Category Archives: Comedy
Comedy
Flash Movie Review: The Naked Gun
HUMOR IS SUCH A FLUID EMOTION; at least I think so. With the different styles of humor, not everyone finds the same things funny. For example, I do not much care for slapstick or physical types of humor. Where someone trips or falls down a flight of stairs, I do not find the humor in such things. However, I know a person who cannot stop laughing at such things. A friend of their’s slipped on the way down a staircase, and wound up bumping all the way down on their backside! My friend could not stop laughing; though, they at least were able to get these words out between the guffaws, “Are you ok?” Oddly, I used to love the cartoons of a road runner bird versus a coyote. If you are not familiar with them, the coyote would come up with different kind of traps to capture the bird, but they would always backfire. The reason I loved this cartoon was not for these scenarios but the inventions and ingenuity the coyote used in setting the traps. And as you know, in cartoon world, the character never dies; so no matter how many explosions, falls, and fire bombs the coyote experienced, they always survived. MY TYPE OF HUMOR IS MORE esoteric. One may need to think about it or imagine it as it is being told to you. I also enjoy stories where certain words or phrases can have two meanings a/k/a double entendres. One liner jokes is another form of humor that I am fond of, from the likes of Rodney Dangerfield to Joan Rivers to Don Rickles, for example. As I grew older, I discovered the art of story telling humor, and especially satire. i had a relative who had such a dry sense of humor that I always loved. It takes real skill to spin a story and make it both relatable, funny, and at times absurd. Now, though I do not have a problem with profanity being used by some comedians, I strongly dislike when “dirty” and derogatory words are peppered throughout one’s act. Referring to females with the “B” word is not funny to me. If I am at a comedy club or attending a comedian’s concert, I used to feel awkward when everyone around me was laughing while I just sat still with no emotion coming out of me. When I became an adult, I learned how to fake a laugh and put an amused look on my face. Gratefully, I don’t do that anymore because I am not intimidated by being the only person not reacting to a comedian’s joke. Not that it was an issue for me while watching this action, crime comedy reboot. FOLLOWING IN HIS FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS, A detective uses his special skills to try and save the world. With Liam Neeson (Marlowe, In the Land of Saints and Sinners) as Frank Drebin Jr., Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl, City Hunter) as Beth Davenport, Paul Walter Hauser (The Luckiest Man in America, Queenpins) as Ed Hocken Jr., Danny Huston (The Crow, The Dead Don’t Hurt) as Richard Cane, and CCH Pounder (RoboCop 3, NCIS: New Orleans-TV) as Chief Davis; this slapstick satire worked because of Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson. Having Liam in this role was genius because of his tough serious guy persona, and the chemistry between him and Pamela made it easy for each to play off of the other. I liked the way the story brought in elements of the original franchise, and the jokes and gags were non-stop. Not necessarily my type of humor for the most part; however, there were a few times where I chuckled during a scene. All in all, this picture was a short and tidy piece that accomplished what it set out to do. Nothing new or astonishing, just a bit of nostalgia that hoped it would get a laugh out of the viewer.
