vox--2020-02-13--Portrait of a Lady on Fire is the perfect Valentine’s Day movie

The best romances are about physical proximity .
Two people become so close to each other that they simply can not stay apart .
Every brush of hands against each other , every longing look — they all combine into something irresistible and unstoppable .
There ’ s an exquisite agony to watching two people who should be together defy the odds and remain apart , then an incredible pleasure in seeing them finally fall into each other ’ s arms .
But the best love stories , by contrast , require physical separation , pulling two people who should @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than themselves .
The force could be death .
It could be a society that refuses to acknowledge their love .
It could just be geography .
The point is that in both romances and love stories , happiness and connection have to ultimately be fleeting for us to truly feel satisfied .
We know too well from so many examples that the first kiss gives way to the reality of actually getting to know another person and realizing all their tics and flaws .
Similarly , once a perfect love is realized @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believe that it can only continue to exist if the lovers can no longer see each other .
We always ache most for that which we can ’ t have .
What makes the French masterpiece Portrait of a Lady on Fire — one of my favorite movies ever made , and the perfect Valentine ’ s Day date movie — so good is that it ’ s both a great romance and a great love story .
The two bleed into each other so skillfully that you ’ ll almost miss where @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ends .
And right alongside the blend of romance and love is a movie full of concerns about women ’ s place in the world , class barriers , and the ways a sisterhood among women can make the world more bearable for all welcomed into its embrace , right up until the world comes knocking down the door .
Portrait of a Lady on Fire takes the beats of Titanic and transports them to a story about two women in 1770s France When I interviewed Portrait of a Lady on Fire director @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upcoming piece ) , she said that one of the movies she studied often when making the film was the 1997 blockbuster Titanic , one of the most successful movies ever made .
When you consider that Sciamma is a director of small , exquisitely realized stories about the lives of women in a society that rarely has room for them and not a blockbuster director like Titanic ’ s James Cameron , this influence might seem a little odd .
But watch Portrait of a Lady on Fire , and it all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Titanic , it ’ s a movie about how women are confined by societal expectations when it comes to the people their hearts long for .
Sciamma ’ s prior films ( check out 2014 ’ s Girlhood for a sterling example of her work ) have been set in present-day France , each one focused on the lives of women whose stories aren ’ t often told onscreen .
( Girlhood , for instance , is about a black French teenager , the kind of character whose life had been rarely depicted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) Portrait breaks with that tradition by being set in the 1770s , on a remote island off the coast of France , where a young woman waits to be wedded off to a suitor who remains unseen .
The woman ’ s name is Héloïse ( performed by longtime Sciamma collaborator and romantic partner Adèle Haenel ) , and she is to marry the man her older sister had been promised to .
Her sister died by suicide , and Héloïse ’ s mother , scrambling , has been trying to get @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bridal portrait , an image crafted to show the would-be groom just how beautiful and perfect his future spouse is .
The trouble is that Héloïse doesn ’ t particularly want to get married and won ’ t sit to be painted .
Enter Marianne ( Noémie Merlant ) , a young woman whose father was a great artist , and who hopes to build on his legacy by painting her own images .
We know from a clever framing device that Marianne eventually succeeds at making a living from her art — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between her and Héloïse has marked her deeply .
The story is told through Marianne ’ s eyes , and it takes several long minutes for us to see Héloïse ’ s face at all , Sciamma building the mystery skillfully as both Marianne and we long to see her , never quite catching a glimpse , but hoping and hoping and ...
When the two finally stop on a seaside cliff ( this is a movie brimming with romantic vistas ) , Marianne and Hélöise spend what feels like a full hour @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing .
Marianne has been brought along under the guise of being a walking companion for Héloïse .
Then , at night , Marianne will use her memories of Héloïse to work on the painting .
Thus , as the two women grow closer , first as friends and then as perhaps more , Marianne ’ s work on the painting becomes a horrible time bomb waiting to explode .
To succeed as an artist , she has to finish it .
To finish it is to send Héloïse away forever .
Sciamma @ @ @ @ @ @ @ watch women simply interacting is at its peak in this film , which has only four major characters and spends almost all of its time on three of them ( Marianne , Héloïse , and Hélöise ’ s maid Sophie , played by Luàna Bajrami , in a wonderful performance ) .
Sciamma has a keen eye for the ways that women have always cared for each other under the radar of society , dealing with unwanted pregnancies and building little communities in plain sight .
But always , somewhere off to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ awaits .
I really don ’ t dare tell you more about this movie , except to say that its cinematography by Claire Mathon uses low-light settings to create images that frequently made me gasp .
( There ’ s a shot of Héloïse seeming to haunt Marianne that gains more and more power as the film goes on and it keeps appearing . )
Some of its power resides in how skillfully it tells you a story that can end only one way , yet offers hope that it will somehow end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we long to hold on to actually those which stay in our grasp .
Far more often , all we have left are memories , smudged and indistinct , like a painting marred by an untimely brush of a hand .
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is playing in theaters everywhere .
( This movie !
!
!
See it !
!
! )

The best romances are about physical proximity. Two people become so close to each other that they simply cannot stay apart. Every brush of hands against each other, every longing look — they all combine into something irresistible and unstoppable.
There’s an exquisite agony to watching two people who should be together defy the odds and remain apart, then an incredible pleasure in seeing them finally fall into each other’s arms.
But the best love stories, by contrast, require physical separation, pulling two people who should be together apart by a force stronger than themselves. The force could be death. It could be a society that refuses to acknowledge their love. It could just be geography.
Rating: 5 out of 5 vox-mark vox-mark vox-mark vox-mark vox-mark
The point is that in both romances and love stories, happiness and connection have to ultimately be fleeting for us to truly feel satisfied. We know too well from so many examples that the first kiss gives way to the reality of actually getting to know another person and realizing all their tics and flaws. Similarly, once a perfect love is realized, we find it almost easier to believe that it can only continue to exist if the lovers can no longer see each other. We always ache most for that which we can’t have.
What makes the French masterpiece Portrait of a Lady on Fire — one of my favorite movies ever made, and the perfect Valentine’s Day date movie — so good is that it’s both a great romance and a great love story. The two bleed into each other so skillfully that you’ll almost miss where the romance begins and the love story ends.
And right alongside the blend of romance and love is a movie full of concerns about women’s place in the world, class barriers, and the ways a sisterhood among women can make the world more bearable for all welcomed into its embrace, right up until the world comes knocking down the door.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire takes the beats of Titanic and transports them to a story about two women in 1770s France
When I interviewed Portrait of a Lady on Fire director Céline Sciamma in January (for an upcoming piece), she said that one of the movies she studied often when making the film was the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, one of the most successful movies ever made.
When you consider that Sciamma is a director of small, exquisitely realized stories about the lives of women in a society that rarely has room for them and not a blockbuster director like Titanic’s James Cameron, this influence might seem a little odd. But watch Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and it all starts to make sense. Just like Titanic, it’s a movie about how women are confined by societal expectations when it comes to the people their hearts long for.
Sciamma’s prior films (check out 2014’s Girlhood for a sterling example of her work) have been set in present-day France, each one focused on the lives of women whose stories aren’t often told onscreen. (Girlhood, for instance, is about a black French teenager, the kind of character whose life had been rarely depicted in French film to that point.) Portrait breaks with that tradition by being set in the 1770s, on a remote island off the coast of France, where a young woman waits to be wedded off to a suitor who remains unseen.
The woman’s name is Héloïse (performed by longtime Sciamma collaborator Adèle Haenel), and she is to marry the man her older sister had been promised to. Her sister died by suicide, and Héloïse’s mother, scrambling, has been trying to get the would-be bride to sit for a bridal portrait, an image crafted to show the would-be groom just how beautiful and perfect his future spouse is. The trouble is that Héloïse doesn’t particularly want to get married and won’t sit to be painted.
Enter Marianne (Noémie Merlant), a young woman whose father was a great artist, and who hopes to build on his legacy by painting her own images. We know from a clever framing device that Marianne eventually succeeds at making a living from her art — but also we know that whatever happened between her and Héloïse has marked her deeply.
The story is told through Marianne’s eyes, and it takes several long minutes for us to see Héloïse’s face at all, Sciamma building the mystery skillfully as both Marianne and we long to see her, never quite catching a glimpse, but hoping and hoping and ...
When the two finally stop on a seaside cliff (this is a movie brimming with romantic vistas), Marianne and Hélöise spend what feels like a full hour just looking at each other, saying nothing. Marianne has been brought along under the guise of being a walking companion for Héloïse. Then, at night, Marianne will use her memories of Héloïse to work on the painting. Thus, as the two women grow closer, first as friends and then as perhaps more, Marianne’s work on the painting becomes a horrible time bomb waiting to explode. To succeed as an artist, she has to finish it. To finish it is to send Héloïse away forever.
Sciamma’s talent for standing back to watch women simply interacting is at its peak in this film, which has only four major characters and spends almost all of its time on three of them (Marianne, Héloïse, and Hélöise’s maid Sophie, played by Luàna Bajrami, in a wonderful performance). Sciamma has a keen eye for the ways that women have always cared for each other under the radar of society, dealing with unwanted pregnancies and building little communities in plain sight. But always, somewhere off to the side, a world ruled by men awaits.
I really don’t dare tell you more about this movie, except to say that its cinematography by Claire Mathon uses low-light settings to create images that frequently made me gasp. (There’s a shot of Héloïse seeming to haunt Marianne that gains more and more power as the film goes on and it keeps appearing.) Some of its power resides in how skillfully it tells you a story that can end only one way, yet offers hope that it will somehow end otherwise.
Too rarely are the things we long to hold on to actually those which stay in our grasp. Far more often, all we have left are memories, smudged and indistinct, like a painting marred by an untimely brush of a hand.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire is playing in theaters in select cities, but will be expanding throughout the country in the weeks to come. (This movie!!! See it!!!)


