I’m grateful to our cinephile intern Bingham Bryant, who called my attention to the posting of a trailer for the new Woody Allen film, “Midnight in Paris.” It looks like great fun. (And it will open the Cannes Film Festival on May 11th.) The movie stars Owen Wilson, who, judging from the trailer, is front and center throughout—and it’s about time. Wilson is one of the most original actors of his generation, and he has been awaiting, since the muted pathos of his performance in Wes Anderson’s “The Darjeeling Limited,” another role worthy of his artistry. I hope this is it.
Goings On
What we’re watching, listening to, and doing this week, online, in N.Y.C., and beyond. Paid subscribers also receive book picks.
Our Local Correspondents
Why You Can’t Get a Restaurant Reservation
How bots, mercenaries, and table scalpers have turned the restaurant reservation system inside out.
By Adam Iscoe
Profiles
Padma Lakshmi Walks Into a Bar
Since leaving “Top Chef,” Lakshmi has found herself in a period of professional uncertainty. What better time to try standup comedy?
By Helen Rosner
Annals of Gastronomy
A Martini Tour of New York City
My month of vermouth-rinsing and fat-washing.
By Gary Shteyngart
Our Local Correspondents
Donald Trump Is Being Ritually Humiliated in Court
At his criminal trial, the ex-President has to sit there while potential jurors, prosecutors, the judge, witnesses, and even his own lawyers talk about him as a defective, impossible person.
By Eric Lach