Category: Features
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November Offers New Spin On Dickens
It’s been a good week for Charles Dickens. Author Barbara Kingsolver marked four weeks on the New York Times bestseller list with her modern take on “David Copperfield.” Oprah’s Book Club pick “Demon Copperhead” transfers the themes of Dickens’ semi-autobiographical tome to 21st century Appalachia, where its main characters are plagued by opioid addiction, domestic…
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Disney Symbol Stands For More In ‘Mickey: The Story of a Mouse’
“It was all started by a mouse,” Walt Disney says in the opening of a new documentary about his company’s most famous symbol. “Mickey: The Story of a Mouse” begins streaming on Disney+ Nov. 18 in celebration of the character’s birthday. As editor of the award-winning documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” about the life…
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Pugh Is Saving Grace In Netflix Thriller ‘The Wonder’
Florence Pugh portrays a hard-nosed nurse thrust into a world of religious zealots in “The Wonder,” a psychological thriller that begins streaming Nov. 16 on Netflix. Set in 1862 and based on the novel by award-winning author Emma Donoghue, the disturbing new feature follows the story of an 11-year-old Irish girl who claims not to…
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Action Hero Tests Potential In ‘Limitless With Chris Hemsworth’
An action star studies the science of longevity in “Limitless with Chris Hemsworth.” The six-part documentary series from National Geographic drops Wednesday on Disney+, following Hemsworth in his extreme quest to defy aging and learn more about combating unhealthy habits. “Unhealthy” might be the wrong word to describe the actor, best known for playing god…
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More Treats Than Tricks In ‘Hocus Pocus 2’
Almost 30 years after the original, the Sanderson Sisters return to Salem for a new Disney+ sequel.
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‘I Love My Dad’ a Delightfully Cringe-Worthy Comedy
To be catfished: lure (someone) into a relationship by means of a fictional online persona. Now what happens if your dad is the one catfishing you? That’s the based-on-a-true-story basis for James Morosini’s funny, heartfelt, wildly entertaining I Love My Dad starring Patton Oswalt in the titular role as dad … or as Becca, if…
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‘Thirteen Lives’ a Captivating Retelling of 2018 Rescue Mission
Ron Howard does it again. This time, the prolific director takes his talents to Thailand in a fast-paced, enthralling retelling of a miracle. Thirteen Lives (On Amazon Prime Video August 5) tells the incredible true story of the Thai Cave Rescue, an event that captivated the world. Starring Viggo Mortensen and Colin Farrell as the…
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Thompson Shines In Charming ‘Good Luck to You, Leo Grande’
Two-time Academy Award winner Emma Thompson stars in writer Katy Brand and director Sophie Hyde’s endearing story of a retired school teacher who embarks on a journey of sexual reawakening. Spending the entirety of the dialogue-centric film opposite sex worker Leo Grande (Daryl McCormack), the film is very much like theater for the big screen.…
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In ‘Cha Cha Real Smooth,’ Cooper Raiff Makes His Own Kind of Music
Writer-director Cooper Raiff stars alongside producer Dakota Johnson in the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award winner “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” streaming now on Apple TV+. The endearing dramedy follows Andrew (Raiff), a recent postgraduate who accidentally gets a job hosting bar mitzvahs for the kids in his younger brother’s class. When he meets a young…
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In profound ‘Phoenix Rising,’ an actor becomes an activist
Actor and activist Evan Rachel Wood tells a harrowing story of surviving domestic violence in “Phoenix Rising,” an HBO documentary which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Director Amy Berg directs the two-part film, now streaming on HBO Max. It follows Wood’s journey from establishing herself as a young actor to becoming staunch…