The Progressive

Review: The Anti-Colonialism of ‘Wakanda Forever’

Two superpowered titans clash on the field of battle, their outlandish costumes illuminated by sparks and energy beams. Powered by the magical element Vibranium, the Black Panther unsheathes her claws and hurls herself toward her opponent, the centuries-old mutant Namor. Desperate to replenish himself in the sea, Namor lifts into the air via the tiny …

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Review: ‘Decision to Leave’ Is a Noir for the Surveillance Age

Midway through Park Chan-wook’s latest film Decision to Leave, Inspector Hae-jun (Park Hae-il) makes his case. He explains in detail how Chinese immigrant Song Seo-rae (Tang Wei) secretly tailed her abusive husband on a mountain climbing trip and waited for him to reach the summit. While he took in the view, unaware that he wasn’t alone, …

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Jeff Anderson as Randal and Brian O’Halloran as Dante in Clerks III. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate

Review: Clerks III Gives Dead-End Wage Labor Its Due

“I’m not even supposed to be here today.” That oft-repeated phrase from the original Clerks perfectly sums up the ethos of the 1994 movie. It comes via Dante Hicks (Brian O’Halloran), a twenty-two-year-old Quick Stop clerk who feels an overwhelming sense of responsibility toward his job (but not so much toward the women he dates). The …

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Daniel Kaluuya as OJ Haywood in Nope

Nope Makes a Scene

A man walks into a desert amphitheater, his red cowboy suit clashing against a cloudy sky. As a computer pumps an orchestral score through strategically placed speakers, he turns to address a scattered crowd. “For the past six months, my family and I have borne witness to an absolute spectacle,” he announces, emphasizing “spectacle.” A …

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The Progressive: Cries For Justice Echo Forty Years Later in the Re-Release of ‘Who Killed Vincent Chin?’

Despite what its title might suggest, the 1987 PBS documentary Who Killed Vincent Chin? is not a mystery. Almost immediately, the film details Ronald Ebens’s beating of Chinese American draftsperson Vincent Chin on June 19, 1982, after an altercation in a Detroit bar. Ebens, with the assistance of his stepson Michael Nitz, used a baseball …

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The Progressive: The Boys Gun Show Episode Was Tasteless But Necessary

The Boys is a tasteless show. Take the first scene of the season three premiere. A shrinking superhero called Termite (think Marvel’s Ant-Man) tunnels into his lover’s orifice as part of their sex play. But when he sneezes, Termite accidentally grows to full size, causing him to explode. Gory gags such as these occur regularly …

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