Category Archives: Drama
Drama
Flash Movie Review: Ford v Ferrari
IT WAS NOT THE RIDES THAT interested me at carnivals and local amusement parts; it was the games of chance. When I was younger, I would save up my allowance for these games. I was convinced I could win prizes and boy did I love looking at all the prizes. There was a game where I would have to throw rubber rings at a table full of empty bottles and try to get the ring to land on the bottle’s neck. Each toss I would see my ring bounce from one bottle to the next while I secretly wished for it to land on a bottle instead of dropping down between them. The prizes, big fluffy stuffed animals, were on a shelf that went around the top of the entire booth. There was another game that was or like a game called Skeeball, where one had to roll a ball down a lane that curved up at the end to propel the ball hopefully into one of the holes on the backboard. Each hole was labelled with a number; the higher the number the bigger the prize. With every roll of the ball I would make adjustments, hoping I would get the ball into the center hole to receive the biggest prize. OUT OF ALL THE GAMES AT A carnival, one of my favorites was the slot car racing one. It was because I had my very own race car model. There was a model store in the neighborhood where me and a cousin would race our cars on the elaborate race track that was set up in the middle of the store. Unfortunately, I could not use my race car at the carnival games (imagine that); however, it did not matter because I loved racing cars. I cannot tell you how much money I spent at those games and rarely did I ever win a race. Seeing the winner of the race receive a cool prize from off the shelf would only make me more determined to play the race again. My cousin was the same way because we felt with all of our experience there was no reason why we could not crush the competition. Thinking back on it I would hate to think how much money I spent on those games; little did I know they were designed to thwart the participant from winning. However, once I saw what I could win I did not think about how much I was spending to get that prize. The same was true for the head of the Ford Motor company in this biographical, dramatic action film. AFTER HEARING THE DISPARAGING COMMENTS THE chairman of Ferrari made about his company Henry Ford II, played by Tracy Letts (Lady Bird, The Post), was determined to build a car that would beat Ferrari’s car at France’s Le Mans race. It did not matter how much it would cost him. With Matt Damon (The Martian, The Departed) as Carroll Shelby, Christian Bale (Vice, The Big Shot) as Ken Miles, Jon Bernthal (The Accountant, The Wolf of Wall Street) as Lee Iacocca and Caitriona Balfe (Escape Plan, Outlander-TV) as Mollie Miles; this was an exciting film to watch. I am not fond of watching car races, but I would see this picture again. The acting was outstanding, matching the well-done script that captured the 1960s perfectly. I found the racing scenes thrilling and felt at times I was sitting in the race cars. For being such a long movie, I rarely noticed the time going by because the script and action kept me engaged with the story. Whether the story was accurate in this movie, it did not matter because I found it to be a logical progression of events and feelings. Compared to the money I used to spend at those carnival games, buying a ticket to see this film made me feel like a winner.
4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Harriet
I BELIEVE EVERYONE HAS A BREAKING point; the only difference is each person has it set at a different threshold. Some years ago, there was an employee at the company I worked at who was a jovial man. Friendly to everyone, always a smile on his face; for all intents and purposes, he was an ideal employee. Let me add, he had been employed at the company for several years. I never heard the details of what caused him to reach his breaking point; only that it was a “bad” scene. He got into an argument with another employee. If the two men had a history of confrontations, I was not privy to the information. However, the fight turned heated as the 2 men raised their voices and started yelling obscenities at each other. I do not know how long this went on; but at some point, the jovial employee picked up a large monkey wrench and chased the other employee around their work area. Another employee intervened by tackling the employee and wrestling him to the ground, while grabbing the monkey wrench and twisting it out of his hand. As you may have guessed he was fired that day. When news spread throughout the company, employees were stunned; no one ever imagined he could get so angry or try to cause bodily harm to another person. REMEMBERING THAT EMPLOYEE REMINDED ME OF my younger days when my breaking point was set at a lower threshold. I was always quick to use my anger to solve disturbing situations. If I felt someone slighted me, I would immediately go on the attack. Gratefully I never ventured into the use of physical harm; however, I would verbally abuse them by using every swear word I knew. If that did not satisfy me, I would plot out covert ways I could get back at them. I am too embarrassed to tell you