Category Archives: Drama
Drama
Flash Movie Review: La Mission
In the Latin community, so I have been told, the males need to be machismo, manly. I do not buy that, but I am aware that there is a strong focus on being a family. We can all assume that when a child is brought into this world, whatever their parents’ backgrounds, they will love their child unconditionally. If only that were really true. I have witnessed the horror of a child being kicked out of the house by their parents, because they announced they were gay. These parents only loved him as long as they believed he was straight. What made this situation worse was how the parents had nothing to do with him from that day on…until they found out years later how successful their son had become in the business world. Then all of a sudden they tried re-establishing a relationship with him. For these reasons, I was intrigued when I saw the trailer for this movie. In the mission district of San Francisco lived Che Rivera, played by Benjamin Bratt (Miss Congeniality, Law & Order-TV). He was an ex-con, recovering alcoholic and a single dad. Respected by some, feared by others; Che’s world spun out of control when he discovered his son Jes, played by Jeremy Ray Valdez (Constantine, All She Can), was gay. Though this story can and has played out in many ways, I felt having the setting take place in a hyper masculine, Hispanic neighborhood gave the conflicts more intensity. Benjamin and Jeremy did a wonderful job of acting, in spite of several undeveloped scenes. Even if I had never known about my friend’s parents, I would have still found this dramatic film to be a truthful story. In my world, love is either an all or nothing proposition.
2 3/4 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Temple Grandin
The brain is an amazing organ. I have always been fascinated on how it works. A child’s ability to learn multiple languages without an accent prior to a certain age, to a stroke victim who can only utter one word but think they are talking in complete sentences; I am in awe with the functions of the brain. In the world of autism, there is a wide variance of functionality. This biographical movie is about the remarkable woman, Temple Grandin. Amazingly played by Claire Danes (Stardust, The Hours), her portrayal was eerily similar to the real Ms. Grandin. At a time where we had less understanding of autism, Temple grew up being noticeably different. With the support of her loving mother Eustacia, played by Julia Ormond (My Week With Marilyn, Sabrina) and encouragement from Dr. Carlock, played by David Strathairn (The Bourne Ultimatum, The Tempest), Temple was able to grow and make some considerable contributions that changed the way we treat animals. In fact, one of her ideas has been used in the treatment of stress reduction for autistic people. I have always been a champion in celebrating people’s differences. Just as differences were shown through this movie, I believe they are played out in our daily lives to varying degrees. And with a chance meeting and the acceptance of one’s differences, look at the achievements we can all benefit from. This was an amazing movie about an awe-inspiring woman.
3 1/2 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: A Prophet
There is one train of thought that we come into this world with both good and evil inside of us. An individual has free will on which way they will go. The other possibility is that we are born with only good inside of us, that evil is something we have to learn. With that being the case and under the circumstances he faced, prisoner Malik El Djebena, played by Tahar Rahim (The Eagle, Black Gold) did not have free choice. Newly incarcerated into an adult prison; Malik was singled out by Cesar Luciai, played by Niels Arestrup (War Horse, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), leader of the Corsican inmates. The naive Malik was forced into servitude; he either had to kill a prisoner or be killed by Cesar’s minions. From this introduction into prison life and though he was of Arab heritage, Malik would be under the protection of the Corsicans. This was an intense prison movie with stabbings, fights and bloodshed. What kept me enthralled was the progression of character development, especially with Malik’s growth. The story had steady pacing with solid intensity. I want to mention there were racist remarks, but I understood what the writers were doing in setting up the conflicts between the different ethnic groups in the prison. One of the better movies of this genre, this film was exciting in a different way. With the prison being a breeding ground for evil, the excitement was watching how the prisoners chose to use it. French and Arabic with English subtitles.
