Tag Archive for: Review

Guest star Amanda Schull delivers a stellar performance in the episode as the feisty and idealistic doctor Emilia, Russ Taylor’s former love interest whose kidnapping sets the episode’s events in motion.


                            'MacGyver' Season 4 Episode 6 Review: Russ Taylor's past comes out in powerful and heartbreaking story

Henry Ian Cusick, Levy Tran, and Amanda Schull (CBS)

This article contains spoilers for ‘MacGyver’ Season 4 Episode 6 ‘Right + Wrong + Both + Neither’

‘MacGyver’ Season 4’s last episode dropped quite a bomb with the reveal that Matty Webber (Meredith Eaton) might be Titan, the head of Codex, but Episode 6 ‘Right + Wrong + Both + Neither’ quickly resolves that mystery within the first few minutes and moves on to deliver a powerful episode centered around Russ Taylor (Henry Ian Cusick). The character has been a bit of an enigma since he joined the show at the start of the season but Episode 6 finally sheds some light on his motivations.

Guest star Amanda Schull delivers a stellar performance in the episode as the feisty and idealistic doctor Emilia, Russ Taylor’s former love interest whose kidnapping sets the episode’s events in motion. Schull’s chemistry with Cusick was absolutely delightful and the way the episode ends their story is frankly heartbreaking.

It’s a pretty intense episode that involves global politics and a lot of gray morality, especially with Angus “Mac” MacGyver (Lucas Till) finally realizing just how much the Phoenix Foundation’s world has changed in recent times. Even though they’ve always been covert operatives, Mac and his team have never had to make choices as hard as the ones they’re being forced into this season and while they may be the right choices, that doesn’t mean they don’t weigh heavily on Mac’s mind.

Perhaps the most important thing about the episode was that it finally gave us some hints as to why Russ chose to give up his life as a private military contractor and buy the Phoenix Foundation. So far, we’ve had this nagging suspicion that he might actually be a Codex operative but now it seems more likely that Emilia may have influenced Russ to become a better person, or at least try to be.

The final moments of the episode add yet another twist to the season’s mystery with Matty saying “I think she’s back” on an encrypted phone call. Does Matty have an evil twin we didn’t know about? Or is this “she” something else altogether? We’ll just have to wait and see.

‘MacGyver’ Season 4 airs new episodes every Friday at 8/7 c exclusively on CBS.

By Remus Noronha

Some preview reviews are coming in for Chimera, the new sci-fi thriller film by Maurice Haeems, starring Henry Ian Cusick and Kathleen Quinlan.

Chimera will be premiering in spring 2018! Stay tuned for more news about that…..

We’ve highlighted some lines from each review…. be sure to click and read entire reviews under their links.

 

“Chimera is Part Sci-Fi, Part Thriller, Part Horror and All Outstanding!”

From: TGGeeks.com

“However, the real star of this film is Cusick. He has an almost Dr. Frankenstein approach that serves as a callback to the mad scientist as played by Colin Clive in the 1931 horror classic. In both cases we do not have a scientist who is ruled by a thirst for power over others, but instead we have someone who is trying to conquer a scientific absolute in the area of bodily regeneration. Clive’s Frankenstein sought the power of bodily regeneration to beat back death, and Cusick’s Quint seeks to save his children from dying. Cusick is another actor, right alongside Harrison, who knows how to play a very subtle “long game” with his character by giving us someone who we are not entirely sure about. We accept that he believes he’s doing the right thing, that the ends justify the means, but at times I found myself questioning my own judgment while watching and questioning Quint’s behavior, and its those gray areas that are so wonderfully played by Cusick that it leaves the viewer completely unsure as to where Quint, or the rest of the film, is liable to go at any given time.”

 

“Chimera Disclose Frightening Reality Of Modern Sciences”

From: DecayMag.com

“To begin, the performances accomplished near flawlessness. Actor Henry Ian Cusick is a veteran in his profession with a career extending over twenty (20) years. It is no surprise to see Cusick’ refined emotion and expression in Chimera. Cusick portrays the character Quint, a scientist and family man but his devotion to each divides him This part carries a deep structure established on a person burdened with inner anguish. The viewer will become locked into the character’s dimension of questionable good. This is an execution only Cusick can communicate.”

 

Review: Maurice Haeem’s Chimera

From: HorrorSociety.com

“Where are the Aliens? The xenomorphs? This isn’t a Ridley Scott movie? Oh, you could have fooled me! If there’s one compliment I can offer this movie, it’s that it is so professional, so stylized, so futuristic that it’s on par with the most popular movies from Ridley Scott. Writer, director and producer Maurice Haeems and cinematographer David Kruta should be proud of themselves for this achievement. Chimera is going to be one of thee science fiction titles to watch for in 2018, and it’s going to be a serious contender for numerous awards whether it hits the film festival circuit or goes straight-to-DVD. It’s a beast. A crystal clear, suspense amplifier and a stunning work of art not typically seen in this genre of film. Yeah, I guess I liked it!”

 

Chimera Movie Review

From: CrypticRock.com

 “Emmy-nominated Cusick, as the somewhat deranged scientist Quint, flawlessly translates the torment and plaguing loss of the main character’s situation, while embodying a somewhat anarchic scientist beautifully.”

 

Reel Review: Chimera

From: MorbidlyBeautiful.com

“CHIMERA IS A RIVETING AND THOUGHT PROVOKING SCI-FI THRILLER/DRAMA…BUT IT’S FIRST AND FOREMOST A MOVIE ABOUT FAMILY.” 

“The acting is great across the board, no matter how disturbing or dramatic the scene. The two main characters, as played by Cusick and Quinlan, are especially wonderful — they make you believe every idea and emotion expressed, whether with words or just a look. The film’s editing is also notable, because a story that isn’t a perfect straight line can always use visual help in being told.”