Oscar Telecast 2023

MY PACING WAS ON TRACK AS the clock was ticking away the minutes. I was having a good day, working out in the morning and doing chores after lunch. I purposely ate dinner early because I wanted to be able to stretch out on the sofa during the telecast. A diet element I have done for years is to wait two hours after eating before laying down. It also is a good policy for digestion. While eating dinner, I went over my list and the one I printed out for all the nominations. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I felt good because I had seen more films than last year. Granted it was not up to pre-COVID times where I saw every film, but at least I was going in the right direction. I had a couple of quick things to do before settling down and gratefully I finished everything on my to-do list five minutes before the show was to begin.      I THOUGHT THE OPENING FOR THE Oscar telecast was fun without being too long. Having Jimmy Kimmel parachute down from the rafters was a perfect ending to the opening and a perfect way to start the show. In my opinion, Jimmy could easily reach the status of a Bob Hope or Johnny Carson, regarding being the host. I would have no objection in fact, if Jimmy was made the permanent host; he was excellent. Most of his jokes landed and were smart and topical. He was never mean spirited when he would throw out a dig/zinger at a celebrity. I thought the pacing of the show kept a steady pace. For the most part speeches were shorter than I remember and noticeable to me was the fact that more of them were truly heartfelt, without the addition of political/cause comments. Being a fan of music, I always appreciate when the best song nominees are there performing. The day before the show, I had heard Lady Gaga was not going to be available to perform her song because of filming commitments. It was a surprise to me when she appeared on stage stripped down with no announcement. But did she ever sing her heart out with her song; I thought it was a fantastic performance. Watching the performance of the song Naatu Naatu from the film RRR, I cannot wait to see this movie.      AS FOR THE WINNERS, I WAS pleased with who received the Oscar. I especially loved the acceptance speeches from Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Fraser and Michelle Yeoh. I had tears in my eyes. Speaking of winners, it was good to see the return of all the categories; I felt it was the right thing to do. Let us face it, we all know the Oscar telecast can go on for hours; it is a fact. But cutting out categories was not the way to save time. This production had no musical numbers except where they belonged in the song category, there were few humor bits to eat up time, and it seemed as all the nominees knew that after 45 seconds the music was starting. So, though it was sad to see, let us say, two people going up to get their Oscars and only one of them gets to talk, it falls on the first speaker to give a short speech; if they do not then it is on them for shortchanging their collaborator.      BY THE TIME THE SHOW ENDED, I was fully sated, filled with joy and satisfaction. It was a wonderful telecast with an eye-opening set design and a slew of interesting fashion choices. There is only one complaint I have regarding the show. I would like to know who allowed that guest to sit in the audience with the large, white swirl of fabric around her head?!?! I thought that person was so inconsiderate to choose such an outfit, knowing they would be sitting in a theater without stadium seating at the very least. Shame on them for being rude, just to make some fashion statement. I hope all of you enjoyed the show as much as I did and let us hope that the new year brings us the opportunity to see as many of what will become Oscar nominated movies for next year’s telecast. Happy viewing and see you at the movies! 

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Flash Movie Review: Cocaine Bear

