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Critical Thinking , Movie About Miami Jackson's Chess Champs, Available for Download

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In the press materials for “Critical Thinking,” producer Carla Berkowitz drops this line about her reaction to reading the true story that inspired the film: “The image and story was haunting and I felt like I had a quantum shift in my perception of chess and who plays it.” The who in question are five Miami-area Black and Latino men who, along with their teacher, Mr. Martinez, brought back to their underprivileged Florida neighborhood the U.S. National Chess Championship. This happened in 1998. The film chronicles the loving camaraderie of the players and the events leading up to their victory.

In that same press release, acclaimed writer and actor John Leguizamo , who plays Martinez and also directs, states that he wanted to make this film because there were very few representations of Latin people on-screen when he was growing up. He also mentioned that the book The Bell Curve  harmfully depicted people of color as being mentally inferior due to our genetics. I wondered if, like me, Leguizamo grew up in an environment where the Black and brown people he knew played chess, so that it wouldn’t seem unusual nor an anomaly that they did. Because Berkowitz’s statement really made me consider what exactly the standard issue chess player was supposed to look like.

Chess has appeared in a lot of movies, from Boaz Yakin ’s “ Fresh ” to Steven Zaillian ’s “Searching for Bobby Fisher” to 2016’s superb Mira Nair film, “ Queen of Katwe .” I even remember it being prevalent in a crappy Gary Coleman TV movie about a smart Black kid. The game always carries the same symbolic qualifier: the person who plays it has a mental capacity for strategy and is intelligent. Chess is often employed to teach life lessons in these movies, to the point where it has become a cliché that just so happens to be used differently depending on who’s playing it. This difference is something that I admit often sticks in my craw, so I found myself wrestling a bit with this movie even though it seemed to be addressing my concern.

Unlike Zaillian’s film, which I guess answers my question of what a “standard issue” chess player is supposed to look like, the protagonists in the other films I’ve mentioned, and in “Critical Thinking,” are people of color whose economical circumstances are far from ideal. This tends to be the model when minorities are seen playing chess in films, which bends the cinematic chess player cliché toward making the ability to play the game the audience’s reason to offer empathy. Sure, they’re broke, probably in crime-ridden areas and may even do a crime or two, but see, they’re smart, so it’s OK to feel for them! This line of thinking has to do with who stereotypically plays chess and who does not.

Leguizamo’s Mr. Martinez speaks to this early in “Critical Thinking” by asking why chess is never associated with brown people despite a Latin man playing a major role in its evolution. “Why don’t you think we know about him?” he asks the students in his critical thinking class before delivering a great, pointed monologue that speaks about how history is taught in schools. The script by Dito Montiel has some sharp commentary about the education system, from what gets funded to the over-reliance on test scores to the differences between Martinez’s inner city school and the posh preppy institutions who fall victim to our heroes on the tournament circuit. There’s a bit more bite than you may be expecting, and the writing is just prickly enough to balance out the moments when the film dives headfirst into its tropes. And there are numerous tropes to swim in; not only is this a sports movie, it’s also an entry in the “Beloved Teacher” genre.

Our chess champion team is comprised of Sedrick Roundtree ( Corwin C. Tuggles ), Ito Paniagua (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.), Gil Luna ( Will Hochman ), Rodelay Medina (Angel Curiel) and later, Marcel Martinez ( Jeffry Batista ) who joins the team after dispensing a hustler’s ass-whipping in a speed chess match. Their dialogue is peppered with the language the PG-13 won’t allow but realism will. Martinez is often telling them “watch your mouth” in his class, even if, in his less guarded moments, he’s prone to occasional profanity. Leguizamo gets good performances from each of them, especially in moments where you really feel the bond between teammates, both in the tournaments and in the streets. When they tell each other that they’ve got each other’s backs, there’s a real emotional pull that emanates straight from the actors.

Though this is an inspirational movie, Leguizamo and Montiel never sugarcoat the dangers of the environment their characters inhabit. The potential for violence, temporary homelessness, crime, and police harassment are always hovering in the margins, sometimes even invading the safe space of Martinez’s class or the school. An early sequence that shockingly ends in violence shows how good Leguizamo is at quickly establishing the audience’s tie to a character. When Rivera (Dre C) is thrown into critical thinking class after a disciplinary problem (“my class is not detention!” Martinez yells at frenemy Principal Kesler [ Rachel Bay Jones ]), he immediately runs afoul of Ito. Rivera’s lack of response is due to Spanish being his primary language, which may also have something to do with the infraction that got him sent to this class. Martinez talks to him in Spanish, lectures Ito and all seems well.

Rivera is then brutally assassinated in broad daylight after accidentally bumping into another person on the street. The film is barely 15 minutes old when this happens, but it immediately establishes that “Critical Thinking” has no plans of abandoning reality for its feel-good message. That sense of realism extends to the way the characters bond with, rib, and defend each other. Additionally, Leguizamo plays Martinez as someone who understands the temptations and frustrations of his students’ world. He challenges them to do for themselves because he knows all too well that the system has no intention of lending a helping hand.

Like Nair does in “Queen of Katwe,” Leguizamo also blatantly refuses to impose on poverty any notions of shame or requests for pity. “Chess is the great equalizer,” Martinez tells his team as they navigate snooty tournament heads and appearances against challengers from much posher ‘hoods. Even when things get expectedly dire for some of the characters, “Critical Thinking” remains focused on the characters’ response to the situation, never once stripping them of their dignity for cheap emotional manipulation.

Of all the team members, Sedrick has the most detailed arc. He has a girlfriend, Chanayah ( Zora Casebere ), who is supportive and tougher than she looks, and a father ( Michael Kenneth Williams ) whose sole job here is to fill that chess movie trope of the angry guy who uses chess as a means of brutal domination. Williams is an always welcome presence, but I could have done without him. Still, there is one very good moment where he shows some growth, and his son makes a snide comment that he silently acknowledges as being right.

The chess scenes are good even if you know nothing about chess. I’ve been playing since I was five, so of course I wanted more detailed representations than Leguizamo provides. I found his classroom lessons and the team’s banter about moves fascinating, and every time I was given a good look at a chessboard, I got closer to the screen to investigate. And yet, despite its acknowledgement of my aforementioned issues, I still felt a little itchy watching “Critical Thinking.” I am always game for a movie that makes me reckon with my personal feelings and biases, and I’m glad this one exists because representation will always speak volumes. If nothing else, “Critical Thinking” reminds you what a chess player can look like.

Odie Henderson

Odie "Odienator" Henderson has spent over 33 years working in Information Technology. He runs the blogs Big Media Vandalism and Tales of Odienary Madness. Read his answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire  here .

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Film credits.

Critical Thinking (2020)

117 minutes

John Leguizamo as Mario Martinez

Rachel Bay Jones as Principal Kestel

Michael Kenneth Williams as Mr. Roundtree

Corwin C. Tuggles as Sedrick Roundtree

Jorge Lendeborg Jr. as Ito Paniagua

Angel Bismark Curiel as Rodelay Medina

Will Hochman as Gil Luna

Jeffry Batista as Marcel Martinez

Zora Casebere as Chanayah

• John Leguizamo
• Dito Montiel

Cinematographer

• Zach Zamboni
• Jamie Kirkpatrick
• Chris Hajian

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‘Critical Thinking’ Review: John Leguizamo’s Inspirational High-School Chess Drama

The true story of the Miami Jackson High chess team — five brainy wizards from the inner city — is told in a rousing but conventional way.

By Owen Gleiberman

Owen Gleiberman

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“ Critical Thinking ” is one of those up-from-the-streets high-school competition movies where just mentioning the true story it’s based on kind of gives the game away. Set in 1998, it’s about the five chess wizards from Miami Jackson High who became the first inner-city chess team to win the National Championship. Boom! But, of course, it’s how they got there that matters, and even if this movie weren’t based on a true story, you’d know more or less know where it’s going. “Critical Thinking” has some appealing young actors, and it’s been directed, by John Leguizamo (who costars as the film’s tough-saint teacher), in a way that gives them the space to clown around and then get serious. It’s still, in the end, a bit of a connect-the-inspirational-dots movie, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be inspired.

