Monthly Archives: April 2020
Flash Movie Review: Harpoon
THERE IS A BLURRED BOUNDARY LINE when it comes to whether someone is being serious or simply kidding around. I had a friend who enjoyed crossing this line. He had a wicked sense of humor and was quick with the comeback. It was that humor that saved him many times from getting into a verbal fight with someone. Long ago I gave up asking him to try and tone down his remarks, explaining what he thought was funny may not translate to another person. If someone mentioned something about a new article of clothing they were wearing, he would always remark with a negative comment; something along the lines of, “Was it on the clearance rack?” or “Did you buy it to wear at a funeral?” He would then say, “only kidding” followed with complimenting them profusely which in my opinion always came across as being fake. There were times where I was near enough to witness his interaction with an individual and could see in the stranger’s face they thought he was rude. I learned over the years that just saying “I’m kidding” after an off-putting remark doesn’t always cut it. Especially if the person you are saying it to you does not even know you and your humor; it really turns into an uncomfortable situation. NOW I BET YOU ARE ASKING yourself why am I friends with such an individual and trust me, I have asked myself the same question at times. Though we have history together, I learned many years ago not to react to his catty comments. After awhile of not getting a reaction out of me from his remarks, he stopped doing it to me. Believe it or not, he did have some good qualities I value in a friendship; so, I put up with his behavior. It would be nice if we could cut out the things we don’t like about a person, but that is not the case. The way I feel about unconditional love is the same way I feel about friendships; one has to accept the entire person or not. For example, I had a friend who constantly cancelled plans we made together. I would reach out to see if they wanted to get together for lunch or dinner and they would be all enthusiastic about it. Then, a day or two before we were to get together they would cancel on me. Once or twice I can understand; but after several times I switched things up and told them to let me know when they wanted to get together. I am still waiting for that invite. In my world, that person is more of an acquaintance to me then a friend. For the friends in this comedy horror, I would be fine if we were not even acquaintances. STUCK OUT ON A YACHT IN THE middle of the ocean, it didn’t take long for three best friends to get sick of each other. With Munro Chambers (Turbo Kid, Godsend) as Jonah, Christopher Gray (Christmas All Over Again, The Mist-TV) as Richard, Emily Tyra (Code Black-TV, Flesh and Bones-TV) as Sasha and Brett Gelman (The Other Guys, Lemon) as the Narrator; this film festival winner had an intentional snarky edge to it. There were a couple of scenes that got my attention, but I am afraid that was it for me. Except for the twist in the story, I was bored through the majority of this movie. There was nothing noteworthy about the acting and at times, I felt some of the action was ridiculous. Several scenes had blood and violence in them, with one of them starting early in the story. It is not easy to pull off a comedic horror picture; I did not experience either of them in this movie. Maybe the writers were joking around but I felt like the joke was on me after I spent the time watching this movie.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Christine
I DID NOT NOTICE HER WHEN I entered the classroom. My main concern was finding an empty seat. The class was mandatory; my friends teased me about the title of it, Meat and Animal Science. The instructor walked in and explained what was expected of us for the semester. After he was finished with his introduction, the teacher asked us to pair up with another student to become lab partners for the course. Since it was our first day, all the students simply asked whoever was sitting next to them. I became partnered with a farm boy, using his definition, from a little town that had only one stoplight. I thought he was joking, but it turned out he was not. The teacher waited a few moments to get the talking to die down before asking if anyone did not get a partner; one lone hand was raised in the air and it was from a female student. I looked around the room and noticed for the first time that she was the only female; it was just a curious observation on my part. The instructor assigned her to the two students sitting next to her who had teamed up, forming a trio. AS WE PROGRESSED THROUGH THE SEMESTER, there were times my partner and I were stationed near the trio during our lab time. I did not notice at first; but as the weeks passed, I noticed the female student was rarely working alongside her lab partners. My first thought was that she wanted to work alone. The reason being anytime her group had to do a presentation, the two male students would do the talking and fielding of questions. She would nod her head in agreement and would only talk if the instructor or student asked her something directly. As the