Monthly Archives: December 2021
Flash Movie Review: Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins
I THOUGHT WE WERE MORE THAN coworkers, that we were friends. We worked in separate departments but needed to communicate with each other to do our jobs. At company events we would hang out together; we had a similar sense of humor and viewpoints. Sometimes we would meet after work to grab a bite to eat, especially if one of us had a frustrating day. When time permitted, we would get together on a weekend to catch a movie or meet at the shopping mall to do some retail therapy. As time passed our friendship went deeper where we were comfortable to confide in each other. Some of the topics we talked about would be of a more personal nature. I remember one of the things I mentioned was a surprise for them. We laughed about it and afterwards I asked to please keep the information to themselves. Work kept us busy and the two of us were maintaining the status quo. I think it was 2 or 3 months later when a friend in my department said they had to tell me something. I said sure; I was all ears. What they told me made my stomach drop. My fellow coworker was in the lunchroom and two employees were sitting at another table talking about me. What they were discussing was the personal thing I told my “work friend.” I was stunned, shocked and hurt. ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ATTRIBUTES I feel a human should have is trustworthiness. Trust is something I value greatly. I never give my trust out without a person earning it. This co-worker who betrayed me broke my trust which wounded me deeply. Once I feel my trust has been broken/abused, it is hard for a person to ever get it back. In the past I could hold a grudge against a person for years and for all I know I can still do it. I find the act of breaking a person’s trust to be such a hateful act. After hearing the news about myself, the question I had was what to do about my friend in the other department. I did not know whether to run over and confront them or simply ignore them. What I did know was I did not want to let these hurt feelings stay and fester inside of me. The one thing I knew about myself was not to confront them immediately because my anger was at a high level and I would have been on attack mode. Not to go into more revealing details, all I will say is it took me a couple of months before I brought up the subject. Trust is such a vital part of being human in my opinion, that I totally sympathized with the feelings on display in this action, adventure fantasy. HAVING SAVED THE LIFE OF THE heir to an ancient clan, the loner was taken in to become part of the family. From the things he encountered within the family, he would soon have to face the feelings he had about his past. With Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians, Last Christmas) as Snake Eyes, Andrew Koji (Warrior-TV, Casualty-TV) as Tommy, Haruka Abe (Cruella, She’s Just a Shadow) as Takehiro Hira, Peter Mensah (300 franchise, Spartacus-TV) as Blind Master and Takehiro Hira (Lost Girls and Love Hotels, Killing for the Prosecution) as Kenta; this G.I. Joe spinoff had a great look to it and exciting fight scenes. The cast was very good but not good enough to raise the average script. I felt the story was a conglomerate of previous films in this genre. There was a predictability to the scenes’ actions which cut into the excitement/tension level. I am afraid this movie was just an average viewing experience; nothing major or minor in it. There was an extra scene early into the ending credits.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Respect
WE WERE WAITING FOR OVER AN hour past the designated time, before she walked out on stage. No announcement, no greetings; she barely even looked out at us. I was excited to see her perform live since I had been listening to her songs for some years. When she stepped out onto the stage all of us got up out of our seats and cheered for her, immediately forgetting the long delay. She was dressed in a long, peach colored dress that sparkled under the spotlights. Musicians flooded out from both sides of the stage, quickly making their way to their spots. A grand piano sat just off center of the stage that a man walked up to and sat down. He began to fiddle with a stack of sheet music he had carried with, pulling out several sheets that he placed on top of the piano. She stood next to the microphone stand, watching him with a look on her face like a mother irritated for reminding her child it was bedtime. With everyone settled into their spot, the man at the piano struck a key with his finger while the other hand moved up and down as he snapped his fingers. The band started and the singer turned her back to us as she began to sing one of her songs. Throughout the entire concert I only saw her face a couple of times. AFTER THAT SHOW, I VOWED I would never spend money to go see her in concert. She was the first musical artist I ever saw live in concert who did not say one word between singing her songs. I was not the only one who felt this way. During her song “Respect,” someone sitting near me yelled out, “Why don’t you give us some respect?” I remember sitting there at one point and wondering if she had forgotten how a song gets to be #1 on the music charts. It gets there based on sales and downloads. In