Category Archives: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Flash Movie Review: Pan
When I see the way a person acts, I sometimes wish I could have seen what happened to them that made them that way. There is that saying that has to do with not knowing a person’s situation until you have walked in their shoes or something similar. Seeing a stranger sitting alone in front of an apartment building on the front stoop, carrying on a conservation with an imaginary friend, I tend to be curious on what happened to them. I remember this classmate in college who wrote stories for our fiction class that were filled with violent images, yet on the outside he was as mild and quiet as a cotton ball. What took place in his life that filled him with such violence? For some people I know it can be a chemical imbalance, for others it could be outside influences that caused them to be that way. Of course one could look at the positive side of these outside influences. Think about the child who follows their parent into the medical field because their mother or dad was a doctor and he or she discover a cure for a disease; this would be a wonderful thing. Another example would be those movies and books that I thoroughly enjoyed, where I wanted to know about the early life of a character to see how it molded them into the person I had just read about or seen. Where I had no idea I wanted to know how the Wicked Witch of the West came to be, I enjoyed discovering her story when it came out. The same could be said about Peter Pan, where I never gave him any thought before. I see there was a reason for that after seeing this adventure fantasy. Orphaned at a young age Peter, played by relative newcomer Levi Miller, could not understand how boys were being taken from the orphanage; but his mother still had not shown up yet to take him away. This prequel to the Peter Pan story had Hugh Jackman (Chappie, Prisoners) as Blackbeard, Garrett Hedlund (Unbroken, On the Road) as Hook and Rooney Mara (Side Effect, The Social Network) as Tiger Lily. Visually there were several creative and fun scenes in this film. The story was easy to follow as it tried to put down the foundation to the Peter Pan story known by most of us. However the script was awful, to the point the actors came off stunted and emotionless. With odd musical choices I found this picture was dull and unexciting except for Levi; he was the one bright spot throughout the story. After the movie was done I realized I did not really want to know how Peter became the flying Peter. I was satisfied with my memories just as they were of the sweet and magical character known as Peter Pan.
1 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Hell and Back
They may only be a string of words but they are filled with the essence of a person. In yesterday’s review I talked about people who do not follow through on their intentions or promises; today I am referring to people who out and out tell lies. For me this is one of my deal breakers on whether I continue a relationship with a person. I don’t have an issue if someone wants to colorize their stories, but saying something that is false to change another person’s perceptions is nothing I want to be around. A few weeks ago a friend of mine called to rant about a friend of hers who I happen to know. This friend had called to touch base with her and catch up with what was going on in their life. During the conversation the friend was explaining why he did not do something he had said he was going to do for her; he told her his sister had cancer throughout her body. My friend was stunned and saddened by the news. After their conversation ended she called another friend to tell them about the sister. Well long story short, it turned out this other friend called the sister to see if they needed any help and shocked her because she did not have any cancer. Now you have to wonder why a person would lie about such a thing; there is no excuse for it as far as I can see. When I hear things like this I feel a person will wind up experiencing a specific negative thing in their life; others would say they are going to hell. AFTER breaking a promise Curt, voiced by Rob Riggle (Let’s Be Cops, 21 Jump Street), was dragged to hell. His friends who witnessed it followed Curt in to try and rescue him. This stop motion animated adventure comedy had some major actors voicing characters like Susan Sarandon (Tammy, The Lovely Bones) as Barb the Angel, Mila Kunis (Jupiter Ascending, Ted) as Deema and Bob Odenkirk (Nebraska, Breaking Bad-TV) as the Devil. Their voices were the best part of the movie; what they said was crude. This film is for adults only because the language was so blue aka risque, bawdy, R rated. I did not find the visuals creative considering the artists could have pretty much created anything they wanted for the scenes. The humor was at such a low level that I did not find anything worth a chuckle. As the script went from one sight gag to another I soon became bored with the story. To tell you the truth I was a bit surprised the studio was able to get first rate actors to partake in this picture. I had to wonder if the actors had done something “bad” in their lives where they had to participate in this film; maybe this was hell for them. Strong language throughout the film.
