4 Razors

No Sudden Move

/ / Home Video
  • Title: No Sudden Move
  • IMDb: link

Director Steven Soderbergh brings together an ensemble cast for 50s crime thriller and heist gone wrong. Don Cheadle and Benicio Del Toro star as two members of a criminal trio, along with Kieran Culkin, hired to hold the family of an accountant (David Harbour) hostage while forcing him to steal propriety information from his company’s office. After a number of double-crosses and mistakes, the pair must figure out a way to work together to make something out of a bad situation.

No Sudden Move features a number of characters, from the middle man who hired the thugs (Brendan Fraser) to the accountant’s mistress (Julia Fox), to a police detective (Jon Hamm) investigating the crime, to a local gangster (Ray Liotta) neither of our protagonists trust, who will all work themselves into an important moment of the film’s overall plot.

…

No Sudden MoveRead More »

No Sudden Move Read More »

Alex Rider – Threats

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Alex Rider – Threats
  • IMDb: link

“Threats” works to set up the final three episodes of the series. Reunited with Kyra (Marli Siu), Alex (Otto Farrant) enlists the help of the hacker to make sense of what is hidden on the advanced copy of the video game he was able to steal from Damian Cray (Toby Stephens). Unfortunately, for any real answers, she’ll need to return the game back to where it was created. Confirming that our teen spy is on his own, Blunt (Stephen Dillane) calls Alex in and orders him to stop everything he’s doing. Which, we know, isn’t something Alex Rider will agree to.

…

Alex Rider – ThreatsRead More »

Alex Rider – Threats Read More »

Noir Burlesque #1

/ / Comics

Enrico Marini’s Noir Burlesque #1 begins a noir tale set around a local mob boss, a returning solider turned professional thug with a debt to pay, and the beautiful dancer who will come between them. Marini’s first issue gets the tone of the genre with Slick being a bit too rough for his own good getting into trouble with Rex and his former love Caprice who is now married to the mob boss he owes money to.

Noir Burlesque has the feel of a story which won’t turn out well for any of our characters. The muted art with splashes of color captures the feel of 50s noir while the story unfolds leading to a confrontation between Slick and Rex and an impossible task to clear our protagonist’s ledger.

…

Noir Burlesque #1Read More »

Noir Burlesque #1 Read More »

Scarecrow and Mrs. King – The First Time

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Scarecrow and Mrs. King – The First Time
  • IMDb: link

Throwback Tuesday takes us to 80s Washington, D.C. and the unusual partnership between a housewife and a spy. “The First Time” introduces us to unconventional spy Lee “Scarecrow” Stetson (Bruce Boxleitner) and suburban mother Amanda King (Kate Jackson) who meet at the train station when Scarecrow hands Amanda a package he’s unable to deliver while being pursued. The pair keep getting thrown together over the course of the episode to recover the package and uncover the identity of the leak within the Agency which is leading to several agents being killed. Part spy story, part odd couple pairing, and part farce, the show’s first episode sets the tone for the series.

…

Scarecrow and Mrs. King – The First TimeRead More »

Scarecrow and Mrs. King – The First Time Read More »

The Novice

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

This character study from writer/director Lauren Hadaway introduces us to obsessive-compulsive college freshman Alex Dall (Isabelle Fuhrman) who joins the university’s rowing team. With goals to make varsity, despite having no experience in the sport, Alex throws herself fully into the project in much the same way she decided to make her weakest subject her college major and overcome what she sees as a shortcoming.

The Novice examines a side normally not highlighted in sports films. While Alex is consumed with winning, the movie is not about her heroic struggle over the odds. Instead, The Novice examines compulsion, fixation, obsession, and the winning at all costs attitude that can be destructive not just in the sport but throughout a person’s life. Alex is often offered help, much of it ignored, as she seems predestined towards proving she will either succeed or fail on her own.

…

The NoviceRead More »

The Novice Read More »