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My Love Affair with Marriage
(2022)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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Rarely do we see such near-manic creative fervent come together in as perfect a harmony.
Posted Oct 04, 2023
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Les Indésirables
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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Montvilliers may be a construct of the screenplay, but the themes it represents are very real. Power corrupts. Vive la révolution!
Posted Sep 22, 2023
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Working Class Goes to Hell
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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And even if the director lets his tale go on for too long, with a messy narrative in need of trimming, he still delivers an appealingly whacko and unique work.
Posted Sep 22, 2023
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Dumb Money
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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Overall, "Dumb Money" is good fun, frequently smart enough to make sharp points about our universe, if never exceptional. Many of the targets are too obvious to surprise, yet there is still a feel-good, grab-the-pitchforks quality to the whole.
Posted Sep 15, 2023
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Silver Dollar Road
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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It’s a genuine story about real people with real problems and, we hope, real solutions in the very near future.
Posted Sep 14, 2023
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Songs of Earth
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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Norwegian director Margreth Olin’s deeply personal cinematic essay, "Songs of Earth," showcases the magnificent northern landscapes in which her parents have always lived.
Posted Sep 13, 2023
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Flipside
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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Nominally about the titular record store in Pompton Lakes, NJ, near where Wilcha grew up, the documentary is even more a cinematic contemplation of the search for meaning.
Posted Sep 13, 2023
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The King Tide
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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There are hidden secrets below the surface, even if some remain obscure.
Posted Sep 13, 2023
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Copa 71
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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May "Copa 71" serve as a testament to those who would offer a winning alternative. After all, according to a final title card, women’s soccer is today the fastest-growing sport on the planet. Huzzah.
Posted Sep 08, 2023
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Amerikatsi
(2022)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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Written and directed by—and starring—Michael A. Goorjian, the new film 'Amerikatsi' is many things, among them a paean to the resilience of the human spirit.
Posted Sep 05, 2023
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The Mountain
(2022)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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The beautiful cinematography, courtesy of Alexis Kavyrchine … makes the Alps come alive (in every way, as we discover), and the emotional restraint of both Salvador and Bourgoin serve to heighten the eventual catharsis at the end.
Posted Sep 01, 2023
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Bottoms
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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This may be a "Barbie" season, but if you want a truly subversive movie that will catch you unawares with its marriage of high entertainment and important messaging (mostly, and mercifully, buried in the subtext), then "Bottoms" is the one for you.
Posted Aug 25, 2023
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Golda
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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The result is an engaging, if somewhat limited, take on these important historical events.
Posted Aug 24, 2023
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Hummingbirds
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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They make quite a pair, and despite the worry expressed early on that “if you record something, you are more likely to forget it,” the two are always memorable. No one watching will be able to stop thinking about them anytime soon.
Posted Aug 22, 2023
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Simone: Woman of the Century
(2021)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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"Simone: Woman of the Century" mostly does her proper cinematic service—as do Marder and Zylberstein—though at times we might wish that Dahan would trust the story without needing to underline big, dramatic moments with music.
Posted Aug 18, 2023
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The Eternal Memory
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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By the end, the viewer emerges with a rich panoply of scenes to contemplate, each one building on the impact of what came before.
Posted Aug 11, 2023
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Last Stop Larrimah
(2023)
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Don R. Lewis
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A truly crazy entry into the true crime documentary pantheon.
Posted Aug 07, 2023
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A Compassionate Spy
(2022)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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It’s a complicated narrative, as it should be.
Posted Aug 04, 2023
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After the Bite
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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By the end, though we ourselves hope to never become food, we at least have food for thought.
Posted Jul 26, 2023
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Amanda
(2022)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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The performances—especially those of the two leads—are pitch-perfect, Porcaroli and Bellugi conveying simultaneous indifference and vulnerability.
Posted Jul 21, 2023
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The Deepest Breath
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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In this beautifully photographed and edited movie, director McGann crafts riveting, and fully three-dimensional, profiles of the protagonists, bringing in plenty of supporting voices and characters, as well.
Posted Jul 18, 2023
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Make Me Famous
(2021)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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It’s a great mix of voices, allowing the narrative to truly come alive.
Posted Jul 10, 2023
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Rock Hudson: All That Heaven Allowed
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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What results is a deep dive into the star’s rise and early troubles camouflaging his sexuality.
Posted Jun 23, 2023
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The Listener
(2022)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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We also have the opportunity to observe Thompson’s performance, which is a model of carefully modulated behavior. Tour de force does not come close to describing her turn.