Leguizamo plays Mario Martinez, who teaches an elective class in chess at Miami Jackson, where his students call him “Mr. T.” They’re a rowdy, bellicose, street-smart bunch, hard to control in class, so at first we think we’re seeing one of those movies, like “Stand and Deliver” or “To Sir, with Love,” about a captivatingly square gadfly instructor who shows a bunch of underprivileged kids how to transcend the expectations (or lack thereof) that have been thrust upon them.

In a way, “Critical Thinking” is one of those movies, though with a crucial caveat: The basic training — the intellectual whipping into shape — has all happened before the drama even starts. Martinez, in his thankless underpaid plaid-shirts-off-the-rack way, is beloved by his students, and he has taught them well; they’re chess players who’ve got the game in their blood. (It’s the only thing that gets them to settle down .) Leguizamo, who spent a number of his early one-man stage shows sketching in (often quite brilliantly) the lives of young people from a similar background, knows how to create scenes that bubble with spontaneity. And he himself plays Martinez with an effusive, slightly weary middle-aged demeanor that’s touching, because what he nails is the unabashed corniness of certain great high-school teachers — their willingness to put on a show for their kids, to turn the life of the mind into energized nerd theater.

At one point, using the magnetic chess board at the front of the class, he plays out a chess match authored (and recorded) by Paul Morphy in 1858, and he makes it sound as exciting as something on Roblox. He employs silly accents (Southern, French, Austrian) and puts on wigs and fake beards to enact the game, and he draws the kids into it, challenging them in his geek-with-cool-slang way (“Why is it a wack move, Sedrick? Don’t just talk to me, man, show me!”).

It’s one of the only scenes where we actually witness the mechanics of chess, and while that’s always a challenge for a chess drama (there’s only so much it can lure the lay audience into the heady intricacies of the game), I wish the students’ connection with chess were less of a given, and a little less abstract. Watching “Critical Thinking,” you’d never even know that the art of chess is rooted in thinking several moves ahead. Yet Leguizamo stages the matches with percussive power, the kids pounding their time clocks even as their eyes burrow into the board like lasers.

Much of the film’s appeal lies in the way it revels in chess as a pure symbol of leveling the playing field of opportunity. As Mr. T explains, chess is “the great equalizer.” It doesn’t matter how rich or poor you are, what Ivy League college or prison you’re in: The elemental nature of the game shears away everything but intellectual ability. So in a drama like “Critical Thinking,” where five students (four Latinx and one African-American) bust out of a high school with limited resources to attend a series of tournaments, there’s a democracy-in-action, anyone-can-win-in-America spirit.

The actors are terrific; the roles, as written, less so. Leguizamo is working from a script, by Dito Montiel, that walks the line between lived-in experience and overboiled cliché. Sedrick is played by Corwin Tuggles, who has a great pensive face, and he lends conviction to the character’s struggles at home. But it still feels like a contrivance that his father (Michael Kenneth Williams), an angry curmudgeon who treats his son’s chess victories as if they were beneath contempt, is also…the guy who plays chess with him every day! The other pivotal character is the canny hothead Ito (Jorge Lendeborg Jr,.), who begins to moonlight as a drug dealer, and though it’s not that we don’t buy it, it plays out like one of those obligatory flirtation-with-delinquency subplots from the 1980s.

There’s also a newly arrived immigrant from Cuba who joins the class — a sleek prodigy named Marcel (Jeffrey Batista), who can play (and win) four simultaneous games with his eyes closed. Always good to have someone like that on your team! As likable an actor as Leguizamo is, “Critical Thinking” never generates the teacher/student face-off intensity that “Stand and Deliver” did. The issue of how the team members fund their trips, with Martinez having to win over a skeptical principal (Rachel Bay Jones), creates some tension along the sidelines, yet once these kids start to win their tournaments it seems like they can do no wrong. The picture is pleasant enough, but watching it you’re always one or two moves ahead.

Related: 

Reviewed online, Aug. 31, 2020. MPAA Rating: Not rated. Running time: 113 MIN.

• Production: A Vertical Entertainment release of a Chaplin/Berkowitz production, in association with NRSP, Cinema Veritas. Producers: Scott Rosenfelt, Jason Mandl. Executive producers: Harvey R. Chaplin, Carla Berkowitz, Emilio Estefan Jr.
• Crew: Director: John Leguizamo. Screenplay: Dito Montiel. Camera: Zach Zambone. Editor: Jamie Kirkpatrick. Music: Chris Hajian.
• With: John Leguizamo, Corwin Tuggles, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Will Hochman, Angel Curiel, Jeffrey Batista, Michael Kenneth Williams, Rachel Bay Jones, Zora Casebere.

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Critical Thinking - Full Cast & Crew

• 65   Metascore
• 1 hr 57 mins
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In Miami's inner-city, teacher Mario Martinez steps up to coach Miami Jackson High School's struggling chess team, helping the ragtag group of teens to qualify for and claim victory at the 1998 United States National Chess Championship. Based on true events.

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Strategic in delivering all the feels, Critical Thinking is a good old-fashioned underdog story that marks a winning directorial debut for John Leguizamo.

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Rachel Bay Jones

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Mr. Roundtree

Corwin C. Tuggles

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Jorge Lendeborg

Ito Paniagua

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Critical thinking.

Directed by John Leguizamo

Chess is the great equalizer

Based on a true story from 1998, five Latino and Black teenagers from the toughest underserved ghetto in Miami fight their way into the National Chess Championship under the guidance of their unconventional but inspirational teacher.

John Leguizamo Rachel Bay Jones Michael Kenneth Williams Corwin C. Tuggles Jorge Lendeborg Jr. Angel Bismark Curiel Will Hochman Jeffry Batista Zora Casebere Ramses Jimenez Todd Allen Durkin Brandon Somers Isaac Beverly Ruben E. A. Brown Sydney Arroyo Carlos Guerrero Michele Lepe Tatum Price

Director Director

John Leguizamo

Producers Producers

Scott M. Rosenfelt Elayne Schneiderman Schmidt Jason Mandl Joseph Krutel John J. Brunetti Jr.

Writer Writer

Dito Montiel

Casting Casting

Avy Kaufman

Editor Editor

Jamie Kirkpatrick

Cinematography Cinematography

Zach Zamboni

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

John Leguizamo Emilio Estefan Jr. Carla Berkowitz Harvey Chaplin

Production Design Production Design

J. Mark Harrington

Art Direction Art Direction

Lewis Zucker

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Composer composer.

Chris Hajian

Costume Design Costume Design

Danny Santiago

Hairstyling Hairstyling

Carol Raskin

Cinema Veritas NRSP Perfect Balance

Primary Language

Spoken languages.

English Spanish

Releases by Date

18 dec 2020, 21 jan 2021, 04 sep 2020, 05 may 2021, releases by country, russian federation.

• Theatrical 18+
• Theatrical 輔12級

117 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Dave Taylor ★★½ 5

I know nothing about chess, but based on the overview given in this movie, it is the most random game in the whole world.

I think therein lies the problem for casual viewers checking this out. I watch hockey about as much as I play chess, but I know if the puck goes in the net, the team that put the puck in the net gets a point. They try to film the chess matches in a similar fashion to your standard sports movies, but I didn’t feel any tension mount (except for the last match) because there didn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to what pieces were being moved. I only knew the good guys won after…

Review by JBird ★★★

Leguizamo wants his students to Critical Think, Like how to draw or come back from the brink. Although no one planned it, The year of the Gambit, With two chess submissions that don't stink.

Review by Joshua Arispe ★★★ 4

I should probably start off by mentioning that I’m an avid chess player. Chess is the greatest game ever invented and I play it quite often. Some friends of mine also worked on this movie, which I think is pretty cool. So I had many reasons to give Critical Thinking a watch. 