vox--2020-02-13--The Senate votes to check Trump’s ability to take military action against Iran

The Senate , on Thursday , once again attempted to limit the president ’ s war powers .
In a 55-45 vote , lawmakers passed a resolution that would require President Donald Trump to obtain congressional approval if he wanted to take additional military action against Iran .
It ’ s the latest lawmaker response to an airstrike Trump authorized in early January that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani , and follows the passage of a similar measure in the House .
Unlike the House resolution , however , Kaine ’ s measure has the power to become law if @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would need to be voted on by the lower chamber before it heads to the president ’ s desk .
The war powers vote notably garnered bipartisan support from a majority of senators , including eight Republicans .
Sens .
Susan Collins , Jerry Moran , Rand Paul , Mike Lee , Todd Young , Lisa Murkowski , Lamar Alexander , and Bill Cassidy voted with Democrats to advance the measure , which did not come close to reaching the 67-member supermajority needed to override a presidential veto .
Even if this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress , it ’ s expected to be rejected by the president , who was calling via Twitter for Republicans to vote it down earlier this week .
“ If my hands were tied , Iran would have a field day , ” Trump wrote .
The Thursday Senate vote marks the latest attempt to check the president ’ s war powers , which have evolved significantly , in part with the help of past congressional authorizations .
Last year , both the House and Senate also voted to curb the president ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ support for the war in Yemen , though those measures were similarly vetoed .
Democratic lawmakers have also pushed to include amendments in the annual must-pass defense budget bill that would have reined in the president ’ s ability to unilaterally take military action in Iran , but those were stripped out of the final versions .
Although it ’ s ultimately just a message , the passage of this Senate resolution enables Democrats to make a point and put Republicans on the record .
It also further establishes where Congress stands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump just how seriously lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are taking it .
In the past year , Congress has tried repeatedly to check Trump ’ s ability to take military action , efforts that have included support from some Republicans .
Although Congress hasn ’ t waded into specific questions tied to the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq , there has been a growing push to prevent the president from using past authorizations of military force to conduct attacks elsewhere in the world .
As Vox ’ s Ian Millhiser @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has partly been enabled by the courts over the years , as well as legal opinions offered by the executive branch : One consequence of judicial deference is that there is fairly little case law explaining when the executive branch can and can not take military action .
Instead , most of the legal opinions in this space were drafted by executive branch officials .
According to Jack Goldsmith , a professor at Harvard Law School who led the Justice Department ’ s Office of Legal Counsel during the second Bush administration , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this area has been developed by executive branch lawyers justifying unilateral presidential uses of force.
” The focus of the Iran resolution , led by Sen. Tim Kaine , is pretty straightforward : It reiterates that Congress has not declared war against Iran , and that current congressional war authorizations don ’ t apply .
It also would require the president to remove US troops from any “ hostilities ” with Iran within 30 days if he didn ’ t gain congressional approval .
It includes exceptions for cases of self-defense and responses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re now at a boiling point , and Congress must step in before Trump puts even more of our troops in harm ’ s way , ” Kaine said in a statement .
Lawmakers have repeatedly tried to draw boundaries limiting the use of past Authorizations for Use of Military Force ( AUMF ) that were approved after 9/11 and before the Iraq War .
These authorizations , both of which are nearly 20 years old , have since been used to justify other military action across the Middle East .
Last month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of this war powers resolution , sponsored by Rep. Elissa Slotkin , as well as two resolutions from Reps. Ro Khanna and Barbara Lee , which would withdraw US military support for the war in Yemen and repeal the 2002 AUMF that enabled the president to take military action in Iraq .
As legal experts have told Vox , however , Congress can only do so much depending on how the administration interprets the various restraints that are passed .
If Kaine ’ s measure were approved and signed into law , for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration could attempt to bypass it .
The vote on this resolution follows a January briefing from the Trump administration about the airstrike against Soleimani that ’ s since prompted intense criticism from both Democrats and Republicans .
After Thursday ’ s vote , Congress ’ s ability to check Trump remains limited , in part because some Senate Republicans aren ’ t interested in strengthening it .

The Senate, on Thursday, once again attempted to limit the president’s war powers.
In a 55-45 vote, lawmakers passed a resolution that would require President Donald Trump to obtain congressional approval if he wanted to take additional military action against Iran. It’s the latest lawmaker response to an airstrike Trump authorized in early January that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, and follows the passage of a similar measure in the House. Differences in the legislation mean is must be voted on by the lower chamber before it heads to the president’s desk.
The war powers vote notably garnered bipartisan support from a majority of senators, including eight Republicans. Sens. Susan Collins, Jerry Moran, Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Todd Young, Lisa Murkowski, Lamar Alexander, and Bill Cassidy voted with Democrats to advance the measure, which did not come close to reaching the 67-member supermajority needed to override a presidential veto.
Even if this resolution is passed by both chambers of Congress, it’s expected to be rejected by the president, who was calling via Twitter for Republicans to vote it down earlier this week. “If my hands were tied, Iran would have a field day,” Trump wrote.
The Thursday Senate vote marks the latest attempt to check the president’s war powers, which have evolved significantly, in part with the help of past congressional authorizations. Last year, both the House and Senate also voted to curb the president’s ability to continue the United States’ support for the war in Yemen, though those measures were similarly vetoed. Democratic lawmakers have also pushed to include amendments in the annual must-pass defense budget bill that would have reined in the president’s ability to unilaterally take military action in Iran, but those were stripped out of the final versions.
Although it’s ultimately just a message, the passage of this Senate resolution enables Democrats to make a point and put Republicans on the record. It also further establishes where Congress stands on the matter — and signals to Trump just how seriously lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are taking it.
War powers resolutions keep coming up
In the past year, Congress has tried repeatedly to check Trump’s ability to take military action, efforts that have included support from some Republicans. Although Congress hasn’t waded into specific questions tied to the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, there has been a growing push to prevent the president from using past authorizations of military force to conduct attacks elsewhere in the world.
As Vox’s Ian Millhiser explained, the expansion of these powers has partly been enabled by the courts over the years, as well as legal opinions offered by the executive branch:
One consequence of judicial deference is that there is fairly little case law explaining when the executive branch can and cannot take military action. Instead, most of the legal opinions in this space were drafted by executive branch officials. According to Jack Goldsmith, a professor at Harvard Law School who led the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel during the second Bush administration, “Practically all of the law in this area has been developed by executive branch lawyers justifying unilateral presidential uses of force.” These lawyers, Goldsmith warned, “view unilateral presidential power very broadly.”
The focus of the Iran resolution, an effort led by Sen. Tim Kaine, is pretty straightforward: It reiterates that Congress has not declared war against Iran, and that current congressional war authorizations don’t apply. It also would require the president to remove US troops from any “hostilities” with Iran within 30 days if he didn’t gain congressional approval. It includes exceptions for cases of self-defense and responses to imminent attacks.
“We’re now at a boiling point, and Congress must step in before Trump puts even more of our troops in harm’s way,” Kaine said in a statement.
Lawmakers have repeatedly tried to draw boundaries limiting the use of past Authorizations for Use of Military Force (AUMF) that were approved after 9/11 and before the Iraq War. These authorizations, both of which are nearly 20 years old, have since been used to justify other military action across the Middle East.
Last month, the House passed its own version of this war powers resolution, sponsored by Rep. Elissa Slotkin, as well as two resolutions from Reps. Ro Khanna and Barbara Lee, which would withdraw US military support for the war in Yemen and repeal the 2002 AUMF that enabled the president to take military action in Iraq.
As legal experts have told Vox, however, Congress can only do so much depending on how the administration interprets the various restraints that are passed. If Kaine’s measure were approved and signed into law, for example, it’s possible the administration could attempt to bypass it.
The vote on this resolution follows a January briefing from the Trump administration about the airstrike against Soleimani that’s since prompted intense criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. After Thursday’s vote, Congress’s ability to check Trump remains limited, in part because some Senate Republicans aren’t interested in strengthening it.


vox--2020-02-14--Amazon can’t end fake reviews, but its new system might drown them out

