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Disappointing ‘GLADIATOR II’ Offers Bread and Circus

When civilization is on the brink of collapse, proffer bread and circus. The entire spectacle of Roman gladiatorial battles was perhaps history’s most extravagant example of distracting the hoi polloi with empty spectacle as the structural integrity of their civilization collapsed around them. At least until the end-stage capitalistic United States came along. So long as bellies are full and minds are lulled by materially empty entertainment, the masses remain appeased. Nearly two millennia later, we very much live in an age of bread and circus (thanks a lot Captain America), and that’s exactly what Ridley Scott offers with his long-awaited sequel, Gladiator II – a film that, despite its supreme spectacle, feels calorically empty and narratively unsatisfying. Read More

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Effective ‘A QUIET PLACE: DAY ONE’ Expands Franchise Through Renewed Intimacy

If you’re going to have a movie that’s basically 90% a silent film, you can’t do much better than casting the venerable Lupita Nyong’o in the starring role. The Academy Award nominee has the ability to absolutely command the screen with her physicality, combining her incredibly expressive eyes and ticcy body language, and her strengths prove a perfect fit for the very particular demands of the Quiet Place universe. The Academy has often overlooked horror performances, but awards recognition or not, Nyong’o is offering next-level genre work in the dramatically effective and true-to-its-roots prequel A Quiet Place: Day One. Read More