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The Eight Mountains
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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Eight Mountains becomes a moving story about the bond between two men who sometimes are kindred spirits and who, even when compelled by qualities that push them apart, remain bound to each other.
Posted May 30, 2023
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Kandahar
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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Gerard Butler action movies aren't among my favorite ways to spend a couple of hours. Butler's latest -- Kandahar -- didn't do enough to change my mind...
Posted May 30, 2023
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About My Father
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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A father/son comedy that sinks.
Posted May 30, 2023
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Fast X
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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Your job, should you choose to accept it. Sit through a movie that batters as much as at buoys and which has gotten so stuffed, it barely has room to accommodate the characters that once gave it a bit of humanity.
Posted May 24, 2023
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Joyland
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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Instead of being swamped, he effectively tells a story in which the uneasy conflation of all these elements breeds a tragic outcome. Joyland leaves us in a mood of sad reflection.
Posted May 24, 2023
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You Hurt My Feelings
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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Slender but enjoyable, You Hurt My Feelings doesn't feel like a movie that wants to change anyone's life. Even better, it only takes Holofcener a refreshing one hour and 33 minutes to involve us with characters...
Posted May 24, 2023
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Monica
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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Pallaoro finds tender moments but too often, the movie fails to click, perhaps because Pallaoro's insistently muted style (he's not much interested in verbal confrontation) keeps Monica from fully plumbing the expected emotional depths.
Posted May 24, 2023
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BlackBerry
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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With a robust and compelling story in hand, BlackBerry begins by returning us to the Pleistocene days of the 1990s...
Posted May 17, 2023
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Carmen
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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Carmen may not deliver on every level, but bold execution creates appreciation for a movie of artistic ambition and palpable daring.
Posted May 17, 2023
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Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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For me, the title suggests something else, he's still here -- living as fully as he can and offering a story that's sure to inspire others.
Posted May 17, 2023
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Book Club: The Next Chapter
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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A hokey sequel...a page not to turn.
Posted May 17, 2023
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What's Love Got to Do with It?
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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A mild-mannered movie that tries for a sentimental, tear-jerker of a conclusion, What's Love Got To Do With It? proceeds pleasantly but quickly melts away after having ruffled very few feathers.
Posted May 10, 2023
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Polite Society
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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Polite Society may not go heavy on social impact but it offers an opportunity to watch a teenager give oppressive tradition a karate-chopping, high-spirited kick in the pants.
Posted May 04, 2023
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Sisu
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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Not all viewers will want to subject themselves to Sisu's unrelenting brutality. But those who have a taste of this kind of cinema will find an intense one-hour and 31-minute plunge into a starkly diminished world.
Posted May 04, 2023
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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At two hours and 29 minutes, Guardians can be accused of bloat. But Rocket’s origin story settles the movie down, building toward what many will regard as an emotionally satisfying conclusion.
Posted May 04, 2023
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Everything Went Fine
(2021)
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Robert Denerstein
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Without indulging in showy emotional displays, Marceau excels as a woman living with conflicted emotions that allow for no easy resolution.
Posted Apr 20, 2023
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Showing Up
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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Showing Up is hampered by an unrelenting insularity that can make its characters seem limited and even uninteresting.
Posted Apr 20, 2023
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Mafia Mamma
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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The movie dines on cliches and stereotypes without giving them enough comic punch to knock them onto fresh turf.
Posted Apr 20, 2023
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Cherry
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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Yes, choice can be difficult, but Cherry fortunately has a choice to make: The movie makes you wonder what would have happened had that not been the case.
Posted Apr 20, 2023
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Renfield
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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None of these fragments cohere into the bloody rewarding romp that may have been intended. Oh well, it’s possible to enjoy Renfield in small bites, but Bela Lugosi can rest easy.
Posted Apr 20, 2023
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Chevalier
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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But Harrison's performance engages, the social dynamics of the story (though broadly drawn) ring true, and the movie proves entertaining -- even if it doesn't quite attain the level of significance that the subject seems to demand.
Posted Apr 20, 2023
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Beau Is Afraid
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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Whatever it is, Beau Is Afraid deserves not to be dismissed.
Posted Apr 20, 2023
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Air
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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Affleck has hold of just such a story and he knows how to tell it.
Posted Apr 06, 2023
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Tetris
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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Lively and never dull, Tetris could be the only movie I’ve seen recently in which the outcome hinges on the invention of a hand-held device — Nintendo’s Game Boy — that’s not designed to blow anything up.
Posted Apr 06, 2023
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One True Loves
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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It's meant to be funny, but like many of the movie's other attempts at humor, it misses. OK, many movies rely on some level of contrivance, but in this case, contrivance crushes credibility.