It clicked with me right away. Not as inspiring as it tries to be (thanks to some lame subplots and side characters) but I enjoyed the in-depth look at chess and John Leguizamo as the instantly likeable teacher. Reminded me a lot of Edward James Olmos’ Jaime Escalante from Stand and Deliver . He nails the role and made me wish I had a teacher like him. Hell, I…

Review by Karl ★★★

The true story of a chess team from an underfunded, underserved Florida public high school. Fortunately they have a passionate teacher, Mr. Martinez, who will do whatever it takes to get them to the chess finals in Beverly Hills. Sure it's cliche and you've seen variations of this underdog can-do spirit/inspirational story before, but when it's done right it can be among the most rewarding of viewings.

It's the kind of film that feels great while watching it, but won't likely stay with you, preventing from transcending the formula. The young actors make things worthwhile, particularly Jorge Lendeborg Jr., who has it the roughest of the five players. Also on hand is the late Michael Kenneth Williams. John Leguizamo, who…

Review by Luke Robertson ★★★½

I love this genre of movie. Underdog sports team come together to completely overcome the odds. It’s not my favourite in the genre but it is still a good movie. The cast are decent as well. If you are a fan of high school dramas then I think you’ll enjoy this.

Review by danielle ⚡ ★★ 1

movies can't be formulaic and long like pick a struggle

Review by Tim McClelland ★★★½ 1

There are many films of this type. We've seen the inspirational teacher with the underdog students fighting for their time to shine. When you start watching a film that follows that formula, it will need something special to help it stand out. This movie has cliched elements, but it also has heart and it had me on edge even though I knew the outcome. It took a little time to get me invested, but once I was, I was all in on the movie. It is a great true story so to see it made into a pretty decent film is awesome. I really enjoyed watching this. There is a great story here that has some wonderful characters and it will leave you feeling good. If a movie like this leaves me with a smile on my face, I'd say it did its job just fine.

Review by Justin Decloux ★★★½

I am a sucker for an 'Based on a True Story' underdog sports movie, and the fact that this is about chess (a game I have no interest in playing, but I love due to ti's simple complexity), and stars (and was directed by) John Leguizamo makes this even more my kind of thing. It hits all the expected beats, kind of muddles it's finale (Oh, that's it?), and is directed in a workman like fashion, but I still found it a thrill.

I will continue to not play chess.

Watched for The Bay Street Video Podcast :https://soundcloud.com/thebaystreetvideopodcast

Review by Nicholas Faron ★★★½

I've never understood chess, but hot damn is it exciting to watch (on screen that is).

Review by Jacob Knight ★★★

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

John Leguizamo’s feature directorial debut is an R-rated, Dito Montiel scripted after school special about inner city Miami kids winning the US National Chess Championship in ‘98. It hits every beat you expect it to, including Leguizamo (who plays the boys’ coach/teacher/mentor) reading poetry to his class, and even has one of the would-be champs return to the streets to sell drugs for a local assassin after he loses his job. And you know what? That’s fine, because even though Leguizamo isn’t a born filmmaker (the direction here is the very definition of “workmanlike”) he injects street smarts and a POV that, when combined with the troupe young/non-actors, makes it all feel lived-in as opposed to schmaltzy (which, I mean, it still totally is). Maybe I’m just a sucker for this sort of thing, but the amount of screen time devoted to the strategic history of chess alone made the dorkier parts of my brain light up.

Review by waz ★★★½ 2

Coach Carter meets Fresh meets The Queen’s Gambit . There’s truly nothing more exhilarating than seeing two individuals duke it out on one of the most ancient boardgames in history.

With the release of The Queens Gambit  as well as the sudden surge by many popular Twitch streamers, 2020 was a great year for chess that brought hundreds of newcomers to the game. Although this film in particular may have slipped under the radar during the chess boom, it has plenty of heart to it and finishes on a strong, inspirational note. There’s a bit of something for all chess players to be able to relate to or enjoy here whether it’s seeing the camaraderie within a tight-knit team or the familiar intrigue of…

Review by Jeremy Kremser ★★★

My dad didn’t make a single racially charged comment during this whole movie it’s a Christmas miracle

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Critical thinking, common sense media reviewers.

Underdog chess team defies odds but plays into stereotypes.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Positive themes of teamwork and defiance against t

Main characters are depicted as underdogs whose su

Frequent gun use. One character is abruptly shot a

Occasional kissing.

Frequent use of the words "f--k," "s--t," and "ass

Adults get drunk. Underage characters smoke cigare

Parents need to know that Critical Thinking is a fact-based drama about a high school chess team from an underserved community that defies the odds to make it to the U.S. National Chess Championship. Directed by and starring John Leguizamo, the movie has frequent swearing ("f--k," "s--t," etc.), underage…

Positive Messages

Positive themes of teamwork and defiance against the odds are prevalent. While it exposes some of the broken systems in public education, it fails to fully portray its teen characters' humanity, contributing to problematic stereotypes.

Positive Role Models

Main characters are depicted as underdogs whose success goes against everyone's expectations. Some show determination, but most play into stereotypes associated with Black and Latinx teens from under-resourced communities -- i.e., unmotivated, unintelligent jokesters. That makes it seem like their success is because of some paradoxical talent instead of their strength of character. Failure to see these kids' humanity contributes to their stereotyping, on-screen and off.

Violence & Scariness

Frequent gun use. One character is abruptly shot and killed. Another character is punched and strangled to death. Parents emotionally abuse children.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Frequent use of the words "f--k," "s--t," and "ass."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Adults get drunk. Underage characters smoke cigarettes. Drug dealing.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Critical Thinking is a fact-based drama about a high school chess team from an underserved community that defies the odds to make it to the U.S. National Chess Championship. Directed by and starring John Leguizamo , the movie has frequent swearing ("f--k," "s--t," etc.), underage cigarette smoking, drug dealing, punching, strangling, and gun violence that results in death. Parents emotionally abuse children. While positive themes of teamwork and overcoming challenges are prevalent, the movie's Black and Latinx teens are stereotypically depicted as unintelligent with little work ethic and their success as an anomaly. Rachel Bay Jones and Michael Kenneth Williams co-star. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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What's the Story?

In CRITICAL THINKING, teacher Mr. T ( John Leguizamo ) oversees an unofficial detention hall at Miami Jackson Senior High School, where students are sent if they're deemed troublesome. Mr. T seizes the opportunity to start a chess team, all while navigating limited resources, a school with little faith in his students' abilities, and the stressors of his students' turbulent personal lives. When the team starts to succeed, the students come up with creative fundraisers to pay for travel and lodging at their competitions. But none of this is easy. One teen faces pressures at home from an emotionally abusive father who resents his son's talents. Another is pulled into dealing drugs to make ends meet. All the while, Mr. T is the loving, encouraging adult they crave.

Is It Any Good?

This drama is the classic story of an underdog team overcoming the odds and making it all the way; unfortunately, it falls back on stereotypical characterizations to tell its tale. The Miami Jackson team seems to be in this position because its members -- Black and Latinx teens from under-resourced communities -- have historically underestimated identities. The film plays on the biases that are often held about these identities by depicting the teens as shiftless and unfocused. They're careless in their fundraising efforts, they try to pass notes during tournaments, and they use the threat of physical violence to intimidate their opponents.

Their chess skills are an afterthought, making their success feel like an anomaly. And it certainly doesn't help that a White teen joins the team as they gain momentum and becomes their shining star -- teaching the other kids new chess moves and giving them vocabulary lessons. He's the only teen character whose background, personal life, and stressors aren't explored. So while Critical Thinking is diverse in its casting and exposes some of the broken systems in public education, it misses the mark in humanizing its characters. The failure to see these kids' humanity contributes to their stereotyping, on-screen and off.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how Critical Thinking handles stereotypes and biases. Can media offer positive representations while still promoting stereotypical characterizations?

What does Critical Thinking teach viewers about student engagement and the importance of teaching things in a fun way?

What role does teamwork play in Critical Thinking ? Why is it an important character strength ?

