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Blue Beetle
(2023)
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Kiko Martinez
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You can keep Marvel’s Avengers and DC’s Justice League. The Reyes family is the only superhero team we want right now.
Posted Aug 21, 2023
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B
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The Mother
(2023)
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Lyra Hale
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[The Mother] positions Jennifer Lopez as the hero who is jaded, fiercely loyal, and who is trying her best, even when it’s awkwardly handing her kid a snow globe in a deserted gas station because she wants to show she cares in her own unique way.
Posted May 15, 2023
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A
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Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
(2023)
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Lyra Hale
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GOT3 destroyed me because it made me self-reflect. And those are the kind of movies that stay with you. Because yes, this is a movie about aliens, epic battles in space, etc. But this is also a story about belonging and self-acceptance.
Posted May 05, 2023
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A+
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Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
(2022)
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Lyra Hale
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Wakanda Forever is a balm to the very soul that puts Black healing front and center, while also inviting Latine people to the stage, so we can all move forward in this journey towards meaningful representation.
Posted Nov 09, 2022
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Halftime
(2022)
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Cristina Escobar
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I was most struck by just how much of a reflection and cipher Lopez has become of Latinas at large. It’s partly that work ethic... But hard work can only do so much, which Latinas know in our bones as well.
Posted Jul 15, 2022
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The Suicide Squad
(2021)
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Lissete Lanuza Sáenz
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The Suicide Squad isn't a horrible movie. It's just not a terribly memorable one.
Posted Feb 20, 2022
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4/5
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Marry Me
(2022)
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Lyra Hale
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Marry Me is rom-com gold.
Posted Feb 15, 2022
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Eternals
(2021)
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Aiko Hilkinger
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Chloé Zhao... manages to deliver on every front when it comes to this movie.
Posted Nov 05, 2021
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Hangin' With the Homeboys
(1991)
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Andrew S.Vargas
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Vásquez brought us an uncharacteristic vision of inner city life where black and brown stand side-by-side despite underlying racial tensions.
Posted Aug 12, 2021
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The Ballad of Esequiel Hernandez
(2007)
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Jeremy Goren
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Fitzgerald really cut it together well. There's a compelling progression to the story, and he got so many people with so much to say that the film doesn't get tiresome.
Posted Apr 06, 2021
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7/10
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Vampires vs. The Bronx
(2019)
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Kathia Woods
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Young Afro-Latinos Shine in
Posted Feb 10, 2021
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I'm No Longer Here
(2019)
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Mario A. Cortez
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The songs were originally written about Colombia's countryside, but convey the same longing for a distant Monterrey.
Posted May 29, 2020
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Mala Mala
(2014)
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Mary Angelica Molina
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Mala Mala is truly a wonderful documentary with a lot of life and high hopes for the kinds of societies we could be the world over.
Posted May 28, 2020
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Tranny F...
(2018)
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Manuel Betancourt
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This documentary is uninterested in making you feel comfortable with the images and ideas they're presenting, and confronts you head on about current issues.
Posted May 27, 2020
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Pacified
(2019)
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Monica Castillo
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It's an isolating feeling shared by nearly all of the other characters trying to survive this latest government intervention.
Posted May 15, 2020
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Kokoloko
(2020)
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Monica Castillo
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Set in a picturesque coastal town in Mexico, the trio meets a series of terrible events through an almost experimental, unpolished style in this stunning colorful 16mm film.
Posted May 15, 2020
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499
(2020)
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Monica Castillo
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Although the stories are undoubtedly powerful and the cinematography of rural and urban Mexico looks beguiling, Reyes never clearly connects the ramifications of colonialism to the violence and loss his bemused explorer experiences.
Posted May 15, 2020
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Through the Night
(2020)
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Monica Castillo
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Without making it too obvious, Limbal's documentary shines a light on the unspoken backbone of our economy.
Posted May 15, 2020
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Have a Good Trip: Adventures in Psychedelics
(2020)
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Manuel Betancourt
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Every anecdote is colorfully animated so you get to experience what they're all describing in clearer detail.
Posted May 13, 2020
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The Infiltrators
(2019)
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Manuel Betancourt
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As both document and chronicle of radical activism, Rivera and Ibarra's project is a call to action.
Posted May 01, 2020
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Signature Move
(2017)
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Manuel Betancourt
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This multicultural film's exploration of relationships, cultural exchanges, and the mother-daughter dynamic will enthrall.
Posted Apr 27, 2020
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Good Manners
(2017)
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Manuel Betancourt
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Eerie and shot with a lurid formalism that makes it all the scarier (São Paulo's nights have looked more frightening), Good Manners delivers on its chills and thrills.
Posted Apr 27, 2020
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Duck Season
(2004)
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Maria-Christina Villaseñor
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This Mexican coming of age tale shows itself to be a tender and quirky take on the genre.
Posted Apr 20, 2020
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LA Originals
(2020)
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Manuel Betancourt
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Giving a firsthand account of how that rose bloomed out of the concrete, Oriol's crackling (if oftentimes meandering) documentary feels deeply personal, a snapshot of a subculture that's since gone mainstream.
Posted Apr 10, 2020
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Pan's Labyrinth
(2006)
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Maria-Christina Villaseñor
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His (Toro's) incredible visual style, uncanny CGI world, and gift for a particular style of storytelling knock this out of the park.
Posted Apr 07, 2020
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Diamantino
(2018)
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Manuel Betancourt
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This dazzlingly original feature from longtime collaborators Daniel Schmidt and Gabriel Abrantes skewers its subjects with loving cinematic gusto.