Fake reviews still exist on Amazon , but the dominant online shopping platform recently made a big change that might help drown them out instead .
The online retailer quietly introduced one-tap ratings for product reviews late last year , making it possible for shoppers to provide a star rating without needing to write a review to accompany it .
The change has already led to an increase in overall customer feedback , a competitive advantage that Amazon has over many of its biggest brick-and-mortar competitors .
And new products are generating feedback on Amazon sooner , the company says @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new brands and sellers .
But some industry observers believe another indirect impact of the change will be a significant increase in authentic ratings that will make it harder for fake reviews to break through the noise .
“ As the number of ratings increase , customers can see a larger set and thus a more accurate rating , ” said Patrick Miller , co-founder of Flywheel Digital , an agency that helps large consumer brands sell on Amazon .
“ For brands , this means the black-hat review clubs and sellers will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a percentage of legit reviews should decrease.
” The new rating feature arrives at a time in which fake product reviews have been attracting more attention from the media , regulators , and Amazon itself as more consumers conduct more of their shopping online .
Last year , the Federal Trade Commission brought its first case involving paid fake reviews , settling a complaint against an Amazon seller who purchased fake five-star reviews for a weight-loss supplement .
Amazon has also filed at least five lawsuits related to fake-review schemes over the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , fake positive reviews can simply lead to the purchase of poor-quality merchandise and distrust among shoppers .
But in certain categories , a flattering review of a bad or faulty product can be flat-out dangerous .
The new one-tap feature asks customers to select from one to five stars for a product .
It ’ s only available to customers who have actually purchased the item from Amazon — “ verified ” buyers .
That barrier alone creates one hurdle that will make the new rating system harder to game , since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ buyers .
And as the new rating feature attracts more and more feedback from verified buyers , it ’ ll get more expensive for schemers to buy enough phony reviews to try to break through the noise .
“ The more customers who purchased the product [ who ] provide feedback , the more accurately the star rating reflects the experience of all purchasers , ” is how Amazon spokesperson Angie Newman put it , without directly referencing fake reviews .
Amazon does not provide many specifics about how a product ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than stating that it is not a simple average but instead uses “ machine-learned models ” that take into account factors such as how recent the rating or review is and whether it was a verified purchase or not .
It ’ s not clear whether one-tap ratings will carry as much weight in these models as written reviews .
But the new rating system isn ’ t fool-proof , since some fake-review schemers have a way to get around the “ verified purchase ” requirement .
One popular method is to recruit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promise to refund them for their purchase via PayPal after the shoppers show proof of writing a five-star review .
At the same time , it seems logical that these schemers will have to purchase more fake reviews to make an impact on their product ’ s ratings if the overall amount of customer feedback is growing as a result of the one-tap feedback feature .
Still , there are other concerns about what the introduction of simple star ratings will do to written reviews .
Industry experts say only around 0.5 percent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a review or rating for products bought online .
And online customer ratings and reviews , while not perfect , do influence product purchase decisions .
But if more current reviewers opt to just leave a one-tap rating instead , important context could suffer .
“ The upside is they are getting more feedback , and as long as it ’ s done correctly , maybe it ’ s more representative of the entire population of buyers , ” said Matt Moog , the CEO of PowerReviews , a company that sells product @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brands .
“ The downside is it ’ s less descriptive.
” There are other downsides to consider with the new one-tap system .
Shoppers now have to do some work to identify how many pieces of overall customer feedback are actually written reviews , since the number listed at the top of a product page is now a total for overall ratings and reviews combined .
The more risk aversion a consumer has to a product or product category , the more likely they are to read written reviews , according to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spiegel Research Center at Northwestern University ’ s Medill School , which has conducted in-depth studies on online ratings and reviews .
Brands and third-party merchants selling on Amazon also count on written feedback to identify issues with their own products or opportunities when viewing reviews of competitor products , added James Thomson , a former manager at Amazon who now runs Buy Box Experts , an agency for brands and third-party sellers doing business on Amazon .
“ If you want to give the whole marketplace more feedback to work with , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ The problem is it ’ s not useful feedback.
” Amazon , though , is known for making changes and then experimenting and altering an approach depending on the behavior it produces and its unintended side effects .
For that reason , some in the Amazon ecosystem predict further changes are on the way .
“ Ultimately , Amazon ’ s trying to remove the friction of people writing reviews , ” said Jeff Cohen , an executive at the e-commerce software company Seller Labs .
“ They solve single @ @ @ @ @ @ @ complex the things that they are doing .
My guess is more changes will come .
”

Fake reviews still exist on Amazon, but the dominant online shopping platform recently made a big change that might help drown them out instead.
The online retailer quietly introduced one-tap ratings for product reviews late last year, making it possible for shoppers to provide a star rating without needing to write a review to accompany it.
The change has already led to an increase in overall customer feedback, a competitive advantage that Amazon has over many of its biggest brick-and-mortar competitors. And new products are generating feedback on Amazon sooner, the company says, which could be a boon for new brands and sellers. But some industry observers believe another indirect impact of the change will be a significant increase in authentic ratings that will make it harder for fake reviews to break through the noise.
“As the number of ratings increase, customers can see a larger set and thus a more accurate rating,” said Patrick Miller, co-founder of Flywheel Digital, an agency that helps large consumer brands sell on Amazon. “For brands, this means the black-hat review clubs and sellers will have less impact, as fake reviews as a percentage of legit reviews should decrease.”
The new rating feature arrives at a time in which fake product reviews have been attracting more attention from the media, regulators, and Amazon itself as more consumers conduct more of their shopping online. Last year, the Federal Trade Commission brought its first case involving paid fake reviews, settling a complaint against an Amazon seller who purchased fake five-star reviews for a weight-loss supplement. Amazon has also filed at least five lawsuits related to fake-review schemes over the last five years. On one end, fake positive reviews can simply lead to the purchase of poor-quality merchandise and distrust among shoppers. But in certain categories, a flattering review of a bad or faulty product can be flat-out dangerous.
The new one-tap feature asks customers to select from one to five stars for a product. It’s only available to customers who have actually purchased the item from Amazon — “verified” buyers. That barrier alone creates one hurdle that will make the new rating system harder to game, since Amazon does allow written reviews from non-verified buyers. And as the new rating feature attracts more and more feedback from verified buyers, it’ll get more expensive for schemers to buy enough phony reviews to try to break through the noise.
“The more customers who purchased the product [who] provide feedback, the more accurately the star rating reflects the experience of all purchasers,” is how Amazon spokesperson Angie Newman put it, without directly referencing fake reviews.
Amazon does not provide many specifics about how a product’s overall star rating is calculated, other than stating that it is not a simple average but instead uses “machine-learned models” that take into account factors such as how recent the rating or review is and whether it was a verified purchase or not. It’s not clear whether one-tap ratings will carry as much weight in these models as written reviews.
But the new rating system isn’t fool-proof, since some fake-review schemers have a way to get around the “verified purchase” requirement. One popular method is to recruit buyers in private Facebook groups with a promise to refund them for their purchase via PayPal after the shoppers show proof of writing a five-star review. At the same time, it seems logical that these schemers will have to purchase more fake reviews to make an impact on their product’s ratings if the overall amount of customer feedback is growing as a result of the one-tap feedback feature.
Still, there are other concerns about what the introduction of simple star ratings will do to written reviews. Industry experts say only around 0.5 percent to 3 percent of customers typically provide a review or rating for products bought online. And online customer ratings and reviews, while not perfect, do influence product purchase decisions. But if more current reviewers opt to just leave a one-tap rating instead, important context could suffer.
“The upside is they are getting more feedback, and as long as it’s done correctly, maybe it’s more representative of the entire population of buyers,” said Matt Moog, the CEO of PowerReviews, a company that sells product review technology to big retailers and consumer brands. “The downside is it’s less descriptive.”
There are other downsides to consider with the new one-tap system. Shoppers now have to do some work to identify how many pieces of overall customer feedback are actually written reviews, since the number listed at the top of a product page is now a total for overall ratings and reviews combined. The more risk aversion a consumer has to a product or product category, the more likely they are to read written reviews, according to Tom Collinger, executive director of the Spiegel Research Center at Northwestern University’s Medill School, which has conducted in-depth studies on online ratings and reviews. Brands and third-party merchants selling on Amazon also count on written feedback to identify issues with their own products or opportunities when viewing reviews of competitor products, added James Thomson, a former manager at Amazon who now runs Buy Box Experts, an agency for brands and third-party sellers doing business on Amazon.
“If you want to give the whole marketplace more feedback to work with, then Amazon has succeeded,” Thomson said. “The problem is it’s not useful feedback.”
Amazon, though, is known for making changes and then experimenting and altering an approach depending on the behavior it produces and its unintended side effects. For that reason, some in the Amazon ecosystem predict further changes are on the way.
“Ultimately, Amazon’s trying to remove the friction of people writing reviews,” said Jeff Cohen, an executive at the e-commerce software company Seller Labs. “They solve single goals and they don’t overly complex the things that they are doing. My guess is more changes will come.”


