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Movie Reviews: Nobody
Nobodydirected by Ilya NaishullerThere is a trope known as "Mugging the Monster" that is popular in various forms of art: visual, written, and musical. Usually this involves stupid or dangerous people...
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Movie Reviews: Thick As Thieves
Thick as Thievesdirected by Scott SandersThis 1999 movie was directed by the same man who went on to direct Black Dynamite which also featured Michael Jai White.Although the movie is not based on an...
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Movie Reviews: Truck Turner
Truck Turnerdirected by Jonathan KaplanIf you happen to be in the mood to watch late Stax songwriter/musician/singer/producer/pianist and actor Isaac Hayes flex his muscles and beat up or shoot...
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Trees and Climate Change in Des Moines
Many of us have a preferred way of dealing with climate change. Some think the entire world population needs to shrink, or at least the population of THOSE people over there. Some people think that we...
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Movie Reviews: Werewolves Within
Werewolves Withindirected by Josh RubenThis film is a horror-comedy-whodunnit-murder mystery. It also has a few sly commentaries on male: female relations, feminism, and confidence. I would describe it...
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Movie Reviews: The Bay
The Baydirected by Barry LevinsonThis older film is an found footage eco-horror movie that is similar to the Nick Cutter book The Troop, reviewed here. I think the The Troop is a better book than The...
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Movie Reviews: Hard Eight
Hard Eightdirected by Paul Thomas AndersonThis 1996 neo-noir film was Anderson's debut. Anderson later went on to direct such films as Boogie Nights, Magnolia, and There Will Be Blood among others....
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Movie Reviews: The Florida Project
The Florida Projectdirected by Sean BakerThis is a bittersweet 2017 slice of life drama which oddly enough I just watched. Well. If you haven't seen it you should see it. It's probably the best film...
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Society and Violent Women
We are told that there is never any excuse for violence against women. Okay. But what about when women initiate violence against other people? Do the targets of that violence have the right to defend...
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Movie Reviews: The Big Steal
The Big Stealdirected by Don SiegelThis is often listed as a film noir. I didn't see it that way. I thought it was just a run of the mill action movie with a few twists. The director would later go on...
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Federal Eviction Moratorium Expires
If you have the resources to ensure that you and yours have housing for the foreseeable future then this news will not have any immediate impact upon you but the Federal CDC moratorium on evictions...
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Devoted Geese
I am not crazy about Canadian Geese. Not even a little bit. They have ugly voices, beady little eyes, can be irrationally aggressive, destroy ponds and small lakes, damage just-washed vehicles, and...
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Movie Reviews: Slaughter
Slaughterdirected by Jack StarrettThe good about Slaughter was that it featured a two fisted Black masculine male hero who plays by his own rules, doesn't take any stuff off anyone, and is going to get...
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Movie Reviews: Wrath of Man
Wrath of Mandirected by Guy Ritchie How do you review a film in which almost any plot description is something that could veer into spoiler territory. Very carefully, succinctly and without discussing...
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Movie Reviews: The Empty Man
The Empty Mandirected by David PriorThis is a horror movie that initially gives the viewer the impression that it's like any number of hundreds of other horror movies in which people-usually sex crazed...
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Farewell Afghanistan
The United States has just about completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan. The 20 year war is over. Or at least the US role is. Instead of the Afghan government fighting the Taliban for another two...
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Movie Reviews: Blood Red Sky
Blood Red Skydirected by Peter ThorwathThis is a German supernatural horror film that bears a great deal of visual resemblance to the classic German movie Nosferatu and many of the descendants of that...
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Grocery Store Etiquette
At one of the grocery store chains where I used to routinely shop, despite what seems to be massive growth in the shopping population, store managers have installed more self-service kiosks. Store...
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Police Brutality: Welcome to Taylor!
It's difficult for me to have any sympathy for the Capitol police officers insulted or assaulted during the January 6 attempted coup in Washington D.C. because police officers across this country react...
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Movie Reviews: What Lies Below
What Lies Belowdirected by Braden DuemmlerInvestigation Discovery meets The Shadow Over InnsmouthYou might not imagine that a movie that draws equally from Freduian stepfather ickniness and...
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