2 2/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Nonnas
IN RETIREMENT, I DID NOT WANT to make cooking one of my goals. Instead, I left it as a work in progress. Presently, I do not have the confidence to trust my cooking skills, so whenever we have company over for dinner, I make two main courses; this way if one of them turns out bad, there is another one that hopefully is better. I like to increase the odds in my favor. However, in my mind I have visions of family and friends gathering at our house, to use one of my favorite sayings, to “break bread.” I truly enjoy that phrase because it is simple and direct. It has its origins in religious scriptures but I am referring to the modern slang version of it which means to share a meal, a significant event to foster meaningful connections and cooperation. In my thank you speech to our wedding guests, I thanked them for attending to break bread with us because we were all as one. So this idea of creating and sharing a meal is in my head and has been for decades. The example of it came from my now deceased relatives who every weekend took turns hosting the entire family over for a dinner, a lunch, a brunch, or a barbecue. The home would be filled with relatives all gathered around the dining room table that had its extra leaves put into it. We would sometimes be jammed tightly around it depending on how many relatives were present, but it did not make a difference to any of us; we all loved being together to share in the stories that would be told and the home cooked food. WITH THAT AS MY EXAMPLE, I want to be able to carry on that tradition which is why I want to practice and get more comfortable with the cooking aspect of a meal. I do pretty good in the baked desserts category. Along with this mental picture, the idea of using the kitchen items that have been handed down to me, is the icing on the cake, pun intended. I have serving platters and bowls that I remember when I was a toddler. In my possession are only a few of the recipes that my relatives used when they were alive and hosting meals. I would love to be able to recreate some of their dishes and surprise the current generations of our families. However, there is a problem with some of the recipes; there are no exact measurements to the ingredients. Back then, the people who did the cooking and baking had most of their recipes committed to memory. I even remember sitting down with a relative and having them show me how much of each ingredient they used, then taking it and measuring it out. That would be the ultimate achievement if I could do something like that, but I do not think at this stage of my life I will ever achieve such a feat. In the meantime, I sit and study the recipes and tackle them with estimated amounts, doing them over and over, until the reality matches the memory of the item. This dramatic comedy reinforces my belief that sitting together and breaking bread is a powerful force, especially when one has at their disposal those old family recipes. AFTER HIS MOTHER’S PASSING, A SON wants to honor her in a special way; by opening a restaurant though he knows nothing about running such an operation. With Vince Vaughn (Wedding Crashers, Fighting with my Family) as Joe Scaravella, Lorraine Bracco (The Basketball Diaries, The Sopranos-TV) as Roberts, Talia Shire (Rocky franchise, The Godfather franchise) as Teresa, Brenda Vaccaro (Capricorn One, Midnight Cowboy) as Antonella, and Joe Manganiello (The Kill Room, Magic Mike franchise) as Bruno; this film based on a true story was an easy comforting viewing experience. I enjoyed seeing the long well known actors working seamlessly together, doing what they do best. The script, though it was predictable, still provided warm fuzzy moments, helped by scenes of the wonderful looking home cooked meals. This film does not put on airs or thinks it is some kind of masterpiece in cinema; it simply provides a couple of chuckles, solid acting from the cast, and a great idea that became a well known reality. Excuse my choice of words, but this was a delicious little piece of a picture.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Back in Action
WHEN I AM ASKED HOW I keep my weight off, I tell them I exercise a lot. This usually satisfies the curious individuals. If the person is persistent and asks me what I do, I usually tell them I do a variety of cardio activities like cycling and power walking. When I say this, it usually goes one of two ways; the person is satisfied, or they ask me where I find the time. It is at this point I tell them it is because I am a fitness and yoga instructor. Some people upon hearing this want to tell me what they do or do not do for exercising; I am fine with either way. For some reason, people think I am judging them and that is not the case at all. Even in my yoga classes when participants come up and ask me how many times a week, they should do yoga, I tell them not to give themselves a number per week. Instead, I tell them to see how each day feels and see where doing yoga can make a difference for them. If they do it twice a week, then fine; if they do it every day, then fine as well. I tell them they must decide how they want to age through life; do they plan on being sedentary or active? Upon hearing this answer, each person I see is giving it serious thought. IT IS NOT LIKE I AM embarrassed telling people I am a fitness instructor; I prefer not saying anything because of people’s pre-conceived notions of what a fitness instructor is supposed to be. Or, I have people wanting to share their