vox--2020-02-14--Odd Job: Meet an international pizza consultant

Anthony Falco turned 40 in a white apron , deep in Argentina , working on a Buenos Aires pizzeria ’ s soft opening for friends and family .
It is the third year in a row he has spent his birthday in another country ’ s kitchen , and 2020 will mark his fourth year under his own self-made job title : “ International Pizza Consultant.
” Falco was originally one of the masterminds behind Brooklyn ’ s Neapolitan institution Roberta ’ s , but since going independent in 2016 , he ’ s made a living exporting what he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ air bubbles , and ricotta dollops to anyone who wants to pay for his wisdom .
Thus far , Falco tells me he ’ s taken on about 35 different clients in countries like Brazil , Portugal , and Kuwait .
He describes the job as a comprehensive pizza crash course , drawn from a decade ’ s worth of experience in front of one of the world ’ s most famous wood-fired ovens .
In practice , that constitutes plenty of technical advice on recipes and pizza ingredients , but also his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and the rest of the stuff that builds a sustainable business .
While other restaurants , like Goodfellas , offer their own crash courses in pizzeria management , Falco does consider himself to be the No .
1 name in his niche concentration .
Falco has worked with pizza chains with dozens of locations , but just as often , he is hired by small-business owners who ’ ve been in the food industry for a long time and want his help to bring the pizzeria they always dreamed of into reality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sign a consulting contract that lasts a full calendar year .
Some of the most important work he does is providing moral support after the many catastrophes that inevitably befall a fledgling restaurant .
After all , Falco admits that he ’ s made all of those same mistakes before , and he ’ s living proof that it ’ s possible to survive them .
We talked about that , as well as the unique challenges faced by pizzerias in disadvantaged economies , and why the most important investment any aspiring pizza @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
So how did you come up with the idea of being a pizza consultant after leaving Roberta ’ s ?
I had no plan .
I had no idea I was leaving Roberta ’ s .
It felt pretty accidental .
I had my head down , I was working there for about nine years , and I went to LA when there was a change in direction , and basically I got fired .
The partnership had broken up , and I was collateral damage .
So I was in my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Los Angeles , so I left the pizza oven on the street and I drove back to Brooklyn with no plan , really .
Actually , the first thing I did was go to Silicon Valley , where I had a job interview right away with a company that wanted to build pizza robots .
But there was something in me that was saying , “ Get the hell out of here.
” I made an Instagram post that said , “ Hey , I worked at Roberta ’ s for 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consultant , let me know.
” I got a huge response from that .
There was a company in Brazil that had a project that they thought I ’ d be a good fit for .
I flew down there within the first couple of months and signed a consulting gig with them , and I changed my Instagram to “ International Pizza Consultant.
” It had a nice ring to it .
I have a home office here in Brooklyn , so when I ’ m not on the road , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kids off at school , have some breakfast , and I do a lot of my work remotely .
I want to be involved in my clients long-term .
The thing I ’ m most proud of is the continued success and growth of my clients , and establishing long-term relationships with them .
So I ’ ll check my email , and I ’ ll do development and rescues .
Currently I have a project that ’ s about to open in Denver , and the troubleshooting is kinda unique because of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There ’ s texting going on constantly .
There ’ s this conception that this job is just taking Roberta ’ s and exporting elsewhere , but there ’ s not been two clients that have been exactly alike .
It sounds like you get pretty granular with each business you take on .
Yeah , I ’ ve been fired from other jobs before , and I don ’ t know what it is , but I think it ’ s because I have very little filter .
That works great @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t bullshit people at all .
When you have a client , they know they ’ re getting real feedback .
The other part is I do a lot of research .
I ’ ll find out the background of the city .
One of the projects I did this year was in Buenos Aires .
Buenos Aires has this huge Italian population , but my client wanted to do something completely different from Buenos Aires-style pizza .
The logistics are tough .
Just like , how do we get the ingredients , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ingredients ?
That ’ s tough in Buenos Aires ; the economy is so rough that importing ingredients is out of the question .
It ’ s a lot of different things every day , and that ’ s one of the reasons I really like this job .
When you ’ re in the heat of that process with someone getting a pizzeria off the ground , do you ever feel like you ’ re back at Roberta ’ s 10 years ago when the restaurant was just getting started ?
Does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you ’ re opening dozens of restaurants every year ?
Yeah , opening a restaurant is one of the hardest things you ’ ll ever do .
It ’ s a very stressful thing , and it ’ s very hectic , and part of my job is just to stay grounded when things go to hell .
A value I give to my clients is the amount of things I ’ ve screwed up myself , or have seen screwed up .
We have years and years of mistakes , and I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tricks to avoid them .
Here ’ s an example .
When you install a mixer , there ’ s a 50/50 chance that it ’ s spinning the right way or the wrong way .
If it ’ s spinning the wrong way , the dough will come spitting out , and you ’ ll have no idea why .
The people selling you the mixer never seem to tell you that .
Dough is the hardest part about making pizza , and that ’ s the kind of thing I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to figure out .
How much attention is focused on a pizza recipe with a client , versus other stuff like staffing , social media , advertising , or pricing ?
It depends on the client .
Some clients , like my client in Brazil , have a huge company with 40 restaurants .
They ’ re very , very good at a lot of things .
They know specifically the things they want out of me .
They like to include me in the branding , I ’ ve done some graphic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mural down there for one of their locations .
But then I did a place in Iowa , and it was this guy ’ s first restaurant he ’ s opened himself .
So , we did everything from kitchen layouts and equipment selection to moral support .
Pep talks .
He ’ s been incredibly successful , it ’ s doing great .
I think that ’ s why this has caught on .
When we opened Roberta ’ s there wasn ’ t Instagram .
There wasn ’ t instant food @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out after we opened .
Nowadays , you got ta have that shit figured out on day one .
People are going to come in and start judging you and start taking pictures of everything , so owners really feel the pressure to have the best possible product as soon as they open their doors .
What ’ s the most memorable experience you ’ ve had doing this job ?
I was in Lisbon working on a pizzeria , and one of the things I get excited about is local ingredients and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ everything I use is made .
I flew in , and this was the end of a nine-week trip where I ’ ve gone from Argentina to Brazil to Chicago to Canada , just a crazy string of opening pizzerias .
I dropped off my stuff at the hotel , and the chef took me to this 300-plus-year-old mill .
It started as a windmill , and now the guy whose family owned it has a modern mill built around it .
He showed us how the windmill works , and how milling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community , and then he took us into his artisanal flour operation where he had robots working .
That was one of my highlights of the year .
If you were going to name one major rookie mistake to avoid when opening a pizzeria , what would that be ?
The oven that you pick is very important .
If it seems too good to be true , it probably is .
Spend your money correctly on high-quality stuff and you ’ re going to pay less in the long run .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a pain in the ass .
Get good stuff .
How much does it cost to hire your services ?
It varies , but I think my rates are pretty competitive .
If you ’ re talking a year-long process , and we ’ re designing the kitchen from the ground up , and I ’ m spending multiple days on the ground there training and giving you months of support afterward , that averages around $ 15,000 .
I think that ’ s a better value than hiring a PR firm , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ results rather than just talking about it .
Are there moments where you bring on a client and you ’ re like , “ Oh man , this guy ’ s in over his head.
” Do you feel the existential terror of working with someone who might not be ready to run a restaurant ?
I think part of my success as a consultant is being choosy .
If someone is like , “ Hey , I ’ m a school teacher , there ’ s this place for rent , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weekends , I have these kids I ’ m going to hire , and I don ’ t have any restaurant experience , ” I ’ m like , no .
The people I work with are all experienced restaurant operators .
They know the business , they know what they want , and we ’ re all there to do the same thing .
I ’ ve had a really great string of clients .
It can be unbelievably stressful .
Every once in a while , I want to get out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out .
We grow together in those stressful moments .
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Anthony Falco turned 40 in a white apron, deep in Argentina, working on a Buenos Aires pizzeria’s soft opening for friends and family. It is the third year in a row he has spent his birthday in another country’s kitchen, and 2020 will mark his fourth year under his own self-made job title: “International Pizza Consultant.”
Falco was originally one of the masterminds behind Brooklyn’s Neapolitan institution Roberta’s, but since going independent in 2016, he’s made a living exporting what he’s learned about marinara sauce, air bubbles, and ricotta dollops to anyone who wants to pay for his wisdom. Thus far, Falco tells me he’s taken on about 35 different clients in countries like Brazil, Portugal, and Kuwait. He describes the job as a comprehensive pizza crash course, drawn from a decade’s worth of experience in front of one of the world’s most famous wood-fired ovens.
In practice, that constitutes plenty of technical advice on recipes and pizza ingredients, but also his perspective on finances, staffing, advertising, and the rest of the stuff that builds a sustainable business. While other restaurants, like Goodfellas, offer their own crash courses in pizzeria management, Falco does consider himself to be the No. 1 name in his niche concentration.
Falco has worked with pizza chains with dozens of locations, but just as often, he is hired by small-business owners who’ve been in the food industry for a long time and want his help to bring the pizzeria they always dreamed of into reality. For those clients, Falco might sign a consulting contract that lasts a full calendar year. Some of the most important work he does is providing moral support after the many catastrophes that inevitably befall a fledgling restaurant. After all, Falco admits that he’s made all of those same mistakes before, and he’s living proof that it’s possible to survive them. We talked about that, as well as the unique challenges faced by pizzerias in disadvantaged economies, and why the most important investment any aspiring pizza baron can make is a good oven.
So how did you come up with the idea of being a pizza consultant after leaving Roberta’s?
I had no plan. I had no idea I was leaving Roberta’s. It felt pretty accidental. I had my head down, I was working there for about nine years, and I went to LA when there was a change in direction, and basically I got fired. The partnership had broken up, and I was collateral damage. So I was in my car, with a pizza oven, in Los Angeles, so I left the pizza oven on the street and I drove back to Brooklyn with no plan, really.
Actually, the first thing I did was go to Silicon Valley, where I had a job interview right away with a company that wanted to build pizza robots. But there was something in me that was saying, “Get the hell out of here.” I made an Instagram post that said, “Hey, I worked at Roberta’s for 10 years, and if you need a consultant, let me know.” I got a huge response from that. There was a company in Brazil that had a project that they thought I’d be a good fit for. I flew down there within the first couple of months and signed a consulting gig with them, and I changed my Instagram to “International Pizza Consultant.” It had a nice ring to it.
What’s your daily routine like?
I have a home office here in Brooklyn, so when I’m not on the road, I’m there. I drop the kids off at school, have some breakfast, and I do a lot of my work remotely. I want to be involved in my clients long-term. The thing I’m most proud of is the continued success and growth of my clients, and establishing long-term relationships with them. So I’ll check my email, and I’ll do development and rescues. Currently I have a project that’s about to open in Denver, and the troubleshooting is kinda unique because of the altitude and the lack of humidity. There’s texting going on constantly. There’s this conception that this job is just taking Roberta’s and exporting elsewhere, but there’s not been two clients that have been exactly alike.
It sounds like you get pretty granular with each business you take on.
Yeah, I’ve been fired from other jobs before, and I don’t know what it is, but I think it’s because I have very little filter. That works great as a consultant. I don’t bullshit people at all. When you have a client, they know they’re getting real feedback.
The other part is I do a lot of research. I’ll find out the background of the city. One of the projects I did this year was in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires has this huge Italian population, but my client wanted to do something completely different from Buenos Aires-style pizza. The logistics are tough. Just like, how do we get the ingredients, how do we leverage the best local ingredients? That’s tough in Buenos Aires; the economy is so rough that importing ingredients is out of the question. It’s a lot of different things every day, and that’s one of the reasons I really like this job.
When you’re in the heat of that process with someone getting a pizzeria off the ground, do you ever feel like you’re back at Roberta’s 10 years ago when the restaurant was just getting started? Does being a pizza consultant ever feel like you’re opening dozens of restaurants every year?
Yeah, opening a restaurant is one of the hardest things you’ll ever do. It’s a very stressful thing, and it’s very hectic, and part of my job is just to stay grounded when things go to hell. A value I give to my clients is the amount of things I’ve screwed up myself, or have seen screwed up. We have years and years of mistakes, and I’m able to give them little tricks to avoid them.
Here’s an example. When you install a mixer, there’s a 50/50 chance that it’s spinning the right way or the wrong way. If it’s spinning the wrong way, the dough will come spitting out, and you’ll have no idea why. The people selling you the mixer never seem to tell you that. Dough is the hardest part about making pizza, and that’s the kind of thing I’ve spent the last 14 years trying to figure out.
How much attention is focused on a pizza recipe with a client, versus other stuff like staffing, social media, advertising, or pricing?
It depends on the client. Some clients, like my client in Brazil, have a huge company with 40 restaurants. They’re very, very good at a lot of things. They know specifically the things they want out of me. They like to include me in the branding, I’ve done some graphic design for them, I did a mural down there for one of their locations. But then I did a place in Iowa, and it was this guy’s first restaurant he’s opened himself. So, we did everything from kitchen layouts and equipment selection to moral support. Pep talks. He’s been incredibly successful, it’s doing great.
I think that’s why this has caught on. When we opened Roberta’s there wasn’t Instagram. There wasn’t instant food reporting. We were still figuring things out after we opened. Nowadays, you gotta have that shit figured out on day one. People are going to come in and start judging you and start taking pictures of everything, so owners really feel the pressure to have the best possible product as soon as they open their doors.
What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had doing this job?
I was in Lisbon working on a pizzeria, and one of the things I get excited about is local ingredients and learning about the whole process and how everything I use is made. I flew in, and this was the end of a nine-week trip where I’ve gone from Argentina to Brazil to Chicago to Canada, just a crazy string of opening pizzerias. I dropped off my stuff at the hotel, and the chef took me to this 300-plus-year-old mill. It started as a windmill, and now the guy whose family owned it has a modern mill built around it. He showed us how the windmill works, and how milling flour was a central part of the community, and then he took us into his artisanal flour operation where he had robots working. That was one of my highlights of the year.
If you were going to name one major rookie mistake to avoid when opening a pizzeria, what would that be?
The oven that you pick is very important. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Spend your money correctly on high-quality stuff and you’re going to pay less in the long run. It’s going to be less of a pain in the ass. Get good stuff.
How much does it cost to hire your services?
It varies, but I think my rates are pretty competitive. If you’re talking a year-long process, and we’re designing the kitchen from the ground up, and I’m spending multiple days on the ground there training and giving you months of support afterward, that averages around $15,000. I think that’s a better value than hiring a PR firm, because we’re talking about real results rather than just talking about it.
Are there moments where you bring on a client and you’re like, “Oh man, this guy’s in over his head.” Do you feel the existential terror of working with someone who might not be ready to run a restaurant?
I think part of my success as a consultant is being choosy. If someone is like, “Hey, I’m a school teacher, there’s this place for rent, and I want to come in on the weekends, I have these kids I’m going to hire, and I don’t have any restaurant experience,” I’m like, no. The people I work with are all experienced restaurant operators. They know the business, they know what they want, and we’re all there to do the same thing. I’ve had a really great string of clients. It can be unbelievably stressful. Every once in a while, I want to get out of there, but it always works out. We grow together in those stressful moments.
Sign up for The Goods’ newsletter. Twice a week, we’ll send you the best Goods stories exploring what we buy, why we buy it, and why it matters.


