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The Witch isn’t an empowerment narrative and that’s why it’s great

Before, I was not a witch. But now I am one. — Margaret Atwood, author of Half-Hanged Mary and descendant of accused witch Mary Webster The Witch, described simply by its first time writer/director Robert Eggers as a “New England fairytale,” tells a story we’ve heard many times and in many different ways—but with one crucial difference. The ancient, devil-loving hag who wreaks havoc on good, devout Christians is, of course, a tale as old as most countries. More recently, though, it’s also been reapproriated to incorporate everything from Arthur Miller’s metaphorical scapegoats to the WB’s Halliwell sisters (and whatever the hell Strega Nona and…

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Save Brooklyn from the British before saving it from itself in this videogame

Believe it or not, Brooklyn existed before the days of beard wax, tasting menus, and lazy trendpiece shorthand.  Brooklyn 1776, which launches for iOS next week, is about those earlier days. Much earlier. August 1776 was not a calm time in American history. George Washington (maybe you’ve heard of him?) was fresh off a victory over British forces in Boston and had travelled south to defend New York City. To put it mildly, the odds were against Washington and co. But, well, you’ve heard that story before, haven’t you?  As developers Creative Good put it: “General Washington and his new,…