How Ava DuVernay Became a Creator of Worlds
Late fall in the redwood forests of Northern California, it gets cold. Not wrap-yourself-in-furs cold—we’re still talking 51 degrees—but the kind of cold that demands layers, lest it sink into your bones. Nevertheless, in November 2016, when I visited her movie set near Eureka, director Ava DuVernay was coatless. Just a thermal with a cotton…
On Dirty Computer Janelle Monáe Breaks Out of Her Android Persona
Nearly a century ago, the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar wrote one of his most abiding works, “We Wear the Mask.” Much of the poem’s heat springs from its opening stanza, which plays like a confession eager to break free. Of the disguise so many black Americans choose to wear, he writes: “It hides our cheeks…
Doctor Who’s First Female Doctor Will Bring a New Generation of Whovians
Click:Slew Drive A fun game if you ever find yourself at a comics convention: Try to spot as many gender-swapped cosplayers as you can. Throughout years of going to Comic-Cons and other fan gatherings, I’ve spotted women in drag as Loki, Harry Potter, and—before Paul Feig's reboot—various Ghostbusters. (However, this tends to be a one-way…
With Pose, Prestige TV Becomes Resistance TV
Early in FX’s new scripted melodrama Pose, Blanca, a HIV-positive trans performer, introduces Damon, a gay youth from Pennsylvania, to the glamour and volume of ballroom culture. "Realness is what it’s all about," she tells him as they watch participants compete in the category for "Executive Realness." Having fled the choke of home, Damon (played…
The Messiness of Vampyr Doesn't Weaken Its Bite
Dontnod Entertainment, the development studio behind the newly released Vampyr, has a habit of creating messy games. But don't let that stop you from playing them. Dr. Jonathan E. Reid's office, which he only leaves when the sun sets, has two doors. One opens to Pembroke Hospital, where he works as a surgeon and blood…
Star Wars Is Becoming a Religion, and May 4 Is Its Spring Festival
It’s not even that good a play on words: May the Fourth Be With You. That’s all it takes to have a holiday? A pun? The joke at least has been around almost as long as Star Wars itself; official Star Wars doctrine traces the etymology to an ad congratulating Margaret Thatcher on the day…
The Tricks Pixar Used to Make Coco's Super Slick Skeletons
Pixar’s new movie Coco is heartwarming, gorgeous, and—based on its $71 million opening weekend in the US—very popular. But it wouldn’t be any of those things without its skeletons. Like the toys, monsters, and robots Pixar has dreamed up before, the bags of bones are awfully charismatic. Unlike those creations, their phalanges took a little…
Did YouTube Phenomenon Poppy Steal Her Style From Another Star?
A prominent YouTube personality who has garnered tens of millions of views is being sued by another star for allegedly stealing her persona. The question now is whether the case has any merit under copyright law. In April, YouTuber and musician Mars Argo, whose real name is Brittany Sheets, filed a lawsuit in California against…
WIRED's Top Stories in February: Facebook, Facebook, Facebook
When special counsel Robert Mueller dropped his bombshell 37-page indictment earlier this month, there was one undeniable takeaway: Russians used information warfare to meddle in and influence the US election. And one of their favorite weapons was Facebook. Since the 2016 election, social media platforms have come under intense media scrutiny, Facebook more than most.…
The Good Place's Podcasters Are Smart Motherforkers
After two seasons of comedy and philosophy, The Good Place remains a great joy. It’s the best science fiction show on television, with twists and intricate, earned reveals that hint at a watchmakers' dream of a writers' room. The show's third season doesn't start until late September, but in the hiatus, NBC and its creators…