2.5 Razors

Willy’s Wonderland

  • Title: Willy’s Wonderland
  • IMDb: link

Willy's Wonderland DVD reviewWhat if the animatronic characters at ShowBiz Pizza Place or Chuck E. Cheese came to life and started murdering their customers? That’s the basic premise behind Willy’s Wonderland. Nicolas Cage stars as an unnamed mute drifter who accepts a job cleaning up a rundown attraction in exchange for repairs to his car not realizing he’s actually the latest sacrifice to the evil robot mascots Willy Weasel, Arty Alligator, Knighty Knight, and the rest of their merry band.

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Tango & Cash

  • Title: Tango & Cash
  • IMDb: link

Tango & Cash home video reviewThrowback Thursday takes us back to the last film of the 1980s. Tango & Cash is the ridiculous, balls-to-wall, over-the-top pairing of Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell as rival super cops forced to work together after they are framed for murder. Stallone stars as the upscale Ray Tango while Russell’s Gabe Cash is more working man. Without realizing it, both men have been cutting into the business of Los Angeles’ hidden kingpin Yves Perret (Jack Palance in full scene-chewing mode) who frames the super-cops for murder, gets them relocated to a different prison than they were sentenced, and attempts to have them killed behind bars.

The film was plagued by production issues including multiple script revisions and the firing of director Andrey Konchalovskiy. The last film to be released in 1989, Tango & Cash is a glorious homage to the action movies of the decade. Dumb as rocks, with a script full of plot holes, it nevertheless entertains. Teri Hatcher, who makes use of her dance background as Tango’s younger sister, Brion James, James Hong, Marc Alaimo, and Michael J. Pollard, as Cash’s goofy weaponsmith, round out the cast.

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Cruella

  • Title: Cruella
  • IMDb: link

Cruella movie review

I think if Disney made a movie about Hannibal Lecter it would be about how great a psychiatrist he was before he started indulging in other appetites. The ill-conceived, and lengthy, Cruella offers a look at the origins of the paper-thin villain from One Hundred and One Dalmatians who wanted to steal and murder dogs to skin for fur coats. Honestly, did anyone really need more than two-hours to explore extra layers and motivations of a character like Cruella De Vil?

The film is certainly stylish, and does offer its share of memorable moments over a 136-minute running time which also includes an unexpected The Devil Wears Prada plot about 70s fashion. Emma Stone stars as the orphan who would grow up to be a thief, a fashion designer, and eventually notorious celebrity known simply as Cruella. The screenplay also brings back Jasper (Joel Fry) and Horace (Paul Walter Hauser), the two henchmen from One Hundred and One Dalmatians, reimaging them as childhood friends and fellow thieves who she eventually takes for granted when Cruella’s ambitions get the better of her. And, because it is a Disney movie, we also get a pair of dogs with inspirationally long lifelines and their dog tricks.

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer #25

Buffy the Vampire Slayer #25 comic reviewAfter preventing a pair of vampires from assembling the Judge, the team follows Willow into a parallel Earth to where the original television show’s timeline is unfolding (and that Xander isn’t a vampire). Anya is along for the ride although she doesn’t reveal her true motivations to the Scoobies (are they called Scoobies in the alternate timeline?) and keeping them safe from the Lurkers looking to cleanse the world of those who don’t belong.

For the big worlds’ colliding event, Buffy the Vampire Slayer #25 is actually a bit dull as the new characters avoid their original counterparts and avoid any possible negative reaction to running into themselves. While it’s nice to get a few panels of the original group, there’s nothing all that interesting happening to them. And when all is said and done it doesn’t take much for Buffy to convince Willow to return home offering no climax to the story.

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The Flash – Family Matters (Part 1)

  • Title: The Flash – Family Matters (Part 1)
  • wiki: link

The Flash - Family Matters (Part 1) TV review

The Flash follows up one Barry (Grant Gustin) has a bad idea episode with a second one. Unlike “Timeless,” where the episode startled the line, “Family Matters (Part 1)” pushes Barry into full dick mode as he becomes convinced training an ill-prepared Alexa (Sara Garcia), who is still afraid of the monster inside her, is the only way to keep her safe. It’s finally Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) who steps in with the personal experience that Alexa needs to hear. Despite the process of getting her ready not running smoothly, and Barry putting her into harm’s way in a somewhat irresponsible manner, Alexa is able to get control of the monster and help reach Psych (Ennis Esmer) who has been using his powers to attack old friends who turned their back on him years before.

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