Movie Details

• In theaters : September 4, 2020
• On DVD or streaming : September 4, 2020
• Cast : John Leguizamo , Rachel Bay Jones , Michael Kenneth Williams
• Director : John Leguizamo
• Inclusion Information : Latino directors, Latino actors, Female actors
• Studio : Vertical Entertainment
• Genre : Drama
• Topics : High School
• Character Strengths : Teamwork
• Run time : 117 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : February 19, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Critical Thinking

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• Kinorium 6.5 500+
• IMDb 6.5 2763
• Critics 94% 35

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Critical Thinking — Cast & Crew

Visual effects, john leguizamo.

Rachel Bay Jones

Michael Kenneth Williams

Corwin C. Tuggles

Jorge Lendeborg Jr.

Angel Bismark Curiel

Jeffry Batista

Will Hochman

Zora Casebere

Ramses Jimenez

Isaac Beverly

Todd Allen Durkin

Sydney Arroyo

Mike Benitez

John Manzelli

Betsy Graver

Landon Price

Gabriel Bonilla

Ruben e. a. brown.

Michele Lepe

Gene Harding

Tatum Price

Brandon Somers

Christy Antonio

Mario Martinez

Sedrick roundtree, oelmy paniagua, marcel martinez, rodelay medina, david brownstein.

Joshua Ritter

Daniel Augustin

Emily Leguizamo

Fernando morales.

Carlos Guerrero

Danitza Vazquez Maccarini

Hotty mathias.

Abigail Cannon

Celine alva.

Gabrielle Barlatier

Alex Bernadotte

Monica Kaufer

Darcy Klebs

Ezell Willis

Brandi Huzzie

Marsha Feldman

Francis allen.

Sidnei Barboza

Santos Caraballo

Bryan Cobaris

K.C. Colebrooke

Patrick h. fox.

Burton Gazzara

Joseph giambrone.

Francisco D Gonzalez

Kyera Greene

David w. leblanc.

P.J. Martinez

Eneida mascetti.

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Darrell nutter, carmen pelaez.

Mitch Silver

Andrea Terrasa

Dondre Tuck

Paul Aldanée

Keanu gomes, angela herrera, rodly saint aude, dito montiel.

Jason Mandl

Scott M. Rosenfelt

Joseph Krutel

Elayne Schneiderman Schmidt

Carla berkowitz.

Harvey Chaplin

Emilio estefan jr..

John J. Brunetti Jr.

Zach zamboni.

Chris Hajian

Chris Foster

Lewis zucker, j. mark harrington, danny santiago, jamie kirkpatrick.

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Al Pacino Will Play a Real-Life Mob Boss in New Kidnapping Thriller

'Captivated' will also star Katie Holmes and Toby Kebbell.

The Big Picture

• Al Pacino, Katie Holmes, and Toby Kebbell set to star in upcoming kidnapping thriller Captivated.
• Pacino and Kebbell will play alternate versions of Calabrian mafia boss, Saro, who kidnaps John Paul Getty's grandson.
• Director Dito Montiel will bring this gripping story to life with principal photography to begin in Italy this year.

After previously starring in House of Gucci and famously playing Michael Corleone in The Godfather series, one of the world's most iconic mob boss actors has found his next project. A new report from Deadline revealed that Al Pacino , Katie Holmes , and Toby Kebbell will star in the upcoming kidnapping thriller Captivated . Dito Montiel , best known for his work with in Man Down and Critical Thinking , will direct the film, and also co-wrote the script along with Robin Shushan and Michael Mammoliti . Mammoliti, Michael Benoroya , Andrea Bucko , Joey Stanton , and Nick de Graffenreid will produce, with principal photography set to begin in Italy later this year.

Both Kebbell and Pacino will play alternate versions of the main character , Calabrian mafia boss Saro (Kebbell will portray the young version, and Pacino the older), who kidnaps the grandson of one of the richest men in the world, John Paul Getty . Saro puts his entire operation in jeopardy when he falls in love with the kidnapped's mother, who will be played by Holmes. This is a true story based on events that happened in 1973, and Michael Mammolti , nephew of Saro (the main kidnapper) has been workshopping a story on the infamous crime for years.

What Else Has the ‘Captivated’ Cast Been in Recently?

The iconic, award-winning actor Pacino is more than 80 years old, but has still been steadily taking on roles and putting himself out there. He most recently appeared in the hit man thriller Knox Goes Away , starring and directed by Michael Keaton . He also partnered up with legendary directors Martin Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino for The Irishman and Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood . Pacino won Best Lead Actor in 1993 for his performance in Scent of a Woman , and has been nominated for his acting prowess eight other times throughout his career.

Holmes, who many know as playing the first iteration of Rachel Dawes in Christopher Nolan 's Batman trilogy (before the character was recast by Maggie Gyllenhaal ), has also been busy of late. She recently starred in Rare Objects , a drama which she also wrote and directed. She also took the same approach to 2022's romantic drama Alone Togethe r, where she starred, wrote, and directed. Kebbell is best known for playing Koba in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes .

Captivated does not yet have an official release date. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates and check out Pacino alongside Robert De Niro in The Irishman , now streaming on Netflix.

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The rally started at 6 p.m. in Crotona Park, and the Trump campaign has a permit for up to 3,500 people to attend, his campaign announced last week.

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‘Young Sheldon’ Is One of TV’s Most Popular Shows. So Why Did It Just End?

The “Big Bang Theory” spinoff aired its last episodes Thursday night, but the franchise will continue on CBS this fall.

• Share full article

By Noel Murray

This article includes spoilers for the “Young Sheldon” series finale.

In last week’s episode of the CBS sitcom “Young Sheldon,” a laid-back, beer-drinking Texas high school football coach named George Cooper (Lance Barber) says goodbye to his family and goes to work. He never comes home: George dies of a heart attack later that day.

The tragedy sets up the series’s last two episodes, which premiered Thursday night on CBS. They are about what happens when someone so steady, so reliable and so unassuming is just … gone.

A spinoff of “The Big Bang Theory,” the long-running CBS hit, “Young Sheldon” has been steady, reliable and unassuming over its seven seasons. This warm family sitcom, which fills in the back story of the “Big Bang Theory” breakout character Sheldon Cooper — played by Jim Parsons in the original and Iain Armitage in the prequel — has quietly been one of TV’s most-watched shows since it debuted in 2017.

And now it, too, is gone. The series finale takes Sheldon from the small town of Medford, Texas, where he attended high school at 9 and college at 11 as his family tried to understand and accommodate his genius, to the California Institute of Technology, where “The Big Bang Theory” is set. The episode included appearances by Parsons and Mayim Bialik, whose character, Amy, marries Sheldon in the original show.

The franchise will continue this fall with another spinoff: “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage.” It will follow Sheldon’s good ol’ boy older brother George Jr. (Montana Jordan) and his wife, Mandy (Emily Osment), as they raise their baby daughter.

“Young Sheldon” was a smash from the start, and while its network TV audience has shrunk (just like most every other show’s), its episodes elsewhere have drawn newer, younger viewers . Reruns air on the cable network TBS almost daily. Netflix licensed the show late last year, and it has since appeared regularly on that service’s self-reported Top 10 most-streamed TV series.

Yet despite its pervasiveness in TikTok memes , “Young Sheldon” has never been much of a cultural phenomenon. Television critics rarely write about it, and the Emmys have ignored it entirely — it has yet to get a single nomination. “The Big Bang Theory,” one of TV’s most-watched shows for much of its 12-season run, which ended in 2019, had a mixed critical reputation. But it did get press coverage, and was a legitimate Emmy contender, earning four nominations for best comedy series and picking up four wins for Parsons.

The “Young Sheldon” finale, meanwhile, came and went on Thursday night without much advance hype. Unless you regularly watch shows on CBS, you may not have known it was ending.

You may also be wondering: If it’s so popular, why is it ending?

In a phone interview, Steven Molaro, who created “Young Sheldon” with Chuck Lorre, and Steve Holland, an executive producer who has been a writer on the show since Season 2, explained that the series has always had an expiration date. This is because the story they inherited from “The Big Bang Theory” established that Sheldon began attending graduate school at Caltech at 14, the same year his father died.

