This is hardly fresh material, but Derek Cianfrance, the director and co-writer, has fashioned it into something of startling directness and intensity.

NEWYORKER: Blue Valentine

All these outlets demand a huge turnover of material, and the most obvious target for a desperate sketch-writer is politics.

ECONOMIST: Blair and the comedians

The material discussed in this account is so rich and varied that it might have overwhelmed a lesser writer.

ECONOMIST: English history