Category Archives: Drama
Drama
Flash Movie Review: NYAD
I WAS FORTUNATE THAT I NEVER injured myself while teaching one of my fitness classes. My good fortune came about from a discussion I had with one of my earliest directors at the fitness center. When I first arrived there, many of the members thought I was the director’s brother because we were so similar in our coloring and temperament, though she was over a decade older than me. When she hired me, she explained her philosophy on teaching classes, which included how she not only paid attention to the members’ form and movement, but to own as well. Back when I started, high impact aerobics was still a thing and she told me to begin the exercise demonstrating the high impact moves, but to drop down to low impact to protect my body. It was great advice because, through the decades, I was able to maintain teaching 15 to 20 classes a week without any soreness in my joints or muscles. Though that early director retired from her position, she still maintained her training license the entire time I was working at the fitness center. She may have been the oldest trainer on the fitness floor, but she was still getting results out of each of her clients; she was and still is an inspiration to me. WHILE I WAS TEACHING FITNESS CLASSES, I decided to go back to school to become a yoga instructor. Once I completed my courses, I introduced yoga classes into the fitness center. One of the instructors that was hired was an older person. Nothing was said about it, this was just an observation. She and I struck up a friendship since we had similar styles in our yoga practices. Looking at her, I had to say she looked like she was in her 50’s. The yoga program was an enormous success for the center, and we were able to offer several classes throughout the week. At some point, in one of my conversations with this older instructor, she told me her age. I was shocked when she said she was about to turn seventy years old. I was only shocked because she did not look it, and no one could imagine she was that age based on the yoga poses she taught in her classes. During her time at the fitness center, I grew to admire her accomplishments based on the personal stories she shared with me. It is because of her and my earliest fitness director that I felt I could have a lengthy career in fitness/yoga. They taught me age was only a number; it did not need to represent me. THOUGH SHE DID NOT COMPLETE HER swim between Cuba and Florida decades earlier, a marathon swimmer never forgot her dream. She was determined to be the first person to complete the course, even when others said she was too old. With Annette Bening (Jerry and Marge Go Large, Death on the Nile) as Diana Nyad, Jodie Foster (Hotel Artemis, Flightplan) as Bonnie Stoll, newcomer Anne Marie Kemf as Candace, Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man, Anonymous) as John Bartlett and Eric T. Miller (Separation, Redemption in Cherry Springs) as Coach Jack Nelson; this true story was a showcase for the acting skills of Annette and Jodie. They were wonderful in their roles, staying strong and solid throughout the film. The story is incredible; but more than that, I never found myself bored while watching the scenes unfold. I would have appreciated a little more background story to the characters because at times I did not understand why people were putting up with Diana’s behavior. Regardless, this was an entertaining and inspirational movie. Even if one does not find this biographical, sport drama appealing, one cannot fault the message, to never give up on one’s dream.
3 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Sound of Freedom
IT EVEN PUZZLES ME AT TIMES, but for some reason I tend to walk in the back when there are several individuals in my group. This is especially true when there are children amongst the adults. At first, I was not conscious of doing it but as time went on, and I was at my fittest, I felt like I was protecting the group from harm. Not that I have any unique skills like Liam Neeson, I simply felt I was adding an extra layer of protection around my friends and family. Looking ahead at crosswalks, observing what type of person was walking towards us, assessing traffic patterns and driveways; I tried to make sure every step forward was a safe one for everyone. This thinking came about because I grew up in a large city and traveled by various means to all areas of it; I do not know. I have a memory thinking whenever I was walking with a person who was carrying a purse or bag, I wanted to be walking on the outside, closer to the curb so a purse snatcher would not be able to grab their bag and take off with it. When little kids were involved, I instinctually wanted to walk behind them so I could keep an eye out, scanning for any potential trouble areas that could put them in harm’s way. FOR ALL THE YEARS I HAVE been walking in the back, we never encountered any type of trouble. I honestly, do not think I had something to do with it, but I can say times were safer back then as compared to the present. There are so many distractions I see when walking outside, I cannot imagine herding a small group of people through it. I saw a tween or young teenager looking at their phone while walking down the sidewalk and they bumped into a streetlamp. Just last week, the car ahead of me nearly went through a traffic light that turned red because they were on their phone. The worse