about a few of the things I did in my past; let me just say I am not proud of those actions. What I can tell you is I am no longer that individual. These days, my breaking point resides on a higher level. The reason may be a variety of things, from becoming more mature to exploring avenues of self-help. Regardless, having a stronger sense of self has allowed me to make better and more rational decisions. Though I am still capable of letting my anger come out full force, I have not encountered a situation that called for it. Certainly nothing near what the main character endured in this dramatic, historical biography. IF IT MEANT DYING THEN THE slave Minty, played by Cynthia Erivo (Widows, Bad Times at the El Royale), was at peace with it if it meant there was a chance, she could be free of her master. Chances were not in her favor. With Leslie Odom Jr (Red Tails, Murder on the Orient Express) as William Still, Joe Alwyn (The Favourite, Mary Queen of Scots) as Gideon Brodess, Clarke Peters (John Wick, Marley & Me) as Ben Ross and Vanessa Bell Calloway (Daylight, Lakeview Terrace) as Rit Rose; this movie based on a true story had the perfect actor playing the role of Minty/Harriet. Cynthia’s acting was memorable just as her voice was when her character would sing a few bars in several scenes. The story was incredible and unimaginable. For most of the time my eyes were glued to the screen; however, when the script went off into a religious fantasy mode it lost me a bit. I thought those scenes were over dramatic and thick. If they had been toned down and made to be more of a realistic conversation, I would have put more stock in them. Still, I was engaged throughout the story. On a sad/poignant note, the news today is reporting about a fast food restaurant where the staff asked a black family to change their seats because a white customer did not want them seated next to him. I cannot stop wondering if we will ever see a change.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Current War
THOSE MOMENTS WHEN I REALIZE I AM witnessing something historic are moments I never forget. My only wish is I want to see more positive events than the negative ones. I do not want to be a witness to the worst nightclub massacre or synagogue shooting or largest mass grave or biggest wildfire destruction. Instead, I want to see something that benefits the planet and its people. Think back to a time when something was introduced to the world that forever changed the way we were living. I still have a landline phone, but I remember when cellular phones were available to the public; it was an extraordinary experience. The idea of being able to talk to someone without being tethered to a wall was mind blowing. Right now, we are witnessing something becoming historic and that is driverless vehicles. Prior to seeing them in the news, my only experience was seeing them in science fiction movies and television shows. As a kid I had the toy car model of KITT; do you know what TV show KITT starred in? Something I just discovered is a wearable device that dials 911 if it detects the wearer has fallen. A fellow employee told me they had tripped and fell to the ground. They laid still for a moment to catch their breath and calm down. Within that time their watch alerted emergency assistance and paramedics were sent out to them. IF MEMORY SERVES ME CORRECTLY DIDN’T a well-known amusement park have to update their futuristic exhibit because it had become outdated? Having been created decades ago, some of the items depicted became products we are using presently. I look at the things in my house and I can tell you when and where I was when I acquired them. From hi-tech to mementoes, a memory is attached to each item. What I really would love to know is how the inventor/creator came up with the idea for it. Even hearing from the individual who created the pet rock or chia pet is someone I would enjoy talking with. I consider myself more creative than scientific and yet, the things I imagine have never produced tangible results. And that is okay because I know I will still experience new and exciting things in life. If you are like me, by looking at things we use in our daily lives and wonder what it must have been like when they first appeared, then you will enjoy watching this historical, dramatic biography based on a true story. A BATTLE OF WITS AND IDEAS reach an epic peak when three visionary men see what the future would be like if light could be accessible to all. With Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game, Star Trek into Darkness) as Thomas Edison, Tom Holland (Spider-Man franchise, In the Heart of the Sea) as Samuel Insull, Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water, Take Shelter) as George Westinghouse, Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies, X-Men franchise) as Nikola Tesla and Matthew Macfadyen (Pride & Prejudice, The Three Musketeers) as J.P. Morgan; I enjoyed the historical aspect of this story, whether it was accurate or not. Seeing these historical men brought to life by the fine acting of the cast was a treat for me. As the story unfolded, I realized something was missing; a spark, a shock, a connection. The script did not provide the drama I thought was needed for this story. It was as if the scenes were in stasis; there was no difference emotionally from one to the other. I did however enjoy the sets and cinematography. With the discovery of electricity as a focal point, I would have thought the movie studio would have demanded more work be done to make this film shine.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Judy
