Monthly Archives: April 2024
Flash Movie Review: Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
FROM WHAT I CAN REMEMBER, I was not fond of being part of a team on a school project. Even after school, with some of the jobs I had, I disliked having to do something as a team. It never failed in school, I would be on a team that had someone who was a bully or a “goof-off.” It was rare to be on a team where everyone was in synch, who shared in the work. I remember one project, where the four of us had to give a presentation on a cultural tradition of our choosing, using props and physical examples to show the classroom. One of the students on my team spent most of the time doodling on paper, never offering a suggestion or opinion. When it was our time to present to the students, he did one physical example and that was it: his entire contribution to our team effort. I did not think he deserved the grade the teacher gave us. I felt the same way after school, when I was teaching my fitness classes. Whenever there was a special occasion and our fitness director announced we would be holding team taught classes, I cringed. Everyone had a different style and personality, where they did not always mesh well together. Plus, I thought pairing someone with a big personality, which I had, with a quiet or more rigid instructor made things awkward in the class. I never wanted a situation where one instructor would outshine another. ONE OF THE COMPANIES I WORKED for had a series of huge mailings, where samples and advertisements would be boxed and mailed to our customers. Many of the employees, no matter what type of position they had, were asked to participate in the process. It may have sounded like a request, but all the employees knew it was not one. I found myself stuck with an employee who I knew did recreational drugs on the job. We would sit together and try to create an assembly line where one person gathers the samples, and the other person places them in a certain order inside the shipping box. After a time, we would switch roles, so no one would get tired of doing the same thing over and over. Many times, they would stop to go outside for a smoke or inside would go to the kitchen to see if there was any food to eat, leaving me to do both parts of the job. I soon became irritated. What annoyed me further was the lack of respect; they never even apologized or made an excuse for being away, leaving me to do the work. Where everyone else finished earlier, we were the last ones to complete the task. I never wanted to work with them again. I hoped the two enemy titans in this action, sci-fi adventure had better luck than I did. WHEN A THREAT TO MANKIND THAT could destroy the planet begins to form, Kong and Godzilla would have to find a way to work together if they wanted to overcome the evil force. They were not the type to trust each other. With Rebecca Hall (The Night House, The Prestige) as Ilene Andrews, Brian Tyree Henry (Bullet Train, Widows) as Bernie Hayes, Dan Stevens (Beauty and the Beast, The Guest) as Trapper, relative newcomer Kaylee Hottie as Jia and Alex Ferns (The Batman, Joyeux Noel) as Mikael; this latest in the monster universe world had a script that was nonsensical. There were so many different things taking place in the story that I was bored most of the time. The special effects were okay for the most part but did not make me go “wow.” I felt the writers were trying to cover too many bases, from a heartfelt family story line to a mystic wonder one to a good against evil one; this movie left me not carrying about the outcome.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Anatomy of a Fall
I HEARD THEM TALKING LOW, LIKE they were sharing a secret, so I stayed just outside of the room, listening to them. We were at a relative’s house, where I had been playing in the basement with my cousins. Getting thirsty, I came up the stairs to get a glass of water from the kitchen. This is where they decided to come and talk among themselves. What made me hesitate from walking in on them was hearing someone say something about the land they had all purchased together. My ears perked up, but my mind sparked into excitement. Did they get enough land to have all our homes near each other? Or did they buy enough land to put up a rental apartment; these were a couple of things that first came to mind. I stayed by the doorway for a couple of more minutes, but curiosity finally pushed me into the kitchen. Everyone in the room turned to me and I excitedly asked if we were moving. When I was told no, I mentioned I heard something about land, not caring if they realized I was spying on them. The answer they told me was literally one I could not comprehend at first. The look on my face must have been enough for them to figure it out, so a relative motioned me over and pointed to a pamphlet she had in front of her on the kitchen table. It was from a cemetery. My relatives had pooled