Culture

Getty ImagesIt's one of the country's best-loved songs – but the US national anthem, recently performed by The Chicks at the Democratic National Convention, has an unexpectedly colourful past, and was even dismissed by critics as a "drinking song".The Chicks...

Getty ImagesAs news of rising prices, intolerable weather and poor ticket sales have hit the Nevada desert event in recent years, some speculate its days could be numbered.This weekend, tens of thousands of people will head deep into the Nevada...

Netflix(Credit: Netflix)The new season of fluffy Netflix show Emily in Paris introduces a surprising plotline about sexual misconduct in the fashion world – how does the show handle the subject, and does it reflect reality?Created by Darren Star, the featherlight...

Carlos Somonte/ Amazon/ MGM Studios(Credit: Carlos Somonte/ Amazon/ MGM Studios)Zoe Kravitz's directorial debut is full of "smart ideas, contentious themes, cool images and striking sequences" – but does it work as a compelling thriller?Zoe Kravitz is known for acting in...

Alamy(Credit: Alamy)The American singer-songwriter's breezy disco bop has been inescapable over the last few months. Here experts dissect why it has had such a hold over popular culture – and our summer holidaysThere is no official metric to determine the...

Disney(Credit: Disney)The new Alien film has enraged many with the re-appearance of an actor from the 1979 original – brought back from the dead using digital trickery. Is such anger justified?The latest film in the Alien series, Alien: Romulus, harks...

Courtesy of Warner Bros. PicturesAs Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder return to an 80s classic and Brad Pitt and George Clooney pair up again in a comedy thriller, here are the unmissable movies to see this month.NetflixApollo 13: SurvivalIn April...

Getty Images(Credit: Getty Images)The six-day bank siege that inspired the controversial Stockholm Syndrome theory began on 23 August 1973. In 1980, a BBC documentary featured two pioneering New York police negotiators who had built their careers on the lessons they...

Penguin Random House(Credit: Penguin Random House)From the follow-up to Colm Tóibín's beloved Brooklyn and Miranda July's "mid-life coming-of-age tale" to a "quirky time-travel romance", here are our picks for the recently published books you should pack in your late-summer getaway...

Private CollectionBanksy, Crude Oil Jerry, 2003 (Credit: Private Collection)As a string of new Banksy artworks spring up around London, an expert reveals the clues that unlock his art historical genius.Is Banksy a great artist? When a series of stencilled animals,...