SOON AFTER WE BECAME FRIENDS IN 1stor 2ndgrade, we became best friends. I lived on the northwest corner of a square, city block and he lived on the southeast one; we would use the alley to go to each other’s house. He had an uncle who was some type of farmer; so, every summer he would always bring over a grocery bag of his uncle’s fruit to our house each weekend. We would go through the bag picking out the ripest fruit to eat right away before putting the bag in the refrigerator. All through elementary school we remained the best of friends. During that time, we were there for each other during a parent’s health scare, the surprise birth of his baby sister and the rise of bullying as we advanced in school. By the time we graduated and started high school we were sure nothing would change between us. With the school population tripling between elementary and high school, besides going from a small school to a block long building, we assumed we would still see each other through the school’s hallways. As it turned out that was not the case and as time went on, we started drifting apart. Our circle of friends was expanding and diversifying on top of it. I WENT OUT OF STATE FOR college and that was the last time I saw my friend; we lost touch with each other. Fast forward now 20 years, where I am living down in the city in my own place. There was a store in my neighborhood that I had read about in the newspaper; they carried “funky” retro stuff. I decided to check it out one Saturday and walked down to it. The newspapers were right because the store was cool looking with a variety of items from different eras. As I was gazing down into one of the glass display cases a staff worker came up to me, to see if I needed any help. When I lifted my head up to reply I was stunned. The man standing across the case from me was my best friend from elementary school. He recognized me immediately as we both started laughing. He asked what I was doing there; I asked him the same thing. It turned out he was the owner. While we were talking, I noticed something odd; he was talking with a British accent. Listening to the scope of his business dealings, he was heavily involved in the entertainment business. He went by one name, deciding his last name sounded suddenly “to ethnic.” I found all of this bizarre, to say the least. AFTER THAT STORE VISIT, WE STAYED in touch sporadically. I felt like I was talking to a different person whenever I would see him. He had turned himself into this persona with the one name to make an impression with the Hollywood people he was dealing with now. His business expanded so much he had to acquire multiple warehouses to store his burgeoning inventory. He became the “go to person” whenever Hollywood studios needed specific styled props and costumes. His lifestyle became fast paced and crazy to match the people he was now hobnobbing with, from coast to coast. I had bumped into him at a play one day and knew immediately he was high on drugs. His speech was slurred, his eyes were halfway shut, and he kept swaying from side to side. That was the last time I saw him until I read his obituary in the paper. DESPITE BEING UNINSURABLE AND BROKE LEGENDARY performer Judy Garland, played by Renee Zellweger (Chicago, My One and Only), flew to London in 1968 for several sold-out concerts. This biographical drama also starred Jessie Buckley (Wild Rose, The Tempest) as Rosalyn Wilder, Finn Wittrock (Unbroken, American Horror Story-TV) as Mickey Deans, Rufus Sewell (The Illusionist, Hercules) as Sidney Luft and Michael Gambon (Harry Potter franchise, Quartet) as Bernard Delft. Whether the story was accurate in this film did not matter to me because ultimately it was all about Renee’s performance. Not once did I think it was Renee acting; she was utterly convincing in the role. Doing her own singing, I had to give her credit because I knew it was not going to be easy; however, she did an incredible job. Her mannerisms, her posture, her gestures; all of them were Judy. As for the story, many viewers already know it; so, let me just say, it is sad. However, don’t let that stop you from seeing this film because I believe you will be hearing Renee’s name this upcoming awards season.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Downton Abbey
