Monthly Archives: May 2014
Flash Movie Review: Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return
Many times I have been told change is good. I am not 100% sold on it, though I will agree to the idea of evolving. Change is something done by a traffic light. Look at all the consumer items that keep changing; are they all really necessary? I believe these changes in packaging or designs have contributed to us becoming a disposable society. There are some things I prefer keeping just the way they were created. I have an old candle holder that used to sit on our dining room table when I was a little kid. It is tarnished and scratched but I do not care; the memories associated with it span my youth. A friend of mine has a wooden, hand carved, standing ashtray made by her father. She does not smoke but the piece is so exquisitely detailed and beautiful that she uses it as a candy dish. A serving bowl would be easier but the stacked column of small elephant figurines has been a great conversation piece, made by her father’s own 2 hands. There are just some things that do not need to change; they were perfect right from the start. Such is the case with the changes in this animated musical film. The story takes place after the Wizard of Oz where Dorothy, voiced by Lea Michele (New Year’s Eve, Glee-TV), returns to Oz to help save it from the evil jester, voiced by Martin Short (Innerspace, Father of the Bride franchise). The cast was comprised of a formidable group of celebrities such as Dan Aykroyd (The Campaign, Ghostbusters franchise) as the Scarecrow, James Belushi (Red Heat, The Ghost) as the Lion and Kelsey Grammer (Fame, Cheers-TV) as the Tin Man. The voices and the singing should be considered the only positive element to this family film that was wrong on so many levels. The animation was uncreative and lifeless to the point I thought it had dulled my senses. I found the story lacked any excitement, fun, joy, tenderness or surprise: I could keep going on if you wish. The spattering of adults and children around me in the theater had no reaction to any of the scenes. It was so quiet that at one point I was hoping a baby would have started crying just to see if everyone had been sleeping. I could not find a reason why this awful movie needed to be made. There is a reason some things are considered classic; they do not need to be changed because they are timeless. This film was made for a disposable society, so toss it off of your to do list.
1 1/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Finding Vivian Maier
The day was a dull grey with roaming packs of spewing dark clouds threatening the landscape. I was determined to make the hike since it was the only day I would be in the area. Trekking along the marked trail, I was grateful I wore long pants since the plants with their lush soft edges had a real bite underneath their green leaves. Whenever I was lucky to feel a breeze filter into the dense forest, it was always filled with a dampness that my skin soaked up. The reason I was doing this was because I had read there was an ideal vantage point where I would be able to see the two stepped waterfall in its entirety. If there was going to be rain I was hoping it would wait until I could take a few photographs. As I reached a sharp turn to the left I felt I was walking onto a stage. The dense foliage had split apart like a heavy, green velvet curtain and a single slash of bright sunlight tore a sliver in the sky. Laid out before me was not only the waterfall but appearing like a ghost was a rainbow forming through the mist of water crashing down on the lower rocks. It was such a beautiful site that surprised me more than I imagined. Watching this gem of a documentary gave me the same sense of surprised wonder. Seeking out old photographs for a project, John Maloof was high bidder for an old trunk filled with film negatives. It turned out all of the frames were shot by a Vivian Maier. Though an internet search of her produced nothing, John realized he found something special. This film festival winner was a double surprise for me. First, there were her photographs which were shown throughout the film. Having minored in photography back in college I was not only fascinated with her style, but with the incredible depth in her shots. Her photos had their own personality that seemed to come alive no matter the subject. Secondly, the story about Vivian’s life, which was mildly non-descript, was unreal to the point where I almost found it hard to believe she was the creator of such incredible work. On a personal note, I got an extra charge out of this movie because I had been to some of the same places as Vivian. If you do not have an appreciation for photography, you may not get as excited about this film as I did. However, there still was an amazing story that would still surprise you.
3 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Moms’ Night Out
I am discovering it is not easy to write a movie review about a group of mothers. Unless you have a mother like Carrie White or Joan Crawford, how can anyone say something negative about mothers? A recent survey shows 68% of all moms take care of the majority of household duties; 56% do most of the parenting; 30% work 2 or more jobs and 47% help their children every night with homework. C’mon, talk about being able to multitask; mothers are amazing. I do not want to cause any conflict within your family, but I recently read a retail association’s survey that showed the average price paid for a mother’s day gift this year was $163.00, down from last year’s $169.00. This is just my opinion but mothers are being underpaid; then again, we can have a whole conversation about females being paid less than men. Opening this past mother’s day weekend was this comedy about a group of mothers. Desperate for a night out without the kids Allyson, played by Sarah Drew (Grey’s Anatomy-TV, Everwood-TV), made dinner plans with her friends Sondra and Zoe, played by Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond-TV, The Middle-TV) and Logan White (Me Again, Revelation Road franchise). With their husbands taking care of the children the three women could have a quiet, peaceful meal without cutting up someone’s food or wiping a runny nose. Obviously nothing could possibly go wrong when you have the fathers taking care of the kids. The best thing going for this film was it being family friendly; there were no inappropriate scenes or use of strong language. Unfortunately it was the only positive thing I could say about this movie. If this was to be a gift for all the mothers out there, everyone involved in the making of this picture must have issues regarding their parents. The script was so awful; I found nothing original or funny. In fact, I think all the characters were bad stereotypes. Sean Astin (The Goonies, The Lord of the Rings franchise) as Allyson’s husband Sean was a generic version of every harried father character that has been done before. The acting was close to non-exsistent, though the script did not help one single bit. Patricia Heaton was listed as an executive producer and I am sorry, she should have known better. It was so painful watching this movie that I felt I had done something wrong and was being forced to sit through it to the very end as punishment.