IT TOOK A FEW MONTHS OF convincing before I started eating tomatoes again ever since I saw them kill a human. Luckily, I only saw it happen on a theater screen on a Saturday afternoon. There was a small movie theater in my neighborhood; it was in the middle of the block with a discount store on one side and a liquor store on the other. Every Saturday they would have a kid’s matinee show for a discounted price and I was there at least two out of every four Saturdays of the month. I cannot remember ever seeing a film there I did not like during my childhood. Besides seeing those tomatoes that were attacking humans, I saw aliens from a different planet who all looked like they were clowns, evil clowns bent on destroying us. One week I saw the incredible shrinking man, the following one had an Amazon woman who was close to fifty feet tall. On the way home from the theater, my friends and I would act out a few of the scenes we especially liked from the movie. One of my all time favorite films from that time was a horror film with Vincent Price and Peter Lorre. One of them was a sorcerer and there was magician who I found out years later was a young Jack Nicholson. I was enthralled with the magic effects and curses; objects flying in the air and electric bolts coming out of extended fingertips.      THERE WAS SUCH A HIGH LEVEL of comfort for me those Saturdays. I could always count on being taken to a different world or see my world from an alien’s perceptions. Yet, I felt safe with my box of popcorn and box of chocolate candy. It was years later when I came across the term “B” movie and understood most of those films I was watching back then were “B” films. None of them would ever be considered for an Academy Award; they had low production values and cheesy special effects. I did not know it back then, but the acting and the script were at a bare bones level, sometimes teetering on the absurd. But here is the thing, they were fun to watch. They usually could illicit an emotion out of the viewers; it might have been shock, fear or laughter, but there was always a reaction to what was coming across the screen. Presently, making a “B” film is being kitschy/retro. They can be over-the-top and fun as long as you do not give a lot of thought to the plot. If you are interested in watching a “B” film, this one certainly would fit the bill.      WHEN A DRUG CARTEL LOSES A shipment of cocaine over a Georgia forest, the first to discover the drugs was a black bear. Anyone else coming near the drugs would have to deal with the bear who took a liking, some say addiction, to the cocaine. With Keri Russell (Waitress, The Americans-TV) as Sari, Alden Ehrenreich (Beautiful Creatures, Solo: A Star Wars Story) as Eddie, O’Shea Jackson Jr (Ingrid Goes West, Straight Outta Compton) as Daveed, Ray Liotta (Something Wild, Shades of Blue-TV) as Syd, and Isiah Whitlock Jr (Da 5 Bloods, BlacKkKlansman) as Bob; this comedy horror was based on a true event which I have to say sounded crazy from the start. Directed by Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games franchise, Love & Mercy), this film does not take itself too seriously and that was fine by me. One must put reason to the side and just go with it, because it was a wild and entertaining viewing experience despite the scenes of blood, violence and gore. There were laugh out scenes mixed in with the great CGI display of the bear. I thought the kids were especially good in their roles. This was a steady to fast paced freaky, fun film with a stranger than truth story line. There were two extra scenes during the ending credits.

3 stars 

Flash Movie Review: Triangle of Sadness

I THOUGHT THEY WERE “WELL OFF” based on what their house looked like. It was not a mansion by any means, but I think the term is “well appointed.” They always had the latest kitchen appliances and electronic gizmos. The front and back of their house had a variety of flowers and greenery, though I never saw anyone from their household working or maintaining it. I only became aware of their financial status when they threw a huge celebration party for one of their children. The event was held in a grand ballroom in a luxurious hotel in the heart of the city. The room had been decorated to look like a forest/jungle, with bushes in various sizes lining the walls along with intricate, lush green vines coming down the walls. Every dinner table had a different centerpiece, each looking like a piece of art. Some of them looked like statuaries in various materials such as metal, glass and ceramic; other tables had floral arrangements with ice, water or candles as part of the display. I did not know where to look first. Scattered through the ballroom were various food carts with servants at attention ready to assist the guests. My table was just off to the side of the dance floor that was created with colored glass blocks. I could only imagine what else would be in store for the evening.      WITH SO MUCH ACTIVITY TAKING PLACE at the start of the meal, I excused myself so I could go to the bar and get a soft drink. While standing there, I saw my friend’s mother was at the head of the line, intently talking to the bartender. I could not hear every word she was saying, but I could tell she was not happy about something. After I finally got my drink, I was walking back and crossed paths with the mother again; she was talking to a waiter and from what I was hearing, she was unhappy. To me it sounded like she was talking down to the waiter, who by the way had a look of fear on his face. I kept walking and bumped into the father of my friend, who was demanding something from what I figured was a manager of the establishment. Again, I overheard the conversation and wound up feeling bad for the worker because of the way the father was speaking to him. Granted, I was not privy to the details; but, I could not imagine something so egregious took place that warranted speaking in such a tone. It made me wonder if having money made a person talk in that type of fashion; I thought I might get an answer while watching this Oscar nominated comedic drama.      WHEN A COUPLE OF FASHION MODELS find themselves on an intimate boat cruise with a group of wealthy individuals, they expected to have a peaceful luxurious ride. Instead, they found themselves fighting for survival. With Harris Dickinson (Beach Rats, Where the Crawdads Sing) as Carl, Charlbi Dean (Don’t Sleep, Spud franchise) as Yaya, Dolly de Leon (Verdict, Cuddle Weather) as Abigail, Zlatko Buric (Pusher franchise, 2012) as Dimitey and Iris Berben (Eddie the Eagle, Crossroads) as Therese; this movie had a good point to make. However, it took so long to make it that I lost interest halfway through the film. There were some funny scenes that made me laugh out loud, however, there also was a predictability to several scenes. Things started to get better in the last half of this picture; but by that time, I did not care. Also, I still am perplexed on how this picture was nominated for the best picture category. Sure, there was a good dose of satire and humor; but it felt safe to me. I thought a thorough rewrite would have created a tighter script and more focused deep dive to mine a fuller story with more outrageous characters.