news is hearing and reading about little children who got shot by accident because they were in the line of fire between members of two rival street gangs or a robber. I know in some circumstances there would have been nothing I could do to prevent such tragedy. Innocent children should not have to suffer for adults’ choices/mistakes/wayward ways. Growing up, I do not recall hearing stories about the criminal activities that took place in this biographical, crime drama. Even knowing about them as an adult, I cannot even process the horror of it. A GOVERNMENT AGENT RESCUES A LITTLE boy who was abducted away from his family. When the agent discovers his sister was also taken, he decides he must find her as well, no matter where his search might take him. With Jim Caviezel (The Thin Red Line, Person of Interest-TV) as Tim Ballard, Mira Sorvino (The Replacement Killers, Butter) as Katherine, Bill Camp (Passing, 12 Years a Slave) as Vampiro, Javier Godino (The Secret in Their Eyes, Operation Mincemeat) as Jorge and Manny Perez (Pride and Glory, A Killer Romance) as Fuego; this film based on a true story was a disturbing watch. I had no idea it was based on a true story, which made the story more gripping for me. As I sat and watched it, I thought some scenes may have been watered down from reality because they seemed a bit farfetched. Also, I think a little more character development would have been in order. But here is the thing; from an entertainment standpoint, this movie was thrilling, creepy, gut wrenching to watch for me. Regardless of its flaws, I still felt it was a powerful picture. I honestly wonder how a parent could watch this film and not want to ever let their children out of the house by themselves.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Maestro
I PROBABLY WAS HEARING MUSIC BEFORE I could even understand what sounds I was hearing. Music was always playing in our house and since I was the last one to be born, I had at birth a vast catalog of different sound genres. There were records, yes vinyl records, of classical, jazz, blues, opera, and Broadway shows to name a few. I did not know the difference between, for example, the romantic and baroque periods; I just knew there were these sounds filling up the house that had the ability to make me feel different emotions. Some music made me want to move, where I would stop whatever I was doing, to stand up and bounce up and down to the beat. Other kinds of music would lull me to sleep. I do not remember doing it, but there is a photograph of me standing on a chair, wearing a big hat, which caught me in the middle of bouncing. One of the first things I learned, when I was at the appropriate age, was how to handle a vinyl record. Pulling it out from its record cover, sliding it out of its paper sleeve, making sure to balance the edge of it on the palm of a cupped hand, with the longest finger holding it from the hole in the center, or at least on the paper label, was the correct way to do it. My favorite feature on the phonograph was the repeat button. Once I found something I liked, I would play it over and over. AT SOME POINT GROWING UP, WE started watching a television show called, “New York Philharmonic Young People’s Concerts. The conductor was Lenard Bernstein. It aired on Saturday afternoons, so I always made sure I was home by the time it came on. Mr. Bernstein was this animated character who sweated and laughed; he was enthusiastic about the things he was talking about. I loved it when he conducted the orchestra and sometimes, I would try to mimic his movements as if I were leading the orchestra. He explained what piece he was going to play, stopping at various times during it to explain what the notes they just played were telling the listener. After he explained the different sections, he would have the entire orchestra run through the piece. I learned about a variety of composers from him and would seek out their albums in our collection, after the shows ended. For decades, these shows have remained a fond memory for me, having contributed to my love for music. There was no way I was going to miss this film about such an extraordinary man, who had a prominent place in my early life. AS A LAST-MINUTE REPLACEMENT, A YOUNG conductor quickly makes a name for himself, catching the eye of many people along his journey to fame. With Carey Mulligan (The Dig, She Said) as Felicia Montealegre, Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born, Silver Linings Playbook) as Leonard Bernstein, Matt Bomer (Magic Mike franchise, In Time) as David Oppenheim, Vincenzo Amato (Unbroken, Golden Door) as Bruno Zirato and Greg Hildeth (Radium Girls, Dr. Death-TV) as Isaac; this biographical, history drama excelled because of Carey and Bradley. They were incredible both together and apart, to the point they were absolutely believable. I found the story fascinating and thought Bradley did an excellent job of directing. The pacing kept steady, with an even mix of music and drama. The one thing I was disappointed in was the stories to each character did not venture far from the surface. Granted, it is almost impossible to translate a lifetime of a person’s life into a 2-hour movie; however, I did not get to the point where I clearly understood each of the main character’s back stories. And on a personal note, I would have enjoyed hearing more music. Nonetheless, this easily could be an Oscar contender for the acting categories.
