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‘THE APPRENTICE’ Reveals Young Donald Trump: Ambition, Power, and Moral Vacuousness

There is perhaps no person living or dead more polarizing than Donald J. Trump. His adoring fans think of the real estate mogul turned controversial politician as a strongman and a patriot, some even going so far as to call him the second coming of Jesus Christ. His many detractors find his rejection of political decency, frequent illegal dealings, and blatant disrespect for tradition to be a pox on American politics and a disturbing portrait of capital-C capitalism. This is the same man who proudly stated, “I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn’t lose voters,” and he’s not wrong. Even after 34 felony indictments and being found guilty of rape, the man’s popularity amongst his rabid base only grew. For whatever reason, a particular type of people just seem to love Trump, and quite literally nothing he says or does seems to shift that sentiment. Read More

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Devilishly Fashionable ‘CRUELLA’ Sees Emma Stone Break Bad On the Catwalk 

Turning any iconic Disney villain into a sympathetic (but still devious) protagonist is no easy feat, particularly when that task involves ‘both sides’ of turning 101 Dalmatian puppies into haute couture. Disney’s atrocious Maleficent origin story wholly bungled the task, dropping the bag on transforming that striking villain into a whole-cloth anti-hero, instead defanging and deflating the malevolent fairy, leaving her all but unrecognizable, costume aside. With Cruella, Disney course-corrects on that previous failing, striking the right balance between exploring the roots of its devilish protagonist while still remaining true to her animated rancorous counterpart. Read More

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‘THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7’ A Timely, Effective But Unremarkable Courtroom Trial

Aaron Sorkin lives and dies by the legal pen. Dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s within his characters’ puffed-up political proceedings or as they finesse through complex legalese is the writer-turned-director’s bread and butter. As a writer, no one can alchemize technical jargon and otherwise boring statistician noise into storytelling gold quite like Sorkin. Within the exhibits of his great successes, nothing towers higher than The Social Network, though dedicated fans of The West Wing would gladly point to that popular and long-standing series as the high watermark of his career.  Read More