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Author: Andrew Bloom

“Star Trek: Picard” Uses a Blunt Instrument to Open “The Impossible Box”

Star Trek Picard Impossible Box
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A sea of good ideas gets drowned in cliche as Picard and Soji face the truth.

Andrew Bloom Posted on February 28, 2020February 28, 2020

“Rachel Getting Married” Is Harrowing, Messy, and Real

Rachel Getting Married
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With its lo-fi aesthetics and quietly chaotic presentation, Jonathan Demme’s 2008 drama never goes for the easy conflicts at hand.

Andrew Bloom Posted on February 24, 2020February 22, 2020

“Star Trek Picard” Tries to Roll Sevens in “Stardust City Rag”

Star Trek Picard Episode 5 Stardust City Rag
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Seven of Nine slings guns and runs a heist in an episode that’s tonally all over the map.

Andrew Bloom Posted on February 20, 2020February 20, 2020

Star Trek Picard Episode 4: “Absolute Candor” Mines Its Hero’s Regrets

Star Trek Picard Episode 4
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The show finally finds its groove with a detour, an abandoned boy, and a lost cause.

Andrew Bloom Posted on February 13, 2020February 13, 2020

Star Trek Picard: “The End Is the Beginning” Stumbles to Gather Its Crew

Star Trek Picard Episode 3 The End is the Beginning
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Synthetic threats and synthetic relationships pepper Picard’s “gather the team” episode.

Andrew Bloom Posted on February 6, 2020February 6, 2020

“The Dead Don’t Die,” But the Living Don’t Do Much Either

The Dead Don't Die
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A rare misfire in his filmography, Jim Jarmusch’s horror-comedy is an inconsistent mess that’s neither scary or funny.

Andrew Bloom Posted on January 31, 2020January 24, 2020

“Star Trek: Picard” Searches for a Direction in “Maps and Legends”

Star Trek: Picard "Maps & Legends"
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Patrick Stewart is still carrying much of the weight as “Star Trek: Picard” continues to pile on the lore & find its footing.

Andrew Bloom Posted on January 30, 2020January 29, 2020

Star Trek: Picard and a “Remembrance” for its Best Performer

Picard
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Despite solid performances all around, the episode struggles with tone, plotting & what kind of show it wants to be.

Andrew Bloom Posted on January 25, 2020January 24, 2020

“Star Trek: Picard” Goes Fine, But Not Boldly

Star Trek Picard
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Patrick Stewart returns to his iconic role in a new Star Trek series in desperate need of a shakedown cruise.

Andrew Bloom Posted on January 23, 2020January 22, 2020

“Away We Go”: An Inter-State Indie-Statement

Away We go
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Despite getting off on the wrong foot, Sam Mendes’s oft-forgotten dramedy remains a salient look at 2000s anxieties as often seen onscreen.

Andrew Bloom Posted on December 27, 2019December 27, 2019

Martin Scorsese Is A Great Filmmaker, and Dead Wrong About Marvel

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There’s a lot more nuance to be found in the discourse surrounding Marvel movies and arthouse cinema.

Andrew Bloom Posted on November 20, 2019November 20, 2019

“Inglourious Basterds” Lets Tarantino Turn the Propaganda Back on his Audience

Inglourious Basterds
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Quentin Tarantino’s blood-soaked WWII film lets him turn the camera around on the audience and interrogate his own violent oeuvre.

Andrew Bloom Posted on July 27, 2019July 27, 2019

“Dead Poets Society” and the Freeing, Frightening Passion of Youth

Dead Poets Society
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On the film’s thirtieth anniversary, we look back at Peter Weir’s intricate drama and the inherent tragedy of seizing the day.

Andrew Bloom Posted on June 18, 2019August 11, 2020

Stan Lee Was the Icon We Needed Him to Be

Stan Lee
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Upon his passing at age 95, it’s worth reflecting on Stan Lee’s complicated legacy as comic book geekdom’s […]

Andrew Bloom Posted on November 12, 2018January 29, 2019

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