3 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Leave the World Behind
MORE TIMES THAN NOT, WHENEVER I must go inside the bank to see a teller, I get a brief perplexed look when I tell them I do not have an ATM card. It is automatic for them to ask their customers to swipe their ATM card to begin the transaction. When I say I do not have one, they look up at me with this odd look before asking for a form of ID. I am so used to it now that it does not bother me. There is something about doing online banking that makes me uncomfortable. Who knows, maybe if I start traveling more and cannot always be back home to pay a bill on time, I might have to make arrangements to make payments online; however, for now, I am not interested in doing such a thing. I do not know what it is, but the more things turn to electronic internet-based methods, the more leery I become. Recently I discovered with my new vehicle I can lock, unlock, and start it with my phone. No one at the dealership mentioned it; I just happened to come across it when I was looking for something on the app that was downloaded to my phone when I purchased the vehicle. Though the idea of starting my car before I get inside of it on a cold wintery day sounds appealing, I am unsettled about the prospects that this app might be something that hackers would attack to take my car away from me or get used if I am the victim of a carjacking. These are things I think of. THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS OUT there that I could get stuck dwelling on. Such a great idea of the air tags to keep track of one’s luggage when traveling, but then I find out ex-partners/stalkers use them to track their victim. Or I know someone out of state who drives an electric car. There was a power outage that lasted several days. They were not able to drive their car because they did not have sufficient time to charge it. Though I certainly benefit from some of the technical achievements brought into our world, I am concerned that too much will be operated through a sole source that could wind up giving us a negative experience. There are refrigerators, washers, dryers, automobiles, picture frames, televisions, and many more that are “cloud” based. I worry what if the power goes out or there is a computer malfunction or worse, a computer attack that brings everything to a standstill? Watching this dramatic, mystery thriller did nothing to soothe my concerns. WHEN TWO STRANGERS COME TO THE house that a family has rented for vacation, claiming they are the owners, the family members have no way to see if the strangers’ story is true because the internet was down. With Julia Roberts (Ticket to Paradise, Ben is Back) as Amanda Sandford, Mahershala Ali (Green Book, Swan Song) as G.H. Scott, Ethan Hawke (The Black Phone, The Northman) as Clay Sandford, Myha’la (Dumb Money, Bodies Bodies Bodies) as Ruth Scott and Farrah Mackenzie (Logan Lucky, Ascension) as Rose Sandford; this film was disturbing. It started out slowly, but as it moved along the tension kept building. The cast did a wonderful job with their acting, blending well with each other. For me, there were parts of the story that were uncomfortable and scary; but then some scenes seemed odd, not making much sense. I thought the writers were adding things into the story just to scare the viewer, even if they were not relevant to the story. By the time the ending came along, I was disappointed. The idea for this story was excellent; it sure made me react to it. Also, I felt it was a topic that might be on many people’s minds. I just wished the writers dug deeper into the characters and painted a broader picture of the world around us.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Gran Turismo
MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH A FAST vehicle took place at a local amusement park. In front of the park entrance there was a go kart track. I always assumed it was separate from the park because we had to pay for each ride, unlike paying admission to the park and getting the rides for free. I stood and watched the karts roll by for a minute before I decided to join my relatives in line. Unlike some of the car rides I had been on at other amusement parks, where the vehicle was attached to a groove that went down the middle of the track, this ride let the driver have free rein to safely drive wherever they pleased on the track. When it was our turn to get into the karts, there were attendants who helped buckling in the drivers. I noticed the cars had extra big bumpers, like the bumper cars that were an attraction in the amusement park. The older relatives in front of me took off as soon as they were cleared by their attendants. I wanted to catch up to them, so as soon as I was given the okay, I pressed hard on the gas pedal and went out in pursuit. I loved the way the wind hit my face as I drove down the track, staying close to the left side. By the time we were flagged to stop, I had passed just a few of the younger relatives; but it did not matter, I was hooked on the speed. I CONTINUED TO GO ON THE ride until I was no longer able to fit into the kart. By that time, I had collected an array of race car toys, including a racetrack that I put together in our living room, so I was getting my thrills from racing toy cars. In fact, there was a toy shop I went to weekly that had a huge racetrack; customers could rent a race car or bring one of their own to play on the track against other customers. One of my relatives and I saved up and bought our own toy race cars to use at the store. It took me a while