Posted Apr 06, 2023
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Paint
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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Wilson inhabits the character with apparent ease, but the satire isn't sharp enough and writer/director Brit McAdams doesn't comment on the way that Nargle might be contributing to a warped understanding of artistic endeavor.
Posted Apr 06, 2023
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Enys Men
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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Cheers to Jenkin for trying what struck me as a cinematic experiment, but to my eyes, Enys Men didn't quite arrive at its destination, whatever that might have been.
Posted Apr 03, 2023
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The Worst Ones
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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The movie’s young cast gets to you, and The Worst Ones' film-within-a-film approach proves more revealing than gimmicky.
Posted Apr 03, 2023
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Rye Lane
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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Refreshingly young, full of trendy banter, and respectful of romcom conventions, Rye Lane proves itself to be one of the year's happiest movies.
Posted Apr 03, 2023
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Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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Honor Among Thieves probably isn't destined to make my top-10 list of 2023 movies, but much its two-hour and 14 minutes passed easily. Besides, the actors, notably Pine and Rodriguez, gave the movie enough heart, grit and humor to ward off negative vibes.
Posted Apr 03, 2023
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A Thousand and One
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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Rockwell’s bold direction matches Taylor’s vivid performance, ensuring that A Thousand and One packs a wallop.
Posted Apr 03, 2023
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A Good Person
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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A misfire of a movie that tries to stuff its two-hour and five-minute running time with more issues than you'd need to stock an eight-part series.
Posted Mar 24, 2023
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John Wick: Chapter 4
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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Stahelski ups the ante with each successive set piece, thus proving you can give audiences what they want without cheating or insulting them in the bargain.
Posted Mar 24, 2023
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The Lost King
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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Sally Hawkins dominates...
Posted Mar 24, 2023
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Boston Strangler
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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For the most part, Ruskin proceeds in a prosaic fashion that tends to drag. What feels like a dutiful approach to storytelling often robs the movie of opportunities to sizzle.
Posted Mar 24, 2023
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Wildflower
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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Wildflower eventually gets serious but this might be a case in which a mix of comedy and drama sometimes cheats one at the expense of the other.
Posted Mar 16, 2023
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A Little White Lie
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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A short speech that Shannon gives during a forum on art and reality should be clipped from the movie and preserved as a beautiful piece of work in an otherwise negligible effort.
Posted Mar 16, 2023
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The Magic Flute
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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The movie may work as an introduction to Mozart for tweens and teens. Otherwise, it seems unclear for whom the movie was made.
Posted Mar 16, 2023
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Moving On
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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Serious attempts at dealing with the problems of aging (loneliness, abandoned pursuits, and physical infirmity) might have made for a better movie than the quasi comic elements.
Posted Mar 16, 2023
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Creed III
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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Creed III occupies its own world. Maybe that's sufficient. I'd give Creed III a pass but I wouldn’t be sorry if Jordan were to hang up the gloves and devote his considerable talents to other endeavors.
Posted Mar 09, 2023
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Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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Most of the characters, by the way, are very well dressed. [But] don’t get me wrong, I’m not recommending Operation Fortune...
Posted Mar 09, 2023
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Champions
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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Unlike more satisfying formula jobs, Champions takes its shot only to watch the ball bounce off the rim.
Posted Mar 09, 2023
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The Quiet Girl
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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A quietly moving piece of Irish cinema, The Quiet Girl doesn’t wear its heart on its sleeve, but it sure as hell has one.
Posted Mar 09, 2023
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Return to Seoul
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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Return to Seoul is a movie about dislocation, anger and living through a puzzle where the pieces never seem to fit together.
Posted Mar 02, 2023
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Juniper
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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Rampling's astringent performance deserved a movie to match it.
Posted Feb 25, 2023
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Linoleum
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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Credit West with imbuing his quirky (in the best sense of the word) movie with something more than novelty: the source and torment of unrealized potential.
Posted Feb 25, 2023
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Emily
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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Emily may be something better than a straight depiction of Bronte's life: A look at the vital spirit that burned in a writer whose dark novel about ferocious love still resonates almost 175 years after her death.
Posted Feb 25, 2023
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Cocaine Bear
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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Banks can’t get much beyond the novel allure of the movie’s title, and Cocaine Bear, at least for me, didn't whip up enough scares or laughs to satisfy any initial curiosity.
Posted Feb 25, 2023
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One Fine Morning
(2022)
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Robert Denerstein
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Credit Seydoux and Hansen-Love with an achievement that doesn’t call undue attention itself: They open a window into a life depicted with clarity but without either brutalizing sharpness or soggy empathy.
Posted Feb 17, 2023
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Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
(2023)
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Robert Denerstein
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I returned from the journey to the Quantum Realm feeling less like a satisfied moviegoer than a traveler who had acquired another stamp on my Marvel passport.
Posted Feb 17, 2023
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