vox--2020-02-14--Trump is sending armed tactical forces to arrest immigrants in sanctuary cities

The Trump administration is reportedly sending armed and highly trained law enforcement units to sanctuary cities across the country to support US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in carrying out immigration raids .
As first reported by the New York Times , 100 US Customs and Border Protection officers , including those from the SWAT-like Border Patrol Tactical Unit , will be deployed from February through May across nine sanctuary cities : Chicago , New York , San Francisco , Los Angeles , Atlanta , Houston , Boston , New Orleans , and Newark , NJ .
Border Patrol Tactical Unit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enforcement activities , including sniper certification and other advanced weapons training .
Their primary charge has been tracking down drug traffickers on the US-Mexico border , where violence can often break out , but now they will also be responsible for conducting routine immigration arrests in some of America ’ s largest cities , according to the Times .
It ’ s just the latest instance in which President Donald Trump has sought to target sanctuary cities — which do not allow local law enforcement to share information with ICE or hand over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to cooperate with federal immigration authorities .
Immigrants advocates say that the deployment is not only a waste of federal law enforcement resources , it also might endanger immigrant communities .
“ This is transparent retaliation against local governments for refusing to do the administration ’ s bidding , ” Naureen Shah , senior policy and advocacy counsel on immigrants ’ rights for the American Civil Liberties Union , said in a statement .
“ It will put lives at risk by further militarizing our streets.
” Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Heather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the additional CBP agents ( which she emphasized come from a variety backgrounds and not just tactical units ) will help overstretched ICE officers deal with the rising number of immigrants who could be arrested on immigration violations but have yet to be detained .
“ ICE does not have sufficient resources to effectively manage the sustained increase in non-detained cases which is exacerbated by the rise of sanctuary jurisdictions , ” she said .
“ These officers have also been trained in routine immigration enforcement actions , which is what they have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s all part of Trump ’ s campaign against sanctuary cities Friday ’ s decision is just one in a long line of Trump ’ s attempts to crack down on sanctuary cities .
The administration has tried to withhold federal law enforcement grants from sanctuary states and vacate California ’ s sanctuary laws ( but has mostly failed ) .
And it recently blocked New Yorkers from enrolling in Global Entry and other programs that offer faster processing for pre-vetted travelers in response to new state sanctuary laws .
At his State @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Trump characterized sanctuary cities as a danger to public safety and broadly painted immigrants as violent criminals , highlighting a case of an immigrant arrested on charges of murdering and sexually assaulting a 92-year-old woman in New York City .
Trump has done this over and over during his time in office , turning his ire on international criminal gangs like MS-13 and invoking the stories of “ angel moms , ” parents of those killed by gang members .
But in reality , research suggests that his characterization doesn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t appear to make a city more dangerous .
While there isn ’ t a huge body of research on sanctuary policies ’ impact on crime rates , studies have found that they either slightly decrease crime rates or have no effect .
A study published in the journal Urban Affairs Review in 2017 found that cities with similar characteristics but for their sanctuary policies had “ no statistically discernible difference ” in their rates of violent crime , rape , or property crime .
Using data from the National Immigration Law Center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rates before and after cities passed sanctuary laws , finding that they had no effect on crime .
Another study by the Center for American Progress , a left-leaning think tank , examined the almost 2,500 counties that don ’ t accept requests from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain unauthorized immigrants .
The study found that counties with sanctuary policies tend to have lower crime rates than those that don ’ t : about 35.5 fewer crimes per 10,000 people on average .
The counties with the smallest populations exhibited even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police chiefs say there ’ s good reason behind those results : Sanctuary policies facilitate better crime reporting and cooperation with law enforcement in criminal investigations .