to get used to adjusting the speed when my car was taking a turn; I had a few wipeouts, but I was determined to make it through the whole track without an incident and win the race. I believe, all the times I played at the shop led the adult me to always go for the sportiest car whenever I was car shopping at dealerships. Who knows what would have happened if the racing video game in this film had come out when I was a little boy; I might have had a whole different career. EVER SINCE HE WAS A LITTLE boy, all Jann Mardenborough, played by Archie Madekwe (Saltburn, Midsommar), could think about was racing cars. When an advertisement came out announcing a racing contest, Jann felt with all his video playing he might have a chance at becoming a race car driver for Nissan. With David Harbour (Black Widow, Revolutionary Road) as Jack Salter, Orlando Bloom (The Lord of the Rings franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) as Danny Moore, Takehiro Hira (Snake Eyes, Killing for the Prosecution) as Kazunori Yamauchi and Darren Barnet (Never Have I Ever-TV, Turnt-TV) as Matty Davis; this action adventure film based on a true story had some great racing scenes in it. I was not familiar with the story nor the video game, so for me everything seemed fresh and new. I do feel the script was conventional because it never felt like we were getting the full story on the characters. The drama was kept to a certain level, so that it never dripped over into the action scenes. Nonetheless, this movie was still fun to watch, though if one is not interested at all in races and racing cars then you might want to pass this one on the right.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Trailer: May December
AS I GUEST, I HAD NO idea what to expect as I was greeted into their home. I was the “plus one” who had been invited by the hosts to come and help celebrate the holiday. As the front door opened, the host’s daughter greeted us. I had met her a few times previously, but tonight something was wrong; I could immediately feel it in the air. Her eyes were red, and the eyelashes looked damp as if she had been crying. Since nothing was being mentioned, I was not going to ask if everything was okay; I was not a family member, so I did not feel it was my place. We were directed into the living room where other family members were seated. The matriarch of the family stood up to greet us as we entered the room. Sitting in the chair next to her was another daughter, who remained seated. She looked at us and said hello with a slight nod before turning her gaze back to the fireplace. There was something going on, I just knew it because people were acting odd. It was as if they were going through the motions at a bare minimum, with nothing more to offer. We found two spots on the sofa and sat down. There was dead silence for the moment. I could not stand it; so, I spoke up first, thanking the host for having me for holiday dinner. DINNER WAS READY AND NOT A moment too soon for me. It was so uncomfortable to be sitting in a room with people, where little conversation was going on. Questions were asked to all on how they were feeling, and each person responded with one word, “fine.” I was hoping the meal would provide a couple of avenues to start a conversation. Platters of food were brought out, wine was poured, and the matriarch thanked us all for being there. Everyone acknowledged her comments, reciprocating in kind. Afterwards, there was dead silence again. As soon as I took a bite of something, I would comment on how wonderful it was, asking how it was prepared. I just did not want there to be this constant silence hanging over the dining room table. My comments on the food dishes and questions were politely answered, but none of it sparked the beginning of a conversation. We sat quietly, except for the clinking of silverware on plates and bowls. I could not wait to get out of there. It was three days later when my feelings were confirmed. Before we arrived, the family members got into a big fight because one of the guests refused to test themselves for COVID, after having been with a friend who afterwards tested positive for it. Instead of talking it out and coming to a mutual agreement, the family members yelled and accused each other of ridiculous things. They certainly did not know how to communicate, instead just sat there pretending everything was all right. It was like what the family was doing in this dramatic, well-cast film. AFTER BEING MARRIED FOR MANY YEARS, one would have thought everything would have been dealt with and worked out for the infamous couple. But when an actor comes into their life to study one of them for a movie role, she sees more than what she was expecting. With Natalie Portman (Lucy in the Sky, Black Swan) as Elizbeth, Julianne Moore (After the Wedding, Gloria Bell) as Gracie, Charles Melton (The Sun is Also a Star, Riverdale-TV) as Joe Yoo, Cory Michael Smith (Call Jane, Carol) as Georgie and Andrea Frankle (Crime Story, Walkaway Joe) as Rhonda; I was captured by the incredible acting skills of the cast. Natalie, Julianne, and Charles were so coordinated that I forgot their real selves and took them as the characters they played. The story was deftly told, and the direction and music were brilliant. There were moments of camp and drama, blended into the script that kept the viewer wondering about the intentions of the characters. This was such a strong film that kept me totally engaged with it. I never thought a movie that shows the faults of being non-communicative would be so thrilling to watch.