SOME FAMILIES LIVED IN APARTMENT BUILDINGS like mine did, while others lived in houses; but it did not mean anything to any of us. Everyone was treated the same. I never thought a family had to be rich to live in a house; though, I remember some of my friends thought this one kid was snobby because his family owned a local food company. I remember seeing one of their products at the grocery store and thinking how weird it must have been for that kid to see his last name on all the containers stacked across one of the grocery store’s shelves. Outside of that, I do not recall anyone using their family wealth to make people think they were better than anyone else. It was in school where I learned about socio-economic classes; that people were categorized as being upper, middle or lower class. The concept was odd to me because I could not understand why the amount of money a person had was important. I never considered someone being better because they were wealthier. They could have a lot of money but still be a horrible person; there would be no way I would ever think they were better than someone who barely could cover their rent, as an example. IT WAS NOT UNTIL AFTER MY school years where I saw how people treat other people, they deem poorer. I was at a wedding where I saw the bride’s mother treating the staff poorly. She was talking down to them as she grilled them on what they “needed” to do for her. Up until that point I had not seen this side of the mother who had always appeared pleasant and giving. Now, I was seeing this aggressive woman telling the staff if they wanted to get paid, they needed to make such and such happened immediately; it was an ugly scene. Another time I was teaching at a health club where the cliental came from all types of backgrounds. There were working class folks, retirees, business owners; you get the picture. I am not one to stereotype a person; but out of these different backgrounds, I could tell which person considered themselves to be above other people. They always dressed up for exercise class, wearing the latest fashion trends in clothing, tons of jewelry along with wearing make-up and perfume. You would think they were going out for the night to a social event. I found the whole concept perplexing. However, in this comedic drama I understood it better because the times were different back then… or were they really? EXCITEMENT FLOODED THROUGH DOWNTON ABBEY WHEN a letter was received, announcing the King and Queen would be coming for a visit. The family and staff would discover things they never knew before. With Michelle Dockery (Anna Karenina, Non-Stop) as Lady Mary Talbot, Matthew Goode (Stoker, Official Secrets) as Henry Talbot, Tuppence Middleton (The Imitation Game, Sense8-TV) as Lucy Smith, Maggie Smith (The Lady in the Van, Quartet) as Violet Crawley and Elizabeth McGovern (Once Upon a Time in America, The Chaperone) as Cora Crawley; I first have to tell you I have not seen the television show that this film was based on. The movie was beautifully filmed and scored, with wonderful set designs and costumes. This made for a perfect period piece film. Now the fact I am not familiar with the characters, I felt I was at a disadvantage; I did not know the history of each character, so did not feel as connected as most of the audience did in the theater. Story wise the plot was easy and fun to follow. For me, it seemed as if there were such a variety of story lines that nothing felt fully developed to the point where I could make a connection. There definitely was a soap opera quality to this picture, where I could see why it made for a popular television series. I am glad I saw this movie but did feel I was more of a bystander than a guest at the party.
2 ¾ stars 3 ½ stars – fans of the TV series
Flash Movie Review: Official Secrets
“CAN YOU KEEP A SECRET” IS something I still get asked, even though the person asking me knows the answer. I am not a gossiper by nature, though I enjoy being in the know. From the jobs I have worked, I never told anyone about the employee who was cheating on his wife despite the fact she worked at the same company. Or, there was another employee who during her lunchtime would partake in some heavy-duty drug use. She would be tripping at her desk but no one around her seemed to notice. I used to wonder if she purposely wore her large tinted glasses at the office to hide her eyes because she did not need glasses to read. I have been told such a variety of secrets by different people that I could probably write a book about them. From the sad to the bizarre, I have been the keeper of people’s secrets. It is funny because for me the definition of secret means not telling anyone; so, I do not always understand a person’s motives that compel them to share their secrets with someone else. Though, as I just wrote that I am recalling an employee I worked with who was planning to get back at her boss by pranking him. She started to tell me what she was going to do but I stopped her. I did not want to know anything so I could not be accused of being a co-conspirator. ONE OF THE TOUGHEST SECRETS I had to keep inside of me was not necessarily a secret. I had heard an employee talking to another employee about our boss was going to let someone in our department go, mentioning the person by name. Since I had no way to verify their statement, as far as I was concerned that employee was gossiping. However, that did not make me feel any better whenever I was around the employee who was supposedly going to be fired. The reason being, she had recently found a house she wanted to buy and was starting the process of getting approved with her bank. I knew if she was let go before the bank did a credit check on her, she might not get approved. Or worse, she gets approved and