The Trump administration is reportedly sending armed and highly trained law enforcement units to sanctuary cities across the country to support US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in carrying out immigration raids.
As first reported by the New York Times, 100 US Customs and Border Protection officers, including those from the SWAT-like Border Patrol Tactical Unit, will be deployed from February through May across nine sanctuary cities: Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, Boston, New Orleans, and Newark, NJ.
Border Patrol Tactical Unit agents receive special training for high-risk law enforcement activities, including sniper certification and other advanced weapons training. Their primary charge has been tracking down drug traffickers on the US-Mexico border, where violence can often break out, but now they will also be responsible for conducting routine immigration arrests in some of America’s largest cities, according to the Times.
It’s just the latest instance in which President Donald Trump has sought to target sanctuary cities — which do not allow local law enforcement to share information with ICE or hand over immigrants in their custody — for refusing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. Immigrants advocates say that the deployment is not only a waste of federal law enforcement resources, it also might endanger immigrant communities.
“This is transparent retaliation against local governments for refusing to do the administration’s bidding,” Naureen Shah, senior policy and advocacy counsel on immigrants’ rights for the American Civil Liberties Union, said in a statement. “It will put lives at risk by further militarizing our streets.”
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Heather Swift said in a statement Friday that the additional CBP agents (which she emphasized come from a variety backgrounds and not just tactical units) will help overstretched ICE officers deal with the rising number of immigrants who could be arrested on immigration violations but have yet to be detained.
“ICE does not have sufficient resources to effectively manage the sustained increase in non-detained cases which is exacerbated by the rise of sanctuary jurisdictions,” she said. “These officers have also been trained in routine immigration enforcement actions, which is what they have been asked to do.”
It’s all part of Trump’s campaign against sanctuary cities
Friday’s decision is just one in a long line of Trump’s attempts to crack down on sanctuary cities. The administration has tried to withhold federal law enforcement grants from sanctuary states and vacate California’s sanctuary laws (but has mostly failed). And it recently blocked New Yorkers from enrolling in Global Entry and other programs that offer faster processing for pre-vetted travelers in response to new state sanctuary laws.
At his State of the Union address earlier this month, Trump characterized sanctuary cities as a danger to public safety and broadly painted immigrants as violent criminals, highlighting a case of an immigrant arrested on charges of murdering and sexually assaulting a 92-year-old woman in New York City.
Trump has done this over and over during his time in office, turning his ire on international criminal gangs like MS-13 and invoking the stories of “angel moms,” parents of those killed by gang members.
But in reality, research suggests that his characterization doesn’t hold water: Sanctuary policies don’t appear to make a city more dangerous. While there isn’t a huge body of research on sanctuary policies’ impact on crime rates, studies have found that they either slightly decrease crime rates or have no effect.
A study published in the journal Urban Affairs Review in 2017 found that cities with similar characteristics but for their sanctuary policies had “no statistically discernible difference” in their rates of violent crime, rape, or property crime. Using data from the National Immigration Law Center and the FBI, researchers compared crime rates before and after cities passed sanctuary laws, finding that they had no effect on crime.
Another study by the Center for American Progress, a left-leaning think tank, examined the almost 2,500 counties that don’t accept requests from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain unauthorized immigrants. The study found that counties with sanctuary policies tend to have lower crime rates than those that don’t: about 35.5 fewer crimes per 10,000 people on average. The counties with the smallest populations exhibited even bigger differences in crime rates.
Many police chiefs say there’s good reason behind those results: Sanctuary policies facilitate better crime reporting and cooperation with law enforcement in criminal investigations.


vox--2020-02-14--The US and Taliban take a first step toward a peace deal in Afghanistan

The United States and the Taliban have reached a deal that could be the start of ending America ’ s longest-running war .
This is not a peace agreement , but rather something of a pre-agreement .
The US and the Taliban have agreed to a seven-day “ reduction in violence ” pact , a US official confirmed Friday to media outlets .
It ’ s not clear when this deal will take effect , per NPR , or how it will be measured , according to the Wall Street Journal .
But the violence reduction deal is intended as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ceasefire might be possible , according to a senior Afghan official .
What a lasting ceasefire — specifically one between the Afghan government and the Taliban — might look like , and how it might be implemented , is much murkier .
If this reduction in violence is successful , the US and the Taliban could sign an agreement that leads to the gradual drawdown of the 12,000 US troops that remain in the country , which in turn would precipitate the Taliban and the Afghan government beginning formal negotiations on a political @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gets stitched together — if it does — isn ’ t clear , ” James Cunningham , nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and former ambassador to Afghanistan , told Vox .
The US and the Taliban came close to a peace deal in 2019 , which would have withdrawn US troops from the country and would have required the Taliban to publicly rescind its support for terrorist groups ties and enter into talks with the Afghan government over power-sharing .
The Afghan government objected to being largely left out of these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , with conditions .
Abruptly , in September , President Trump said on Twitter that he halted peace talks after a Taliban attack in Kabul left one US service member and 11 other people dead .
Trump said he had planned to fly Taliban leaders to Camp David for the signing , before he made an about-face .
But the US government and Taliban have renewed efforts to try to reach an agreement , potentially putting an end to a nearly two-decade war on Trump ’ s watch .
“ We ’ ve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if not the only , solution in Afghanistan is a political agreement .
Progress has been made on that front and we ’ ll have more to report on that soon , I hope , ” Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Thursday .
“ It is our view that seven days for now is sufficient but in all things our approach to this process will be conditions based , ” he added .
Trump seemed buoyed at the chances of success , saying on Geraldo Rivera ’ s podcast Thursday that there was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deal .
Earlier this week , Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had told him of “ notable progress ” in talks with the Taliban .
“ This is a welcoming development and I am pleased that our principal position on peace thus far has begun to yield fruitful results .
Our primary objective is to end the senseless bloodshed , ” he said .
What does this all mean for America ’ s longest war ?
Given that there ’ s little appetite for putting more troops on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Taliban and Afghan officials would likely be the best possible outcome after years of war — but it is still a long way away .
Last year , even as the US and the Taliban were trying to negotiate a deal , Afghanistan witnessed extraordinary violence , which some saw as the Taliban ’ s attempt to gain leverage .
The Taliban had also previously rejected a full ceasefire in Afghanistan , so this reduction of violence agreement seems to be the nearest test as to whether the Taliban is capable of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least enough to pave the way for more robust negotiations to begin .
This , again , is going to be no easy feat .
Last time around , the Afghan government objected to being left out of US-Taliban negotiations .
And as NPR reports , the Taliban has said it wants Afghan officials to participate as citizens , since it does not formally recognize the government in Kabul .
The United States has been at war in Afghanistan for 18 years , and it still has about 12,000 troops committed there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wants to pull troops out of the country , something two previous presidents have failed to achieve .
But the Atlantic Council ’ s Cunningham warns that it ’ s dangerous for the White House to race into a deal just to get troops out .
“ Americans should not want to see a rush to complete withdrawal without a political settlement , ” he said .
The Trump administration , especially with the 2020 election looming , might be eager to declare victory by bringing troops home from Afghanistan and signing some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But success — for the US , for Afghanistan , and , most importantly , for the Afghan people — is likely going to be an uncertain and precarious process .