3 1/3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Beasts of the Southern Wild
As the screen went dark and the credits began to roll, it took me a moment to remember that I had just been watching a movie. I felt I had witnessed a real life story in real time. My other surprise was the incorrect assumption I had that this incredible story took place in a third world country. From the movie trailers, I thought the characters lived in a remote backwoods village. This film was a perfect example on why I love movies. It transported me out of my reality into the character’s lives. The main reason was the phenomenal acting of the two main characters. For both of them this was their acting debuts; it made this movie even more special. Quvenzhane Wallis as Hushpuppy was unbelievable. At the time of auditions for this role, she was under the age requirement. The five year old did not let that stop her. She went into the audition and I can only assume blew the studio’s mind. She may become the youngest actress to get an Oscar nomination; that is how good she was in this role. Playing her father Wink was Dwight Henry, who in real life is the owner operator of a bakery cafe in New Orleans. I think it would be better to go into the theater with as little information as possible, to enhance the movie experience. Let me just say the story was about a father teaching his daughter how to survive in the world. Except for the hand held camera work when used, this was one of the best movies I have seen this year. It was an original pure story and had outstanding acting; I can see why it was a winner at the Cannes and Sundance film festivals.
3 2/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
There are some people who have an acute sense of smell, that makes you wonder if they have canine genes in their genetic make-up. An example would be my nephew the perfumer. Walking into his office is like walking into a laboratory out of Hogwarts, with vials of ingredients lined up row after row along the walls. Then there are other people who lack even a rudimentary sense of smell; where they cannot detect the foul odor coming out of a co-worker’s mouth. In this intoxicating film; Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, played by Ben Whishaw (I’m Not There, Layer Cake), was born with an extraordinary sense of smell. His capability on deciphering the essences of scents was almost magical. These skills did not go unnoticed by elderly perfumer Giuseppe Baldini, played by Dustin Hoffman (Last Chance Harvey, Finding Neverland). As he was learning the craft of perfume making, Jean-Baptiste’s desire to create the ultimate scent grew daily. With this hunger growing inside of him, he started on a malevolent pursuit to capture new ingredients. This film had beautiful scenes that were as close as possible to giving off a a visual scent to the viewer, even scenes that had blood. Though I understand the book goes into greater detail; I was grateful the director held himself back and instead, presented a beautiful period piece of a movie.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: People Like Us
Though me and my brothers look nothing alike, we each share similar traits. I have always been fascinated with the differences and similarities between siblings. How two siblings could be at a family function or what I prefer to call it, a “family dysfunction” and have opposite reactions. Is it genetic, environmental or learned that plays in family members’ traits. From a mysterious request received at the reading of his father’s will; Sam, played by Chris Pine (Star Trek, This Means War) was supposed to give a stash of cash to this unfamiliar woman Frankie, played by Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games, Our Idiot Brother). Playing Sam’s mother Lillian was Michelle Pfeiffer (Hairspray, Dark Shadows), who I thought did a much better job of acting here than in Dark Shadows. Technically there was nothing wrong with this dramatic movie; the acting was decent, the story was interesting and the characters were given some depth. But what I did not like about this film was how obvious its intentions were in manipulating the audience. Scenes were laid out to give maximum crying time to the viewers, becoming quite predictable. It was a disappointment for me; I felt the writers could have taken this story and gone deeper with each character. Instead, it seemed as if everyone involved with this movie sat down and made a list of sad scenarios and places where they could be inserted into the script. It was a bit dysfunctional for me and believe me, when it comes to dysfunction, I know what I am talking about.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Dolphin Tale
After recently watching and reviewing The Cove, I had reservations about seeing this movie. Could I write an unbiased review while I still had disturbing images of helpless dolphins swimming in my brain? With some trepidation, I slipped the DVD into the player and viewed this film that was inspired by a true story. Sawyer Nelson, played by Nathan Gamble (The Dark Knight, Marley & Me), was riding his bicycle by the beach when a man was calling for help. Going up to him Sawyer saw why the call for help; there was a beached dolphin with its tail stuck in a crab trap. Trying to help the poor animal, Sawyer felt a special bond to it. When Dr. Clay Haskett, played by Harry Connick Jr. (New in Town, P.S. I Love You), arrived from the marine animal hospital; it took a group effort to secure the dolphin and transport it back for some needed care. With Sawyer checking in on the animal, a transformation emerged that changed the life of the young boy. I found myself drawn into the story, understanding the reasons why the writers made it schmaltzy. The goal was to pull at the viewers’ heart strings. For me it was too forced and manipulative. Besides being predictable, I felt the movie was way over the top in being cute and heartfelt. All it needed was a swelling of violin music. With that being said, I still shed a couple of tears in the appropriate places. My heart is built to go out to the disadvantaged.