1 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Martian
I always want to be respectful of people’s feelings, even when I know with pain and discomfort it is all about perspective. Someone complaining about a nasty paper cut is something I can understand and sympathize along with the person. However, compared to someone having a limb amputated due to disease, the paper cut appears pretty minor; it is all about perspective. Last week was a challenging time for me. I am still a novice when it comes to doing things that are computer related and I had 2 online courses that had to be completed by October 1st. Without formal training on how to navigate the website, I felt lost as I struggled to find my way to taking and completing the courses. In fact on one site, every time after I logged in and clicked on the course title I was brought back to the login screen. Even trying it on a different computer and operating system ended with the same results; it was absolutely frustrating as I had to work with the site’s help desk as the clock was ticking. At the same time my day job was getting busier as we approached month end, so my mind was being heavily taxed to say the least. And if that was not enough I thought a birthday gift I had ordered online was missing as the birthdate was fast approaching. By the time Friday end of work rolled around it took all my energy just to go park the car and buy my theater ticket to see this dramatic adventure film. Right from the start my problems quickly disappeared as I saw what the main character had to endure in his situation. ABANDONED and left for dead astronaut Mark Watney, played by Matt Damon (Interstellar, Saving Private Ryan), realized he had to find a way to contact NASA and his crew before his food and supplies would run out. Mars was not going to be helpful in his endeavor. From director Ridley Scott (American Gangster, Black Hawk Down), this science fiction film was extra special because of its cast, which included Jessica Chastain (Mama, A Most Violent Year) as Melissa Lewis and Jeff Daniels (Dumb & Dumber franchise, Looper) as Teddy Sanders; everyone was outstanding with their characters. The other reason I was transported to Mars was due to the script; special effects took a back seat as I realized I was getting an abundance of technological jargon, but Matt made everything seem believable to me. Nothing seemed frivolous; I felt Ridley used a deft touch in letting the tension and drama play off of each other. There were some scenes where I was sitting on the edge of my seat in nervous anticipation and in the next moment I was sitting back as my eyes teared up. This picture absolutely took me away to a different place, besides adding a new perspective to this year’s batch of Oscar worthy movies. One brief scene showed blood in it.
4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
I have from time to time run across advertisements that sold me on their product. Off to the store I would go to seek it out, where I found it looked like the item in the ad but it was not exactly the same. Where the picture showed a metal ring around the item, in person it was silver colored plastic; I realized it could easily break after several uses. Some people would say this was a deceptive advertisement; the picture and description did not focus on this certain part, letting the consumer come to their own conclusions. It is all marketing and I understand it; I guess you can say I almost expect it. If I think about it I am sure this type of example has played a part in my cautious or suspicious nature when it comes to dealing with any type of business. In my personal life I tend to trust a person until they prove me wrong, but when it comes to companies and corporations I go with the cliche, “If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is not true.” I try not letting this mentality infiltrate into my personal dealings with individuals, but after being “burned” a few times it is hard to remain open and trusting of people who have not yet had enough history built between us. As far as I am concerned trust is something that needs to be earned, just ask the main character in this action thriller. AFTER surviving the maze Thomas, Minho, Teresa; played by Dylan O’Brien (The First Time, Teen Wolf-TV), Ki Hong Lee (The Stanford Prison Experiment, Everything Before Us) and Kaya Scodelario (The Truth About Emanuel, Moon), along with the rest of their group may have finally found some relief thanks to Janson, played by Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones-TV, Blitz), the man in charge of the security complex where they have been ensconced for their protection. It was almost too good to be true. The 2nd installment of the science fiction series had more action than the first one. The multiple chase scenes were somewhat exciting but I did grow tired after so many of them. I wanted more scenes with Patricia Clarkson (Learning to Drive, Friends with Benefits) as Ava Paige and Aiden Gillen because not only were they a good choice for their characters, they could easily handle the acting requirements since they are so seasoned. If you did not see the first film this one would be a bit confusing to you; I saw it and I still felt lost a couple of times. The script was the culprit because there was essentially no time for character development since the action was ramped up so much. I did not feel connected to this picture and wondered how closely it followed the book. It makes me wonder how much one can believe in the marketing campaign for this film.