buys the house but then cannot afford it because she no longer has a job. I did not know what to do and started feeling uncomfortable anytime I was around her. No matter how much discomfort I was experiencing back then, it paled in comparison to what the main character had to endure in this dramatic, biographical film. WHAT SHE READ THAT CAME ACROSS her computer was top secret information. If Katherine Gun, played by Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms), told anyone about it she could be jailed; but if she did not say something, many people could die. With Matthew Goode (Match Point, A Single Man) as Peter Beaumont, Indira Varma (Exodus: Gods and Kings, Rome-TV) as Shami Chakrabarti, Ralph Fiennes (The White Crow, A Bigger Splash) as Ben Emmerson and Rhys Ifans (Notting Hill, Snowden) as Ed Vulliamy; this film festival winner was based on a true story. Keira’s performance was so believable and emotional that I could not keep my eyes off her. The story was both incredible and incredulous. I found myself sympathizing with the characters to the point where I was experiencing a bit of anxiety; that is how good the actors were in their roles, along with the pacing of the story. Because this movie was only being showed on a limited schedule at the theater, I feel many people will miss the opportunity to experience this picture. It is not a secret; this movie entertained and informed me.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Goldfinch
GRATEFULLY THE TYPE OF SHOCK I have experienced is the surprise kind. There are different kinds of shock: anaphylactic, cardiogenic and hypovolemic to name a few. Trust me I am not that smart; I had to look up and confirm the definition to each of these types. There is also neurogenic shock that comes from a severe emotional disturbance. This would be the one that comes closest to what I have experienced, though nothing as close to feeling something so severe. I experience shock when something unexpected happens to me. Now you might be thinking unless I stay locked in a room, there is no way I am not going to encounter something unexpected during my daily life; and you would be right. I am tightly wired into having structure in my life. Spontaneity is a foreign concept that unsettles me; but having a set routine has a calming effect on me. RECENTLY, I WAS REMINDED OF HOW my brain shuts down when I become shocked. I had pulled a suit out of the closet to try on, making sure it still fit for an upcoming wedding I would be attending. The jacket was fine; but when I tried on the slacks, there was a good two-inch gap at the waistline that prevented me from zipping up the pants. Since weight has always been an issue in my life, my brain went into shock because my slacks no longer fit. I could not believe I had put on that much weight! If I could have stayed in reality, I would have recognized the pants had pleats, which I never wear and the jacket was double breasted, though I knew I had a single-breasted suit. Because my mind was blown, I could not think rationally. It was like my mind got blasted into space and I had to wait for it to parachute down before I could start thinking clearly. It took me a couple of minutes, after I had previewed several scenarios in my mind such as having to go and buy a new suit or put myself on a crash diet, before I noticed the clues that were right in front of my face. The pleated slacks, the double-breasted suit; I was trying on the wrong suit. This is how I handle shock; others handle it a different way, which you can see in this dramatic movie based on the best-selling, Pulitzer winning novel. SURVIVING A BOMB BLAST CAUSED YOUNG Theo, played by Oakes Fegley (Pete’s Dragon, This is Where I Leave You), to act irrationally. His mother would not have approved, but she was killed in the explosion. With Ansel Elgort (Baby Driver, The Fault in Our Stars) as Adult Theo, Nicole Kidman (Boy Erased, The Upside) as Mrs. Barbour, Jeffrey Wright (Broken Flowers, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay) as Hobie and Luke Wilson (The Family Stone, Middle Men) as Larry; the cast was the strongest part of this film. Their acting skills were on full display and I appreciated it because the story was too long here. I thought the script was broken by the jumping back and forth in time, the multiple story lines and the lack of wonder. It was easy for me to figure out what was going to happen to most of the characters, which some of you know is not something I usually can do. The script was congested; I thought the writers were trying to cram so much into it that nothing really stood out in the scenes as being powerful. It really was a shock for me to see such competent actors doing their best to bring this picture alive, yet I never felt like I connected to this picture.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Skin
