4 Razors

Away

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Away (2019)
  • IMDb: link

Away reviewFor those looking for an alternative to big studio animated features this holiday season, you may wish to check out Away. Presented without a single word of dialogue, the story follows an unnamed protagonist pursued across an island by a giant golem. Opening with our character’s parachute stuck in a tree, one of many lasting images from the film, we follow him through the island making a friend in an island bird before setting out across the island in hopes of discovering civilization.

The silent animated film is one of the year’s unexpected surprises. Written, produced, and directed by Gints Zilbalodis, Away is presented in a dream-like 3D animated style where the journey (not our protagonist’s final destination) seems to be of paramount import. While more abstract than something from DreamWorks or Pixar, and closer in tone to Studio Ghibli, Zilbalodis worked for three-and-a-half years to produce his singular vision on film. Although rough in certain areas, for the right audience the quiet journey of our lost hero, and a tiny bird, is certainly a journey worth taking. In limited release in L.A., Away is available for streaming on Amazon.

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Never Surrender

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary
  • IMDb: link

Never Surrender movie reviewFor one night only the documentary looking back at Galaxy Quest played as part of Fathom Events. Just in time for the film’s 20th anniversary, Screen Junkies puts together a solid documentary with interviews from director Dean Parisot, screenwriter Robert Gordon, editor Don Zimmerman, producer Mark Johnson, fans (including a pair of notable Star Trek: The Next Generation stars), and the cast (Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, Daryl Mitchell, Justin Long, and others) of the 1999 film that examines the troubled history of bringing the film to screen and its enduring legacy as the best Star Trek movie ever made.

Both spoofing and honoring the original Star Trek, with a mix of humor, drama, and sci-fi, it’s not surprising to learn that the studio didn’t know quite what to make of Galaxy Quest. Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary is a loving look at the under-performing box office release that has found a rabid fan base over the years. There are some nice tidbits here, including Harold Ramis signing as the original director for the film, stories from the set, and the studio’s original choice for Jason Nesmith.

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Rick and Morty – One Crew Over the Crewcoo’s Morty

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Rick and Morty – One Crew Over the Crewcoo’s Morty
  • wiki: link

Heists are the the theme of “One Crew Over the Crewcoo’s Morty” in what starts out as a Morty (Justin Roiland) adventure where he and Rick (Roiland) rob a tomb only to find out that a they have been beaten by a heist artist known as Miles Knightly. Rick’s bruised ego leads to a trip to HeistCon, putting a crew together, mind-control on an epic scale, the destruction of HeistCon, putting more crews together, robots who take Rick’s programming way too literally, and the destruction of an entire planet. Oh, and the destruction of Morty’s dreams.

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A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
  • IMDb: link

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood movie reviewA Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood isn’t what I expected. Director Marielle Heller and screenwriters Micah Fitzerman-Blue and Noah Harpster choose not to not center the movie around Fred Rogers but on the friendship which was created when Rogers met a journalist doing a piece on him for Esquire magazine. The construction of the film arguably makes Fred Rogers a supporting player in his own movie, but it also tilts the focus not on how Fred Rogers came to create and host Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood but instead on what many agree is his most defining characteristic – his drive to help people.

Matthew Rhys stars as investigative journalist Lloyd Vogel who isn’t all that keen on the puff piece assignment of interviewing Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) for the magazine’s hero issue. Lloyd is also dealing with some strain in his marriage to Andrea (Susan Kelechi Watson) with a new baby and the unexpected return of an estranged father (Chris Cooper).

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The Flash – License to Elongate

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: The Flash – License to Elongate
  • wiki: link

The Flash - License to Elongate TV review

“License to Elongate” is one of the better stops so far on the “Barry Farewell Tour” as Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) continues to prepare both his friends and Central City for life after the Flash should he meet his end in the Crisis. It’s also a really good Elongated Man (Hartley Sawyer) story that puts the focus on what Ralph does well, rather than include him as comic relief. Tagging along with Ralph on his latest case, Barry sees his friend in action (and causes a bit of an issue by trying a bit too hard to wrap things up quickly to get them back home in time to deliver a surprise for his friend). There’s much to enjoy here as the episode runs with the Bond-theme, even offering us Carlo Rota as the ridiculously-named Remington Meister who is planning on selling a diabolical space weapon to the highest bidder in a secret underground auction. After surviving a death trap, the pair are able to complete their mission and make it home it time for a ceremony that offers a surprise for more than just one member of the team.

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