2 ½ stars 

OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2023

WHEN THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS WERE ANNOUNCED, I had the choice to be either optimistic or pessimistic. As I looked at the categories, I felt excited that I had seen a good portion of the films nominated. It was certainly more than last year’s nominees. On the other hand, I still am not back to my original place of having seen every nominee in the major categories. It used to be where several movies would premiere on the west and east coasts before new year’s eve, then open everywhere in January or February. If that is still in place I have not seen evidence of it, which I believe is one of the reasons why I have not been able to see every nominated film.      The other reason is due to the streaming services. Some of the services’ movies get a nomination and the corporation keeps them exclusive to their streaming platform. If I were to add every major streaming service to my television package, I might have to get a second job; it is getting ridiculous with everyone jumping on the streaming bandwagon when they all used to be free on network TV or cable. And I will forgo for now my pros and cons to seeing movies at a theater compared to one’s home. So unfortunately, again I have not seen every movie in the category which puts me at a disadvantage. For the sake of tradition, I will do my best to pick what I think deserves the Academy Award and what the academy will do. I will also note which group is incomplete for me. Enjoy the telecast and remember whatever you eat during the show does not have any calories. Happy Oscar’s Day!

ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

MY CHOICE: Angela Bassett—Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

ACADEMY PICK: Jamie Lee Curtis—Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (INCOMPLETE):

MY CHOICE: Ke Huy Quan—Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACADEMY PICK: Ke Huy Quan—Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE (INCOMPLETE):

MY CHOICE: Michelle Yeoh—Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACADEMY PICK: Michelle Yeoh—Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE (INCOMPLETE):

MY CHOICE: Brendan Fraser—The Whale

ACADEMY PICK: Austin Butler–Elvis

DIRECTING (INCOMPLETE):

MY CHOICE: Steven Spielberg—The Fabelmans

ACADEMY PICK: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert—Everything Everywhere All at Once

CINEMATOGRAPHY (INCOMPLETE):

MY CHOICE: All Quiet on the Western Front

ACADEMY PICK: All Quiet on the Western

COSTUME DESIGN (INCOMPLETE):

MY CHOICE: Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once

FILM EDITING:

MY CHOICE: Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once

MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING:

MY CHOICE: The Whale

ACADEMY PICK: All Quiet on the Western Front

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY):

MY CHOICE: All Quiet on the Western Front

ACADEMY PICK: All Quiet on the Western

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY) (INCOMPLETE):

MY CHOICE: Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once

VISUAL EFFECTS:

MY CHOICE: Avatar: The Way of Water

ACADEMY CHOICE: All Quiet on the Western Front

BEST PICTURE:

MY CHOICE: Everything Everywhere All at Once

ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once

There you have it, my picks for this year’s Academy Awards. No matter who gets the Oscar, I hope all of us have can have a fun and enjoyable time watching the telecast. Best of luck to you.

