Alan Rapp

Happy Happy

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Sykt lykkelig
  • IMDB: link

happy-happy-blu-rayAfter his wife (Maibritt Saerens) has an affair with a another man, Sigve (Henrik Rafaelsen), moves his family and their adopted Ethiopian son Noa (Ram Shihab Ebedy) into the Norwegian countryside. The couple’s only neighbors are the perky Kaja (Agnes Kittelsen) whose sunny disposition is matched only by her husband’s (Joachim Rafaelsen) grumpy disinterest of everything to do with his wife.

Happy Happy, or Sykt lykkelig (it’s original Norwegian title which translates more exactly into “insanely happy” – which can have both a positive and negative conotation) reveals its secrets through Kaja’s intense loneliness and the brave smile under which she hides it.

Kaja’s affair with Sigve reveals both couples’ dysfunction. It’s obvious Sigve would rather spend his nights with Kaja, Elisabeth (Saerens) may have been better off with the man she was having an affair with, and Eirik’s (Rafaelsen) week long trips into the woods have far more to with his closeted urges than hunting game.

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50/50

/ / Home Video
  • Title: 50/50
  • IMDB: link

50-50-blu-rayWhen a 27 year-old journalist (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) wakes up to discover he has a rare form of cancer he’s unprepared for how much his life will change in the coming months. He’s afraid to tell his overprotective mother (Anjelica Huston), his girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard) tries but fails to handle the situation, and his best friend (Seth Rogen) thinks he should use his situation to try and pick up chicks.

Director Jonathan Levine and screenwriter Will Reiser deliver a story that balances humor and the drama of the situation well for most of the film’s 100 min. running time. Sure the film goes for laughs, but its also surprisingly frank about the emotion of the situation (which is not surprising given the story was adapted from Reiser’s own experiences).

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Daredevil #8

/ / Comics

daredevil-8The conclusion of “Devil and the Details” (which began last week in Amazing Spider-Man) finds Daredevil helping Spider-Man and the Black Cat discover who set her up for the theft of the hologram projector. Once again Mark Waid delivers a great story featuring some nice banter among all the three characters.

The comic includes the Black Cat throwing herself at Daredevil, Spider-Man’s angsty hyperbole at seeing the two kiss on the rooftop, and another clever way to show off why you don’t use a hologram projector to fight a blind super-hero.

Although I’m not sure how the missing corpse of Matt Murdock’s father is going to play into the next story arc I did like how learning about it derailed Daredevil’s make-out session with the Black Cat. The pair could make an okay couple swinging over rooftops but I’m having trouble seeing Matt Murdock and Felicia Hardy together anywhere outside of the (probably very steamy) bedroom. Best of the week.

[Marvel, $2.99]

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Chuck Versus The Bullet Train

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Chuck – Chuck Versus The Bullet Train
  • tv.com: link

“Behold the flames of destiny.”

chuck-the-bullet-train

Now armed with Intersect Sarah (Yvonne Strahovski) and Casey (Adam Baldwin) board a Japanese bullet train to save Chuck (Zachary Levi) from Nicholas Quinn (Angus Macfadyen). The mission goes to plan but when Alex (Mekenna Melvin) is kidnapped by Quinn’s men (Steven Stone, Erin Cahill) Casey has no choice but to turn on his teammates. Things get even more complicated when Sarah’s Intersect starts to malfunction.

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