Yorgos Lanthimos Is Not Your Friend

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( close read [Yorgos Lanthimos Is Not Your Friend]( Poor Things was an empowerment fantasy. The director’s latest film is a return to his primary interest — control. Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Searchlight Pictures Last year, Yorgos Lanthimos directed a dark comedy about a woman named Bella who was assembled from the body of an adult and the brain of a fetus in a Frankenstein-like surgery and who went on to fuck her way to self-actualization across a fantastical Europe. It was the most accessible thing the Athens-born director had ever made, which really says more about his overall body of work than it does about Poor Things. Lanthimos is one of film’s reigning sadists, though he’s always funny about it — if not funny haha, then funny in a tone so arid as to render the humor borderline subliminal. He makes films set in deadpan universes that sit at Dutch angles to our own and feature characters struggling to live in accordance with arbitrary and frequently cruel conventions. All of which is true of Poor Things as well. What sets it apart is the way that Bella, the wiped-blank heroine played by Emma Stone, rejects the rules and strictures she’s told she has to abide by as she speedruns her way from child to woman of the world. Lanthimos, as unlikely as it seemed, had created a story of empowerment as well as something tailor-made to polarize the internet. [read more]( Devour pop culture with us. [Subscribe now]( to save over 40% on unlimited access to Vulture and everything New York. The Latest TV Recaps • The Real Housewives of Dubai: [Mother Dearest]( • Top Chef: Wisconsin: [Yes, Chef]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like [8 Great Audiobooks to Listen to This Month Page-turning summer thrillers, provocative celebrity memoirs, and an off-beat comic novel.]( By Marshall Heyman [Lollapalooza Gotta Rename It Hottiepalooza Megan Thee Stallion is replacing Tyler, the Creator as headliner, while Sabrina Carpenter replaces him at Outside Lands.]( By Zoe Guy [Sabrina Carpenter’s Working Late This Fall On her Short n’ Sweet arena tour.]( By Justin Curto [Muppet Movies, Ranked It’s time to start the music, it’s time to light the lights.]( By Barry Levitt [Queen Is the Music-Catalogue Sale Champion Sony has purchased their music rights for a staggering $1.2 billion.]( By Devon Ivie [Travis Scott Arrested for Disorderly Intoxication and Trespassing He was booked in Miami Beach early this morning.]( By Zoe Guy [Max’s The Penguin Rises He’s dangerous, he’s terrifying, he’s an extra in Surf’s Up … and he’s got a new teaser.]( By Jason P. Frank [The 10 Best Horror Movies on Starz Nope, An American Werewolf in London, Hostel, and more.]( By Brian Tallerico [Pride 2024’s Most Femininomenal Moments Sandy Cohen says “Ally!”]( By Bethy Squires [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Vulture Games [Today’s Crossword]( 19-Across, Five Letters: Chekhov’s “The Bear” has one Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Paramount/Everett Collection, Josh Brasted/WireImage, Maddie Meyer/Getty Images [Today’s Cinematrix]( Can you name a Seth Rogen movie with a number in the title? Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic, Santiago Felipe/Getty Images, Karwai Tang/WireImage A newsletter about the perpetual Hollywood awards race, for subscribers only. [Sign up]( to get it every week. [Get the Newsletter]( [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe]( | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1701 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2024, All rights reserved