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Atomic Blonde

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  • Title: Atomic Blonde
  • IMDb: link

Atomic Blonde movie reviewIt’s easy to compare Atomic Blonde to John Wick. Charlize Theron stars as a talented killer who will leave a wide swath of bodies in her wake through a series of well-executed stunt sequences. Director David Leitch (who was un-credited for directing some scenes in the previously-mentioned Keanu Reeves action flick) takes the helm and brings the same energy and feel to this project. However, the comparison only goes so far.

One of the things that makes John Wick work is the simplicity of its premise. Wick is a revenge story without the need for plot to get in the way. The character is wronged and spends the rest of the film seeking vengeance. Adapted from the comic of the same name, Atomic Blonde is an entirely different animal. Rather than a stylish revenge fantasy, the new film is a spy story that relies on several twists and turns. These begin to drag out (especially during a convoluted final act) before eventually getting us to the end of secret agent Lorraine Broughton’s (Theron) journey. It doesn’t help that Leitch fails to take advantage of the setting (this movie never feels like a Cold War spy thriller) or that many of the twists are either easy to see coming and/or create some large plot holes no one is eager to address.

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Human Target – Salvage & Reclamation

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Human Target – Salvage & Reclamation
  • wiki: link

“Shut up, Doug.”

Human Target - Salvage & Reclamation television review

“Salvage & Reclamation” may not be my favorite episode of Human Target but the episode has it all in an exotic location, humor, action, and a lovely guest-star with a tie to the past of our mysterious protagonist. Perhaps more than any other episode of the series this one shows the potential of the show’s concept when handled correctly. Called into service by an old flame, Christopher Chance (Mark Valley) heads to South America where he rescues English anthropologist Doug Slocum (Kris Marshall) who has uncovered the location of a plane full of gold which many are willing to kill for. Neither the rescue nor Chance’s reunion go exactly as planned as Chance, Maria (Leonor Varela), and Doug head into the the jungle hunted by the army, drug runners, and a superbly-evil corporate goon (Kim Coates).

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Dunkirk

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  • Title: Dunkirk
  • IMDb: link

Dunkirk movie reviewChristopher Nolan‘s Dunkirk is surprisingly bad for such an accomplished director. Set during the Dunkirk evacuation of mostly British troops surrounded by Axis forces during World War II, Nolan brings his talents to bear in crafting a visually impressive film. However it’s three-part story, amateurishly cut together in confusing fashion, featuring a migraine-inducing overbearing score (which the director has been infatuated with ever since Inception), without a single trace of emotional resonance, left me detached from both characters and events for most of its running time.

The film inter-cuts three separate plot threads of vastly different lengths creating all kinds of trouble when the threads have to be woven together later in the film. The shortest of these centers around Tom Hardy as a fighter pilot whose action takes place mostly far above the fray. The next, in terms of length, involves a civilian boat hired to help evacuate soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk. And the longest story centers around soldiers on the beach, most notably Fionn Whitehead and Aneurin Barnard, desperately searching for any way off the coastline before the German army arrives.

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Kill la Kill – Junketsu

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Kill la Kill – Junketsu
  • wiki: link

kill-la-kill-3-3

The third episode of Kill la Kill raises the stakes and sets the stage for the episodes to follow as Satsuki Kiryūin (Ryôka Yuzuki) dons her own Kamui (named Junketsu, giving the episode its title) which will force Ryūko Matoi (Ami Koshimizu) to make a deeper connection to Senketsu in order to unlock her Kamui’s full potential. The fight between the pair dazzles the audience but ends in a stalemate and a challenge. If Ryūko wants a rematch, and answers to her questions, she will have to go through Satsuki’s underlings in the Honnōji Academy and earn that chance (thus setting up the countess battles to come).

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