John Powers
Stories
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A light-hearted murder mystery weekend turns deadly in Kate Atkinson's cozy thriller
Death at the Sign of the Rook is an expansive novel that pokes fun of baroque, classic murder mysteries — but also delivers a fully satisfying, all-the-pieces-click-together ending.
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'South Park' creators renovate a beloved restaurant, and find nostalgia is pricey
A new film follows Trey Parker and Matt Stone as they renovate a dilapidated, inauthentic, 1970s Mexican restaurant. The labor of love becomes a money-pit as they chase the landmark's former glory.
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Matt Damon and Casey Affleck are 'The Instigators' in a classic heist film throwback
After a heist goes bad, two inept Boston crooks (played by Damon and Affleck) become uneasy partners. The Instigators is a reasonably enjoyable film that reflects an earlier cinematic era.
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'Women in Blue' fight sexism -- and a serial killer -- in this Mexican drama
Set in 1971 Mexico City, this lively Apple TV+ drama focuses on four police women who discover that it’s easier to capture a serial killer than to deal with the misogyny of the men around them.
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'Twisters' swirls an old-fashioned rom-com into an effects-happy action movie
This follow-up to the 1996 blockbuster Twister updates the original by making its heroine — not its hero — the center of gravity, but alas, the script doesn’t let her be a whole lot of fun.
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'Green Border' is the strongest movie this critic has seen all year
Agnieszka Holland's film, which won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, centers on a refugee family trying to escape to Western Europe and the people who try to help and stop them.
