Inside Out 2
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Wait. Pixar finally has a quality animated film hitting theaters? Granted, it’s a sequel. But after seeing “Turning Red” pushed to Disney+ while a lukewarm film like “Lightyear” took its theatrical place, it’s taken far too many years for the...
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How Cold War Thrillers Expressed Presidential Campaign Concerns
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Sixty years ago, a moviegoing public still grieving JFK's November 1963 assassination, experienced The Cold War U.S. and national leadership through the lens of the filmmakers who brought them cautionary tales and doomsday thrillers such as "The Best Man," "Fail...
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Presumed Innocent Spins Riveting Mystery on Apple TV+
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Based on Scott Turow’s 1987 legal thriller of the same name, “Presumed Innocent” stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Rusty Sabich, a renowned prosecutor and family man. He’s shown as a loving father and husband, spending a beautiful sunny day with his...
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The Language of Horror: Ishana Night Shyamalan on The Watchers
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After helping as the second unit director on her father M. Night Shyamalan’s films “Old” and “Knock at the Cabin,” it’s only fitting that Ishana Night Shyamalan’s directorial debut, “The Watchers,” continues the family tradition of mining the horrors of...
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Everybody Wants Some!! Told Us Everything We Needed to Know About Glen Powell
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It’s August 1980, and Jake (Blake Jenner) is driving to college. He’s a freshman pitcher on the school’s highly-rated baseball team, and he’s moving into off-campus housing with his teammates, most of whom are upperclassmen. In short order, Jake meets...
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Cannes 2024 Video #9: Festival Wrapup
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Chaz Ebert recounts her experience at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, from cell phone usage to panels to chats with critics and correspondents also attending the fest.The famous red carpet has been cleaned, the movies on the beach have been closed,...
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Bad Boys: Ride or Die
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I’m not coming out and accusing the writers of “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” of using A.I., a touchy subject in Hollywood these days. But if a computer had written this blockbuster sequel, it wouldn’t turn out much different.  Serving as...
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ChiFilm Fest’s 60th Anniversary Cinema Soirée
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It was a celebration that, in some sense, had been sixty years in the making. It was also necessary. It’s been a rough year for festivals: the Berlinale witnessed deep political divides around its response to Gaza, Toronto International Film...
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The Acolyte Sends Star Wars Into a Galaxy Far, Far In the Past
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Like the Jedi and the Sith, the "Star Wars" universe of late has felt like a dueling dyad of creative directions for the franchise—each battling for supremacy on the now-fertile ground of Disney+. Some entries, like "Ahsoka" and the later seasons...
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Short Films in Focus: The Year of Staring at Noses
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This should be obvious, but I’ll say it anyway: Go watch the movie first. Scroll down, watch it, then scroll back up and read the review and Q&A. Part of the joy of doing this piece every month is the...
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