic recording tape.

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

Gerrymandering works through two techniques: cracking opposing voters across districts to dilute their power, and packing them into a few to waste their votes in lopsided majorities.

English mathematician Ada Lovelace wrote the first computer algorithm a century before computers existed and hypothesized that computing devices would one day be able to compose music—foreseeing the generative AI systems of today.

Prince's sexually explicit 1984 track 'Darling Nikki' attracted the ire of the Parents Music Resource Center, an advocacy group that inspired the Parental Advisory sticker, even though the song ends with a Christian message.