1 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Neighbors
Somehow I never received the rule book on how one is to act based on their birth age. All I know is birth age is simply a measuring tool for how long someone has been alive. It has nothing to do with how you live. At a recent training for certification in a new exercise format, during introductions I noticed I had been teaching the longest. What I did not know was how I was being perceived as an old person. As we went through the instructions it became apparent people were making allowances for my ability to perform the precise physical movements. They were challenging for me but not due to a lack of strength. I was having a hard time because the moves were written down; I am a visual learner. The funny part to all of this was when we had to hold a yoga plank position; I was able to longer than most of the other participants. Magically I suddenly earned a new respect from everyone. I was now accepted as part of the group and felt like I was on equal footing with them. It was something Kelly and Mac Radner, played by Rose Byrne (Get Him to the Greek, Damages-TV) and Seth Rogan (This is the End 50/50), were striving for when they went to introduce themselves to the fraternity house that opened up next door. Unfortunately the Radners lost their cool factor when they broke their promise to frat officers Teddy and Pete, played by Zac Efron (That Awkward Moment, The Lucky One) and Dave Franco (Now You See Me, Warm Bodies). This comedy had enough strong language and situations to be an equal opportunity offender to anyone who dislikes crude and rude humor. I thought the movie’s story line about trying to fit in was the better one out of the script. After a while I just became numb to the jokes and pranks. Rose was one of the stronger actors out of the cast and I was surprised in her ability to handle the role of Kelly. Zac appeared to have found a perfect role for himself: a smart aleck, charming and chiseled frat president. The writers had a field day always setting up Zac and Seth as a before and after advertisement for combatants. At one point I felt this film was hoping to be this generation’s Animal House movie; it did not succeed. If you are not easily offended then chances are you will find things to laugh at in this movie. If you find yourself not enjoying this picture, do not worry about it; you will be able to find and be part of a group of similarly minded folks. Cute scenes during the credits.
2 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Fading Gigolo
There is a force that is more powerful than any drug; that can turn us into valiant, strong fighters and yet can also bring us down to our knees, wallowing in a puddle of our lost dreams. Love is the force that can make and turn us into so many different variations of ourself. There are some people who love to be in love, where the person they are with may not be the sole focus of their affection. I have seen couples like this, where one person is not motivated to do kind gestures from their heart; they have seen or read about it and are just copying it. An example would be surprising your significant other with tickets to, let us say, a play or sporting event. The fact that they do not know if the other person would like such things does not matter; they just know it is something one is supposed to do. Then there are some people who are driven by their love of something, like money or food. Love can make people do such a variety of things and you will be able to see it for yourself in this dramatic comedy. John Turturro (Barton Fink, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3) wrote, directed and starred as florist Floravante in this film festival winning movie. Since he was having a hard time making ends meet, Floravante agreed to the plan concocted by his friend Murray, played by Woody Allen (To Rome with Love, Deconstructing Harry). Floravante would be a male escort for a select group of clients. He would discover everyone had their own definition of love. My first reaction to this movie was it felt like it was trying to be a Woody Allen film. There was the same vibe and look to it and even had Woody playing Woody. I did not find much else in common, finding the script to be odd and disconnected in parts. Sharon Stone (Casino, Total Recall) and Sofia Vergara (Machete Kills, Modern Family-TV) as Dr. Parker and Selma were not believable in the least. All I saw on the screen was Sharon and Sofia, not there characters. A nugget of interest was generated with the story line involving Liev Schreiber (Salt, Defiance) as Dovi and Vanessa Paradis (Heartbreaker, The Girl on the Bridge) as Avigal but it never evolved and I disliked what happened to them. There were scenes that were amusing and others that were dull, making an unevenness that led to boredom. I think i knew what John was trying to do in this film but I did not love it.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: A Haunted House 2
The repetitive irritations in life can be considered the universe’s way of testing us to see if we have learned to let go. Scrubbing down from top to bottom your kitchen after spotting a trail of ants, only to discover the next day they returned, can be upsetting. Maybe you were inflicted with a rash, where you had to apply a topical ointment and take medicine. It finally cleared up in a couple of weeks. Three days later your skin started to itch, heralding the return of the rash and a new round of antibiotics. This past winter was not only hard for me but it was irritating. It seemed like every time I shoveled the snow around my house another storm would come by and I had to redo the sidewalks again. I remember at one point thinking if I could rent a flame thrower, it would be worth it to take care of the unrelenting snow. At least I knew the seasons would eventually change but imagine what poor Malcolm, played by Marlon Wayans (Scary movie franchise, White Chicks), had to go through when he discovered he was being haunted again. In this sequel Malcolm was starting