love/hate relationship with exercise and food. I have had individuals come up to me, knowing I am in the fitness industry, and share their medical ailments or history, looking to me to direct them or to corroborate their doctor’s advice. It is one thing to come up to me before a yoga class and tell me you have issues with, let us say, carpal tunnel syndrome, so I can be aware of it and offer them different options when doing a pose that involves their wrists or putting pressure on their hands. But when they tell me they have, for example, Meniere’s disease or Lupus, I always ask if their doctor said it was okay to participate in this class. So, this is why when I am not at the fitness center, I do not always mention in conversation that I am a fitness/yoga instructor. This is why I could relate in a way to the main characters in this action, spy comedy. FORMER CIA SPIES WHO EVERYONE BELIEVES are dead, gets their cover blown one night at a nightclub. How will they explain this to their children? With Jamie Foxx (Day Shift, The Burial) as Matt, Cameron Diaz (Annie, The Other Woman) as Emily, McKenna Roberts (Skyscraper, The Young and the Restless-TV) as Alice, Rylan Jackson (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) as Leo, and Kyle Chandler (Slumberland, The Midnight Sky) as Chuck; this action comedy was Cameron’s first film role in ten years and she has not lost her touch. Her chemistry with Jamie is what made the script in this film tolerable. There was nothing new added to this type of spy comedy as the story followed a generic template. At least the action scenes, which were many, were good and fun, and the banter going back and forth between Jamie and Cameron added a little extra spark. I wished the writers would have added a few twists into the story line to make this movie more interesting; but they did not, so the picture was average. And instead of tagging it a comedy, maybe the studio should consider using the term amusing.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Brothers
DESPITE BEING A YOUNG KID IN 4th grade, I already could tell my friend’s mother favored him over his oldest brother. Various times when I was playing at their house, the mother and older brother would yell at each other. It was no longer a surprise when I heard a door slam in the house; it usually happened at the end of their yelling matches. I did not know the oldest brother that well because we had little interaction with him. He was with his friends or out of the house a good deal of the time. At the most, he played a board game with us five or six times. One time, I asked my friend why his brother and mother were always fighting, and he said his mother did not like his attitude. I was not sure what he meant by that, so I let it go. The thing I found so weird about the whole thing is the fact they would be arguing in front of me. I am sure every family has a disagreement/fight between family members, but I could never imagine having one in front of guests. It just seemed wrong to me because I knew how uncomfortable I felt when they were arguing, and I certainly would not want to have any friends who were over to the house to experience such a thing. AS I GREW OLDER, MORE MATURE, and with the expansion of my circle of friends, I became aware of the fact that parents for the most part equally love their children. They may, though, show it in different ways and that is okay. A friend’s parents were always on him to complete his homework. They had a more hand’s off attitude when it came to his sister. Where they would sit with him and go over his homework, asking questions, and pushed him harder, they would only have to ask their daughter once about her homework, then never mentioned it again. I felt the parents realized my friend had trouble focusing on completing his assignments, so they took a more active role in his education. They did heap much praise on him whenever he completed a school task, encouraging him to do more. I always felt they loved him, despite him complaining to me how tough they were on him. This bond that forms between parent and child is also based on personalities. Just like we may be friends with one person but not with another, I think parents must navigate through a child’s personality and figure out how to fit in with them. Though I am not sure about the mother in this action, crime comedy. WHEN A REFORMED CRIMINAL IS VISITED by his twin brother, who has a proposal for him that could be quite profitable, he must decide how loyal he wants to be to their mom’s favorite. With Josh Brolin (Dune franchise, Only the Brave) as Moke Munger, Peter Dinklage (She Came to Me, American Dreamer) as Jady Munger, Taylour Paige (My Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Toxic Avenger) as Abby Munger-Jacobson, Brendan Fraser (The Whale, Doom Patrol-TV) as Farful, and Glenn Close (The Wife, The Deliverance) as Cath Munger; this movie’s saving grace was the cast. The story is one most people have seen, but the actors did their best to create a different spin on it. Unfortunately, the writers wrote a generic blueprint of a story that was easy to predict and had average humor to it. I felt they could have pushed the characters farther to create more substance inside of each of them. There were several amusing scenes but not enough to always keep me engaged with the story. There is not much else to say about this picture except, I wonder what the writers’ mothers thought about it.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Saturday Night