THE ONLY WAY I COULD TELL the twins apart was one of them was heavyset. They wore their hair the same way and personally, I think they dressed the same at times just to throw their teachers off. The heavier twin was not a nice (I wanted to use a slang word here) person; essentially, he was a bully. His twin brother was the opposite; he always had a smile on his face, and he was friendly to everyone. I had classes with both. It seemed like every other week the mean twin would cause a disruption in the classroom. To complete the picture for you, the nice twin had more friends than his brother. After a couple of years, the heavy twin started to lose weight. It took almost one year for him to get down to the same weight as his brother; now, it was nearly impossible to tell the two brothers apart—at least on the outside. I had wondered if his losing weight would have made the heavier twin a nicer person but that was not the case. He was still ugly on the inside. Not knowing what the motivation was for him to go on a diet, I did not know if he had any expectations about how different his life would be being skinnier. I so badly wanted to tell him a cosmetic change was not enough to really make a change in his life. WHERE THE HEAVIER TWIN ONLY CHANGED his appearance, there was another boy at school who changed on the inside. He and I had gone to the same elementary school. Periodically we would be on the same team in gym class; plus, I would see him after school in the neighborhood from time to time. He was not a troublemaker in class; but if some prank or disruption did take place in the classroom, he would be part of the group of kids who were laughing about it. Outside of that, there was nothing else noteworthy about him; he pretty much just blended in with his surroundings. When we graduated into high school, a big transformation took place within him. He started hanging out with a group of students who were on the fringe. At the time I did not know what the bond was between them. However, it first became clearer to me when he changed his style of dress. It was confirmed when I saw him participate in a fight with a group of minority students; he was a white supremist. I was stunned when I saw him and had to wonder if he always had those feelings inside of him. I had the same question when I started watching this dramatic, crime film based on true events. THOUGH HIS CHOSEN FAMILY RAISED AND NURTURED him to be a top leader of their white supremacist group, his love for a woman was making him question his actions. This film festival winning biography starred Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool) as Bryon Widner, Danielle Macdonald (Patti Cake$, Dumplin’) as Julie Price, Daniel Henshall (Ghost in the Shell, The Snowtown Murders) as Slayer, Bill Camp (12 Years a Slave, Love & Mercy) as Fred “Hammer” Krager and Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, Captive State) as Shareen. This film started out on a high level of disturbing intensity. It was almost to the point of me being uncomfortable as I felt I was sitting in the middle of the action. Jamie Bell was incredible in this role; the best I had ever seen him. My major complaint was the script; I never understood the character’s motivations, the how and why. Despite this flaw, I was kept engaged in the story by the top acting performances and the incredibleness of the story itself. I did have a question near the end of the film; can a leopard really change its spots?
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: After the Wedding
SHE INVITED ME OVER TO BE her taste-tester. A home cooked meal was always a treat, so I eagerly accepted the invitation. We had been friends for years; so, I was comfortable with her cooking for me, having had many dinners over at her place before. I insisted on bringing dessert. When I arrived, as soon as she opened the front door, I smelt a warm, homey aroma wafting in the air. Walking inside, I saw she had a bowl of guacamole and chips set out on her coffee table. This was an extra treat for me. We sat and caught up on each one’s life while munching on the food. At some point she asked me what I thought of the corn chips; I said they were fine. She said they were a new brand and she loved their freshness and taste. Honestly, they may have been; but, nothing to the point where I noticed a big enough difference that made them stand out for me. We were close to finishing off the guacamole when a bell sounded off. She said that was the timer, letting her know the food was done in the oven. Asking me to give her a couple of minutes, she got up and went into the kitchen, telling me to take a seat at the dining room table. THE FOOD SHE BROUGHT OUT LOOKED amazing; I could not wait to dig in and start eating it. She poured herself a glass of wine, knowing I did not like the taste of alcohol; I stuck to water for the evening. We each helped ourselves to the food she had set out on the table. It was as good as it looked; I could not have been happier. During the meal she brought up the subject of how she found many of the products that went into the meal. She knew I was teaching myself how to cook, I listened to her describe each product that she used for the meal; in fact, she had excused herself a couple of times to go into the kitchen and bring out some of the ingredients, so I could see for myself. Something rang odd about the whole situation, but I could not put my finger on it at the time. It was not until she insisted, I taste one ingredient, even pouring a little bit onto my plate, that I asked her what was going on. She