other words, it is the fans who buy and listen to the song that determine its rank. I understand everyone has a “bad” day; I know I do. However, I do not let my issues interfere with my job. It makes no sense for me to unload my frustrations onto someone else, especially since they have not been part of the problem. Despite my feelings about the musical artist Aretha Franklin, I went to see this movie with an open mind and as usual avoided hearing and reading any reviews about it beforehand. AT AN EARLY AGE THERE WAS something special about the little girl’s singing. At times, it would be the only thing that saves her. With Jennifer Hudson (Cats, Black Nativity) as Aretha Franklin, Forest Whitaker (Black Panther, Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey) as C.L. Franklin, Marlon Wayans (A Haunted House franchise, On the Rocks) as Ted White, Tituss Burgess (Then Came You, Are you Joking?) as James Cleveland and Audra McDonald (Hello Again, The Good Fight-TV) as Barbara; this biographical musical drama survived because of Jennifer and Forest. She was incredible in the role and I can see why Aretha hand picked her to play the role. The musical numbers were the highlight for me; as for the other scenes, they felt sanitized. It was as if every scene was done with the idea of scratching only the surface of the event to keep things clean and tidy. I felt the script, based on true events, was scrubbed of any scenes that would place Aretha in a “bad light.” It was as if scenes with strong emotions on display were being dialed down. Again, the performances were terrific as was the musical scenes; but by the end of the film, I was a bit numb about the whole thing—except the ending scene during the start of the credits.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
I TOOK THE BRUNT OF THEIR kidding because I had never heard of such a college degree. A group of my classmates and myself were sitting at the student union. The building was an old, medieval looking structure. The food hall was in the lower level where the space had arched beams in the ceiling. We were sitting at a large table when one of my classmates motioned to a table close to us that had a group of women sitting and talking. He described a couple of the women at the table who were in one of his classes and said that group was here for a M.R.S. degree. The guys around me laughed as I sat there perplexed. I asked what kind of degree was a M.R.S and was answered with more laughter. Finally, my lab partner asked me what the letters spell out; I answered, “Mrs.” He said exactly, they are only attending the university to find a husband. Maybe I am not the brightest bulb in the marquis, bur I was more confused. Who would spend so much money to go to college just to look for a mate? Another guy at the table said he had a couple of lecture hall classes with a few of the women, and he agreed with my lab partner. He said they would stand outside the hall and watch the students walking in until they saw an attractive guy, then would come in and try to sit close to them. I found the whole thing preposterous. HERE I THOUGHT I HAD HEARD everything, yet there was more news to come my way. A few weeks later a free, independent weekly news magazine came out with an article listing a group of universities that excelled in specific categories. It turned out my university was number #1 for drinking, alcohol that is. A school in the southern part of my home state was listed as the best “party school.” What caught my eye was a university close to a major city in my state that was listed as the best “husband hunting” place. I understood this news magazine specialized in “tongue in cheek” humor; but this “husband hunting” concept had to be a known thing to have gotten mentioned in the article. I was so surprised by this discovery; how come I had never heard about it before? Looking back at this time in my life, I must assume many of you cannot believe such a thing took place. I was there and I cannot believe it, it sounds so dated, right? Times change and I had to keep that in mind while watching this musical classic. TWO FRIENDS, WHO WERE ENTERTAINERS, AGREED to take a transatlantic cruise for a job opportunity. What they did not plan for was to be followed by a private detective. With Jane Russell (The Outlaw, Double Dynamite) as Dorothy Shaw, Marilyn Monroe (The Seven Year Itch, Some Like it Hot) as Lorelei Lee, Charles Coburn (Monkey Business, The Green Years) as Sir Francis ‘Piggy” Beekman, Elliott Reid (Inherit the Wind, Vicki) as Ernie Malone and Tommy Noonan (A Star is Born, Bundle of Joy) as Gus Esmond Jr; this romantic comedy based on the Broadway musical that was based on the book was a blast from the past. Made in the 1950’s, I had to remind myself the story took place in a different time. The 2 actresses were terrific in their roles displaying excellent comedic chops and the songs they sang have lasted the test of time. If you are not a musical fan, I cannot imagine this picture will hold your attention all the way through; however, it was a fun and enjoyable movie. Even looking at this film on a historical level, I was entertained and fascinated watching customs and traits that would be frowned upon in present times. Still, this was a classic movie I wanted to see after hearing some of its songs for so many years.
3 ½ stars
moviejoltz 