I CANNOT REMEMBER HOW, BUT I kept hearing about a new television show that was going to air on a Saturday night. The first thing that struck me was the fact it was airing on a Saturday night; the night most everyone could do something that was not work or school related. The other thing that struck me was the fact I kept hearing about it no matter where I was on campus. In discussion halls, the student union, laboratories; I would hear bits and pieces of students’ conversations about this strange new show. Only one friend out of our group had a television in their room, but they were going back home that weekend; so, the rest of us decided to meet at our student union building because they had a large TV room for the students. The week before the telecast, I was hearing more chatter about the show. It seemed as if every student was curious enough that they wanted to see what the show was about. I told my friends there may be a lot of students showing up at the student union, so maybe we should come up with an alternative plan in case we cannot get into the TV room. We pleaded with our friend to let us borrow his television and we would bring it back on Sunday when he returned to campus. He was not too thrilled, but we promised we would make sure nothing happened to it, that we would wrap the TV in a blanket before moving it. He finally agreed. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TELEVISION would come to my room because I did not have a roommate, so I had a little more space for us to spread out. On Friday, four of us met up and moved the television to my place. Once I plugged it in, we turned it on to make sure we had good reception; all was in order and all we had to do was wait until the next day. Saturday came and we met for dinner at a pizza place near campus before coming back to watch the show. Once everyone had settled into my place and the television was turned on, we sat and waited. It did not take long before we were laughing and hooting at the television screen. The show was such a mix of oddball scenarios mixed with humor nuttiness; all of us could not stop talking about it after the show had ended. On Monday, back in class, everyone was talking about the show, some feeling the humor was directed at our age group, others loving the satirical bent used during the fake newscast. For the rest of the school year, my friends and I would squeeze into a packed television room at the student union to watch the show. All these feelings flooded back to me when I watched this biographical, dramatic comedy film. ON OCTOBER 11, 1975, A GROUP of young comedians and writers were hoping to do something different on television. They would not know if they would be ready to go until the very last minute before airing. With Gabriel LaBelle (The Fabelmans, The Predator) as Lorne Michaels, Rachel Sennott (Bottoms, I Use to be Funny) as Rosie Shuster, Cory Michael Smith (Carol, May December) as Chevy Chase, Ella Hunt (Anna and the Apocalypse, Lady Chatterley’s Lover) as Gilda Radner, and Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner franchise, Love and Monsters) as Dan Aykroyd; this movie started out at a frenzied, frenetic pace that was almost overwhelming for me. However, once I got used to it, I fell into a satisfying rhythm. The actors had varying degrees of likeness to the characters they were playing, but it was their acting abilities that made them believable. Since I was a fan of the television show, I got a huge kick out of watching this picture. I did not mind the holes in the script that could have been filled with more story about each character. Also, I am guessing not everything depicted was true and I was okay with it. Putting the pieces together, I had a fun time sitting and watching this film while reliving my memories of being there when the first episode was broadcast.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Find Me Falling
I STUDIED THE ASSIGNMENTS AND WORKBOOKS over and over. The written portion of the testing did not concern me all that much; however, the practical portion, where we each would be leading portions of the workshop, is what scared me the most. The test was being held an hour away from me, which only added to my anxiousness because it would give me more time to think, which is not what I wanted to do. Upon reaching the location and parking, I found the registration desk to get signed in. Once I was registered, I was handed a small duffle bag filled with a variety of items, from power snack bars to wristbands to lip balm. I am a sucker for this kind of stuff even if I do not use all the items. From the registration desk, I was directed down a long hallway to a large conference room. Inside there were rows of chairs and desks lined up in half of the room. I took an empty place off to the side, halfway down the middle. Right at the start of 8am the doors were closed and two instructors stood in front of us and explained the activities for the day. They next went over some of the important parts of the test, like a quick refresher course. As they were speaking there were volunteers handing out the test books and telling us when we were told to open the book, the test would begin. I MADE MY WAY THROUGH THE multiple-choice questions; if I were not sure of one, I would skip it then come back later. I wanted to get as many as I could answer, since we were under time restraint. By the time I completed the written portion, I had 20 minutes to spare before the time limit; so, I sat and tried to mentally go over the movements I would need to teach to an aerobics