Alan Rapp

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
  • IMDb: link

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms movie reviewAdapted from E. T. A. Hoffmann‘s short story “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King,” The Nutcracker and the Four Realms offers big budget Disney family entertainment filled to the brim with special effects and lessons about believing in yourself and sticking by family in tough times. While it incorporates much of the ballet’s music into its score (and adds a couple of notable ballet sequence as well), The Nutcracker and the Four Realms goes for a more straightforward Wizard of Oz-style tale with a young female protagonist lost in a magical world.

Mackenzie Foy stars as Clara Stahlbaum. Still grieving over her mother’s (Anna Madeley) recent death, and struggling to get along with her father (Matthew Macfadyen) and siblings (Tom Sweet and Ellie Bamber), Clara discovers a magical world her mother created which is divided into Four Realms (Flower, Snowflake, Sweet, and a rebelling realm which is no longer mentioned). Traveling to the new world by way of her godfather (Morgan Freeman), Clara goes in search of a key which has the power to change the world and literally open the last secret left to Clara by her mother.

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Suspiria

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Suspiria
  • IMDb: link

Suspiria movie reviewSuspiria is an art house horror film that is a bit too convoluted at the beginning and too obvious at the end. Somewhere in the middle, however, there’s an interesting tale of horror, thrills, and gore (lots and lots of gore). The film from director Luca Guadagnino throws us immediately into the odd world as we struggle to make sense of the rambling incoherence of a troubled girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) to her psychiatrist (Tilda Swinton). While initially dismissing the story as nothing more than the ravings of a troubled mind, Dr. Klemperer becomes more concerned once the girl goes missing and begins looking more closely at the prestigious dance company that may have driven her to an early grave.

At the same time, the school admits a talented American student (Dakota Johnson) who quickly becomes a favorite of Madame Blanc (also Swinton). Despite being the newest student, Susie (Johnson) shows a remarkable understanding of the dance company’s trademark piece (which it turns out is far more than a simple dance). The film features one terrific scene which clues audiences in on the power of the dance while Susie, apparently, remains unaware.

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Arrow – Crossing Lines

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Arrow – Crossing Lines
  • wiki: link

Arrow - Crossing Lines television review

“Crossing Lines” is the weakest episode of the new season as Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) gets jerked around in prison, Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards, whose over-acting nearly sinks the episode) blurs lines in her hunt for Diaz (Kirk Acevedo), and Diaz makes a withdrawl from the CDC (which looks a bit like Mirakuru). More of a transitionary episode than anything else, “Crossing Lines” says farewell to Agent Watson (Sydelle Noel) while leading both Oliver and Felicity down potentially dark paths to get what they want. The episode is notable for no flash-forwards, instead we get an A.R.G.U.S. B-story involving Diggle (David Ramsey) and Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson) lying to each other once more. Ain’t marriage grand.

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Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden #7

/ / Comics

Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden #7 comic reviewUsagi Yojimbo: The Hidden comes to a close with the mystery solved and Miyamoto Usagi and Inspector Ishida in possession of what so many are willing to kill for: the incredibly rare Christian Bible translated into Japanese. To survive the day, Usagi and Ishida will need to fend off the Shogunate Agents and their army of paid mercenaries.

Issue #7 is full of action featuring Usagi and Ishida, with the help of the thief Nezumi, who are able to hold their own against overwhelming numbers and wave after wave of attackers. In the end it is not a sword strike nor a body blow that ends the fighting but a sacrifice by Hama who jumps into the flames to prevent the holy book from falling into the wrong hands.

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Supergirl – Man of Steel

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Supergirl – Man of Steel
  • wiki: link

Supergirl - Man of Steel television review

With Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) knocked-out and barely hanging on due to the Earth’s atmosphere being saturated with Kryptonite, “Man of Steel” offers a flashback episode delving into the past of Professor Ben Lockwood (Sam Witwer) who from humble beginnings grew to be the face of the anti-alien movement as Agent Liberty. The educated son of a bigoted steel factory owner (Xander Berkeley), the episode showcases the last two years of Lockwood’s life from arguing against his father’s rants to having his life destroyed by aliens and slowly accepting his father’s “wisdom.” There’s an old saying about how hatred and bigotry aren’t born but nurtured, and “Man of Steel” does a terrific job of presenting an entire episode from Lockwood’s point of view which will turn spiteful and hateful against those he believes are responsible for the ruination of his life.

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