Xoan-Carlos Leon

Xoan-Carlos (XC) Leon is a former writer for the Financial Times and currently a UK-based financial editor at a US investment bank. A Film Studies minor, XC has a longstanding interest in European and Latin America film and manages several social media sites specializing on the film of Wes Anderson.
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Industry S1

Industry is a series fueled by greed, drugs, sex, and money, and provides all of these ingredients in Federal Reserve-sized quantities. There’s never a dull moment.

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The French Dispatch

This is the most Andersonian of Wes Anderson’s movies so far, and arguably his most ambitious work to date. You may find yourself craving more and wanting to re-watch it immediately to pick up what you missed amongst the sensory overload.

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A Watercooler Watch: Barbara Walters: Tell Me Everything

Before social media and podcasts, there was one undeniable truth about news-making interviews: if a story mattered, Barbara Walters would be the one to tell it. Landing a one-on-one with her didn’t just mean publicity, it meant you had become part of a national conversation. But while the interview signified that you had made it,

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A Need-to-Know Guide to The Buccaneers

Was life in the Gilded Age all that gilded?  In the HBO Max series, penned by Downton Abbey’s creator Julian Fellowes, the focus is on the class divide between America’s old money aristocrats and new money industrialists, and the often exhausting rules of “society.”  Apple TV’s The Buccaneers, which just returned for its second season,

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A Watercooler Guide to The Phoenician Scheme: Wes Anderson’s Oil-Baron Fever Dream

Wes Anderson films are easy to spot, but not always easy to describe. Watching them feels like stepping inside a handcrafted diorama of history: symmetrical, stylized, and slightly sentimental. From the wry narration and sharp color palettes to his signature whip pans and deadpan dialogue, Anderson crafts cinematic worlds where emotions are bottled then uncorked

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A Need-to-Know Guide to And Just Like That…

It’s been a two year wait, but Carrie Bradshaw and her tribe of fabulous fifty-somethings are finally back with their third season. You’d be forgiven if you lost track of the Sex and the City sequel and its storylines. But with summer’s planes, trains, and automobiles and rained-in weekends, And Just Like That might be

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Bring Her Back

A psychological horror film with standout performances, Bring Her Back isn’t just about summoning the dead, it’s about confronting the parts of ourselves we lose in the process. The Philippou brothers have crafted a film that dares to ask whether the true horror lies in what we’re willing to do in the name of love.

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The Something for Everyone Show: Poker Face is Back

Can’t agree on what to watch together?  Consider putting on your Poker Face. Peacock’s acclaimed mystery-of-the-week series created by Rian Johnson (best known for Star Wars: The Last Jedi and, most relevant here, the Glass Onion films) and starring Natasha Lyonne, is finally back for another season after two long years. That’s great news for

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It’s not HBO, it’s The Pitt: How streamers are embracing old TV network models  

“It’s not TV, it’s HBO.” Remember that old tagline? For nearly all of its history, broadcast television has been fighting against the perception that it’s subordinate to film as a storytelling medium. Television was just media for the masses, as opposed to the more erudite aficionados of cinema (who, by the way, poured into theaters

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Boyhood

Boyhood captures the importance of moments in time as people grow up and contests the idea that any singular moment is defining to your childhood. It’s a film filled with the full breadth of the emotions of childhood, conveying each one delicately to leave you reflecting on its many pensive conversations. 

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Heartbreak High

A smartly written, often provocative dramedy about an Australian high school that portrays a wide range of Gen Z personalities and the problems that they must contend with today.

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Pearl

From the fresh take on an origin story to the technicolor dream world and terrific acting, Pearl deserves to be on your horror radar. It is most compelling as a dissection of a broken woman who came of age during a time and in a place that brought out the evil in her.

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Reboot

A cleverly written, delightfully acted spoof of Hollywood’s obsession with calling “do-over” on retro television series, Reboot brings a deep bench of talented cast members and a generous helping of inside baseball surrounding the TV industry.

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Andor

A more psychologically complex part of the Star Wars story, Andor will help you better understand the characters…and the universe.

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One Day at a Time

A masterpiece of a modern family sitcom, One Day at a Time is that rare three-generation watch that families from all backgrounds can relate to.

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Sins of our Mother

A timely, shocking docuseries that has made headlines before its release, Sins of our Mother will make you question assumptions about how people fall under the spell of charismatic “leaders” and charismatic “victims.” This one is bound to make your blood curl.

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History Lessons: What to Watch for Context on the Monarchy

Procession for Queen Elizabeth’s coffin to lie in state at Westminster With the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the ascension of His Majesty King Charles III, The British Monarchy has been dominating the headlines more than at any time since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales a quarter-century ago. As we

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Little Women

A modern Korean retelling of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved novel, Little Women follows three tightknit sisters who find themselves in a case up against the wealthiest family in the country in a critique of greed, corruption, and South Korea’s class system.

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Pinocchio (2022)

A new twist on one of Disney’s most iconic classics, the story about a puppet who becomes “human” is finally brought to live-action life. The film’s approach to the moral of the story is a bit different, but you could argue it is more realistic, and this is one that you will want to share

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