weeks continued, I paid closer attention to her group, mostly to satisfy my own curiosity. I began to notice she did offer suggestions and advice to her teammates; they would nod their heads and/or mumble something I could not make out. However, based on how they proceeded, I saw the female lab partner would start up her own work on the task. I could only assume her lab partners were ignoring her and doing what they felt was the right thing to do. As far as I could tell the instructor did not notice or, sadly if this was the case, did notice and did not care. I did not know how she made out in the course, but I felt sad that her lab partners treated her with a lack of respect. My feelings for the main character in this film festival winning drama were similar. ON HER QUEST TO REPORT ONLY hard news stories television news reporter Christine Chubbuck, played by Rebecca Hall (The Town, The Gift), constantly came up against roadblocks. Whether it was not being the right type of story or something else; the only thing left was for her to create the story she wanted to report on. With Michael C. Hall (Kill Your Darlings, Dexter-TV) as George, Tracy Letts (Lady Bird, The Post) as Michael, Maria Dizzia (True Story, Rachel Getting Married) as Jean and J. Smith-Cameron (Man on a Ledge, You Can Count on Me) as Peg; this biographical story was based on true events. The key in making this movie work was the cast, led by the amazing Rebecca in her role. Unfamiliar to me, it was because of the cast’s acting skills that kept me involved with the plot. It took a while for me to get a sense of what was going on; but once I did, I enjoyed watching this movie. What surprised me about this picture was the fact not only was I unaware of the story, but also that I could not recall having heard anything about Rebecca’s amazing performance.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Crip Camp
IT WAS THE CLANKING SOUND THAT made me turn and look at the storefront. I was living out of state to attend college and was exploring the downtown section of the city I was now living in. The clanking sound came from a man sitting in a wheelchair, who was stuck between 2 sets of doors. His back was towards me; I could not tell if he was trying to leave or enter the store. A couple of people passed in front of me as I walked up to him and offered to help. He said he was trying to get out of the store when both sets of doors wedged him in. I took a look down at the wheel of his chair and saw what needed to be done to free him. I had to lift the edge of the chair up just enough to free the door so I could push it out with my foot. Putting the wheel back down, the man wheeled himself out onto the sidewalk. It was there I finally saw he was missing his left leg. Up until that time the only people I had seen sitting in a wheelchair were patients in a hospital or people who temporarily needed a wheelchair while they mended a broken leg. The man thanked me profusely before he wheeled himself away. I took a look at the doors to the store and thought they were a bit narrow which explained why it was not easy for the man to enter and exit the place. AS I CONTINUED ON MY WAY, I could not get the image of the man in the wheelchair out of my head. I tried to picture how his daily life must be, sitting in his chair. The first thing that came to mind was transportation; how did he get around? Was he able to drive a car, I wondered? Maybe he could with his right leg. But, what if he did not have a car and had to take a bus; how would he get on the bus while sitting in his wheelchair? The more I thought about the everyday things I do, the more I thought about the challenges facing that man. As I kept thinking of other scenarios that would be impactful for the man, I thought about those people who might not have one or both arms, the ones who did not have the ability to hear or see and so on. This made me look at my surroundings in a whole different way. How challenging it must be for these individuals each and every day. What they might not have known was things were going to change because of one particular camp that was operating in the Catskills. PARENTS WHO SENT THEIR CHILDREN TO Camp Jened found when their children returned home, they were not the same. This film festival-winning documentary stunned me on several levels. Not only did I learn something new, I was thoroughly entertained and engrossed by the presentation of the subject matter. Written and directed by Nicole Newnham (The Rape of Europa, Sentenced Home) and first timer James Lebrecht, this film began its story in the 1970s. From the Catskills story line, the viewer becomes exposed to the beginning of a monumental movement that was to take place later in the movie. By the time the story shifts to Berkeley, California, we see how the activities at the camp created a special bond among the campers that fueled their desires. I thought the mix of archival and current video clips created a captivating presentation of the story. I will admit I was not cognizant of the laws that were passed, though I was aware of them. Sitting and watching this movie was an eye-opening experience that I doubt I will ever forget.
4 stars
moviejoltz 