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1 month ago | 
theleadernews.com | Elliott Stewart
Elliott’s overall rating: 4.5 out of 5 starsOne day, Ryan Coogler, blockbuster director of films like Black Panther and Creed, decided to begin work on his next film: a period epic about blues music in the 1930s following two twins played by the same actor; and also a group of hivemind vampires who will kill anyone they see.
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2 months ago | 
theleadernews.com | Elliott Stewart
Elliott’s overall rating: 3 out of 5 starsIn a 2003 interview, Quentin Tarantino famously said “The worst things you can feel as an audience member is confusion or boredom.” Luckily, in Steven Soderbergh’s new film, Black Bag I wasn’t either of these things -- I was a little bit of both. Steven Soderbergh, a prolific director known for his ability to master the art of the thriller genre, has just released his new spy film, Black Bag.
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Mar 24, 2025 | 
theleadernews.com | Elliott Stewart
I’m on a flight leaving the beautiful city of Las Vegas, and about to arrive home in Houston. Vegas was pretty much what I had expected -- slot machines stacked up and down each and every hallway, and the sweet smell of second-hand smoke following me like some sort of Las Vegas spirit.
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Feb 17, 2025 | 
theleadernews.com | Elliott Stewart
Elliott’s overall rating: 3 out of 5 starsA few weeks ago, as of writing this, the Oscar nominations were released. One film that was no surprise to see dominating the categories was The Brutalist. The Brutalist is a skyscraper of a film—a gigantic monument that towers over you, and all you can do is stand in its shadow. For a while, I was scared to enter the skyscraper. With the Oscar nominations, I had no choice now, and I had no idea what would be inside.
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Jan 20, 2025 | 
theleadernews.com | Elliott Stewart
Elliott’s overall rating: 3 out of 5 starsIn the 1993 film Jurassic Park, if you look past all the moments of characters gazing in awe at the brand new discovery of being able to regenerate dinosaurs from the ground up, you begin to realize something. As the film progresses, the horror of what’s been done sets in, and this is no better illustrated than in a line spoken halfway through the film.
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Dec 9, 2024 | 
theleadernews.com | Elliott Stewart
Elliott’s overall rating: 3 out of 5 starsGladiator II: 2.5 out of 5 starsWicked: 3.5 out of 5 starsLet me paint a picture. Nov. 22, two huge movies rolled out across theaters nationwide. A film about prejudice, horrific violence, and suppression, and also Gladiator II. I had no desire for either of these; the Wicked trailers nearly made me physically ill, and as of writing this, I’ve never seen the original Gladiator. Gladiator II was nothing special.
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Nov 18, 2024 | 
theleadernews.com | Elliott Stewart
Elliott’s rating: ✩ ✩ ✩ /✩ ✩ ✩ ✩ ✩My grandma loves Forrest Gump. I can’t blame her -- it’s a classic. Sprinkled with themes of acceptance and growth, I can see why she would absolutely love the film. However, director Robert Zemeckis has been on a dull road ever since Forrest Gump, putting out mostly forgettable films, like his adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches. More recently, the infamous live-action Pinocchio film, starring Tom Hanks.
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Oct 21, 2024 | 
theleadernews.com | Elliott Stewart
Elliott’s rating: ☆☆☆ ½ /★★★★★Back in elementary school, my school had a program, One Book One School, in which every single student read the exact same book. The book we would end up reading would be the most influential piece of writing I would read in my elementary years: The Wild Robot by Peter Brown. This book was my first introduction to concepts like death, loss, and even emotions like sadness or grief. The book didn’t necessarily make me feel sad, but it definitely made me feel.
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Oct 19, 2024 | 
cairnspost.com.au | Elliott Stewart
NSWDon't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News. They are the local heroes ditching their togs for a pair of tongs – tasked with serving up the perfect snags for King Charles when he visits Western Sydney for a good old fashioned Aussie barbecue. A team of lucky Surf Life Saving volunteers will serve up a royal sanger at a private BBQ in Parramatta, promising The Sunday Telegraph they will make sure His Majesty “get’s just the right amount of onions”.
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Sep 23, 2024 | 
theleadernews.com | Elliott Stewart
Elliott’s rating: 3 out of 5 starsHow do you pull off a legacy sequel? How can you possibly revisit the past without being pretentious and jaded? It seems like it’s an impossible task, a type of paradox almost. If that’s true, then Beetlejuice Beetlejuice finally cracks the code. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the sequel to the 1988 classic Beetlejuice, directed by the iconic Tim Burton.
