3.5 Razors

Us Again

/ / Short Films
  • Title: Us Again
  • IMDb: link

Us Again

The latest Disney short, released with Raya and the Last Dragon, gives us a dialogue-free tale about being as young as you feel. Director Zach Parrish‘s Us Again, with music from Pinar Toprak, introduces us to the elderly couple of Art and Dot who rekindle a bit of their old magic in the rain. Feeling young again, the curmudgeonly Art finds a youthful swagger his wife hasn’t seen in years offering a joyful extended dance sequence and leaving the audience with a moral about enjoying the life you have in front of you rather than focus on the past.

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Charlie’s Angels – Circus of Terror

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Charlie’s Angels – Circus of Terror
  • wiki: link

Charlie's Angels - Circus of Terror television review

Throwback Tuesday takes us back to the tale of three beautiful former police officers turned private detectives working for a faceless boss known as Charlie. When a family circus is plagued by a series of accidents, the son (James Darren) of the owner (Ramon Bieri) hires the Angels to discover who is responsible. Everyone goes undercover in this one as Sabrina (Kate Jackson) becomes an assistant to a clown (Charles Tyner), Kris (Cheryl Ladd) becomes the knife thrower’s (Denny Miller) assistant, and Kelly (Jaclyn Smith) becomes the star of a motorcycle act with Bosley (David Doyle) as her assistant. Despite Kris’ earlier experience as a clown in “Angels on Ice,” it’s Sabrina who puts on the clown makeup this time around while Kris gets to have knives thrown at her by a man with secrets to hide.

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Raya and the Last Dragon

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Raya and the Last Dragon
  • IMDb: link

Raya and the Last Dragon movie review

Through an extended opening sequence, heavy on narration, we’re introduced to the divided nation of Kumandra which was once threatened by the film’s underdeveloped boogeyman monsters known as the Druun (think less scary version of the creatures in Edge ofTomorrow). Years later, the last guardian of magic (Daniel Dae Kim) and his daughter Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) are betrayed by the selfishness of humanity as the Druun escape leading Raya in search of the last dragon who was able to stop the Druun centuries before.

After a flashforward restarts the movie again, a handful of years later, we’re introduced to an adult Raya and her search for Sisu (Awkwafina). Raya is a solid addition to the Disney Princess line, even if her movie is hellbent on telling her story as awkwardly as possible at times. Along the way she’ll meet other survivors the Druun haven’t yet turned to stone. As a Disney film, it should be no surprise that we’ll get some cute animal characters as well in Raya’s traveling companion Tuk Tuk (Alan Tudyk) and a band of thieving Ongis who take care of the young Noi (Thalia Tran).

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The Mauritanian

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: The Mauritanian
  • IMDb: link

The Mauritanian movie reviewBased on the true experiences of Mohamedou Ould Salahi (Tahar Rahim) being held by the United States Government for years for suspected ties to 9/11, director Kevin Macdonald‘s film chronicles his stay in Guantanamo Bay and the work of his lawyers (Jodie Foster and Shailene Woodley) to earn his release, not because they believe he is innocent but they believe what happened to Salahi was unconstitutional.

The cast is stellar. We also get Benedict Cumberbatch as the prosecutor with personal ties to the case and Zachary Levi as a sort of shady government agent who doesn’t want the methods for extracting information revealed. Much of the film examine how hard it is to go up against the United States Government in court, especially when Federal Agencies have the power to redact and deny information. The film chooses to make Salahi’s innocence, and in some ways the character himself, of secondary importance over a legal argument that almost never sees the inside of a courtroom. It also relies on big shocking emotional reveals not unlike screenwriters call-out both the Government and the people of the United States for their frenzied reaction to 9/11.

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Superman & Lois – Pilot

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Superman & Lois – Pilot
  • wiki: link

Superman & Lois - Pilot television review

Set after the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths on a rebooted Earth, the “Pilot” of Superman & Lois introduces Clark Kent (Tyler Hoechlin), Lois Lane (Elizabeth Tulloch), and their twin teenage sons Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) and Jordan (Alex Garfin). After a montage reintroducing Superman (complete with several callbacks and nods to various versions of the character over the years), the story starts in earnest with the death of Martha Kent (Michele Scarabelli) and a return to Smallville for the Kent family. While not shown on camera, it appears one of the major villains of the series will be Morgan Edge whose influence is destroying The Daily Planet and also has turned his attention to acquiring land in Smallville. There’s also a more immeadiate threat in an armored villain looking to take down Superman who apparently has some ties to Lex Luthor.

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