class. The test period ended, and we broke for lunch. The afternoon was the practical part of the test and all of us were directed to the other half of the room. The same two instructors warmed us up after starting the music. Throughout the afternoon, we would be broken into groups and within the group we would take turns leading the group. I was miserable; I was not wired to be spontaneous, plus the music did nothing for me. I did not pass, nor get my teaching certificate. From that experience, I spent the summer working on creating my own style of teaching, reinventing myself if you will and retested in the fall and passed. Because of not making it through the first time, I found the strength to create what I genuinely wanted to do and became successful at it. It is all about finding one’s inner strength and peace that makes it happen. And because of that, I appreciated watching the main character’s journey in this music, romantic comedy. AFTER HIS LATEST ALBUM TANKED, A music celebrity decided to move to Cyprus to get away from everything. Unfortunately, the house he bought was at a site where desperate people would come to visit. With Harry Connick Jr. (Hope Floats, Will & Grace-TV) as John, Agni Scott (Persuasion, Bridget Jones’s Baby) as Sia, Ali Fumiko Whitney (Cabin Girl, The Road Dance) as Melina, Lea Maleni (Kalabush, Didyma Feggaria-TV) as Koula, and Clarence Smith (Leave, Emmerdale Farm-TV) as Jimmy; this film had beautiful outdoor scenes. I thought the acting was decent, but the script was generic and predictable for the most part. It seemed as if I was watching a mashup of other films that fall into this genre. It was pleasant to hear the music, and as I said, I thought the scenes of Cyprus were wonderful. In my opinion, the writers needed to do a rewrite of the script and add deeper drama and humor for this story to stand out.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Bottoms
THINGS CHANGED WHEN IT WAS TIME for my classmates and me to graduate. Having all of us growing up together for several years at the school, everyone knew everyone else. No one was a stranger. But now it was time for our grade to enroll into the bigger school, where we would be joined by four other schools’ graduating students. Suddenly, I would be sitting with people I did not know. I remember the feeling of joy whenever I would cross paths with a former schoolmate in the new school’s hallways, as we were going to our next class. At my suddenly “old” school, I had a couple of noteworthy events that were public. One was the selection of my science project to be displayed in the school library. Another event was being picked to form a team to play a ball game because I had a strong, fast pitch. And there was the time when I was the taffy apple king because I sold the most taffy apples for a fundraiser. With any of these events, they were not something I trained for or aspired to achieve. I thought luck played a large part in it, plus imagination. Little did I know that entering the larger school with students from other neighborhood schools would change the landscape about being a winner and being noticed. SOON AFTER THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR started, I noticed something different; there suddenly appeared a hierarchy, where students wanted to be noticed now. The students who joined various sports activities had a double hierarchy. The football players were the most popular, followed by the basketball and baseball teams. Those in the chess or debate clubs were low on the scale. Right besides the football players for being the most popular/noticed were the cheerleaders, followed by the pom-pom squad. I did not know where this desire or need to be noticed was coming from; all I wanted to do was to blend into the background. I quickly learned blending in was the safest place based on how I was seeing how some students were picking on others. If a football player made a gross error on the field, he would get picked on; and, if someone did not act or dress a certain way, they became an easy target for any aggressive, alpha type student. This is why I started dressing in dark clothing, nothing flashy or trendy. I also avoided participating in class discussions because I was too afraid of saying something wrong that would turn me into a target for ridicule. This is why I sat in wonderment, watching the main characters in this satirical, raunchy comedy try to become noticed at their school. HOPING TO LOSE THEIR VIRGINITY AND get noticed, friends form a fight club for girls. To make it work, they felt they needed to take on a different persona, one that would provide them with some notoriety. They may have taken on more than they could manage. With Rachel Sennott (Finally Dawn, Bodies Bodies Bodies) as PJ, Ayo Edebiri (Theater Camp, The Bear-TV) as Josie, Ruby Cruz (The Lost Boys, Willow-TV) as Hazel Callahan, Havana Rose Liu (No Exit, Afraid) as Isabel, and Kaia Gerber (Babylon, Palm Royale-TV) as Brittany; this film festival winner was extremely raunchy. There were elements to the script that I found amusing and satirical; but I felt a majority of the film’s story was a one-trick pony. I was getting bored with the repetition of similar scenes. The idea for the story was funny, and I liked the satirical digs in the dialog, but there were times the movie bordered on slapstick humor. And I must mention again, the script was top-heavy with raunchy dialog throughout the picture. There were outtakes during the ending credits.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Jackpot!
