3 Razors

Subpar Prequel and Where to Find It

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
  • IMDb: link

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find ThemHarry Potter Lite? Based on the spin-off novella by J.K. Rowling, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is the first Harry Potter movie without Harry Potter. Taking place decades before Harry’s birth, the story is set in New York with wizard Newt Scamander’s (Eddie Redmayne) arrival in the city with a suitcase full of magical creatures. When some of Scamander’s creatures escape he attempts to hunt them down with the help of some new friends.

The beasts themselves, in all shapes, colors and sizes, are certainly one of the film’s strengths. So to are Redmayne and Dan Fogler as Jacob Kowalski (the non-magical would-be baker who literally stumbles into a world of magic he never knew existed). However, the prequel isn’t without its problems.

First, the film is too long given its simplistic setup. Feeling every bit its 133-minute running time, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them drags in several spots with more than 45 minutes which could be trimmed from its bloated carcass. Even with all this extra filler the film doesn’t feel fully formed as half the work here is, of course, to set-up in inevitable sequels.

…

Subpar Prequel and Where to Find ItRead More »

Subpar Prequel and Where to Find It Read More »

The Flash – Shade

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: The Flash – Shade
  • wiki: link

The Flash - Shade

As Alchemy reaches out to Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) to embrace his Flashpoint life, the season takes a big turn. Wally will choose to help the group take down the villain, but not at the cost of the speed he so desperately desires. Caitlin‘s (Danielle Panabaker) powers will be revealed to the group. And Alchemy’s boss, the season’s true big bad, is revealed to be Savitar (i.e. yet another speedster). The episode is problematic in that its purpose is more to set-up what is to come than offer a strong standalone episode. The result is a metahuman shadow who is more of an afterthought than a legitimate threat while foreshadowing big changes for both Wally and Caitlin in the coming weeks.

…

The Flash – ShadeRead More »

The Flash – Shade Read More »

Flash Gordon: King’s Cross #1

/ / Comics

Flash Gordon: King's Cross #1The first issue of Dynamite Entertainment’s new five-issue mini-series unites Flash Gordon, Mandrake the Magician, Hans Zarkov, Dale Arden, and the Phantoms against the return of Ming the Merciless. Ming’s latest attacks include tidal waves decimating cities all around the world and transforming an island into Mongo on Earth complete with giant sea monsters for our heroes to deal with.

Created to have the look and feel of a Golden Age comic, Flash Gordon: King’s Cross #1 should please old-school Flash Gordon fans. Although I’m not wild about Flash’s costume, this version of the character worked well-enough for me.

…

Flash Gordon: King’s Cross #1Read More »

Flash Gordon: King’s Cross #1 Read More »

Eye in the Sky

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Eye in the Sky
  • IMDb: link

Eye in the SkyIf Mel Gibson‘s Hacksaw Ridge takes an up-close look at the unflinching brutality of trench warfare, Eye in the Sky examines the more modern detachment to battle while debating the morality of this kind of war. Centered around a proposed (and much debated) drone strike, director Gavin Hood‘s film offers us bureaucracy rather than a high body count and the age-old moral dilemma of just how much a single life is worth.

Pulling in characters from multiple countries, the story itself boils down to Colonel Katherine Powell (Helen Mirren), her mission to take down high-valued terrorist targets, and how politics, bureaucracy, and a local girl (Aisha Takow) selling bread inside the target zone threaten to derail her plans. While Powell is steadfast in the mission, others spend the movie debating the merits of their actions along with the legal and moral implications (to such an extent the movie feels at times more like a treatise on drone warfare than a film).

…

Eye in the SkyRead More »

Eye in the Sky Read More »

Christine

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

Christine

Depression is a hard subject matter to tackle. By its very nature it makes any character suffering from the condition standoffish at best or, as is the case here, nearly unrelatable. The subject of director Antonio Campos‘ film is 70s Florida local news reporter Christine Chubbuck (Rebecca Hall). As a character study of a person struggling with depression and paranoia, Christine works well-enough. But as a film it’s difficult to see past the premise as anything other than Oscar-bait. Hall gives a great performance as a woman on the edge, but the sad fact about writer Craig Shilowich‘s script is we are never invested in what dark end is destined for her.

Based on a true story, Shilowich’s script showcases Christine as a hack local newswoman unable to get along with co-workers or family with dreams of the big time Christine, at least on some level, likely understands she will never achieve. Unable to deal with her loneliness, the station manager’s orders for more sensational stories, and a medical problem she refuse to share with anyone, Christine is on the fast track to ruin. What makes her story different is how public her downward spiral became.

…

ChristineRead More »

Christine Read More »