Coming Attractions
Our expert critics supply a guide to film, visual art, theater, author readings, television, and music. More offerings will be added as they come in.
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The Arts Fuse Currents
Music
Visual Arts
The “Look” of the 2026 Games succeeds at what should be its elemental function — the connection of beauty, athleticism, celebration, and memory.
Film
“Magellan” circles the world and the world circles the drain.
Books
Yun Ko-eun’s novel is a good, entertaining read that proceeds by a kind of literary Zeno’s Paradox: forever on the verge of some Big Revelation or vague Deeper Meaning without ever actually reaching them.
Poetry at The Arts Fuse
This week’s poem: Valerie Coulton’s “fifteen lines in February”
Dance
“Balanchine Finds His America” is written primarily in the present tense, so that reading the book is like watching a never-to-be-repeated dance performance.
Theater
Television
“Twinless” is by far the most surprising film I’ve seen in a long time. I relished the emotional rollercoaster ride director and writer James Sweeney takes us on.
Podcasts
In this Short Fuse episode, host Elizabeth Howard talks to Holly Smith, a volunteer and board member at Big House Books in Jackson, Mississippi.
Short Fuses
Each month, our arts critics — music, book, theater, dance, television, film, and visual arts — fire off a few brief reviews.
Spotlight
Onwards for an invaluable poll from a community of critics that gives us a map to an expansive world of jazz to explore — with hints at terra incognita.
About the Arts Fuse
The Arts Fuse was established in June, 2007 as a curated, independent online arts magazine dedicated to publishing in-depth criticism, along with high quality previews, interviews, and commentaries. The publication's over 70 freelance critics (many of them with decades of experience) cover dance, film, food, literature, music, television, theater, video games, and visual arts. Support arts coverage that believes that culture matters.


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