their money together and bought cemetery plots for that whole generation. I was mortified. I WAS A SMALL KID AND had never had the thought that my relatives would be dying. And that was the reason I asked if someone was sick. After several chuckles, I was told no one was sick; that they decided to buy these plots now, so they would have them paid off before they got too old. I was also told not to worry about it. After a few more questions and answers, I was satisfied enough to go back downstairs and of course, tell my cousins. There are certain things a child does not want to hear. The first one is death of a loved one. At that early age, a child thinks their parents will live forever. Another thing no child wants to hear or think about is their parents being intimate with each other. How many of you remember when you were taught where babies came from? There are certain things a child would rather not have to hear or think about, which is why seeing what the young boy had to endure in this dramatic, crime thriller was tough to watch. LIVING IN A SECLUDED AREA IN the French Alps, tragedy strikes a family when the father is found dead outside their home. With no tracks in the snow, the prime witness looked like it was his wife. With Sandra Huller (The Zone of Interest, Requiem) as Sandra Voyter, Swann Arlaud (By the Grace of God, Romantics Anonymous) as Maitre Vincent Renzi, Milo Machado-Graner (Stuck Together, Waiting for Bojangles) as Daniel, Antoine Reinartz (School Life, 120 BPM) as Avocat general and Samuel Theis (Party Girl, Softie) as Samuel Maleski; this was one of the best films I have seen this year. The acting by Sandra and Milo was wonderful; they were able to wring out so much emotion from the script without any effort. There were multiple courtroom scenes that seemed so real and authentic that I felt as if I were sitting in the galley. This movie was created with thought, emotions and heart that left the viewer open to make their own decisions as the story unfolded. If I had seen this Oscar nominated film before the Oscars telecast, it would have made my job harder to choose what I thought would be mine and the academy’s best picks.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Upgraded
FROM MY DATING EXPERIENCES, MY FAVORITE way of meeting someone was by chance; though I hesitate to say chance because I believe there are no accidents. I met someone at the grocery store who I dated for 6 months, all because they asked me a question about a food product, we were both looking to buy. There were a few individuals I met while riding the city’s public transportation. In fact, a partner of mine was someone who I met while waiting in line to get on a ride at a Florida amusement park; I was with a group of friends as were they. All I did was ask if they would take my camera and shoot a photo of me and my friends. After that both groups of friends started talking to each other since there was a long wait to get on the ride. What made for an easier time to be able to talk to each other, even while getting on the ride, was that each seating compartment fit eight individuals. They wound up in my car, seated behind me. After the ride was over, and I was able to get my equilibrium back, we chatted at the exit until the rest of our friends joined us. By the time we were going off in our own directions, we exchanged contact information and promised to communicate once we returned home. THE NEXT BEST WAY I ENJOYED meeting potential dates was online. However, I was on a learning curve before I was able to really deal with all the different facets of online dating. Some people’s profiles were too blunt and aggressive for me; I was more of a hopeless romantic, enjoying the art of interaction and conversation. The other part that I had a tough time with were the individuals who did not match up to their stated profile. This would annoy me to no end; why would someone willingly lie about themselves to get a date. I do not mind a little exaggeration to accentuate a person’s better qualities, but some of the things I witnessed were utterly foolish. And here is the thing, when it came to a person’s physical attributes, I did not care about their weight, height, color of hair or occupation. The only thing that concerned me was whether they had good teeth and clean fingernails. One time I met a potential date at a coffee shop. I stood near the front door while looking for them, never realizing they were sitting at a table, which I had already scanned over when I arrived. I did not acknowledge them because they looked nothing like what they conveyed to me. Why would someone want to start out a potential relationship with a lie? I asked myself this same question while watching this romantic comedy. AFTER BEING UPGRADED TO FIRST CLASS, for a business trip, a young employee winds up being seated next to a handsome man. He takes an interest in her when he mistakenly believes she is the