2 1/2 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada
Looking back in history, it seems as if religion usually played a role in war. At least that has been my belief. Without any prior knowledge I was shocked I had never heard of the Cristeros War (1926-1929), that took place in Mexico. Simply put, this was a war against the Catholic Church. Mexico’s secular government was led by President Plutarco Elias Calles, played by Ruben Blades (Safe House, The Devil’s Own), who essentially declared war on the Catholic Church with the help of the government he set up. For example, church property could now be seized whenever the administration saw fit. There was a ban on all religious orders besides the elimination of any foreign born priests–even if it meant killing them. Civil war broke out led by Catholic rebels called Cristeros, Christ fighters. To solidify their ranks and become more like a disciplined army, the Cristeros enlisted the help of war hero Enrique Gorostieta Velarde, played by Andy Garcia (City Island, Smokin’ Aces). I felt the writers did a disservice to this historical based film. With this chapter already played out in Mexico’s past, the writing should have only elevated the dramatic moments or bridge the gap between story lines. Clocking in at 2 hours and 25 minutes, the movie was way too long, much in need of some serious editing. It would have given several parts more impact. A surprise to me was Andy Garcia’s poor acting; I expected better from him. What a shame to take a David and Goliath type of story and turn it into a mediocre soap opera. This movie had several graphic scenes.
1 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Five Minutes of Heaven
The act of forgiveness has always been mercurial at best for me. When I was younger, if someone broke my trust or crossed me I would wipe them out of my life. Just like deleting data from a disk or setting fire to the film negatives of all the memories I had of them; I would never think about them again. These days I have had some success on being a forgiving person. Inspired by real life individuals, this Sundance Film Festival winning movie dealt with the powerful acts of forgiveness, redemption and revenge. Alistair Little joined the UVF (Ulster Volunteer Force) at a young age. The time was during the conflict in Northern Ireland and Alistair’s goal was to kill a Catholic. The victim’s little brother witnessed the whole murder. Fast forward to a peaceful time and the media came up with a marketing idea to have the younger brother and killer meet and shake hands as a true sign of peace in the country. It was from this point that this film really worked for me. The adult Alistair was played by Liam Neeson (The Grey, Wrath of the Titans) and the surviving brother Joe Griffen was played by James Nesbitt (Coriolanus, Match Point). These two men took the intense script and added a knock out emotional punch to it. Mr. Nesbitt was riveting as he dealt with his red hot anger for revenge. I was glued to my television screen as each man dealt with their demons and thoughts on meeting once again. There was one quick bloody scene in the beginning of this dramatic film.
2 3/4 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Freedom Writers
There are teachers that inspire us and there are some that damage us. I had a teacher who would ring a bell to get the class’ attention, then hold up preprinted instructional signs for us to follow. A music teacher expanded my knowledge and love of music. It only goes to show you that in every profession there is someone who had to graduate at the top of their class and someone who had to at the bottom. This dramatic movie was based on the book written by the same teacher portrayed in this film. It was a beautiful testament to those teachers that have inspired their students. Erin Gruwell’s, played by Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby, Boys Don’t Cry), first teaching position was at a disadvantaged school. With segregated ethnic groups, gang fights and killings were the norm. The teaching staff had resigned themselves to the reality they were more like prison guards than educators. Erin came in with innovative ideas and frank discussions to find commonality between the different factions and to gain their trust. Her drive and dedication was astounding as she took part-time jobs to help pay for various supplies the school could not provide. Though being a supportive mate, her husband Scott, played by Patrick Dempsey (Enchanted, Made of Honor), felt their marriage was suffering the strain of disconnection between them. Hilary did such a good job in the role; I had tears in my eyes. Though there has been similar movies done about individuals doing extraordinary things for others, I felt this wonderful film was especially well done. There is no greater gift than the gift of education.
3 stars — DVD
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