The “Young Sheldon” team delayed the inevitable once, by holding the characters of Sheldon and his twin sister, Missy (Raegan Revord), at the same age for two seasons. But that trick could not be repeated indefinitely.

“The premise of the show is that an exceptional young kid is thrust into a world where everyone is older than him,” Holland said. “But as soon as Iain aged and Sheldon aged, he didn’t look that out of place anymore, even in college.”

So when Holland and Molaro sat down with Lorre to plot out Season 7 after the writers’ strike was settled, they decided their prequel had reached its natural conclusion. The tight post-strike production timeline meant they had to inform the cast about the decision on a group Zoom call, which surprised some of them. (In a Variety interview , Annie Potts, who plays Sheldon’s “Meemaw,” described her initial reaction as “shocked” and “ambushed.”) But whatever mixed feelings the cast may have had about the series coming to an end, it doesn’t show in their performances in the final two episodes, which strike the usual “Young Sheldon” balance of gentle good humor and soft sentimental pangs.

In the penultimate episode, “Funeral” (which aired Thursday night right before the finale), the Cooper family struggles with saying goodbye to George, with Sheldon revisiting his last moments with his father and thinking of the things he could have said to him but didn’t.

The episode ends on a poignant note, as Sheldon’s devoutly religious mother, Mary (Zoe Perry), rages at God at the memorial service before Meemaw steps in to lighten the mood. (She jokes that no one is sadder about George dying than the Lone Star beer company.) Sheldon, still lost in his own head, imagines the heartfelt eulogy he is too numb to give.

The finale, “Memoir,” tells a more typical “Young Sheldon” story, about Mary trying to get Sheldon baptized before he leaves for college. In framing scenes, the older Sheldon and Amy argue about his parenting of their own children, underlining one of the show’s main themes: that Sheldon’s parents, while dealing with all the usual messes of everyday life, did the best they could to take care of him. The episode closes with a shot of the 14-year-old Sheldon at Caltech, connecting everything back to “The Big Bang Theory”; the adult Sheldon is working as a Caltech physicist when that series begins.

Holland said Lorre pitched the idea of having Parsons and Bialik appear in the finale to make the episode feel a bit more “significant.” (Parsons, who is also an executive producer of “Young Sheldon,” has been the show’s narrator from the beginning, but this is his first on-camera appearance.) As for the differences between the last two episodes — one heavy, one lighter — Molaro said they wanted something “a little more positive and upbeat” for their ending.

“Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage,” which was created by Lorre, Molaro and Holland, will be a multicamera sitcom shot with a live audience, like “The Big Bang Theory.” (“Young Sheldon” is a single-camera series with no audience, a choice Molaro said was made to “let the show feel like its own thing.”) They hope to have some “Young Sheldon” regulars appear as guest stars, if they figure out how to do that without turning the new show into what Holland called “Older Young Sheldon.”

As for the legacy of “Young Sheldon,” that will now depend largely on whether it remains as popular as it has been on Netflix, where Molaro said the show is being discovered by kids who have never been in the habit of watching prime-time network TV. Despite the lack of critical buzz, “Young Sheldon” has always been good family television, with a likable cast of youngsters and showbiz veterans helping to tell slice-of-life stories that push deeper than some viewers may expect into topics like religious hypocrisy, marital strife and how it feels to share a household with someone both irritatingly eccentric and astonishingly brilliant.

The final episodes of “Young Sheldon” were designed to hit many of the notes that the show had played so well during its run, ending with a finale that Holland wanted to have “a little bit of humor and a little bit of hope.” The series finishes in an understated and touching way — going out just as it came in.

An earlier version of this article in one instance misspelled the given name of an actor. He is Iain Armitage, not Ian.

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Dungeons & Dragons: 9 Best Spell Uses in Critical Role

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6 Great Shows For Fans Of Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & dragons: 14 tips for first-time players, dungeons & dragons: 22 best playable races from 5e expansions.

• Critical Role showcases brilliant spellcasting moments that can result in campaign-shattering consequences.
• The show combines D&D mechanics with imaginative spell uses that are celebrated by millions of fans.
• Key spellcasting moments from the show, like Plane Shift and Modify Memory, have become iconic to fans.

D&D has seen an insane growth in popularity in the last few years, and one massive force behind this is Critical Role - a hugely popular actual-play series made by a cast of voice actors. Beginning in 2015, with the first 100+ episodes following on from an at-home campaign among the cast, the show has grown into a highly successful company that produces popular merchandise, games, books, comics, and even an animated TV adaptation .

Dungeons & Dragons has skyrocketed to the peak of popular culture in recent years, thanks in large part to its role in these excellent TV series.

With how vast the company has become, it's easy to forget that at its core Critical Role is a group of friends playing D&D. Although the show uses various home-brew rules , classes, and spells, a lot of the story relies on clever uses of the D&D mechanics - and the roll of a single die can have campaign-shattering consequences. Some of the best moments over the years have come from the cast using their spells brilliantly, and their celebrations or commiserations are shared by millions of people all over the world. With thousands of spells cast over the last near-decade, it's hard to choose the best ones, but undoubtedly, there are some beloved by Critters everywhere.

Updated May 21st, 2024, by Alexandra O'Leary: It's safe to say that, after almost ten years worth of gameplay, the Critical Role cast have seen some epic highs and lows. While the group usually has a balanced party build, there's no denying that spellcasting is at the forefront of a lot of these scenarios. There are few things more satisfying to a D&D player than a spell working out exactly the way they wanted, and even though chance has everything to do with their success, using spells imaginatively will often result in a memorable moment. Luckily, "imaginative" is Critical Role's bread and butter, and there's an endless list of spell uses they've adopted that exemplify what D&D is all about. With that in mind, more iconic Critical Role spell-use moments have been added to this list in its latest update.

This article has spoilers for all three campaigns, up to Campaign 3, Episode 61

9 Prism's Summon Greater Demon

Smart spell casting 101.

• Campaign 3, Episode 61

One thing players learned when Dimension 20 regular Emily Axford was a guest in Campaign 3 of Critical Role is to never underestimate the power of a single spell. As the Campaign's first PC wizard, Emily showed over and over again how to utilize spells in an inventive and fun way - and her Summon Greater Demon is a great example of this. During a dubious fight against the unjust religious enforcers of Hearthdell, Prism uses multiple spells in a brilliant way, but when an unexpected angel appears in the middle of the fight, players are forced to think on their feet.

Prism's answer to a terrifying angel is to summon a greater demon, specifically a Barlgura. This epic demon comes crashing down on the angel in a seriously awesome segment, and immediately starts engaging it in combat. The Barlgura is instrumental in getting Orym and Deni$e into melee with the angel, and overall dealing a lot of damage. It's undeniable that however morally questionable her actions were, Prism manifesting a hulking demon mid-fight to take down an angel makes for one of the coolest moments in the campaign so far - proven by the looks on everyone's faces when it happened.

8 Jester's Sending

The hilarity of applying rules to roleplay.

• Campaign 2, Episode 90

Sending is one of those D&D spells that many people can overlook. It's a third-level spell that lets players send a message to someone they're familiar with, which means lots of people don't want to 'waste' a spell slot on something that does no damage. Luckily, the emphasis Critical Role places on roleplaying allowed Laura Bailey's Jester to completely make this spell her own, with it quickly becoming one of the most joyful reoccurring bits of the whole campaign.

There's a stipulation that a Sending communication must be 25 words or less, and applying this rule to Jester's frantic, rambling nature had the entire cast in tears every time she cast the spell. Using Jester as their main means of long-distance communication meant Sending became a truly iconic spell. It just demonstrates how combining the rules of D&D with the freedom of improvising can really have the best outcome - with most critters looking forward to seeing some iteration of Jester's disastrous Sendings in the upcoming animated adaptation .

7 Pike's Destroy Undead

The true power of a cleric.

