3.5 Razors

Hawaii Five-0 – Ka ‘i’o

  • Title: Hawaii Five-0 – Ka ‘i’o
  • wiki: link

Hawaii Five-0 - Ka 'i'o TV review

“Ka ‘i’o” is the obligatory send McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) off on an impossible mission episode. This time around it’s to Columbia and Mexico in search of Doris (Christine Lahti) who the CIA believes has been turned and is now working against American interest. The episode is a bit odd, with several gaps in the story, making me wonder if a two-part episode got truncated into something that would fit in the show’s normal hour-long framework. Other cast members make cameos here, but aside from Junior (Beulah Koale) who goes in with a team to assist Steve when he gets stuck, the rest of Five-0 is mostly here to stand around headquarters and await news. As is usually the case with these episodes, the action is quite good even if the plot struggles to remain credible. The episode marks the final appearance of Lahti’s character (except perhaps in flashbacks) as the show does surprise me in allowing Doris to be a traitor and meet her end. It’s a nice send off for a recurring character, and I’ll be curious to see if the show simply moves on from this or if Doris’ death lingers in the coming weeks.

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Legacies – Since When Do You Speak Japanese?

  • Title: Legacies – Since When Do You Speak Japanese?
  • wiki: link

Legacies - Since When Do You Speak Japanese? TV review

“Since When Do You Speak Japanese?” offers more Malivore drama when a samurai with a demon inside him is expelled only to have the demon jump bodies and begin to infect others around town. Eventually it makes its way to Lizzie (Jenny Boyd) forcing a tough choice for Josie (Kaylee Bryant) who saves her sister at the cost of taking another step down a dangerous path where Professor Vardemus (Alexis Denisof) is all-too-happy to lead her. In terms of season-long storylines, the most intriguing piece of the episode is Lizzy regaining her memories of Hope (Danielle Rose Russell) at the end of the episode begging the question just what will she do with that knowledge and how may it affect Hope’s eventual return to the Salvatore School?

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James Bond 007 #12

James Bond 007 #12James Bond 007 #12 brings the comic series to a close with Bond, Lee, and Agent K taking on Goldfinger in the series finale. Goldfinger’s plan is finally revealed. Much like his movie counterpart, the plan involves destabilizing the world economy to increase the wealth of his own considerable gold supply.

While he is able to execute, at least part, of his plan, and momentarily allude the formidable trio, eventually Bond is able to track down the villain for a reckoning.

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Jojo Rabbit

  • Title: Jojo Rabbit
  • IMDb: link

Jojo Rabbit movie reviewAn irreverent comedy centered around a Nazi 10 year-old (Roman Griffin Davis) whose imaginary friend is Adolf Hitler isn’t going to appeal to everyone. Writer/director Taika Waititi (who also stars as the Fuhrer) crafts an odd little film about a devout, although not very good, Nazi who completely believes in the propaganda he’s been fed since birth about Jews and the military dominance of the father land despite those around him seeing the writing on the wall that the end of the war is vast approaching.

Waititi, who adapted the story from Christine Leunens’ novel Caging Skies, gets the most out of his young star while surrounding him with an impressive supporting cast who understand the vibe the director is going for in the film. Scarlett Johansson is terrific as JoJo’s mother who is hiding more than a few secrets from her young Nazi son. Sam Rockwell, as a demoted Nazi officer now forced to work with children, sets the tone of the film early on in his presentation to a Hitler Youth training camp. Jojo’s misadventures at the camp do nothing to make him question his belief in the Nazi Party but meeting a girl named Elsa (Thomasin McKenzie) leads to several questions.

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Jack Ryan – Cargo

  • Title: Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan – Cargo
  • wiki: link

Jack Ryan - Cargo TV review

Set an indeterminate length after the the show’s First Season, “Cargo” opens with Jack Ryan (John Krasinski) and Greer (Wendell Pierce) both investigating the same case from different angles. In Moscow, Greer struggles to uncover intelligence about a secret satellite launched from a ship in the China Sea. In Washington, Ryan links the same ship to Russian weapons smuggling and a secret government facility in the politically-unstable Venezuela where the two will meet up once more. Benito Martinez guest-stars as Jack’s longtime friend Senator Moreno who, along with Jack, confronts the Venezuelan President (Benito Martinez) who denies any knowledge of the ship, the secret compound, or any smuggling into the country.

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