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Movies & TV


From the Vault

Hard Crackers Editors

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The Hard Crackers project is just over five years old.ย  During that time, we have published almost a hundred articles in nine issues of our print journal and posted more than 350 articles on our web ...

“Tell Everyone”: Candyman Redux for 2021

This article contains spoilers. Itโ€™s a dinner party in a two-story luxury condo in Chicagoโ€™s Near North side. Floor to ceiling windows and state-of-the-art amenities adorn the two-story unit, home to successful art agent Brianna Cartwright ...

Friday the 1312: A Review of “Body Cam”

Jarrod Shanahan

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Itโ€™s a dark and stormy night in Swinton, Louisiana. Officer Kevin Ganning shakes off the rain as he enters a dingy diner ensconced in the ambience of gritty cop noir. He is not welcomed. The black ...

โ€œThe Trial of the Chicago Sevenโ€: A Review

David Ranney

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There have been a number of reviews written about Aaron Sorkinโ€™s film The Trial of the Chicago Seven (available on Netflix). The film is a fictional account of the trial of leaders of the anti Vietnam ...

Response To John Brown and The Good Lord Bird

Tom Bura

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Note from the Editors:ย  A few weeks ago, we ran an interview with Marty Brown, a descendant of one of John Brownโ€™s children. We had come across Marty via a letter that she wrote to the ...

Returning to Lovecraft

Chad Manburg

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โ€œThat is not deadย which can eternal lie, and with strange aeons even death may die.โ€ โ€” H.P.L. NOTE: Contains minor spoilers. Donโ€™t get me wrong โ€” I used to devour books and enjoyed other genres besides ...

โ€œWho the Hell is They?โ€ On Two of the Sam Peckinpah Western Films

Mike Morgan

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This is a film commentary (two films, in fact).ย  What follows might be perceived as a distraction, but I donโ€™t think so.ย  I have been watching the now considered old Sam Peckinpah westerns in between copious ...

Tiger King: Quarantine Royalty

Hard Crackers Editors

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Zhana: Netflixโ€™s Tiger King has become essential quarantine viewing. I was first made aware of the docuseries by my students. Like many schools around the nation, we have transitioned to online learning. For our first zoom ...

The Everyday Abolitionism of 13 Reasons Why

Jarrod Shanahan

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Itโ€™s an all-too-familiar scene. An alienated young man named named Tyler Down approaches a school clad in black, strapped with guns and ammunition, and bent on cold-blooded mass murder. But unlike the tragedies making headlines across ...

CATEGORY:

Growing old in โ€œpost-recessionโ€ America

Zhandarka Kurti

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Like so many other children of aging parents, I will at some point assume the responsibility of looking after my mom. Her Social Security benefits are insufficient for her to live on and she relies on ...