The United States and the Taliban have reached a deal that could be the start of ending America’s longest-running war.
This is not a peace agreement, but rather something of a pre-agreement. The US and the Taliban have agreed to a seven-day “reduction in violence” pact, a US official confirmed Friday to media outlets.
It’s not clear when this deal will take effect, per NPR, or how it will be measured, according to the Wall Street Journal.
But the violence reduction deal is intended as a test of whether a more lasting ceasefire might be possible, according to a senior Afghan official. What a lasting ceasefire — specifically one between the Afghan government and the Taliban — might look like, and how it might be implemented, is much murkier.
If this reduction in violence is successful, the US and the Taliban could sign an agreement that leads to the gradual drawdown of the 12,000 US troops that remain in the country, which in turn would precipitate the Taliban and the Afghan government beginning formal negotiations on a political settlement.
“But how all it gets stitched together — if it does — isn’t clear,” James Cunningham, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and former ambassador to Afghanistan, told Vox.
The US and the Taliban came close to a peace deal in 2019, which would have withdrawn US troops from the country and would have required the Taliban to publicly rescind its support for terrorist groups ties and enter into talks with the Afghan government over power-sharing. The Afghan government objected to being largely left out of these discussions and wanted a more permanent ceasefire, with conditions.
Abruptly, in September, President Trump said on Twitter that he halted peace talks after a Taliban attack in Kabul left one US service member and 11 other people dead. Trump said he had planned to fly Taliban leaders to Camp David for the signing, before he made an about-face.
But the US government and Taliban have renewed efforts to try to reach an agreement, potentially putting an end to a nearly two-decade war on Trump’s watch.
“We’ve said all along that the best, if not the only, solution in Afghanistan is a political agreement. Progress has been made on that front and we’ll have more to report on that soon, I hope,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Thursday.
“It is our view that seven days for now is sufficient but in all things our approach to this process will be conditions based,” he added.
Trump seemed buoyed at the chances of success, saying on Geraldo Rivera’s podcast Thursday that there was a “good chance” for a deal.
Earlier this week, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had told him of “notable progress” in talks with the Taliban. “This is a welcoming development and I am pleased that our principal position on peace thus far has begun to yield fruitful results. Our primary objective is to end the senseless bloodshed,” he said.
What does this all mean for America’s longest war?
Given that there’s little appetite for putting more troops on the ground, a negotiated settlement between the Taliban and Afghan officials would likely be the best possible outcome after years of war — but it is still a long way away.
Last year, even as the US and the Taliban were trying to negotiate a deal, Afghanistan witnessed extraordinary violence, which some saw as the Taliban’s attempt to gain leverage.
The Taliban had also previously rejected a full ceasefire in Afghanistan, so this reduction of violence agreement seems to be the nearest test as to whether the Taliban is capable of sustaining a reduction in hostilities, or at least enough to pave the way for more robust negotiations to begin.
This, again, is going to be no easy feat. Last time around, the Afghan government objected to being left out of US-Taliban negotiations. And as NPR reports, the Taliban has said it wants Afghan officials to participate as citizens, since it does not formally recognize the government in Kabul.
The United States has been at war in Afghanistan for 18 years, and it still has about 12,000 troops committed there. Trump has made it clear he wants to pull troops out of the country, something two previous presidents have failed to achieve.
But the Atlantic Council’s Cunningham warns that it’s dangerous for the White House to race into a deal just to get troops out. “Americans should not want to see a rush to complete withdrawal without a political settlement,” he said.
The Trump administration, especially with the 2020 election looming, might be eager to declare victory by bringing troops home from Afghanistan and signing some sort of peace treaty with the Taliban. But success — for the US, for Afghanistan, and, most importantly, for the Afghan people — is likely going to be an uncertain and precarious process.


vox--2020-02-14--Sonic the Hedgehog’s live-action movie seemed doomed to fail. It escaped unscathed.

Film adaptations of video games never arrive quietly .
Gaming is a billion-dollar industry ; fans are notably , even infamously , hardcore .
And when it comes to transitioning particularly cartoonish gaming heroes from their fantastically illogical worlds to a conventional , human-filled , real-life Earth , filmmakers face an even more daunting task of suspending our disbelief .
And for protective fans of classic video gaming mascots like Pikachu , Mario , or Sonic the Hedgehog , it would be especially impossible to forgive any crew who turned a beloved character into an unrecognizable figure .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ land of the Minions , to not reduce beloved , familiar faces into sentient , insufferably quippy Happy Meal toys .
When various studios announced live-action films based on all three of the above characters in the mid-2010s , fans grimaced .
Sonic the Hedgehog , Paramount Pictures ’ stab at the electric-blue Sega mainstay , is the second to make it to theaters .
But as early marketing efforts were rolled out last year , concerns that Sonic would be manipulated by the Hollywood machine into a catchphrase-spouting terror mounted .
Perhaps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live-action feature films were needlessly alarmist , especially following Detective Pikachu .
2019 ’ s live-action Pokémon adaptation had its own prerelease concerns , since Pokémon is a multimedia franchise full of hundreds of characters and lore much more beloved and expansive than Sonic ’ s .
But that movie succeeded in honoring the world upon which it was based , even if the story itself was a little flat and kiddy .
Know-nothings might have sometimes struggled to follow along .
But for Pokémon lovers , it was a wonderful realization of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a character without a preexisting personality , however ; Pokémon ’ s internal logic is what most compels its fans .
Sonic ’ s video games , conversely , are light on story .
It ’ s Sonic himself who has been their main attraction since the 1990s , when he was Sega ’ s high-speed challenger to Nintendo ’ s slow and stubby Super Mario .
Where Mario was a mustachioed man who could jump and jog and little else , Sonic was the Blue Blur , radiating the “ rad ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sensibility was best typified by a disdain for authority ( think Bart Simpson ) , an obsession with rock stardom , eyerolls , and sarcasm .
But there ’ s a lot about the ’ 90s that does not hold up , including Sonic ’ s personality .
People who loved Sonic and his games in his heyday continue to defend him , to respect him , to wish the best for him .
It ’ s still fun to watch him zip through loop-de-loop levels , dashing into robots and other creatures @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The classic games ’ different bits of theme music remain unforgettable ; the franchise has spawned years ’ worth of memes and in-jokes , a true testament to longevity .
Sonic ’ s supporting cast is similarly beloved in its own right , even as it has continued to expand at a sometimes infuriating rate .
For a Sonic movie to be successful , it had to acknowledge the truly cool parts of classic Sonic , not just the “ sick , dude ” ones .
Movie Sonic started with a major @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he bounced back beautifully .
Pleasing nostalgic video game fans is rarely easy .
What provided Sonic the Hedgehog its biggest barrier was a design gaffe appalling to everyone , not just hedge-heads .
The movie ’ s first marketing materials , released in December 2018 ( a poster ) and April 2019 ( a trailer ) , revealed an ... interesting ... reimagining of Sonic , with muscley calves and a full set of human-like teeth .
He had bare hands instead of his trademark gloves ; his eyes were small and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ oversized eyes he ’ d always had in games .
The unveiling of the design did not go well , inspiring such vaunted “ accolades ” as “ nightmare , ” “ ugly [ and ] toothy , ” and “ frightfully realistic.
” So hated was Sonic ’ s original design that its director apologized and recalled it , announcing that the character would be entirely reworked for the final film .
That ’ s a whole lot of CGI to redo on a main character , so the news elicited concerns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movie ’ s fall release date .
Sonic the Hedgehog was eventually pushed back three months , from November 2019 to February 2020 , to accommodate the redesign work .
But the debacle cast a pall over a production whose video game-fan audience was already skeptical .
I ’ d count myself strongly among those initial skeptics , whose affection for Sonic is both defensive and begrudging .
Even when Sonic talks too much in his video games , or the games fall apart — as in the 2006 game Sonic the Hedgehog @ @ @ @ @ @ @ woman on the lips — there ’ s a joyous charm to someone still so stuck in the ’ 90s .
He ’ s a nostalgic object we ’ d oft-prefer to leave encased in amber .
In making the character work for a broader audience , the team behind Sonic the Hedgehog didn ’ t sacrifice the at-times embarrassing , at-times lovable parts of Sonic .
In fact , it ’ s self-aware of how tiresome Sonic can be , while still reminding fans of why we remain attached to him .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a unique origin story , reimagining Sonic for an unfamiliar audience while winking heavily to his history .
The film paints the character ( voiced by the always charming Ben Schwartz ) as an excitable teen whose enthusiasm belies his loneliness .
Blessed with the hypnotic power of super speed , he ’ s been hiding for most of his life , evading bad actors who would harness his speed to wreak havoc across the universe .
He lives in the tiny town of Green Hills , Montana ( the name is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and he passes his time running around the area just quickly enough to go unseen by the folks who would freak out if they found him .
Those include Sheriff Tom Wachowski ( James Marsden ) , a cop from Green Hills who wants to make a name for himself by joining the San Francisco Police Department .
Tom ’ s life in Montana is mundane , he says ; what is his purpose ?
Sonic poses that same question to himself , as he struggles to make peace with his solitude .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and Sonic reveals that he ’ s been watching Tom and his wife from afar and imagining a life with them , it ’ s … a little creepy .
But mostly it ’ s the universe bringing together two guys who want fulfillment , so they can pair up to go out and find it .
Sonic is a buddy comedy in this way , focused heavily on the relationship between a grown man and his teenage , talking-hedgehog pseudo-son .
It ’ s funny and sweet , if a little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( for the kids ! )
.
But delving into a side of the Sonic backstory that ’ s hardly been broached by the video games works well enough , as it ’ s hard for fans to get too annoyed with it , and it plops kids right into Sonic ’ s world without confusing them too much .
There ’ s no Tom in the video games , but he ’ s a decent straight man to Sonic ’ s exuberant big kid , one who can help calm down what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Sonic the Hedgehog is a road trip movie and an action-comedy , too .
Sonic and Tom end up on the run ( heh ) from Jim Carrey as the evil genius Dr. Robotnik , who ’ s trying to harness Sonic ’ s power for his own use , under the guise of helping the FBI protect the country from an unidentified speeding blue hedgehog .
Tom ’ s involvement in helping Sonic flee is a contrivance designed to give Jim Carrey another human to play against , which is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ face is the human embodiment of Play-doh , which helps make an otherwise flat villain from the video games into a more entertaining , cartoon-y one , which feels fitting for this movie .
Sonic is a video game character first and foremost , and the movie never forgets that .
Its equivalent of fight scenes , when Sonic ’ s speed is really put to the test , are easily its most delightful — we watch the world from his hyperdrive perspective , as everything halts around him and he begins to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sonic was as much a mileage-per-hour as he was a hedgehog , to the point where if anyone dared seem faster than him , it was a major offense .
The loyalty to this aspect of the character , even if “ being fast ” does become a one-note gimmick after 90 minutes , is welcome .
There are Easter eggs , too , that suggest that this team really does care about Sonic as more than just a marketing tool for a younger generation .
If the name “ Sanic ” means @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be pleased .
Familiar sound effects play on occasion .
One of the games ’ most famous musical motifs shows up at the end , and it took me by tearful surprise .
And the tiny post-credits scene ( yep , there ’ s one of those ) introduced a friendly face who made me want a sequel , like , yesterday .
Most importantly , the movie ’ s final rendering of Sonic , although not perfect , is so much more pleasant to look at than its first attempt .
This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ love .

