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Blogit
Gran Turismo 7 Made Me Fall In Love With Cars Again
(Gran Turismo 7 is out on the PlayStation 5 on March 4th. Distributor provided a review copy.) About two days into playing Gran Turismo 7, something interesting happened. I just finished a race with an older model Mazda. A lovely little car that zips around corners like nobody’s business. It was also the first car I ever owned. I felt a warm gush of nostalgia. “Do they have a 1970 Chevelle?” My wife asked. “Maybe. There are hundreds of cars,” I said. She watched as another race began. This one with compact Japanese hatchbacks. “We should get a racing wheel,” she said. I agreed. Neither my wife nor I are gearheads. She’s easily more accomplished in this field than I am. But our admiration for
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Blogit
The Batman Is Yet Another Batman Movie
(The Batman premieres on March 4th with preview IMAX screenings starting March 2nd.) I think I liked The Batman. That’s hardly great praise, is it? But Matt Reeves’ massively overlong crime-thriller-turned-comic-book-franchise-starter doesn’t make it easy. This is a trio of films in one; none of which fit together neatly. It’s politically messy, tonally all over the place, and unable to deliver on any single message it sets itself up for. This partially comes down to promise and delivery. After all, according to Reeves, Pattinson, and the marketing machine, The Batman is meant to be something new. But it really isn’t. This is yet another Batman movie. Sure, you could argue it’s darker and gr
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Blogit
The Tragedy of Macbeth Boldly Visualizes Shakespeare
(The Tragedy of Macbeth is out now on Apple TV+. It will also have a limited theatrical run starting on February 25th.) After parting directorial ways with his brother, Joel Coen teams up with William Shakespeare to adapt one of the most iconic plays in the English language. In his hands, Macbeth turns into a visual feast of jagged edges and searing brights that highlight the nefarious schemes. It’s also a powerful showcase for both Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, both delivering staggering performances in the leading roles. There’s a natural hesitation to any new takes on The Bard’s material. Not because any of it is sacred or unfilmable, but simply because so many already exist. M
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Blogit
Peacemaker Has A Great Theme Song But Not Much Else
(Peacemaker Season One is out now on HBO Max Nordic) Peacemaker is a massive success. Everyone and their dog loves it. Which isn’t a surprise. If anything, another home run is precisely what DC expected the moment James Gunn announced a spin-off for The Suicide Squad. But, at the risk of contrarianism, I’m not sure Peacemaker is worth all the hype. Before The Suicide Squad made its debut, Peacemaker the character was barely a blip on the radar. His origins date back to the 60s, where he parodied the jingoism of Vietnam-era America. A decade later, he joined the ranks of DC C-listers, saving the universe with very little subtlety. Later, Alan Moore published a thinly veiled version of the cha
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Blogit
Texas Chainsaw Massacre Is A Blunt Instrument
(Texas Chainsaw Massacre is out today on Netflix) It’s hard to imagine, but the original The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is an almost bloodless film. Despite its gruesome reputation, including bans worldwide, it features almost no on-screen violence. All gore remains implied. The terror lurks just off the edge of the frame. Our mind fills in the rest. Throughout the years, the extremely low-budget horror film has gone through several re-evaluations and interpretations. Most notably by Carol J. Clover in her book, Men, Women, and Chainsaws: Gender in the Modern Horror Film. In it, Clover argues for the “Final Girl” theory, popularized by Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween, which both feature t
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Blogit
Space Force Season 2 Needs A New Trajectory
(Space Force Season 2 premieres on Netflix on February 18th) I really liked season one of Space Force. It’s not a perfect opener, and it certainly takes some really wrongheaded steps in its broad comedy, but it makes me laugh. That’s really all you can ask from something as harmless as this. So it’s really bizarre that while season two of the Steve Carell-led show is leaner and less shooting-fish-in-a-barrel, it’s also less funny. There’s also very little to do with, you know, space. At just seven episodes, down from ten, season two feels like a bridge into another show, or worse, the end of something good entirely. I really hope it’s not the latter. While Space Force is still looking for a