Flash Movie Review: The Silent Twins

THE FIRST TIME I HEARD IT spoken was in elementary school, by two older boys. One of them said, “iyay illway eetmay ouyay atyay ott’sscay ousehay.” My interest was piqued by the strange words. I could not tell if the boys were related or from a different country. Since they were in an upper grade, I did not venture closer to ask them what they were speaking. For the next few days, I would think about that encounter and imagine they were spies or at least the sons of spies; my imagination was already active from a very early age. As luck would have it, I happened to be in the school library when the two boys were there, sitting together at a table. I pretended to look for a book at a bookcase that was nearest to them. After pulling out, looking at then pushing a couple of books back onto the shelf, one of the boys said something in that unusual language. I noticed every word ended in the “ay’ sound; there had to be some type of code going on. Suddenly an idea popped into my head. I grabbed one of the books I had looked at and brought it to the librarian who was sitting nearby. Leaning over, so I could whisper, I asked her if she knew what language the two boys had been speaking. Being kind, she in turn leaned closer to me and said they were speaking Pig Latin. She then pointed at the set of encyclopedias lined up along the window sill and told me to look it up, if I was interested.      MY IMAGINATION CAUGHT FIRE AS I read about this code language of Pig Latin. I thought it would be so cool to teach my friends so we could talk freely without anyone knowing what we were talking about. The thought of passing notes in class, written in Pig Latin, would allow us to speak freely without anyone understanding what we were talking about if they grabbed the note away from one of us. I began practicing at home by translating books into Pig Latin. Once I felt confident I could easily hold a conversation in the language, I taught a couple of my friends. It did not take long before we started conversing in this new, secret code. The first time I spoke it to a friend in class, the student sitting in front of me turned around and answered the question I was asking my friend. I was devastated. How in the world did she know what I was saying? It never occurred to me that other students would be just as interested as me. The only way I could get around from letting students know what I was thinking and saying, would be to do what the set of twins did in this biographical drama.      IDENTICAL TWINS WITH VIVID IMAGINATIONS CREATE an alternative world where they are the only residents. There was no longer a need to speak to anyone in the real world. With Letitia Wright (Black Panther franchise, Death on the Nile) as June Gibbons, Tamara Lawrence (Boxing Day, Kindred) as Jennifer Gibbons, Nadine Marshall (Paddington 2, The Smoking Room-TV) as Gloria, Treva Etienne (Black Hawk Down, Acts of Desperation) as Aubrey and Michael Smiley (Free Fire, Kill List) as Tim Thomas; this film based on a true story was fascinating to watch at first. However, while the story unfolded I had this gnawing feeling that something was missing—the backstory. I think the script would have been powerful if the writers had spent time showing the history prior to the girls’ introduction to the movie viewers. I thought the acting was excellent from the two leads and the story was certainly attention grabbing; but I always had the question in my mind, “How did this happen?” I felt like an outsider and speaking of being an outsider, for those of you who do not know Pig Latin, the older boy I heard in school was saying, “I will meet you at Scott’s house.”

2 ½ stars

Flash Movie Review: 80 For Brady

THE ONLY REASON I AM MENTIONING it is to accentuate my point. An acquaintance of mine suffered a tragic loss when their best friend was found dead in their home. They said natural causes, which I have always wondered what exactly that means. I assumed it was a stroke or a heart attack since they were middle aged with no known health issues. My purpose for even bringing this up is to be a reminder how life truly is fleeting. When I was younger, I felt I had all the time in the world and now that I have gotten older, I feel like there never is enough time for the things I want to accomplish. One never knows when their life will be over; so I feel it is important to enjoy each and every day. I used to be the type to wish some days away and I still do it from time to time, such as those times that seem more like a chore or annoyance. However, I have been working on trying to stay focused and positive about the things I enjoy in life and living. My consistent catchphrase is, “Life is uncertain, so eat dessert first.” I think it is time to add a second one, “Life is uncertain, so experience something joyful each day.”      ONE OF THE DREAMS THAT I give constant airtime in my mind is taking a trip with a group of friends. I have done trips with one and two friends, but never a group of six or more. Sure, I know the more people that are involved means the more opinions; however, I think if the trip involved taking a cruise there would be less conflict. I do not know if this would be true since I have only done a cruise once in my life, to Alaska. But the idea of a group of us traveling by boat would give us the opportunity to do things as a group and/or individually depending on how each of us were feeling at that moment. This idea intrigues me and I feel it could turn into a memorable, positive experience. The only issue I could see would be the choosing of excursions; however, I do not think it would matter if some did not want to do them or wanted to do a different one. We could meet at night to talk about the day we had, and I feel it would be enjoyable to hear about it. Whether this will come to fruition or not, I do not know at present; but I certainly can see it being a good time. It could even be as similar, for all I know, as the friends in this comedic, sports drama.      A GROUP OF FRIENDS WHO HAVE been following the career of star quarterback, Tom Brady, decide they just must go see him play when his team wins a spot to compete in the Super Bowl. It would be a once in a lifetime experience. With Lily Tomlin (Grandma, Grace and Frankie-TV) as Lou, Jane Fonda (Book Club, Moving On) as Trish, Rita Moreno (West Side Story, One Day at a Time-TV) as Maura, Sally Field (Spoiler Alert; Hello, My Name is Doris) as Betty and Billy Porter (Like a Boss, Pose-TV) as Gugu; the fun factor for this film inspired by a true story was watching the main characters having such a good time. The script was silly and threadbare; there was not much I found funny or believable. On one level I felt embarrassed for the actors, who collectively have received numerous awards, having to try and make sense of the story. Having said this, I found enjoyment watching the senior actors do both physical and verbal comedy. If it was not for them, this would have been a memorable experience all for the wrong reasons. There was an extra scene during the ending credits.

