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‘G is for Gumshoe’ (1990) … and for good, but not great

Sue Grafton overlaps two high concepts in “G is for Gumshoe” (1990) but under-develops one of them, leading to a fizzle of an ending. In

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‘The Fly II’ (1989) reminds us that fly-human hybrids are gross

“The Fly II” (1989) doesn’t need to exist, but in the category of “We’re going to make it anyway, in order to make money,” it’s

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I wish ‘Trading Places’ (1983) could be traded for laughs

Although it’s set in a time when the idea of a computer instantly telling you the price of orange-juice concentrate stock is cutting-edge, “Trading Places”

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John’s top 10 movies of 2025

The spectacle of the best franchise superhero and action movies got to me in 2025, although I also sat through surprising misfires. I still surprised

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John’s top 10 TV shows of 2025

I found my TV habits changing in 2025. I met the fall season with a Gen-Z-style “meh,” and I was fine delaying viewings of even

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‘Life of Chuck’ is a small story with big thoughts

Ernst Lubitsch had the Lubitsch Touch in bringing classy filmmaking to mass-market concepts like rom-coms, and today Mike Flanagan has the Flanagan Touch in infusing

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McGee series cleanses itself in ‘The Lonely Silver Rain’ (1985)

John D. MacDonald covered several themes in his Travis McGee series, but he most regularly returned to the Drug War. Appropriately, the 21st and final

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All 37 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, ranked

Superhero fatigue? What superhero fatigue? In the 2010s, the Marvel Cinematic Universe completed the Infinity Saga, essentially a 22-episode TV season except with mega-budget movies.

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All 10 ‘Rocky’/ ‘Creed’ films, ranked from chump to champ

For a half-century, Sylvester Stallone and his collaborators have explored the impact of boxing, friendship, family, the ability to throw a punch and – more

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‘Terror Train’ (1980) keeps Curtis’ golden age on track

Jamie Lee Curtis became the first slasher Scream Queen thanks to a surprisingly small batch of films – “The Fog,” “Prom Night” and “Terror Train”

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