told me she joined a food club and was positive I would like it; all I had to do was sign up online and pay a monthly membership fee. The whole purpose of me coming over was for her to get me to sign up under her name, so she could get points. I was angry she was not upfront about it before inviting me over. My anger was similar to one of the main characters’ feelings in this dramatic film. IT WAS AN UNUSUAL REQUEST; BUT Isabel, played by Michelle Williams (The Greatest Showman, All the Money in the World), knew she would have to do it if the orphanage was to receive the one-million-dollar donation. She just wanted it to be a quick, short trip to New York; however, there was more to the request waiting for her once she arrived. This dramatic film also starred Julianne Moore (Gloria Bell, Still Alice) as Theresa, Billy Crudup (Big Fish, Jackie) as Oscar, Abby Quinn (Landline, Radium Girls) as Grace and Alex Esola (The Young Pope-TV, Dangerous Lessons-TV Movie) as Jonathan. The strongest asset this movie had was the acting skills from the main cast. Michelle made her character extra special due to her nuanced and thoughtful performance; I could not stop watching her on the screen. Julianne was excellent but the writers and possible director did not provide her with enough emotional punch. The story was predictable and at times unrealistic to me; however, the acting kept me interested in the story. I did however find the story confusing because it did not know whether to be a mystery drama or a tearjerker. This movie could have been a powerful piece if the script had been better, which I believe would have upped the actors’ chances to be considered for an acting award this season. Instead, I felt manipulated and disappointed that this story did not match the quality of the actors.
2 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Don’t Let Go
I DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS chasing me but instinctively I knew it would kill me. It discovered me hiding in the stairwell. I did not look behind to see it as I raced up the stairs, knocking off a couple of framed pictures that were hanging on the walls. They crashed onto the stairs, shattering glass everywhere; I hoped it would slow down whatever was after me. Though I knew where I was running, it was not my house. All I kept hearing besides my heartbeat pounding in my ears was a low growling sound. No matter where I went in the house, I could hear it. It seemed as if I had only been running for a second, but I was not sure. Time had no relevance now as I tried finding an escape route. Every room I ran into led me to another room. At some point I knew my adrenalin fueled speed would wane; I needed to find a place where I could hide. As I entered the next room there was an unmade bed. I wasn’t thinking straight; but I quickly jumped into the bed, pulling the disheveled blanket and bedspread over me. I hoped I was blending in with the covers, so the bed still looked like a mess. It took me by surprise, but something grabbed my ankle and I screamed. I COULD NOT CATCH MY BREATH as I opened my eyes. Laying still in bed, it took me a moment to realize I had had a bad dream. But something was not right; I sensed there was a threat close by. Pulling the blanket just past my eyes I could see a shadow on the wall and then, I realized I was hearing that same growling sound. I tried to scream for help, but I could not muster any breath to come out of my mouth. All I could do was emit a gagging sound; I was sure my life would be ending. My eyes opened to see my blanket was still over my face. I was gasping for air, but I no longer sensed another presence in the room. Slowly I tugged at the blanket until my eyes were uncovered. Scanning the ceiling for any shadows before I moved my head, I saw nothing unusual in the room. I was utterly exhausted and remained still for the next several minutes as I tried to piece together what just happened. I must’ve had a dream of me having a dream; I was so confused. My confusion was not so dissimilar from what I experienced while watching this dramatic, fantasy horror. A FRANTIC PHONE CALL CUT SHORT leads Jack Radcliffe, played by David Oyelowo (Selma, Queen of Katwe) to a gruesome discovery. To make matters worse, he gets another phone call from the same caller. With Byron Mann (The Big Short, Skyscraper) as Detective Roger Lee, Storm Reid (A Wrinkle in Time, Sleight) as Ashley, Mykeiti Williamson (Fences, Run the Race) as Bobby and Shinelle Azoroh (Nostalgia, Code Black-TV) as Susan, this film’s strong suit was the acting. I thought David and Storm did an above average job in portraying their characters. The story, though it sounded interesting to me, was odd. As it unfolded in this film, it seemed to get sillier. Scenes were divided into past and present which at times caused confusion. It was a shame because there were a few tense scenes that started to draw me in; but then, the feeling would be gone in the next scene. I am not sure what the writers were dreaming or hoping to create with this story, but I do not think they were expecting to get a reaction like the reaction I got from this movie—it was a nightmare.
1 ¾ stars
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