2 stars 

Flash Movie Review: Empire of Light

THE WEEK HAD BEEN EXTREMELY STRESSFUL. Work was challenging and my kitchen demolition was just starting up. The idea of going home and dealing with the new logistics of eating and washing dishes was too much for me to handle after work; so, I decided to go to the movies. With the Academy Awards ceremony taking place in a few weeks, I was excited that I could catch an Oscar nominated film before the telecast. Traffic was heavy which added to the negativity of the past week and my stress, because I was cutting close the time it would take me to get to the theater before the start of the movie. By the time I found a parking space at the theater, it was past the start time; but, I knew there was at least fifteen minutes worth of previews before the actual start of the picture. I ran from the parking garage to the lobby of the theater, checked in with the ticket taker, made a stop at the restroom, then made my way down the hallway to my theater. By the time I settled into my assigned seat, the last film trailer was nearly finished. I had made it in the nick of time and was hoping the movie would provide me with what I needed.      A QUICK AD FOR THE THEATER flashed on the screen as an announcer stated the feature presentation was starting. The lights, which were already dim, lowered completely and the theater was filled with only the tiny LED lights outlining the stairs and exits. The movie started on the wide screen; a setting from an international city in a different time appeared before me. I was familiar with the city, having visited it some time ago. The few patrons in the theater (it was weeknight after all) were quiet and far enough away for me to get transported into the story uninterrupted. This is the ultimate form of relaxation for me; to find myself teleported and inserted into the actions taking place in front of me. All thoughts about the various stresses I was dealing with were pushed out of my mind; or at least out of my consciousness for the time being. I was in that city and experiencing the same effects as the main characters. The story was beautiful and by the end I felt completely relaxed and cozy. That is the magic of being in a movie theater; I can find myself anywhere based on what was showing on the screen. There are very few theaters I have been to that have not allowed me this wonderful experience and I just know the theater set in this romantic drama would be one that would provide me such a trip.      DURING A TIME OF UNREST, A small group of individuals find refuge in their local movie palace where they work. With Olivia Coleman (The Lost Daughter, The Crown-TV) as Hilary, Micheal Ward (Blue Story, The A List-TV) as Stephen, Colin Firth (A Single Man, The King’s Speech) as Donald Ellis, Toby Jones (The Wonder, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) as Norman and Tom Brooke (The Death of Stalin, Preacher-TV) as Neil; this Oscar nominated film had moments of magic in it. Foremost, it was the cast led by Olivia and Micheal that kept me in the story. Next, I enjoyed the way human connections were on display. What I did not understand in parts was the script/story. I could not tell if the story was supposed to be a tribute to movies and I found one of the character’s revelations of racism did not ring true for me. At least the acting and sets were wonderful as I watched Olivia prove she was worthy of her Oscar nomination. This was a touching, adult movie that was almost great.