Posted Apr 07, 2020
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The Year of the Plague (El año de la plaga)
(2019)
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Manuel Betancourt
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The Year of the Plague keeps patients off screen, mere numbers to be displayed in televised graphs. This is a movie about what a lack of empathy can look like, both at the level of its plot as well as its form.
Posted Apr 06, 2020
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Bacurau
(2019)
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Manuel Betancourt
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A thrilling social parable for contemporary politics - in Brazil specifically but with enough universality to have it feel familiar enough abroad - Bacurau is the kind of non-English language film primed to find a devout audience in the United States
Posted Mar 31, 2020
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Mosquita y Mari
(2011)
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Nick MacWilliam
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If that (the premise) sounds corny, the film is anything but, with supreme performances from the two leads.
Posted Mar 09, 2020
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XXY
(2007)
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Maria-Christina Villaseñor
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Fluid camera work filled with shots of window frames, mirrors, and reflections emphasizes the story's doubling, narrowness of view, and constant thinking about fixed ideas and viewpoints.
Posted Mar 09, 2020
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El lugar más pequeño
(2011)
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Carlos Aguilar
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Memory is their most powerful weapon for a peaceful future and El lugar más pequeño is proof positive of the way storytelling can be both a way to look back and to move forward.
Posted Mar 09, 2020
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Bellas de Noche
(2016)
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Manuel Betancourt
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Shot over eight years, María José Cuevas's documentary is a thrilling look at these exotic dancers who continue to search for the love and adoration they got on stage all those years ago.
Posted Mar 09, 2020
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Nobody's Watching
(2017)
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Manuel Betancourt
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In a moving depiction of this vibrant city, director Julia Solomonoff's touching feature presents a portrait of immigrant solitude.
Posted Mar 09, 2020
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The Second Mother
(2015)
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Iñaki Fernández de Retana
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Director Anna Muylaert, who has worked as a film critic and reporter, drafted a thoughtful script and put care into directing the actors, with a big payoff.
Posted Mar 09, 2020
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Zama
(2017)
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Manuel Betancourt
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Zama is that rarest of creative feats: a perfect coupling of literary source material and cinematic sensibility.
Posted Mar 09, 2020
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Epicentro
(2020)
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Monica Castillo
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Epicentro may not have an imperialist lens, but it still feels like a colonizing one.
Posted Mar 02, 2020
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The Last Rafter
(2020)
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Manuel Betancourt
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Mining rich detail from their own experiences finding a footing in the United States... filmmakers Carlos Rafael Betancourt and Oscar Ernesto Ortega have crafted a powerful film that is at once personal and strikingly timely.
Posted Feb 26, 2020
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Beneath Us
(2019)
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Manuel Betancourt
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Neither as thought-provoking as it thinks it is, nor as powerful a conversation-starter as it should be, Pachman's modern-day parable is not likely to change anyone's mind.
Posted Feb 24, 2020
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Workforce
(2019)
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Manuel Betancourt
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This feature debut from writer-director David Zonana progresses like a quietly humming thriller, with each scene contributing to the film's gathering power.
Posted Feb 24, 2020
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Wander Darkly
(2020)
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Monica Castillo
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Wander Darkly remains a potent romantic drama with some thrilling elements.
Posted Feb 12, 2020
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Sylvie's Love
(2020)
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Monica Castillo
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While Ashe's film may have all the sweets and schmaltz of an old school romantic drama, it feels fresh and almost radical to have a period movie so focused on a Black couple with the thrill to see if they'll live happily ever after.
Posted Feb 10, 2020
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Once Upon a Time in Venezuela
(2020)
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Monica Castillo
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The colorful images have a way of immersing you into the setting, helping the outside viewer see what the residents of the town already know.
Posted Feb 07, 2020
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Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado
(2020)
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Manuel Betancourt
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Mucho Mucho Amor isn't merely a biographical doc. It is also a character study that aims to go beyond the capes, beyond the memes, beyond the flair.
Posted Feb 04, 2020
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The Last Thing He Wanted
(2020)
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Monica Castillo
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The script, which Rees and Maro Villalobos adapted from Didion's book, is barely coherent. It's easy to lose track of what's going on, who's lying about what and why Elena's compelled to make some pretty awful decisions.
Posted Jan 30, 2020
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I Carry You With Me
(2020)
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Carlos Aguilar
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Ravishing and unshakable, Ewing's authentic film feels like the crossbreed between a painful memory and a hopeful dream about a place, a relationship and a fight for acceptance that's not political but entirely humanistic.
Posted Jan 30, 2020
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High Tide
(2020)
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Manuel Betancourt
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High Tide makes us keenly aware of these variously intersecting identities, using a beautifully constructed house as the setting for a miniature treatise on class warfare.
Posted Jan 29, 2020
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Blanco de Verano
(2020)
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Manuel Betancourt
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Summer White paints a dour image of contemporary masculinity. But in centering its story on such toxicity, Summer White asphyxiates its viewer before they even get a chance to breathe.
Posted Jan 29, 2020
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The Good Intentions
(2019)
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Carlos Aguilar
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Home videos from Argentine director Ana García Blaya's childhood furnish her autobiographical first feature with an invaluable component that makes her memories tangible.
Posted Jan 24, 2020
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Leona
(2018)
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Marcos Hassan
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The characters are portrayed in a realistic way.
Posted Jan 15, 2020
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Araña
(2019)
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Carlos Aguilar
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Polished in a serviceable manner, Spider has a studio feel.
Posted Dec 06, 2019
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