out fresh; he had his new girlfriend Megan, played by Jamie Pressly (My Name is Earl-TV; I Love you, Man), a new house and new neighbor Miguel, played by Gabriel Iglesias (Magic Mike, Days of Santiago). Life was good until Malcolm noticed something was wrong. The basis of this comedy horror movie was to be a parody of several recent scary films. I will say Marlon threw himself into his character, screaming and yelling his way through the physical stunts. At one point it seemed as if Marlon created this picture just so he could see how many times he could be on screen without wearing clothes. Since the movie trailer had some of the better humor, there was very little in this film that produced a chuckle or snicker out of me. I just found the story was one long series of skits, each one getting more ridiculous than the previous one. As for commenting on the directing or camera work, there really was nothing I could offer since this film didn’t pretend to be anything else but what it was–a low level joke fest. Maybe I was wrong to assume Marlon had more to offer, because if he is going to make these movies a continuing franchise, they will become nothing more than a plantar wart that keeps coming back.
1 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Snow Cake
We were never properly informed so we did not know any better at the time. There was a little girl in our class that we had to be careful around whenever we were near her. The teacher only told us she could become seriously ill if she fell or cut herself. Of course this made all of us more curious about her. It was on the playground where we found out she was a hemophiliac; she was the one who told and explained it to us. Until she did however, there were kids who would not go near her. I now know with the HIPPA act and privacy concerns there may be an issue with talking about someone’s medical condition; but until it was explained to us, there were a few classmates who behind her back would say she had cooties. As I grew up I began to notice how people with a certain genetic disposition were being stigmatized. I did not understand why anyone would be uncomfortable with someone who had diabetes or deafness. In this film festival winning drama I was totally taken by the story and performances. Alan Rickman (Nobel Son, Harry Potter franchise) played Alex, who was on a road trip to Winnipeg, Canada. After being involved in an automobile accident; Alex went to pay his respects to the grieving mother Linda, played by Sigourney Weaver (Avatar, Alien franchise). He discovered she was a high functioning autistic woman who seemed more concerned about the garbage being taken out on time instead of her deceased daughter. Sigourney was outstanding in this role; in fact, while I watched this film I was surprised I had no recollection of it ever being advertised or at the movie theaters. Alan’s acting was fine but I felt the script may have been biased towards his previous works; it took a while before he overcame it and grew into this character. Even with some predictability in the script I enjoyed the small town feel along with the characters Vivienne and Maggie, played by Emily Hampshire (Cosmopolis, It’s a Boy Thing) and Carrie-Anne Moss (The Matrix franchise, Disturbia). Though the subject of autism was not the only story line, I thought it was handled brilliantly. Of course I have to reiterate Sigourney had a lot to do with it. This was a surprise find for me on DVD, where I not only felt invested in the story but enjoyed sitting and watching it.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Locke
As I pulled up alongside the stopped vehicle, the driver’s head was slumped down as if he had passed out or was praying. When the traffic light turned green he lifted his head and draped the newspaper he was reading over the steering wheel and drove off. Now I love reading newspapers but even I would wait until I was in a less potentially dangerous environment before I would start reading something. My daily commute takes me through several neighborhoods where over the last few years I have seen some of the most incredulous things being done by drivers. There was the woman who was fixing her hair with a curling iron while driving with only one hand on the steering wheel. I remember passing by a car where the driver was shaving with an electric shaver. My favorite sighting was the man brushing his teeth while driving and rinsing out his mouth with a can of soda pop. When did the automobile become an extension of our house or office? I do not want to even think about a cousin who always drove around with a couple of empty, plastic water bottles in his car. It seems as if everyone is in a hurry these days, needing to be available around the clock. What could be so important that one could not wait until they were at the office or not driving their car? The answer lies in Tom Hardy’s (The Dark Knight Rises, Warriors) tour de force performance as Ivan Locke in this dramatic thriller. On an extended drive to London, Ivan would have to handle a variety of matters that needed his immediate attention. Writer and director Steven Knight (Closed Circuit, Dirty Pretty Things) had the perfect actor for this role that required him to spend the entire film in his car. I thought it would be a challenge to sit and watch this film festival nominated movie but Tom drew me in along with others such as Olivia Colman (Cuban Fury, The Iron Lady) as Bethan and Andrew Scott (Saving Private Ryan, Dead Bodies) as Donal. The way the story unfolded paralleled the miles covered by Ivan in his SUV, along with the changing camera angles that kept everything moving forward; all of it provided an interesting take on the scenes. I had read afterwards the vehicle had a gas gauge alarm that annoyed Tom while performing his scenes. The director kept filming, only eliminating the sound during editing. If anything it only made Tom’s acting even stronger. Now when I see someone talking while driving I imagine if they are experiencing any of the issues Ivan faced in this startling good film.
