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I was not familiar with the case of Shanann Watts, her husband Chris, and their two children before seeing Jenny Popplewell’s documentary American Murder: The Family Next Door. To Popplewell’s immense credit, she is never exploitative about the case, instead using it as a way to frame how our online lives contrast against our private struggles, and how what may seem like the perfect family online is a thin veil for a tragic home life. With the word “Murder” in the title, the documentary isn’t really concerned with “whodunnit” or following various clues and threads. The grisly …

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Four reasons why the hate crime that opens IT Chapter Two is vital, including its connection to Richie, establishing stakes and ties to the real world

Be aware there are some light spoilers for HBO's Watchmen below. We've played it close to the vest, but if you want to go in completely blind, bookmark this for later. Right out of the gate, Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen announces itself as a series that has some shit to say. An impressive act of world-building reverentially structured around the events of the beloved graphic novel, the new HBO series may not be what diehard fans are expecting, but it’s a vital update and doting love letter to the original that marries the spectacle of a …