Posted Jun 22, 2023
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Milli Vanilli
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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Learn, evolve, and be happy.
Posted Jun 19, 2023
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Richland
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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The great appeal of the documentary is this very panoply of thought, showing that the world can exist in shades of gray.
Posted Jun 16, 2023
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Final Cut
(2022)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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The best part of the entire enterprise is, in fact, the boundless enthusiasm of everyone involved. How could we not sit back and cheer?
Posted Jun 14, 2023
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Breaking the News
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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Good journalism just might save the world.
Posted Jun 14, 2023
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Chasing Chasing Amy
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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"Chasing Amy," it seems, has many layers, and "Chasing Chasing Amy" even more. I am pleasantly surprised.
Posted Jun 09, 2023
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Monica
(2022)
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Jessica Baxter
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It takes a very delicate screenplay to convey a story like this without dipping into egregious exposition and melodrama, and it takes nuanced performers to pull it off.
Posted Jun 07, 2023
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Anonymous Sister
(2021)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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Dedicated to everyone who did not survive, "Anonymous Sister" reminds us at every turn to hold the perpetrators accountable.
Posted Jun 02, 2023
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The Hole in the Fence
(2021)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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Resistance is futile; the wicked shall rule.
Posted May 26, 2023
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Victim/Suspect
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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Watch, learn, take action. Reform won’t happen unless we demand it.
Posted May 23, 2023
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Other People's Children
(2022)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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There’s more to the film than one single thread, as all scenes come together in a finely embroidered garment of great cinematic depth.
Posted May 18, 2023
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BlackBerry
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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The movie is an intense laugh riot, though laden with fraught drama as things fall apart.
Posted May 12, 2023
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The Starling Girl
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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A fraught coming-of-age tale filled with sexual drama, the movie showcases the considerable talents of the director and her star, Eliza Scanlen.
Posted May 10, 2023
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The Taking
(2021)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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What emerges by the end is a fascinating, robust account of a natural wonder and its function as more than just a movie backdrop
Posted May 04, 2023
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Polite Society
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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It's to Manzoor’s immense credit that she builds the intrigue with both great intricacy and humor, overcoming the initial flaws in her design.
Posted Apr 28, 2023
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Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, the movie … is everything that fans of the author and this book could hope for, filled with all the innocence, angst, tears, joy, essential moral lessons, and humor that mark Blume’s writing.
Posted Apr 26, 2023
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Showing Up
(2022)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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It’s well in line with the director’s series of understated portraits of seemingly ordinary eccentrics who are anything but. And though a very slow burn, it offers meaningful rewards to the patient viewer.
Posted Apr 14, 2023
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How to Blow Up a Pipeline
(2022)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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If you like your thrillers with a slice of social consciousness, give "How to Blow Up a Pipeline" a watch. It’s incendiary in all kinds of exciting ways.
Posted Apr 06, 2023
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Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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By the end, we have come to know Roach in all his complicated glory. He was brilliant and mercurial, and left behind an inspirational legacy that remains as vibrant today as it ever was.
Posted Mar 24, 2023
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Brooklyn 45
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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Sit back and let the horror take hold. It’s a wild ride.
Posted Mar 21, 2023
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Black Barbie: A Documentary
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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The documentary is a celebration of the talents and creativity of Black women.
Posted Mar 17, 2023
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Joan Baez I Am a Noise
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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It’s a raw, personal look at her life in all its glory and misery. A more moving cinematic testament to Joan Baez could not exist. Encore, please!
Posted Mar 16, 2023
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The Lady Bird Diaries
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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Mixing specific intimacies with universal truths, "The Lady Bird Diaries" helps revitalize a well-trafficked history and genre, to the great joy of the viewer.
Posted Mar 14, 2023
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Plan C
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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Let’s hope the next film Tragos makes is not about what happens when Republicans again seize complete national power and enact a complete ban everywhere.
Posted Mar 12, 2023
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Confessions of a Good Samaritan
(2023)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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The stakes are high, and so are the rewards. It’s a remarkable film.
Posted Mar 12, 2023
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Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist
(2019)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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It’s a restrained approach, and an effective one. I could listen to Friedkin all day, it turns out.
Posted Mar 09, 2023
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Gods of Mexico
(2022)
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Christopher Llewellyn Reed
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A visually sumptuous ode to the extraordinary beauties of its titular country, "Gods of Mexico" is filled with images detailing a great variety of people and activities, the sum total of the collection adding up to an étude in stunning cinematography.
Posted Mar 03, 2023
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