I DECIDED TO GO FOR TWO reasons. First, friends of mine were going and second, I had dealings with the company that was sponsoring the event. If you asked for a third reason, I would say because I wanted to experience being at an amusement park and not having to wait in long lines. A company in the city was hosting a night out at a local amusement park. Local meaning an hour drive away from me. The park was to close early so that only guests with tickets purchased through the company would be allowed in; plus, there was to be a guest list at the front gates for the employees to check everyone in. The event was a benefit with part of the proceeds going to the amusement park and the company. My friends and I decided to ride together. As we neared the park, we saw the visible rides already had their nighttime lighting turned on. After we found a parking spot, we made our way to the front gates. Gratefully, the lines were shorter than usual, and the checking-in process went smoothly. While waiting in line my friends and I each met other friends. Once inside the park we decided to hit the big rides first before more people arrived. Along with the unlimited riding times, there were supposed to be stages set up for entertainment. WE ARRIVED AT THE MOST FAMOUS roller coaster in the park; I was going to wait for my friends at the ride’s exit since I no longer go on roller coasters. I found a bench to sit down on and waited for them, all the while checking the few glimpses, I had of the speeding coaster when it came by me. It was not too long before I saw them whiz by with their hands in the air like madmen. Soon, I saw them walking out through the exit, laughing with their tousled hair and big smiles. Of course, they had to tell me what I missed but I did not mind at all. One friend asked if we could stop somewhere for a soda, so we went looking for a food stand. The first one we came up to was closed, but I spotted a bigger one just down the way. As we walked up, my friend asked the worker behind the counter for a cola. The woman apologized and said the place was closed; she was just cleaning it for the next day. Onward we walked, but every place we saw was closed. We also noticed not every ride was open. As for the entertainment, they were DJ’s. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but the advertisements made it sound like there would be something more. Each of us was disappointed. I felt the same way about this comedy, action film. LANDING IN LA TO RESTART HER acting career, Katie Kim, played by Awkwafina (Quiz Lady, The Farewell) mistakenly got a winning lottery ticket. Unbeknownst to her, to claim the prize money she would have to stay alive while every citizen was out hunting to kill her. With John Cena (Freelance, Ricky Stanicky) as Noel, Simu Liu (Barbie, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) as Louis Lewis, Seann William Scott (Bloodline, American Pie franchise) as the rugged man and Murray Hill (Frankly a Mess, Somebody Somewhere-TV) as Johnny Grand; this movie was saved by John Cena and Awkwafina. Even though the two were playing similar roles to ones in their past, there was a certain improv feeling to the scenes. Not all the jokes landed but the quick quips and banter were amusing. The script, however, was for the most part a series of action scenes like a video game. I did not care for the pacing and would rather have had more spacing between the scenes to let the story breathe. Also, the story was predictable. Set your expectations low and you will not have to worry about being disappointed. There were outtake scenes during the ending credits.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Book of Clarence
I WAS HESITANT TO GO, BUT my friend did not want to go alone and asked if I would go along. My friend had been following an “entrepreneur” online, who claimed to have found a pathway to success. The few videos I was forced to sit through showed a man talking in front of these impressive backdrops like a stately mansion or at the edge of a line of dramatic cliffs. He was pitching a series of courses that would teach an individual how to become a successful entrepreneur like him. I knew this was just a sales pitch and honestly could not believe my friend was buying into it. However, they were convinced they could succeed and make money from it. We had to leave early for the hotel where the entrepreneur was conducting an all-day seminar because my friend wanted to get a seat up close. I was surprised by the amount of people filtering into the ballroom to essentially listen to a sales pitch. Over half the room was filled with people; I could not believe it. When the lights dimmed and he walked out onto the stage, everyone stood up out of their chairs and cheered him. Based on the videos I watched, in the room at that moment, I felt as if I was in the middle of a cult. THE DAY WAS LONG AND BY the time everything was done, I was exhausted. Listening to his sales pitch and instructions on how one could earn money, it was clear to me his business model was like a pyramid scheme. Not to disrespect companies that use such a tactic, but this man was telling everyone they could double their income solely by signing up enough individuals who would then work for them. If I understood correctly, there really was no business plan except to get