2 ¾ stars 

Flash Movie Review: Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania

LIKE MANY, THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS I wish I had more of. I would like more closet space, more hair on my head, more freezer space, more money and more time, just to name a few. None of these seem outrageous to me. Being a bargain shopper, I would love to have a larger sized freezer to store extra frozen food items when they go on sale. I miss my full head of thick curly hair, but I do not miss the work it took to keep it neat and tidy. As for money, I am not looking to become a millionaire per se; I just want to get to a comfortable place where I no longer need to worry whether I can afford to spend the money to buy a certain item. Out of the things I listed above, the most important one to me is time. You can take that to mean anything you want, from more time in a day to get things done to more time on this earth to discover and experience new things. There just does not seem to be enough time for me to get all the things I want to get done. So, you see there are some advantages to getting more of something.      ON THE FLIPSIDE OF THAT, THERE are some things I would not want to have more of. More body weight, more debt, more bad teeth; I can go on. It is funny, I have been thinking about how it appears to me society is striving to acquire more stuff. One of my newspaper subscriptions has a weekly supplement section that shows several private listings of super mansions. I am talking about places that have 5-6 bathrooms, 2 kitchens, several bedrooms. I just look at all the photos and ask myself why a person would need so many rooms?!?! Or recently, I was at a restaurant and at the table next to us, a man had ordered one of the restaurant’s known specialty burgers. It came to the table on a platter; I could not help staring at it because it had two hamburger patties, grilled onions, a fried egg, a layer of macaroni and cheese, lettuce, tomato and a layer of some kind of funky spicy sauce. It looked obscene! How I wanted to ask the guy, why would he want to eat that much food; besides asking him how he was planning to eat it. What is this fascination or desire to have more stuff? Even a beloved chocolate sandwich cookie, I see being advertised, now comes in a most stuffed version where the white crème center is huge. It is too much for me and I am sad to say this action, superhero movie suffers from the same syndrome.      WHEN AN EXPERIMENT GOES AWRY, THE Lang and Van Dyne families get pulled into the Quantum Realm, where they discover a new reality, and it is a dangerous one. With Paul Rudd (Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Ideal Home) as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit franchise, South of Heaven) as Hope Van Dyne/The Wasp, Michael Douglas (Animal World, The Kominsky Method-TV) as Dr. Hank Van Dyne, Michelle Pfeiffer (Murder on the Orient Express, The First Lady-TV) as Janet Van Dyne and Jonathan Majors (Devotion, The Harder They Fall) as Kang the Conqueror; this science fiction, adventure comedy was a good example of overindulgence. It was all too much for me; the CGI, the different issues facing the characters and the overabundance of different characters. With a poorly thought out script with a weak story, I was periodically bored. This film lacked the smart humor and tight action drama that many of the previous Marvel Studio movies incorporated into their scripts. Gratefully, Paul Rudd and Michelle Pfeiffer took the brunt of the action/drama in the scenes, and they did a wonderful job. As for Jonathan Majors, who I think is a stellar actor, he was cheated out of showing his full potential until the end. This sequel was a letdown for me. There were two extra scenes in the middle and end of the final credits.                               

2 stars 

Flash Movie Review: The Hatchet Wielding Hitchhiker

BACK IN SCHOOL WE TALKED ABOUT hitchhiking our way to the coast. Since we lived in the Midwest, it would require a lot of hitchhiking to get to the Pacific Ocean. We would sit and conjure up scenarios about the kinds of food and clothing we would need for the trip, including a discussion on what would be the best type of shoe or boot to wear. It all sounded like a solid plan, but never left the talking stage. I loved traveling by almost any means, whether it was by car, train, bus or plane. Each mode of transportation provided me the opportunity to see the country from a different vantage point. One trip by train showed me a mountainous landscape where the icicles were as sharp as daggers. A trip by helicopter was magical because as we rose towards the top of the volcano, we passed through multiple rainbows due to the moisture hanging in the air. When I think back about our idea of hitchhiking, I believe there was a part of me that was hesitant about sitting with a stranger, feeling forced to carry on a conversation. Sometimes, I do not have an issue talking to a fellow passenger on a plane or train; but other times, I just want to chill out with my own thoughts. There have been times where I purposely have kept a magazine open on my lap, hoping the person next to me backs off from attempting to make small talk.      THE OTHER THING THAT HELD ME back from moving forward with our plans was the fact that I had already seen enough movies where the innocent character was picked up by a stranger and killed at some point. Or the other scenario would involve being dropped off at the side of a road in the middle of nowhere. I do not mind hiking a few miles but not hours and hours without finding water or food. When I was a kid, I do not recall hearing any negative news about hitchhiking. To tell you the truth, I cannot remember even hearing or seeing hitchhikers; maybe it was not a thing back then. However, at some point when I completed my schooling, I recall becoming aware of hitchhikers; maybe because instead of being on a campus I was traveling now down into the city, seeing more of the landscape. As I am writing this review, I am trying to remember when the last time was, I recently saw a hitchhiker on the side of the road. And you know something; I cannot recall when the last time was, I saw someone hitchhiking. After seeing this unreal documentary, why would anyone want to hitchhike?      WHEN A LONE HITCHHIKER GETS CAUGHT on video saving a woman’s life, he becomes an instant viral sensation. Not to soon after, he becomes a different type of sensation, a sinister one. Written and directed by Colette Camden (The Rise of the Anti-Vaxx Movement, America on a Plate: The Story of the Diner) this crime story about Kai Lawrence, the hitchhiker, was unbelievable. I was fascinated watching the trajectory of his quick fame as everyone was jumping on the bandwagon, to shower Kai with praise and gifts. The story came about with the help of KMPH news anchor Jessob Reisbeck and cameraperson, Terry Woods. Not being someone who does much online, I was fascinated at the quickness and intensity in Kai’s fame. What stayed as an unknown to me in this movie was the fact that there was never any discussion about Kai’s circumstances. Was there a mental health issue or childhood trauma that led him to the path he was on? I felt there could have been more investigative work into the back story. The story in this documentary will grab the viewer; but, I do not know if it will keep hold of their attention for the duration.

