Alan Rapp

Hawaii Five-0 – Mōhala i ka wai ka maka o ka pua

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Hawaii Five-0 – Mōhala i ka wai ka maka o ka pua
  • wiki: link

Hawaii Five-0 - Mōhala i ka wai ka maka o ka pua TV review

Multiple-personality antagonists are a hard-sell as Hawaii Five-0 learns with “Mōhala i ka wai ka maka o ka pua” which casts Michael Weston as a traumatized schizophrenic off his medication who begins a series of violent acts. The unusual case allows for the return of Claire Forlani as profiler Alicia Brown who proves instrumental in ending things without further bloodshed. More of a running gag than a B-story, the episode also puts a stress counselor with McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) for most of the episode, hired by his friends in hopes of finding ways to lower Steve’s stress. Neither storyline is all that memorable, at least not in a good way, although Danny‘s (Scott Caan) attempt to look out for his partner is eventually appreciated.

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Atomic Robo and the Spectre of Tomorrow #1

/ / Comics

Atomic Robo and the Spectre of Tomorrow #1 comic reviewAtomic Robo versus… the Homeowners Association? The first issue of the latest volume of Atomic Robo sees our robotic scientist/adventurer setting out for greener pastures by beginning the construction of the new Tesladyne Institute in the badlands of New Mexico’s Jornada del Muerto desert. It seems that even those who have save the Earth aren’t immune to bureaucratic red tape. Introduced to the facility and various characters through they eyes of the returning Foley, we witness the frustration of of several different Tesladyne workers, including Robo himself, at the lack of progress to get the new facility up and running. Despite having only two neighbors, Robo is dragged into a homeowners meeting with Sir Richard Branson who cites enough Tesladyne infractions to halt all “progress” on the site. Poor Robo. Where’s a psychotic dinosaur to hit when you need one?

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Escapes

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

Escapes movie review

Escapes in an unconventional look at the life and career of actor/screenwriter/director Hampton Fancher most famous for his screenplays for Blade Runner and its recent sequel Blade Runner 2049. Director Michael Almereyda‘s take on his subject, focusing on a few key stories inter-cut with various film and television clips, archival footage, comic book panels, and stills, meanders a bit at times but succeeds in its main goal of informing its audience about Fancher’s career and key moments and relationships in his life.

Jumping around a bit, opening with an extended sequence focused on Fancher’s days as a struggling actor during his relationship to Teri Garr, the film is very much conversational (albeit one way) in style allowing the man to share specific memories from his life. Those looking for an in-depth analysis of acting, screenwriting, or filmmaking are likely to be disappointed. However, those curious to learn more about the man who helped create one of the most famous science fiction films of the 20th Century will no doubt get their money’s worth.

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Murder on the Orient Express

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Murder on the Orient Express
  • IMDb: link

Murder on the Orient Express movie review

2017’s Murder on the Orient Express isn’t the first adaptation of Agatha Christie’s work, nor is likely to be the last. Director Kenneth Branagh, who also stars as Christie’s famous detective Hercule Poirot, offers a stylish version of events featuring an all-star cast as mystery and murder unfold on the renown luxury passenger train which gets stuck in an avalanche with a murderer onboard. And, to make sure his performance won’t be forgotten, Branagh sports some of the most bizarre facial hair you’ll see on film (at least one not filed under Science Fiction).

The movie gets off to an interesting start by introducing us to Poirot solving an unrelated mystery which sufficiently showcases the detective’s considerable deductive ability to the audience. However, from this sequence up until the murder aboard the train, the film stalls a bit while getting Poirot aboard and introducing the variety of characters who will become his suspects over the remainder of the film. Once there’s a dead body and mystery to solve, the film picks up again, although the conclusion to Christie’s mystery doesn’t work quite as well on film as it may on the printed page.

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The Blacklist – The Kilgannon Corporation

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: The Blacklist – The Kilgannon Corporation
  • wiki: link

The Blacklist - The Kilgannon Corporation TV review

The fall of Raymond Reddington (James Spader) allowed others to swoop in and take over various aspects of his criminal network. “The Kilgannon Corporation” examines one piece of this as an Irishman with less care for his cargo runs into some very public trouble while attempting to smuggle people across international borders. Despite everyone’s distaste for human trafficking, Red makes a valid argument that someone will provide the service and if that criminal doesn’t take care in the lives of the refugees they are moving illegally there are going to be far more dead bodies. The choice to put Dembe (Hisham Tawfiq) in undercover heightens Red’s interest in the case, especially after the FBI looses him in transport. While a bit on the nose, the conversation between Red and Liz (Megan Boone) continues to better flesh-out the connection between the two men.

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