4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Radical
NO SOONER AFTER THE FOURTH-GRADE teacher started telling me about the visitors she had at her school, I knew this was going to be a heartwarming story. A group of graduating high school seniors returned to their elementary school for a special assembly. During their visit, a group of them went to pay a visit to their fourth-grade teacher. She was totally surprised when they walked up to her and luckily, she said she was able to recognize a good portion of them. She told us the students wanted to see her because her class had been their favorite one all through elementary school. They said it was because of her they found excitement and fun in learning. I was happy to hear this because I knew how hard she worked to make her classes a safe, exciting place for her students to explore the world around them. She would be working on lesson plans and activities at home, early in the morning before the school day started, and even at weekends; she was dedicated to her job. I could tell she was moved by the experience, more so when she said the students wanted her to know that each one of them was going to college. This bit of news truly made her day, and I was thrilled for her; she deserved it. I HAVE ALWAYS SAID ONE OF the hardest and most important jobs is being a teacher. They are entrusted with the task of expanding a child’s mind by teaching them everything from the alphabet to music to history to art to science. Compare the work and pay they get for it to a sports figure (baseball, basketball, football player for example), there is no comparison. In my opinion, it is completely lopsided. Not to “knock down” any sports figures, but having an inside look into teachers’ lives, they are underpaid. Of course, there are some teachers who should never have become teachers; I have seen and experienced them for myself. However, there are so many dedicated teachers who just want to make a difference in a child’s life. My music teacher was the one who solidified my love of music, exposing the class to all types of music from around the world. I also had a great literature teacher who instead of having us give book reports, wanted us to create something to depict a scene or theme from the assigned book. It was such an imaginative way of teaching, I thought. It all comes down to caring, I believe, on what makes a teacher great. A perfect example can be found in this drama based on a true story. IN A SMALL MEXICAN TOWN, FILLED with violence and neglect, a new teacher arrives who wants his students to have a better chance for opportunities in life. With Eugenio Derbez (Overboard, Dora and the lost City of Gold) as Sergio, Daniel Haddad (Murder City, All the Freckles in the World-TV) as Chucho, Gilberto Barraza (The Land of Silence, Rage) as Papa Palome, Enoc Leano (Roma, Parientes a la Fuerza-TV) as Administrator and Erwin Veytia (The Black Minutes, Go Youth!) as Sr. Garcia; this was such a feel-good story that I enjoyed watching all the way through to the end. Eugenio was outstanding in his role and the rest of the cast was so good as well. The story was fascinating to me; I am positive there was so much more to this story than what was depicted in this picture. And that is the issue I had with this movie; it had a predictable factor that I was able to figure out upcoming scenes. Despite this, I still feel this was a worthwhile film to view and I am glad I got to see it. Spanish was spoken with English subtitles.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Fair Play
AT A BUSINESS EVENT, I WAS introduced to a husband and wife, where the wife was the major breadwinner in the family. She was the head of her department that employed over 100 people. Their work directly affected the financial stability of the company. Her husband worked but I was not clear about what he did for a living. From the various times I ran into them at business functions, he was always there no matter where in the country the event was being held. I have known many couples where one makes a substantial amount of more money, so I am never surprised by such things. But here is the interesting thing I found with this couple; I have been around attendees and co-workers of the wife who mention the husband is a freeloader. They say he comes to every business event that involves a free meal. It is funny, because I have attended various events that served a meal, but I am not a fan of buffets. Hearing these comments made me wonder if they would have said the same thing if the husband’s and wife’s roles were reversed, where he was the major money earner, and the wife was not. The times I have been around the couple, I never got a sense that he was threatened or upset that his wife made more money than him. ON THE OPPOSITE END OF THE spectrum, I know a couple where the husband and wife both worked, but the wife had a difficult time remaining at a job. I knew she did not have a college education, not that it always means something, but it seemed to me she did not want to work. She was taking temporary jobs, working with a temp agency. One job would last one month, then she would have a couple of weeks off before she got assigned to another company. As time went on, it seemed as if her time off between jobs was being extended further and further. Normally, I would not pay attention to any of this because it is not my business; however, whenever I was around the two of them the husband would make passive aggressive remarks about her not earning her keep. For example, she was talking about a wedding they were going to attend and how she wanted to get a new outfit for it. Her husband suggested, in that pseudo kidding way, she find a job to pay for the outfit; except, I could tell he was not kidding. It came to the point I was uncomfortable engaging with them when they were together. I was feeling that same uncomfortableness as I watched the main characters in this dramatic, mystery thriller. WORKING AT THE SAME COMPANY CAN be challenging for a couple. Especially, when the policy frowns on such relationships. When one of the couple’s job duties changes, it sets in motion a series of events that test the couple’s resolve. With Phoebe Dynevor (The Colour Room, Bridgerton-TV) as Emily, Alden Ehrenreich (Oppenheimer, Cocaine Bear) as Luke, Eddie Marsan (Happy-G0-Lucky, Vera Drake) as Campbell, Rich Sommer (The Devil Wears Prada, Mad Men-TV) as Paul and Sebastian De Souza (Kids in Love, Medici-TV) as Rory; I thought Phoebe and Alden were excellent as a couple. The range of emotions they displayed made for some exciting moments in the story. I was fully engaged as the story unfolded, fascinated with not only the emotional side of the story but the business side as well. Unfortunately, the last part of the movie did not maintain the clarity of the story. I was getting confused and thought the script dipped into comic book theatrics. Also, it seemed as if the characters lost some of their authenticity. This could have been a fascinating study of gender equality/inequality, but the message got somewhat lost.
2 ¾ stars
moviejoltz 