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Emio: The Smiling Man is a dark and captivating murder mystery
★★★★ | Why the long face? Tested on Release date Publisher Developer Nintendo Switch 29.8.2024 Nintendo Nintendo Mages Inc. One of my favorite movies of all time is Memories of Murder. Based on a true story, it charts the lives of detectives in Korea on the hunt for a serial killer. As the years pass, that hunt becomes more desperate, as they realize how little their chances become to catch the suspect. Emio: The Smiling Man, has the same mosaic feel to it. A sense of time passing, and what a gaping hole those who’ve gone leave behind. Especially when left without closure. It begins with a murder that goes unsolved, and another that opens old wounds decades later. The setting is that of a sl
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Helsinki International Film Festival 2024 – the films you must see
The Helsinki International Film Festival, or Love and Anarchy, is back. This year, the lineup comes packed with Cannes favorites and indie darlings, each worth your time. While the program and speaking events also provide an uncomfortable and unwelcome emphasis on the acceptance of AI in filmmaking, the movies themselves are nothing to scoff at. Happily, the selection proves a panacea to these depressing realities with biting satire and deeply humane stories that captivate and inspire in equal measure. Here are the films you shouldn’t miss at the festival this year. Emilia Perez My favorite film from Cannes. A miracle in and of itself: Emilia Perez is the story of transitioning, forgiveness,
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Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a delightfully gruesome legacy sequel
★★★★ | Scared sheetless Beetlejuice was Tim Burton’s second film. Yet it might be his most recognizable one. It doesn’t have the heart and melancholy of Edward Scissorhands, nor is it as artfully constructed as Ed Wood. But it encompasses everything that makes Burton, well, Burton. Some thirty-odd years later, at the height of this god-forsaken legacy sequel craze, Burton returns to Beetlejuice. I was worried, to say the least. The original means so much to me. It’s an island in time. It ignited my love for Burton, a crush for both Winona Ryder and the hysterical Catherine O’Hara. As a film, it’s pure Burton, and, for a time, all that I was, too. The first ten or so minutes are a rough landi
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Astro Bot is a joyous genre masterpiece
Tested on Release date Publisher Developer PlayStation 5 6.9.2024 Sony Interactive Entertainment Team Asobi ★★★★★ | No notes Super Mario 64 is one of my favorite games of all time. When it came out, it single-handedly sold people on the Nintendo 64 and ushered in a new generation of platformer fans. Astro Bot is in the same league. This is a joyous revival of everything we love about platformers. It is a brilliant, genre-defining masterpiece that sets the bar for everyone else. It captures the pure simplicity of gaming. The threadbare plot is so charming that you don’t need anything else. The main draw is the gameplay, which is refined to perfection. Everything around it is a bonus. A charmi
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Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II is a gloriously dark spectacle
★★★★ | Billions and billions of corpses Tested on Release date Publisher Developer PlayStation 5 9.9.2024 Focus Entertainment Saber Interactive I barely finished my preview from Gamescom when the review codes for Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II came in. Which works just fine, as I couldn’t wait to throw myself back into the hellish landscape of the grimdark future. After a grueling ten-plus hours in the ultraviolent campaign, my initial expectations proved true. Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine II is a brilliant addition to the Warhammer saga. It has its problems, and some of them are noteworthy, but for the most part, this is a solid, beautifully crafted action epic. Everything from my prev
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Slow Horses: Season 4 is another hugely entertaining win for Apple
★★★★ | Thoroughbred Slow Horses is one of the consistently best shows on streaming. If regular television was still a thing, it would be the best thing on that. For four compelling seasons, the misfits at Slough House have kept things brisk, fun, and always entertaining. While the latest isn’t the best season in the series, it’s yet another reminder that Apple’s streak of picking winners remains unbroken. This time, Slow Horses makes things more difficult for itself by breaking the team up for most of the season. After River’s visit to his grandfather’s house goes tragically wrong, it’s up to the team to pick up the pieces. Meanwhile, Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) has to deal with the new First
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Jared Petty of Limited Run Games on the business of joy
I love physical media. I believe in its importance as a cultural commodity, but also because we have to preserve our art. Nobody else will do that for us. People are quick to forget, and many would see film, music, and games reduced to single-use items. So I jumped at the opportunity to meet with Jared Petty, senior manager of digital publications at Limited Run Games, a company that for years now has stood by their mission statement: Forever Physical. During our talk, we touch on topics of game conservation, the joy of collecting, and what goes into building a good collector’s edition. The interview is edited for clarity. Why physical media matters Jared Petty, why should we care about Limi
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Alien: Romulus is like a speed run of previous Alien films
★★ | Alien: Redundant Alien: Romulus is a well-made film with no personality of its own. It is an exhausting series of best-of set pieces reminiscent of a clip show. Set during the period between Alien and Aliens, Alien: Romulus scraps the ending of Ridley Scott’s first film so that it can rehash iconography from an established classic. It’s a weird choice that sets the film up on a sour note. If it needs a callback even before the opening credits, what are we even here for? The first twenty minutes promise a far better movie than what follows. Set on a perpetually darkened mining planet, it’s a tantalizing glimpse into the lives of the working class in the far reaches of space. Our leads, R
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CRKD makes accessories collectible again
There’s an idea that I reject, which says you have to tone down your style as you get older. As if somehow our personality diminishes as we mature. I never understood that. As I hurtle past my mid-thirties, I’m every day more comfortable with the things I like, and I don’t see why I should hide that. Given the chance to meet with Alex Varrey at CRKD, the accessories manufacturer making waves with their stellar Nitro Deck series, I didn’t hesitate to jump in. I’m a huge fan of any controller or gear that makes my life easier. The problem is, most don’t do that. At least, not for an autistic gamer like myself. My issues are twofold: I have large hands, meaning I can’t handle small controllers.
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The Rings of Power returns with a more confident second season
The first season of The Rings of Power was better than I expected, despite some notable stumbles. At the time, its greatest failure was a lack of personality to call its own. It is with relief and pleasant surprise that season two isn’t just a stronger and more assured continuation, but an even greater departure from the Peter Jackson films altogether. In taking greater liberties with the source material, The Rings of Power proves itself a more emotionally honest and true adaptation than anticipated. Without the burden of setup, season two charges out of the gate with shocking bravado. We witness Sauron’s first attempts at taking over Mordor, his failures, and how he ended up meeting Galadri