• Campaign 1, Episode 32

Just as Campaign One was beginning, The Last of Us's Ashley Johnson was cast in a TV show that was filmed in New York rather than LA, where the rest of the cast is based. This meant that Ashley and her character, Pike, were absent from a lot of the show, especially early on. As the group moved towards the Briarwood Arc , it was decided that Pike would remain in Emon while Vox Machina traveled to Whitestone, so Ashley's absence would make sense in the narrative.

Luckily, Matt Mercer was skilled at inventing reasons for Pike to join the party whenever Ashley was around to play. Towards the climax of the Briarwood Arc, when Vox Machina is being chased through Whitestone by a horde of undead, their one and only cleric appears via astral projection to help them out. Without wasting any time, Pike leaps into the crowd of undead and casts Destroy Undead , easily taking out almost all the undead. Although Destroy Undead is technically a feature rather than a spell, Pike choosing to use it saved Vox Machina a lot of time and resources, and gave Ashley a chance to shine when she had the chance to play.

6 Widogast's Nascent Nein-Sided Tower

Liam's brilliant take on a great d&d spell.

• Campaign 2, Episode 111 (first appearance)

In Campaign One, Scanlan adapted the 7th Level spell Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion to create Scanlan's Magnificent Mansion, a place for Vox Machina to safely sleep while on the road. Campaign 2 saw Liam O'Brien's Caleb take this spell to a whole new level with Widogast's Nascent Nein-Sided Tower.

D&D can look intimidating to newcomers. Worry not — with these tips and tricks, you'll be slaying dragons in no time.

Liam worked with DM Matt Mercer to create several adaptations of already existing spells that would cater more to Caleb's character, meaning almost his entire spellbook is linked with his backstory. And as all good wizards should have their own tower, Widogast's Nascent Nein-Sided Tower was born. It's a detailed tower with 9 floors (the number 9 is a repeated motif throughout the campaign) and room for the entire Mighty Nein to stay in their own personalized areas. This brilliant spell has not only provided a safe space for the group on numerous occasions, but is an artful look into Caleb's memories, passions, and personality.

5 Keyleth's Plane Shift

A life-saving escape route.

• Campaign 1, Episode 102

Prior to the Vecna fight, Vox Machina undertakes a grueling march through the Shadowfell towards the Tower of Entropis to try and stop him from teleporting Thar Amphala to the material plane. Despite taking a short rest to try and tackle Vecna at full power, when Vox Machina engages in a fight with Vecna, Delilah, and a mysterious Death Knight, it goes very poorly for them.

Vex is almost immediately killed by Power Word: Kill, and then Vax is turned to ash by Disintegrate. With two players dead, powerful barbarian Grog banished to another plane, and the group able to do very little damage to Vecna - although they are able to take down Delilah - it's clear that Vox Machina has no choice but to run. This is where Marisha's choice to use Plane Shift is absolutely massive. Even Matt, as the DM, implies that this will be a TPK, and Keyleth gathering everyone together and casting Plane Shift is the only reason Vox Machina manages to survive the encounter.

4 Caleb's Wall Of Fire

Quick-thinking to get out of a dangerous situation.

• Campaign 2, Episode 42

The Mighty Nein faced many different enemies in their adventures on Wildemount, and one of their main antagonists was Avantika, a power-hungry pirate captain with an interest in setting her patron Uk'otoa - an ancient leviathan demi-god - free. This formidable underwater sea monster also happens to be Fjord's warlock patron, and the Mighty Nein become uneasy allies with Avantika while in pursuit of knowledge about her plans.

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This all comes to a climax in Darktow, a dangerous pirate settlement in the Lucidian Ocean when the Nein are being questioned about their investigation into Avantika's personal items. It becomes evident that Avantika is onto them, and with no allies in Darktow, it appears the Mighty Nein are going to try diplomacy - which has never been their strongest quality. Taking the initiative, Caleb calculates a way out for them and casts a Wall of Fire between the group and the rest of the crew, setting the ship on fire and setting in motion an intense race to the Plank King in order to reveal Avantika's plans of overthrowing him.

At the time of casting, the rest of the Mighty Nein were not on board with Caleb's decision, which is obvious from how shocked the cast was. However, it turns out to be a brilliant move by Caleb that results in one of the most dramatic and tense scenarios in the entire campaign - all from one fantastic use of Wall of Fire.

3 Keyleth's Feeblemind

The payoff for perseverance.

• Campaign 1, Episode 83

One of the biggest arcs in Campaign One was the rise of the Chroma Conclave. Just as Vox Machina thought they had hit their stride, and righted the wrongs of those across Tal'Dorei, four ancient dragons descended on Emon and reduced it to ruin. This arc was the longest of Campaign One, lasting 46 episodes, as the group had to explore the continent to locate the Vestiges of Divergence - legendary weapons capable of defeating such old and powerful dragons.

While the pressing threat appeared to be Thordak and his minions, it soon became clear that Raishan - the crafty and intelligent ancient green dragon - could end up being a far more terrifying adversary. As the only member of the Chroma Conclave to survive their run-in with Vox Machina, the group end up in an overwhelming show-down on Raishan's turf. It's evident early on that Raishan is a truly formidable foe, and the fight quickly takes a sour turn - with both Percy and Scanlan dying. With three legendary resistances in the fight, it seems like Raishan will be the end of Vox Machina.

Until Keyleth, who had saved her high level spells for when all Raishan's legendary resistances had been used up, casts Feeblemind (which requires an Intelligence save) on Raishan. Despite her not being able to instantly succeed, Raishan has proved to be a highly intelligent being, and it's evident the entire cast - Marisha included - is skeptical about the spell succeeding. But, as Matt reveals, it turns out to be one of her worse saves, and the spell reduces Raishan to a mere dragon, unable to cast spells or perform intelligent actions. This spell single-handedly changed the tide of the battle, and the relief in everyone's faces proves just how important Keyleth's spell was.

2 Jester's Modify Memory

Combining items with spells to outsmart an enemy.

• Campaign 2, Episode 93

Those who've seen Campaign 2 will know that Laura Bailey's blue tiefling Jester is the definition of chaotic good. While she usually has harmless intentions, trouble has a way of finding this pesky prankster. Occasionally, Jester's antics result in some of the most creative and unexpected moments, and her Modify Memory instantly became the legendary event of the campaign.

As the Mighty Nein took turns attempting to bargain with the old and intelligent Hag who cursed Nott to remain a goblin, Laura searched her inventory for an item DM Matt had given them countless episodes ago and had a brilliant idea. Sprinkling the Dust of Deliciousness over her last blueberry muffin, nobody at the table thought it was strange when a wildcard like Jester offered half of her last muffin to the Hag. As confused as the DM, the Hag accepted the muffin and ate it, not realizing that the magic powder on the muffin gave them disadvantage on Wisdom saves and checks.

This is where Jester's genius Modify Memory came into play. The spell requires the target to make a Wisdom save, which is often a high skill for a Hag, but with the blueberry muffin on her side, the Hag failed the check. You can see the moment when all the players realize Jester's plan, and a ripple of utter thrill when it works. Jester tricks the Hag into thinking they'd agreed to release Nott's curse, and somehow, the Mighty Nein left those negotiations with the Hag having lost nothing, and having gained the most important thing: Nott being restored to her true form. This moment stands as one of the most creative and legendary events in Critical Role history, one that Critters are not likely to forget any time soon.

1 Scanlan's 9th Level Counterspell

A highly important and deeply emotional choice.

• Campaign 1, Episode 114

There have been a lot of epic moments in Critical Role's history, but undeniably, one of the most legendary events was Vox Machina's final battle against Vecna - a fight that the entire campaign had been steadily building towards. Moments away from defeating what's generally believed to be the final boss of D&D (tarrasque aside), Vecna begins to cast a spell to escape his fate.