head of a firm, due to her not correcting his misunderstanding. She had to find a way to tell him, despite enjoying their time together. With Camila Mendes (Palm Springs, Riverdale-TV) as Ana, Archie Renaux (Catherine Called Birdy, Shadow and Bone-TV) as William, Marisa Tomei (The King of Staten Island, Spider-Man franchise) as Claire, Leno Olin (Adam, The Artist’s Wife) as Catherine and Anthony Head (Imagine Me & You, Buffy the Vampire Slayer-TV) as Julian Marx; this film does not break any new ground. However, having Marisa and Lena in the cast made for a better than average story. I will say, I thought I was watching a “The Devil Wears Prada” wannabe, except for the added love story. There were many enjoyable scenes, despite the script’s predictability and I enjoyed the set up of having powerful women figures. I also liked the fact that there was another story going on besides the bumpy relationship between the two main characters. This was an easy and harmless movie that did not pretend to be something more than what it was meant to be.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Damsel
I KNEW THE DAY WOULD COME, but I was holding off to make sure we were on the same dating path. It had never been easy for me to meet the family members of someone I was dating. I did not grow up saying Mr. and Mrs. to my friends’ parents, nor did I ever use the words, “ma’am” and “sir.” And I always tried to avoid calling a parent by their first name. Granted, I had to always make sure I was looking directly at the person whenever I was asking them a question, and when times came up to refer to the father or mother I was talking to, I would say “your husband” or “your wife.” Maybe I am weird about it or maybe I never felt comfortable around figureheads; it is hard for me to explain. So, it was after we had been dating for several months, when I was asked to join them for a family holiday get together. My anxiety level rose on the idea of going to a party/dinner where there would be multiple relatives; a parent or child I could manage, but a room full of relatives who want to meet the “’date” overwhelms me. But I felt we were on the same path with our feelings for each other, so I agreed to join them for the holiday dinner. Hopefully, it being a holiday occasion, will lessen the focus on me. AN OLD TRADITION IN MY FAMILY is to bring something sweet when you are invited to someone’s home for the first time. It is meant to offer the household sweetness for all the time they reside there. The matriarch of the family greeted us. I only knew because I had seen a recent photograph of her. I was introduced and handed her the cake I baked as I explained my family’s tradition. She appeared to be touched by the sentiment, so I felt I was off to a good start. We hung our coats up and proceeded into the living room where everyone was seated. Introductions were made and I could see a couple of relatives were watching me intently as I went around shaking hands. The evening was off to a good start; or at least I thought so. Not soon after, I noticed one relative was not participating in conversations. They would simply look at whoever was speaking, but never offer a comment or opinion. Soon after another relative commented on this person’s “silent treatment.” Well, that opened a floodgate of words and within a matter of seconds the decibel level increased dramatically as everyone was talking at once, with several saying awful things to others. I just sat there quietly, not sure what was happening around me. The night only kept getting worse; relatives were vicious with their nasty comments. I felt I was possibly being punked, but some relatives were apologizing to me as well as my date. Still, I would rather be with these folks than the family who were trying to marry their son off in this action, adventure fantasy. TO HELP HER KINGDOM SURVIVE, A dutiful princess agrees to marry the prince of a wealthy, royal kingdom. It turns out she was not the first to marry the prince, nor would she be the last. With Millie Bobby Brown (Enola Holmes franchise, Godzilla: King of the Monsters) as Elodie, Ray Winstone (Black Widow, The Departed) as Lord Bayford, Angela Bassett (Black Panther franchise, Akeelah and the Bee) as Lady Bayford, Brooke Carter (The Peripheral-TV), The Alienist-TV) as Flora and Nick Robinson (The Kings of Summer; Love, Simon) as Prince Henry; this film’s saving grace was Millie Bobby Brown. There is something about her that makes the viewer believe in her. She has great screen presence and was able to handle the weight of being in almost every scene. The story was generic, the script was predictable, and the special effects were just okay. Despite these letdowns, I still enjoyed this escapist picture because of Millie. For those days where one does not want to put too much thought into an endeavor and just wants to be entertained, then this movie would be one to watch.
2 ½ stars
moviejoltz 