2 ½ stars 

Flash Movie Review: Your Place or Mine

THERE WAS ALWAYS THAT AWKWARD MOMENT when I would introduce one of my best friends to my date. You see, a couple of my closest friends are female; one of them was my girlfriend in elementary school. Because I have had such a long history with my closest friends, they mince no words in voicing an opinion and for that, I am grateful. Some of the people I have dated never made it to the “meeting the best friend” stage; but others had, and a few did so with trepidation. I understood their concerns because it was rare for me not to talk about my best friends early in the relationship. It was never difficult for them to figure out what an important part these friends play in my life, and I could understand their concerns because if I was in their place, I would probably feel the same way. I never considered meeting my friends as a test; it was more about me having strong enough feelings towards this person that I wanted my best friends to see for themselves. Some dates, I found out later, felt threatened on some level. If I was able to perceive it, I would try to start a conversation with them to understand why. What became apparent to me among those that felt threatened was they all seemed to lack a certain level of confidence. At some point soon after meeting these dates they would drift away from maintaining their relationship with me.      WHENEVER I MET FOR THE FIRST time my date’s friends, I always kept a mindset that I knew I was going to be judged but I never gave it a thought. I could only be myself; if my date needed reassurances or criticisms from their friends I was okay with it. However, if they acted on their friends’ comments then I knew the two of us were not meant to be together. There were never any hard feelings. The thing I found interesting was the fact that I was in a minority, because not many of the people I dated had close friends of the opposite sex. My way of thinking was, why wouldn’t they want to have that opportunity to see things through the eyes of someone different. Not that I ever made a big deal about it; it was just a curiosity I have always had inside of me. Because of my close friends, I feel I have a better appreciation or understanding of the things that make a relationship stronger. Of course, the fundamental action in any relationship is the ability to communicate; one must be able to express their feelings. This is good advice even for the characters in this romantic comedy.      WHEN LONG TERM FRIENDS SWAP THEIR homes for a short period of time to help one of them in a pinch, they discover things they never knew about each other, even after all the years they have been friends. With Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line, Home Again) as Debbie Dunn, Ashton Kutcher (No Strings Attached, That ‘70s Show-TV) as Peter Coleman, Zoe Chao (Downhill, Strangers-TV) as Minka, Jesse Williams (The Cabin in the Woods, Grey’s Anatomy-TV) as Theo Martin and Wesley Kimmel (The Hater, Jimmy Kimmel Live!-TV) as Jack; this film’s strength was having Reese and Ashton in it. However, for a rom com, they had little chemistry between them. The script was quite generic and predictable, unfortunately. I thought the idea behind the story was different, but there really was no emotional connections, let alone the odd roles left for the supporting cast. This was such a weird mix of scenarios, that I fell into a mindless state. Each of the main actors alone could have been better if they had the right script, though Ashton has not lost his ability to say something with just a look of his face or actions. When left with the choice of one of their places, you would be better off booking a room somewhere else.                                  

1 ¾ stars  

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