Above table, Sam was sitting on his 9th level spell. But, as the only character with Counterspell , everybody at the table looks to him to stop Vecna's escape. After confirming with the group that it's the right choice, Scanlan Counterspells Vecna and keeps him there for Vox Machina to defeat. Scanlan has a few examples of clutch Counterspells throughout Campaign 1, but this one is particularly devastating because Sam was saving his 9th-level spell to cast Wish to try and save Vax from having to die and become the Raven Queen's champion. After casting, Sam is deeply emotional, and a quick conversation with Liam has both friends in tears. At the climax of both an epic fight and a 100+ episode campaign, this Counterspell is famous among Critical Role fans.

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Diablo 4 Dust Devil Barbarian Endgame Build Guide - Season 4

Dust devil barbarian overview in diablo 4 season 4, strengths and weaknesses for dust devil barbarian, dust devil barbarian skills in diablo 4 season 4, dust devil barbarian skill tree, dust devil barbarian rotation.

• - Our primary attack that deals strong damage and creates Dust Devils with .
• - Mobility attack that closes gaps and creates an Earthquake that increases our damage output when stood in.
• - Unstoppable, Movement Speed, and Resource Generation. Can be cast automatically by when on Cooldown.
• - Berserking and an additional damage buff. Can be cast automatically by when on Cooldown.
• - Damage Reduction, Fury Generation, and a temporary boost to Maximum Life. Can be cast automatically by when on Cooldown.
• - Knock Back that buffs damage, activates Berserking and Unstoppable, increases Movement Speed, and bolsters Fury Generation.

Dust Devil Barbarian Active Skills

Double swing (5/5), rallying cry (1/5), challenging shout (1/5), war cry (1/5), wrath of the berserker (1/1), dust devil barbarian passive skills, imposing presence (3/3), martial vigor (3/3), outburst (1/3), tough as nails (1/3), booming voice (3/3), swiftness (3/3), aggressive resistance (1/3), battle fervor (2/3), prolific fury (3/3), pit fighter (3/3), thick skin (1/3), counteroffensive (3/3), wallop (3/3), concussion (3/3), unconstrained (1/1), dust devil barbarian weapon techniques selections, weapon assignments.

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Critical Thinking (2020)

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Amid signs of waning enthusiasm, Biden reaches out to Black voters

At the lowest point of his 2020 fight for the Democratic nomination, President Joe Biden’s campaign put its faith in Black voters to provide the spark that turned things around. As he heads into the summer facing an uphill climb to be re-elected, the president’s campaign is working overtime to make sure that what was once a political lifeline remains in his corner .

The groundwork has been laid for months by campaign leadership, who say outreach to Black voters cannot just be left to the closing months of the campaign.

But on Friday, Biden kicked off a series of public speeches ramping up his own direct pitch to Black voters, one that plays to voters’ short- and long-term memories by emphasizing his long history and relationships with the community and the way he says he’s delivered on the promises he made to them four years ago.

“When we make real the promise of America for all Americans, the nation changes for the better,” Biden said at a public commemoration of the 70th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, which ended racial segregation in public schools.

Biden’s approach also includes stark warnings about what is at risk if Donald Trump returns to the White House, as he cast his Republican opponent Friday as having revived “insidious” efforts to stand in the way of promoting equality and inclusion.

“My predecessor and his extreme MAGA friends are responsible for taking away other fundamental freedoms, from the freedom to vote to the freedom to choose. But I’ve always believed that the promise of America is big enough for everyone to succeed,” he said.

Biden was also set to meet Friday with leaders of the so-called “Divine Nine,” a group of leading Black sororities and fraternities. On Sunday, he will deliver the commencement address at Morehouse College , a historically Black university, before traveling to Detroit to address the NAACP’s Freedom Fund Dinner.

This weekend’s back-to-back events, in cities where Black turnout will be critical to winning two of the closest battleground states, reflect the campaign’s belief that Black voters can’t be counted on as just a turnout demographic but require sustained engagement — and persuasion.

“You have to make time. You have to show up,” Quentin Fulks, Biden’s principal deputy campaign manager, said in an interview. “It’s just a continuation of doubling down and making sure that we’re doing the work with communities across the country that we need to show up for us, and we’re not taking anything for granted.”

NBC News polling shows the challenge ahead for Biden. Though Biden led Trump 71% to 13% among Black voters in an April survey , the margin is reduced from his 87%-12% advantage in exit polls four years ago.

More concerning for Biden is what appears to be diminished enthusiasm — 59% of Black voters said they had high interest in the 2024 election, compared to 74% who said the same four years ago at a similar point in the race.

Biden’s allies downplayed concern even as they underscore the stakes.

“I don’t accept the premise that there’s any erosion of Black support,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson told reporters Thursday after a meeting with Biden, saying public polling has proven to be unreliable.

“What I do believe is we are in a crisis of our democracy. We must decide whether or not we’re going to have a functioning democracy that is representative of all of the citizens or something less than that,” he added. “I hope that the American public recognize the importance of our democracy.”

Biden’s ramped-up outreach comes ahead of a significant milestone — the fourth anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. Coming as the 2020 general election picked up, the public outcry sparked calls, especially from minority communities, for criminal justice and police reforms, many of which Biden embraced.

The White House declined to preview whether and how Biden might mark that anniversary this year. Biden has continued to call on Congress to enact the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

“No president has done more for Black America in modern history than Joe Biden,” Biden campaign spokesman Michael Tyler told reporters this week. “There’s certainly more work to do, but we will take Joe Biden’s record of accomplishment his vision for the future as relates to Black America against Donald Trump’s record and his rhetoric and his plans any day of the week.”

Biden campaign officials point to traditional brick-and-mortar campaign efforts, including campaign offices opened in minority communities, with new technology-driven efforts to reach and regularly communicate with voters directly. The campaign also says Biden has done more interviews with Black media outlets and interviewers than any other medium, including one with Atlanta radio host Big Tigger ahead of the Morehouse commencement.

It also means showing up at major festivals and local events — or even hosting their own, as the campaign has done in Wisconsin with its own bingo or bowling nights, designed to be soft touches rather than hard sells.

Most voters’ interaction with the campaign will come, the campaign expects, from an army of volunteers and organizers who are implementing a new strategy built around leveraging the power of personal relationships and networks. It’s particularly critical, officials say, at a time when many voters, including Black voters, are reluctant or even resistant to engaging about the election.

“We believe that if you can go out and persuade complete strangers, then we believe you can also — and will also be the most effective person to persuade everyone that you know,” Fulks said, noting the importance of this new approach in an increasingly fragmented media environment.

One volunteer organizer in Wisconsin, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, acknowledged that concern as she spoke with a young Black male voter who was echoing what she describes as conservative rhetoric on immigration. Over the course of their one-on-one conversation, “I was able to reach, I think, a place where he was actually thinking through his position.”

“To be able to influence him made me think, ‘OK, that may be one vote down the road,’” she said.

Mike Memoli is an NBC News correspondent. 

Electors who tried to reverse Trump’s 2020 defeat are poised to serve again

Their eagerness reflects a widespread belief among Republicans that the alternate electors did nothing wrong in 2020 — and raises questions about what they might do if Trump again loses their states.

Republican activists in at least three states where Donald Trump tried to reverse his defeat in 2020 — nearly all of them under criminal indictment for casting electoral votes for him despite his loss — are poised to reprise their roles as presidential electors this year.

Six activists in Michigan, Nevada and New Mexico have made clear to GOP leaders in their states that the investigations into their 2020 activities have not deterred them from seeking the position again. If anything, their view that the prosecutions are bogus has motivated them to step up, according to party leaders.

Their eagerness to serve — and encouragement to do so from their parties — reflects a widespread belief among Republicans that the electors did nothing wrong in 2020, raising the question of what they might do or say if Trump once again loses any of those states. Would they be willing to convene again and cast electoral votes for Trump? Would the Trump campaign try to organize such an effort? What might Trump ask of them? How far would they go to help him return to power?

“There is no hesitancy at all to be put in that same position again,” said Pete Hoekstra, chairman of the Michigan Republican Party. “They would be excited by the opportunity to do it.”