3 1/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2
It can be a heart wrenching experience to be on the receiving end of a change without any explanation. Imagine after dating someone for several months they one day tell you they can no longer do this and say goodbye. You are left with a hole inside of you that will not heal properly. You can fill it with anger, vowing you will never let someone get that close to you again or you can push yourself to find someone else to fill the emptiness inside; but in the back of your mind a seed of doubt took hold that maybe you did something “wrong” that drove your boyfriend/girlfriend away. I also have to believe being let go from a job without being told a reason why has to be brutal. How about a child who has enough awareness to know they are being given up to someone else? I cannot even comprehend what ramifications would emerge from it, which is why I thought the strongest part of this action adventure sequel was the back story about the parents of Peter Parker aka Spider-Man, played by Andrew Garfield (The Social Network, Boy A). In his attempt to find out the reason why his parents left him, Peter would discover a surprising secret buried at his father’s former employer, Oscorp. The big plus to this movie were the special effects; I especially liked the way they incorporated iconic landmarks. With the single exception of Sally Field (Lincoln, Mrs. Doubtfire) as Peter’s Aunt May and Emma Stone (Gangster Squad, The Help) as Peter’s girlfriend Stacy, I did not find much else to like about this overindulgent fantasy film. Jamie Foxx (Law Abiding Citizen, Ray) looked better than he acted as Max Dillon aka Electro and Dane DeHaan (Lawless, Kill Your Darlings) would have been a better Harry Osborn if the writers would have left him alone. There were too many villains, too many story lines and too much whining to make this an exciting movie for me. The majority of the blame has to fall on the writers. I felt they were trying to outdo any current superhero movies by making Spider-Man deal with so many different issues in this one film. They needed a good editor to clean up the voluminous scenes, making a tighter story and shortening the film’s 2 hours and 23 minutes running time. If this sequel is any indication I will not be upset if the movie studio does not make a 3rd film; I do not even need to know the reasons why. There was one surprise scene in the middle of the ending credits.
2 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Walking with the Enemy
I would think a majority of us at one time or another avoid revealing our true identity to someone or pretend to be somebody else. Before she goes back home a friend of mine has to alter her appearance to avoid standing out while she travels through her native country. She has to take any colored highlights out of her hair, wear no jewelry and dress in tattered old blue jeans. All of this has to be done to avoid any suspicious characters who may use her for profit. A few winters back I wore a city policeman’s jacket that I had found at a surplus store. Besides finding it fun to wear it actually could keep me warm. It did not occur to me at first but a couple of times while walking up to a checkout line, the person in front of me would let me go ahead. I had assumed it was because I only had a few items, but then I realized the people must be reacting to my policeman’s jacket. When I work out at a different health club, I avoid telling the instructor I teach also; I do not want to be judged by a different standard. The examples I have mentioned are just a speck of sand on the beach of reasons one would use to cover their identity; but, the reason for it in this historical drama was one of the most noble I have seen. Returning back home Hungarian Elek Cohen, played by Jonas Armstrong (Book of Blood, Robin Hood-TV), discovered his family was taken away by members of the Arrow Cross party who were sympathetic to the Nazi cause. With Germany tightening its fist around Hungary during WWII, Elek thought the only way he could safely look for his family was to impersonate a Nazi SS officer. He would find more than he imagined during his search. Inspired by a true story this film festival winning movie had an unbelievable story to tell. I could not help but compare Elek Cohen to Oskar Schindler from the film Schindler’s List; however, the 2 movies were drastically different. This action drama was poorly made with uninspired writing and acting. Ben Kingsley (Iron Man 3, Hugo) as Regent Horthy was completely wasted in this film. I did not find any acting worth noting for this review. Except for the obvious scenes that told you this was a story about the Holocaust, it seemed to me the movie was trying to keep it a secret.
1 3/4 stars
moviejoltz 