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review

“Final Fantasy VII Remake” Reinvents a Classic JRPG

Final Fantasy VII Remake
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The iconic role-playing game gets a stylistic, narrative-focused update that expounds and confounds in fascinating ways.

Rob Kojder Posted on April 18, 2020April 23, 2020

Non-Fiction Review: Assayas Tackles the Changing Media Landscape

Non-Fiction
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The latest film from the French master is a piercing look at the state of publishing and mass media wrapped up in relationship drama.

Marshall Estes Posted on May 19, 2019August 10, 2020

Little White Lies’ “Close-Ups” Series Offers Film Scholarship That Fits In Your Pocket

Little White Lies' Close-Up
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Whether on the cinema of New York, Wes Anderson, or creatures of the night, the venerable film magazine has you covered.

Clint Worthington Posted on May 14, 2019May 14, 2019

“Captive State” Succeeds As A Spy Thriller, But Fails Its Characters

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Rupert Wyatt’s dark sci-fi allegory about a Chicago occupied by sinister alien forces features some smart, subversive sequences but lacks strong characters.

Joe Lipsett Posted on March 15, 2019August 5, 2020

The Orville Recap: Gordon Tries to Stop the “Blood of Patriots” from Spilling

The Orville Blood of Patriots
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One of The Orville’s most explicitly comedic characters gets his moment in the sun with a familiar, nuanced episode about the lingering animosity of war.

Clint Worthington Posted on March 7, 2019August 5, 2020

The Orville Recap: Space Battles, Die Hard Action Reign in “Identity Pt. 2”

The Orville "Identity Pt. 2"
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The Orville tries its hand at big-time space spectacle in a more action-heavy hour, with the entire Union at stake.

Clint Worthington Posted on February 28, 2019August 5, 2020

The Orville Recap: “Identity Pt. 1” Sets The Stage for Interstellar Conflict

The Orville Identity Pt. 1
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The Orville gets Serious this week, with the first part of a two-parter that intriguingly complicates one of the show’s most mercurial characters.

Clint Worthington Posted on February 21, 2019August 4, 2020

Sundance 2019 January 28 Dispatch: Selah and the Spades, Maiden, Mope

Selah and the Spades Sundance
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From droll Heathers homages to docs about pioneering female sailors, Matt Cipolla breaks down his first day at Sundance.

Matt Cipolla Posted on January 29, 2019July 2, 2020

The Orville Review: “All the World is Birthday Cake” Sees the Crew Battling Astrology-Based Prejudice

The Orville All the World is Birthday Cake
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The Orville crew butt heads with a world that shuns people based on their Zodiac sign, in a premise straight out of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Clint Worthington Posted on January 24, 2019August 3, 2020

Brexit Review: The Big (Ben) Short

Brexit HBO
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HBO’s latest is a didactic lecture of a Brexit primer whose handsome performances hide a smug political nihilism.

Clint Worthington Posted on January 19, 2019August 3, 2020

“The Upside” Review: Not as painful as swapping catheters

The Upside
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Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart serve up surface-level schmaltz in this treacly disabilities drama.

Rob Kojder Posted on January 10, 2019August 3, 2020

Grace and Frankie TV Review: Season 5 Opts for Safety Over Innovation

Grace and Frankie Season 5
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The Jane Fonda-Lily Tomlin Netflix sitcom stumbles a bit as it enters its golden years.

Taylor Beck Posted on January 4, 2019August 3, 2020

BoJack Horseman Season 5 TV Review: As Devastating and Bleakly Funny As Ever

BoJack Horseman
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Netflix’s bittersweet tale of talking animals and the vagaries of celebrity returns for a thoughtful fifth season filled […]

Gena Radcliffe Posted on September 13, 2018August 1, 2020

Hitler’s Hollywood Review: Doc Explores Dark Periods of German Cinema History

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Rudiger Suchsland’s second documentary on the cinema of Hitler’s Germany takes a fascinating, if surface-level, look at the […]

Marshall Estes Posted on May 16, 2018July 30, 2020
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