Monthly Archives: June 2025
Flash Movie Review: Lilo & Stitch
HAVE YOU EVER FALLEN IN LOVE at first sight? I cannot exactly say I have; but, I can say I have felt an immediate attraction upon meeting someone for the first time. There has been several friends and family members who have experienced falling in love immediately; for some it worked out, for others it did not. I remember questioning them after they told me, while I tried figuring out the how and why in taking such a leap from first meeting to falling in love. The answer remained elusive for me. All of us must have experienced at one time feeling immediate dislike for someone upon meeting them; I certainly have over the years. However, when it comes to experiencing, in my case, immediate attraction, it has very little to do with the physical features of a person. I have mentioned before I never cared about a person’s height, weight, hair or face; it has always been the personality, their mind, their humor and most importantly their hygiene. A complete turnoff for me was bad/dirty teeth and/or fingernails. If they suffered with acne, a physical issue such as a limp or picking something as random as a cleft palette; it did not matter to me. My only concern if I am being perfectly honest was if they did not take the state of their health seriously. AS THEY SAY, “BEAUTY IS IN the eye of the beholder,” and I perfectly understand it. One summer a long time ago, I felt I needed to jumpstart my dating status. So, I posted an online ad to see what would happen. To my shock, I received over 50 responses; I must admit I did write a unique ad that was meant to catch the eye. For each date I went on, I would only agree to meet for a cup of coffee for approximately one hour. There were some first dates that were near painful trying to maintain a conversation; others, did go over an hour by double or more because of the stimulating conversation. It was always dictated by the combination of our personalities. When this happened in a positive way, there was always a good chance by the end of the first date, I felt a strong attraction to them. Granted, there were times where it was not reciprocated and I was okay with it, but did feel a little letdown. I had to keep telling myself it was not meant to be, so just keep on trying. However, those times where the two of us were in synch (humor, personality, mind) it was magical. I would feel this strong connection, though I might not be able to easily explain it. This is the reason why I understood what the young girl was feeling in this fantasy, family, action, adventure movie. A LITTLE GIRL WAS IMMEDIATELY ATTRACTED to the runaway alien she discovered. Her problem would be convincing her older sister to let her keep it. With newcomer Maia Kealoha as Lily, Sydney Agudong (At Her Feet, West Michigan) as Nani, Chris Sanders (The Croods franchise, Lilo & Stitch: The Series-TV) voicing Stitch, Zach Galifianakis (Winner, Due Date) voicing Jumba, and Courtney B. Vance (Ben is Back, Dangerous Minds) as Cobra Bubbles; this dramatic comedy had a pull on my heart. Having never seen the original animated film or series, I thought Maia was excellent in her role. The special effects were fun as was the script, though there were a few sad parts in it. During the viewing of this picture there was a time where I thought the antics were getting too repetitive, but there were definitely a few of the scenes that had an underlying message which the adult viewer would understand. All in all, I thought this picture was well done, and is suitable for the entire family.
3 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Last Showgirl
HAVING THE COMBINATION OF BEING CHANGE resistant and finding comfort in having a routine, it is difficult for me whenever I am forced to accept a new situation in my daily routine. For example, at a past job, when our department was moving to a remodeled space, I nearly became catatonic because I was so overwhelmed with the thought of packing up my area and moving my stuff to a different location in the office building. My co-workers noticed the week of our scheduled move, I barely had the drawers of my desk packed up, let alone my files. They had to come in and get everything into cardboard files or boxes, label them and put them in a pile for the people who were in charge of physically moving our stuff. To this day, I am still grateful for all the work they put in to get me to our new office space. I do not know why I am so resistant to change, but even throughout my career I have had numerous phone calls from recruiters, enticing me with job opportunities at various companies that were offering bigger salaries than what I was currently receiving. I turned all of them down because I simply did not want to change the daily routine I had in place. I know, this sounds crazy but it is the truth; that is how uncomfortable I am when it comes to change. THIS FEAR OF CHANGE WAS ONE of the main reasons why I created choreographed routines in my aerobic classes. If I had to come into the exercise studio each time with a different move or step pattern I would have given up teaching classes. On the average, I would have ten to twelve songs on my playlist with each song representing a different choreographed piece. This way, I could walk into class for the next six to ten weeks knowing exactly what i was going to do and monitor the class participants’ progress. If you think that might be a little bit OCD, I am sure I have told you that I ate the exact same lunch every day at work for over thirty years. Knowing that I would be eating the same food, where each item was a favorite of mine, was my daily oasis of