Film adaptations of video games never arrive quietly. Gaming is a billion-dollar industry; fans are notably, even infamously, hardcore. And when it comes to transitioning particularly cartoonish gaming heroes from their fantastically illogical worlds to a conventional, human-filled, real-life Earth, filmmakers face an even more daunting task of suspending our disbelief.
And for protective fans of classic video gaming mascots like Pikachu, Mario, or Sonic the Hedgehog, it would be especially impossible to forgive any crew who turned a beloved character into an unrecognizable figure. It’s hard to trust Hollywood, the land of the Minions, to not reduce beloved, familiar faces into sentient, insufferably quippy Happy Meal toys.
When various studios announced live-action films based on all three of the above characters in the mid-2010s, fans grimaced. Sonic the Hedgehog, Paramount Pictures’ stab at the electric-blue Sega mainstay, is the second to make it to theaters. But as early marketing efforts were rolled out last year, concerns that Sonic would be manipulated by the Hollywood machine into a catchphrase-spouting terror mounted.
Perhaps fears of Sonic’s move to live-action feature films were needlessly alarmist, especially following Detective Pikachu. 2019’s live-action Pokémon adaptation had its own prerelease concerns, since Pokémon is a multimedia franchise full of hundreds of characters and lore much more beloved and expansive than Sonic’s. But that movie succeeded in honoring the world upon which it was based, even if the story itself was a little flat and kiddy. Know-nothings might have sometimes struggled to follow along. But for Pokémon lovers, it was a wonderful realization of the games’ world.
Pikachu is a character without a preexisting personality, however; Pokémon’s internal logic is what most compels its fans. Sonic’s video games, conversely, are light on story. It’s Sonic himself who has been their main attraction since the 1990s, when he was Sega’s high-speed challenger to Nintendo’s slow and stubby Super Mario.
Where Mario was a mustachioed man who could jump and jog and little else, Sonic was the Blue Blur, radiating the “rad” ethos of the ’90s. That sensibility was best typified by a disdain for authority (think Bart Simpson), an obsession with rock stardom, eyerolls, and sarcasm. But there’s a lot about the ’90s that does not hold up, including Sonic’s personality.
People who loved Sonic and his games in his heyday continue to defend him, to respect him, to wish the best for him. It’s still fun to watch him zip through loop-de-loop levels, dashing into robots and other creatures in his path without taking a breath. The classic games’ different bits of theme music remain unforgettable; the franchise has spawned years’ worth of memes and in-jokes, a true testament to longevity. Sonic’s supporting cast is similarly beloved in its own right, even as it has continued to expand at a sometimes infuriating rate. For a Sonic movie to be successful, it had to acknowledge the truly cool parts of classic Sonic, not just the “sick, dude” ones.
Movie Sonic started with a major disadvantage: a terrible design. But he bounced back beautifully.
Pleasing nostalgic video game fans is rarely easy. What provided Sonic the Hedgehog its biggest barrier was a design gaffe appalling to everyone, not just hedge-heads. The movie’s first marketing materials, released in December 2018 (a poster) and April 2019 (a trailer), revealed an ... interesting ... reimagining of Sonic, with muscley calves and a full set of human-like teeth. He had bare hands instead of his trademark gloves; his eyes were small and wide set, not the shiny, oversized eyes he’d always had in games.
The unveiling of the design did not go well, inspiring such vaunted “accolades” as “nightmare,” “ugly [and] toothy,” and “frightfully realistic.” So hated was Sonic’s original design that its director apologized and recalled it, announcing that the character would be entirely reworked for the final film. That’s a whole lot of CGI to redo on a main character, so the news elicited concerns about animators working overtime to make the movie’s fall release date. Sonic the Hedgehog was eventually pushed back three months, from November 2019 to February 2020, to accommodate the redesign work. But the debacle cast a pall over a production whose video game-fan audience was already skeptical.
I’d count myself strongly among those initial skeptics, whose affection for Sonic is both defensive and begrudging. Even when Sonic talks too much in his video games, or the games fall apart — as in the 2006 game Sonic the Hedgehog, in which he kisses a human woman on the lips — there’s a joyous charm to someone still so stuck in the ’90s. He’s a nostalgic object we’d oft-prefer to leave encased in amber.
In making the character work for a broader audience, the team behind Sonic the Hedgehog didn’t sacrifice the at-times embarrassing, at-times lovable parts of Sonic. In fact, it’s self-aware of how tiresome Sonic can be, while still reminding fans of why we remain attached to him.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 vox-mark vox-mark vox-mark vox-mark vox-mark
Sonic the Hedgehog manages this by telling a unique origin story, reimagining Sonic for an unfamiliar audience while winking heavily to his history. The film paints the character (voiced by the always charming Ben Schwartz) as an excitable teen whose enthusiasm belies his loneliness. Blessed with the hypnotic power of super speed, he’s been hiding for most of his life, evading bad actors who would harness his speed to wreak havoc across the universe. He lives in the tiny town of Green Hills, Montana (the name is a reference to the video games), and he passes his time running around the area just quickly enough to go unseen by the folks who would freak out if they found him.
Those include Sheriff Tom Wachowski (James Marsden), a cop from Green Hills who wants to make a name for himself by joining the San Francisco Police Department. Tom’s life in Montana is mundane, he says; what is his purpose? Sonic poses that same question to himself, as he struggles to make peace with his solitude. So when Sonic and Tom cross paths, and Sonic reveals that he’s been watching Tom and his wife from afar and imagining a life with them, it’s … a little creepy. But mostly it’s the universe bringing together two guys who want fulfillment, so they can pair up to go out and find it.
Sonic is a buddy comedy in this way, focused heavily on the relationship between a grown man and his teenage, talking-hedgehog pseudo-son. It’s funny and sweet, if a little plodding and bogged down by bathroom humor (for the kids!). But delving into a side of the Sonic backstory that’s hardly been broached by the video games works well enough, as it’s hard for fans to get too annoyed with it, and it plops kids right into Sonic’s world without confusing them too much. There’s no Tom in the video games, but he’s a decent straight man to Sonic’s exuberant big kid, one who can help calm down what could have easily become a hyperactive movie.
Sonic the Hedgehog is a road trip movie and an action-comedy, too. Sonic and Tom end up on the run (heh) from Jim Carrey as the evil genius Dr. Robotnik, who’s trying to harness Sonic’s power for his own use, under the guise of helping the FBI protect the country from an unidentified speeding blue hedgehog. Tom’s involvement in helping Sonic flee is a contrivance designed to give Jim Carrey another human to play against, which is a little tiresome. But Carrey’s face is the human embodiment of Play-doh, which helps make an otherwise flat villain from the video games into a more entertaining, cartoon-y one, which feels fitting for this movie.
Sonic is a video game character first and foremost, and the movie never forgets that. Its equivalent of fight scenes, when Sonic’s speed is really put to the test, are easily its most delightful — we watch the world from his hyperdrive perspective, as everything halts around him and he begins to move enemies ever-so-slightly out of position. Sonic was as much a mileage-per-hour as he was a hedgehog, to the point where if anyone dared seem faster than him, it was a major offense. The loyalty to this aspect of the character, even if “being fast” does become a one-note gimmick after 90 minutes, is welcome.
There are Easter eggs, too, that suggest that this team really does care about Sonic as more than just a marketing tool for a younger generation. If the name “Sanic” means anything to you, you’ll be pleased. Familiar sound effects play on occasion. One of the games’ most famous musical motifs shows up at the end, and it took me by tearful surprise. And the tiny post-credits scene (yep, there’s one of those) introduced a friendly face who made me want a sequel, like, yesterday. Most importantly, the movie’s final rendering of Sonic, although not perfect, is so much more pleasant to look at than its first attempt. This is a Sonic we can learn to love.
Sonic the Hedgehog was released in theaters on February 14 and is available to digitally rent or purchase on iTunes, Amazon, YouTube, Vudu, and Google Play.