The nation’s presidential electors, apportioned to the states according to their number of congressional seats, make up the electoral college, which is empowered by the Constitution to determine the outcome of presidential elections every four years. Typically only the electors of the winning candidate meet and cast votes in the weeks after the election, but in 2020, 84 Trump electors met in seven states that Democrat Joe Biden had won. In four of those states, 35 of the electors face criminal charges related to those votes. In Georgia, Nevada and Michigan, they have all pleaded not guilty. In Arizona, nine of the 11 electors have pleaded not guilty , while two have not yet entered pleas.

Hoekstra said three of Michigan’s 16 Trump electors from 2020 have approached him to say they’d like to do it again, although he did not provide their names. All 16 were indicted last year on charges that they submitted false documents claiming that Trump had won the state. The decision about this year’s slate of electors rests with delegates to the party’s state convention, which convenes in August, but Hoekstra said he has no problem with 2020 electors serving again.

The story is playing out similarly in other states where Trump electors convened on Dec. 14, 2020, to cast electoral votes for him after results had been certified for Biden. In Nevada, two of the six Trump electors — Michael McDonald, the state party chairman, and Jesse Law, who leads the largest county committee in the Las Vegas area — were chosen again to serve at the state GOP convention earlier this month. All six also face state charges related to their 2020 actions.

In New Mexico, the state party chairman chose one 2020 elector to serve again this year, Deborah Weh-Maestas, the former chair of the state party. It’s not clear why New Mexico electors convened in 2020 to vote for Trump, since Biden had won the blue state handily. Those electors, as well as 2020 electors in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, have not faced criminal charges so far. Weh-Maestas did not respond to a request for comment.

And in Arizona, at least two Republicans who served as Trump electors four years ago and were indicted last month have expressed interest in serving as electors again — although state party officials have made clear they are not interested in appointing people who are mired in the ongoing state criminal prosecution, said five Republicans familiar with the conversations who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss them. Those two individuals are state senators Jake Hoffman and Anthony Kern, neither of whom responded to requests for comment.

Even if Trump loses this year, their likelihood of success is narrower than it was four years ago.

In 2020, Trump electors met and voted in seven states he had lost, part of a broad scheme organized by the Trump campaign to upend the Jan. 6 , 2021, joint session of Congress for the final certification of the electoral college vote. The scheme to challenge Biden’s victory failed in part because then-Vice President Mike Pence (R), who presided over the joint session, refused to go along with it.

Many electors have said they had no idea about the larger scheme, and that they cast votes for Trump under the guidance of campaign officials or GOP officials who told them they were simply preserving the campaign’s legal right to contest the result. Under federal law, if a campaign’s electors do not meet on the appointed date, cast votes and send signed certificates to Washington, their votes cannot be counted.

A revamp of the federal law that governs the proceeding, the Electoral Count Reform Act , would make it even harder to do what the Trump campaign tried in 2020. Then, one member each from the House and Senate were enough to lodge an objection to a state’s electoral college tally. Now, such an objection requires 20 percent of each chamber’s members. In addition, Vice President Harris (D) will preside over the proceeding, rather than a Trump ally, making it even less likely that a challenge would be allowed.

Still, the elector gatherings in 2020 bolstered Trump’s baseless allegations of fraud , helping to spread the false claim that Trump was the rightful winner — and adding to the inflamed rhetoric that motivated thousands to descend on Washington on Jan. 6, 2021 .

Derek Muller, a University of Notre Dame law professor, said the power of the electors’ platform alone should not be discounted. Should Trump lose, they can join the chorus of Trump allies pressing lawmakers or courts to assess election theories through formal proceedings.

“It can obviously seem more significant when it’s coming from people who have some authority or purport to have some authority, like people with the title of ‘elector,’” Muller said.

Trump continues to claim he won in 2020, and he has stated repeatedly that the only way he could lose to President Biden a second time in November is if Democrats cheat . Not only does that sort of rhetoric erode faith in U.S. elections, democracy experts said, but it increases the possibility of violence if Trump again loses.

“At that point it’s not about electoral law,” said Edward B. Foley, a constitutional law professor at Ohio State University. “My expertise becomes irrelevant. It becomes a question of political violence. I hope we don’t have to go there but I do worry that if Trump is saying that it was stolen, you might see insurrectionist-type activity well before Jan. 6.”

The Washington Post attempted to contact the Republicans who served as Trump electors in the seven states in 2020, including those on track to be electors again this year. The vast majority either did not respond or declined to comment.

Some 2020 electors do not want the job back.

Rosie Tripp, a 2020 GOP elector in New Mexico, said serving as an elector was an honor — but she never again wants to endure the stress from the legal fallout. Her actions drew interest from state and federal prosecutors, who asked her to travel to Washington to testify before a grand jury in the spring of 2023.

Her advice for the upcoming crop of electors: “Be a little more cautious and make sure that you know what you’re doing. I wouldn’t wish my experience on anybody. It was definitely frightening.”

Not all 2020 electors even have the option to serve again this year. In Wisconsin, the 10 electors who signed certificates falsely stating that Trump had won agreed not to do so as part of a settlement in a civil suit in which they also admitted that their actions were part of an effort to overturn Biden’s victory in the state.

In Georgia, GOP chairman Josh McKoon said he struggled to recruit Republicans to consider the role, particularly business leaders and party donors who are less loyal to Trump and aren’t interested in the headache — or potential legal bills — that 2020 electors have endured.

As a result, the pool of Republicans willing to take on the duty is more pro-Trump than it was four years ago, McKoon said. He blamed that on the prosecutions, not on the actions of the electors in 2020.

“It’s a strategy designed to take something that used to be very prestigious, something that some of your top donors wanted, and was very coveted, and turn it into something that people are kind of terrified of,” he said.

Three of Georgia’s 16 Trump electors from 2020 face criminal charges in the Atlanta area, but all were the subject of the investigation and incurred legal expenses, some in the six figures. Although the state party — and a conservative legal defense fund — have helped fund the legal costs of the three indicted electors, that has not been true in all states.

“I’m snakebit,” said Ken Carroll, a 2020 Trump elector in Georgia who was not indicted and has no interest in serving again. “Let’s face it. The election didn’t go exactly the way we’d hoped it would last time.”

In Arizona, a now-expired state party insurance policy has been paying some expenses for some electors, according to three people familiar with the arrangement who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

But if the legal expenses reach the policy’s limit, they said, the cash-strapped party will not continue paying those legal bills. In obtaining a new insurance policy last year, they said, the party made clear to the insurer that its leadership and business practices had changed, a message intended to convey that it would take steps to try to avoid the type of claims that arose out of the 2020 presidential election cycle. Gina Swoboda, the new state party chair, declined to comment.

How electors are appointed varies by state. In many, those interested in serving must stand for election at the state convention. In others — including Arizona — the selection of electors is at the sole discretion of the GOP chair.

Some Arizona party officials and their allies hope to recruit business leaders, longtime GOP donors and current and former elected officials to serve as electors, according to Republicans familiar with their thinking. Not only would this perhaps avoid a repeat of what happened in 2020, they say, it could build good will with wealthy or influential Republicans who have been alienated in recent years. It is unclear how the devoted Trump supporters who dominate the party would react to accepting electors who are not always viewed as loyal to the MAGA cause.

One of the Republicans whose name has been mentioned as the type of figure that could be approached to serve as an elector is former governor Jan Brewer, an early supporter of Trump’s first presidential bid who has spoken out against the election denialism that has gripped the battleground state and faced ridicule for backing GOP candidates who were critical of Trump.

Elector positions “should go to responsible people that understand what they’re doing, and do it correctly, and work with the secretary of state and cast their vote,” said Brewer.

The Trump campaign, meanwhile, is not yet closely following the process or planning elector scenarios, said a senior campaign official, who requested anonymity to speak about internal deliberations.

The official said the campaign’s bigger focus is ensuring that electors are loyal to Trump and won’t decide to vote for someone else in states where Trump wins the popular vote. Another priority, the official said, will be to build an elector whip operation to make sure all electors in states Trump wins show up on Dec. 17 to cast their votes.

Wingett Sanchez reported from Phoenix.