bliss during the work day. No matter how hard the day was going, knowing what was waiting for me at lunchtime always made me happy and excited. I know I am not the only person who finds comfort with having a routine, and when I do discover someone else of a like mind it simply validates what I feel about myself. You will quickly know and understand why I enjoyed this film festival winning drama. AFTER WORKING FOR YEARS AT THE same Las Vegas stage show, a seasoned showgirl must come to terms with the fact the show would soon be closing, leaving her to figure out what she needed to do to make a living. With Pamela Anderson (Baywatch-TV, Home Improvement-TV) as Shelly, Brenda Song (Love Accidentally, Dollface-TV) as Mary-Anne, Kiernan Shipka (Red One, Mad Men-TV) as Jodie, Dave Bautista (The Killer’s Game, In the Lost Lands) as Eddie, and Jamie Lee Curtis (Borderlands, Haunted Mansion) as Annette; the performances in this film were excellent. I thought Pamela did her best work in this story and wondered if the writers had her in mind when creating this character. The way she came across with this tiny high pitched voice and love of feathers and sequins, it was a delight to see the maturity of her character bleeding out of her as the story progressed. Also, it is understandable why she was nominated for a Golden Globes Award. I enjoyed seeing a different side of Las Vegas with the story focused more on the workers who created the glitz and glamour. The script was decent but I would have appreciated learning more about the characters. However, watching the acting and my fascination with Las Vegas, made this an enlightening viewing experience.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Novocaine
THOSE IN MY SPHERE OF FRIENDS and relatives would not use the word “risky” to describe me. Yet, though it would not be the first, third, or tenth thing down the list; I would say I am a calculated risk type of individual. This is especially true when it comes to relationships. I remember this person I had only gone out with twice before they invited me to their New Year’s Eve party, no less. I was hesitant with my reply because I had to go over all the information I had acquired from our two dates. To my advantage, they were an afternoon coffee date and dinner date; so, there was a lot of talking done in those two events. When I replied I mentioned I had another party to go to but I would stop by. This was true, though the other party was a yearly get together at a friend’s house for whoever wanted to stop by. The reason I mentioned the other party was in case I was not comfortable being at a party filled with strangers, except for the host who I had only known for a couple of weeks. It was a risk for me and at the party I was quite aware I was the topic of conversation amongst their closer friends. Gratefully, I had a pleasant time despite feeling like I was on display; I did catch the host telling a friend that I was the one who they had been “dating” the past couple of weeks. I AM NOT MAKING ANY JUDGEMENTS regarding that New Year’s Eve party because I have taken the same type of risk myself. When I first meet a potential date, I tend to steer the conversation into deeper waters because I have never been good at small talk. If I find my mind is engaged with theirs, I can quickly find myself being attracted to them; I want to learn and explore more with them. And for some reason, if a situation comes up where it appears they are taking a risk, that can be quite informative. The last time when I was available and dating, I had met someone for coffee one evening after work. The conversation went well and I felt we had a variety of things in common. It was towards the end of our third date when I decided to take a risk and see if they would accept it. I mentioned I was going to an outdoor music festival in a couple of weeks and asked if they cared to join me. A good part of me thought they would decline because I was pretty sure the artists were not the type of musicians they were interested in. Imagine going on a date and spending the entire time not enjoying the venue; it certainly could be a test. To my surprise, they accepted my offer; I was actually stunned but pleased. The reason being is that this showed me the interest was mutual, which allowed my defenses to recede and let my heart expand. We had a wonderful time and from that moment on, the relationship got stronger and stronger. So, I absolutely understood what the main character had to do in this action, crime, comedy, thriller. WHEN ONE OF HIS EMPLOYEES IS taken as a hostage, who he believes might be the girl of his dreams, the assistant bank manager sets out to rescue her, using his unique physical trait to assist him. With Jack Quaid (Companion, The Boys-TV) as Nate, Amber Midthunder (Prey, The Ice Road) as Sherry, Ray Nicholson (Smile 2, Borderline) as Simon, Jacob Batalon (Spider-Man franchise, Tarot) as Roscoe, and Betty Gabriel (Get Out, It Lives Inside) as Mincy; this movie had a novel story line that I found attractive. Granted, there were scenes filled with blood and violence; but I enjoyed the acting, especially coming from Jack and Amber. Some of the scenes were creative but at some point they started reaching to the level of far-fetched. A layer of disbelief formed in my head that lasted through the last half of the film. Also, the same type of gag repeating itself made the last half of the story a bit tiresome. However, with the novel approach, good acting, and creativity involved; I still enjoyed watching this picture, though I had to turn my head away a couple of times. There were scenes of blood and violence.
3 stars
moviejoltz 