other people to sign up for the courses. I could see my friend was excited and “revved up” from the seminar but I had to express my concerns. They listened but always had a rebuttal to anything I said, so I eventually dropped it and let them go on talking about their plan of action. They listed the things they would need to buy despite having already spent close to three thousand dollars for a variety of DVD’s and “sales tools.” I honestly hoped I was wrong with my thinking, but I could not see where my friend could make a living out of doing this thing. Of all the people my friend could emulate, I did not think this entrepreneur was the best choice. Maybe they needed to have higher aspirations like the main character in this dramatic, comedy adventure. SEEKING A BETTER LIFE FOR HIMSELF, a struggling man decides to act more like the rising messiah everyone was talking about. With LaKeith Stanfield (Sorry to Bother You, Judas and the Black Messiah) as Clarence, Omar Sy (The Strangers’ Case, The Intouchables) as Barabbas, Anna Diop (Us, Something About Her) as Varinia, RJ Cyler (The Harder They Fall, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) as Elijah and David Oyelowo (Selma, Role Play) as John the Baptist; this history film confused me. Yes, there was a mix of comedic and dramatic scenes, and I enjoyed the well-versed cast; however, nothing stood out for me. Most of the scenes lacked punch; it felt like everything was on one level. I did not feel connected to any of the characters which, at times, led to boredom. With the idea for the story being outrageous, I thought the script would have gone all in to either the comedic or dramatic side. The best thing I can say about this movie is that it had some amusing moments.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Space Cadet
I WAS IMPRESSED BY THE WORK history she shared with me. She was a new employee at our company who was assigned to my department. At first, I did not know how to take her; she had a loud, animated way of talking that lent itself more to a personal, conversational level with friends or family, not in a business environment. Through the course of several weeks, I learned more about her than I really needed to know. In between conversations about her boyfriend, child, and various family members; she told me different stories about her accomplishments at her previous places of employment. At one place she told me there was a large account that stopped buying from them and she found herself talking to a VP, just by chance, which was charmed by her. By the time she ended the conversation, he told her he was going to authorize his buyers to give her company preferable treatment for purchases. Whether it was true or not, I did not know. I could only take her at her word. When I asked her why she left the company, she said she expected to get a bonus and more congratulations from sales and upper management. Again, I listened to what she was telling me but something about it sounded odd. HAVING HER SEATED IN MY GROUP area, and because of her loud voice, I was privy to her conversations with our customers. In my opinion, I thought she had a rough edge with the way she spoke. For example, she did not use proper English at times and even would throw in a “mild” curse word. What really sent a red flag up for me was one conversation she had with one of our larger customers, where she threatened and hung up on them. This was a situation for our boss to manage; I wanted to stay out of it. With this incident, I began to question everything she would say to me. My way was to just nod to her while uttering noncommitted words like really, wow and oh. What confirmed my suspicions was when a bouquet of roses was delivered to her on Valentine’s Day. She told us they were from her boyfriend. We all believed it until the next day, the florist stopped by demanding cash from her because the charge card information she gave them was fraudulent. Talk about embarrassment and yet she tried to tell us her boyfriend gave her the charge card info to call the florist because his phone had died. She soon was fired from our company; there was too much drama that was always surrounded her. She believed she was a good employee, but her actions told a different story. It turns out, the main character in this comedy had a similar situation. THOUGH REX SIMPSON, PLAYED BY EMMA Roberts (Madame Web, We’re the Millers) had always wanted to be an astronaut, her life circumstances did not give her the opportunity to reach that goal. Until her friend decided to fill out the astronaut training application with a few embellishments. With Tom Hopper (Place of Bones, The Umbrella Academy-TV) as Logan O’Leary, Poppy Liu (Hacks-TV, The Afterparty-TV) as Nadine Cai, Gabriella Union (The Inspection, Deliver Us from Eva) as Pam Proctor and Kuhoo Verma (Plan B, Murder Mystery 2) as Violet Marie Vislawski; the story for this film followed a generic template. The humor was lame and basic, while the script was predictable. I thought the cast did a decent job with what they had to work with, but there was no character development, and a majority of the movie remained on one emotional plane. Overall, I felt this was a lazy production that had potential but had too many missed opportunities.
1 ½ stars
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