2 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Hotel Transylvania 2
I am still baffled by the way people’s discriminations overpower what should be the simplest of connections: the love of a person. There have been so many times where I have heard a parent tell their child they wished they would… It could be anything from telling them they should have been an accountant and not an artist or telling them they should marry someone of the same religion. One of the best pieces of advice I heard was to do what you love and everything else would follow, so to tell someone who is an artist that they should be working with numbers makes no sense to me. Now there is nothing wrong with questioning a person’s choices, to be a sounding board for them; however, I become uncomfortable when someone tries to place their values and expectations on another person, whether it be a family member or a stranger. I know this family where the parents have a strained relationship with one of their 4 children because they married someone out of their faith. The pain they caused this child has been long lasting because the young grandkids have not spent much time around their grandparents. I can only imagine how many opportunities they have all missed to create a fond memory or a deeper connection. Love does not discriminate, only people do. Now the reason I am talking about this theme is because it resonated in me and played a part in this animated comedy sequel. DRACULA, voiced by Adam Sandler (Pixels, Grown Ups franchise), could only think about one thing anytime he saw his daughter Mavis’, voiced by Selena Gomez (Getaway, Spring Breakers), and her human husband Jonathan’s, voiced by Andy Samberg (That’s My Boy, Saturday Night Live-TV), baby boy; would he be a vampire or a human? One of the surprises about this movie was seeing Adam being credited as one of the writers. Sure the jokes were pretty basic and straight forward, plus there was a couple of times where I thought they were close to being inappropriate for a family film. But the fact that this film offered a valuable lesson was a shock to me. My favorite character out of the cast was Mel Brooks (Spaceballs, High Anxiety) as Vlad. I thought he had great lines besides perfect delivery of them. As an overall entertaining picture, this one was nothing above average. The animation was fine, the creation of the monsters was creative and the soundtrack was lively. Outside of that, I thought this sequel was pretty much the same thing as the first one. I cannot say I was bored; if I had to tell someone all I could think of was that the film was okay. I did not find anything horrible or terrific; just middle of the road except for tackling an important issue, in my opinion, in a subtle easy way.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Sinister 2
As every day fades away less and less people will be around that remember what it was like to watch family movies. It is not so dissimilar to the photographs we took with Kodachrome film. Those color pictures slowly leaked out their hues that diffused into thin air, leaving sepia ghosts on the paper until they turned into light silhouettes. Now with videos being made by such things as smart phones and computer tablets, most people have to huddle around the videographer’s outstretched hand like puppies coming to nurse at their mother. I am willing to bet they do not know what it is like to get settled into a family room with all your relatives around you. On the far side there stood a 3-legged white screen with an 8mm film projector pointing at it from the opposite side of the room. As someone turns off the light, the film operator starts up the projector; you hear the rapid tat, tat, tat sound repeating itself as the reels of film spin around. It does not matter if the lighting is poor or the images are a bit out of focus because half the fun is hearing the running commentary from all the relatives seated around the room. There was nothing like seeing younger versions of everyone either dancing, mugging or eating on that white screen. I can still remember sitting on the floor with my cousins as we watched our aunts and uncles celebrating at some event, dressed in what we thought were some goofy looking clothing. One of the best parts of looking at these old movies was seeing deceased relatives who you had only heard about and now can see them “live” so to speak. I cannot say the same thing for the family in this horror movie. AFTER moving into a rural home where a murder had taken place, the Collins family had something else that scared them. The first thing I have to tell you is I could not figure out if I was watching a prequel or sequel. Having sat through the first one, I had same faint memories that I was trying to plug in to what I was seeing in this picture. Starring Shannyn Sossamon (A Knight’s Tale, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang) as Courtney Collins and Lea Coco (J. Edgar, Dorian Blues) as Clint Collins, I wished the writers would have done more with their story. The reason being the rest of the movie was boring with nothing scary about it. With my confusion and the lack of suspense, I have to say this was a real waste of time in my opinion. The script was so bare bones, that it felt like it was still in workshop when the studio decided they wanted to jump on it and bring it to the big screen. All I can say is I was grateful there were no extra scenes after the credits.
1 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Shaun the Sheep
A friend of mine has been making fun of me because of my new refrigerator. After many years the old fridge died and I had to buy a new one which was the easy part. The hard part has been arranging the food with the different configuration of shelves and drawers inside the new refrigerator. I am a creature of habit and find comfort in keeping a steady routine. So now when I open the refrigerator door I have to search for items because I was so used to knowing where everything was inside the previous fridge. This throws me for a loop and has been fodder for my friend’s teasing. Just for a reference point when you open her refrigerator plan on participating in a scavenger hunt. I know there are many people who constantly must have change in their lives; it can be anywhere from moving every couple of years to making sure they never have the same meal twice during the week. I on the other hand can and have eaten the same lunch at work for years; I know exactly what I need at the grocery store each week to maintain these lunches. Now there is another aspect to all of this and it is those individuals who imagine the grass is greener on the other side, to use a cliche here. All I have to say to that is be careful because you never know how things will turn out in reality compared to your dreams. If you do not believe me just watch what happens when Shaun the Sheep decides to take a break. WRITTEN and directed by Mark Burton (Chicken Run, The Curse of the Were-Rabbit) and Richard Starzak (Wallace & Gromit, Rex the Run-TV), this film festival nominated adventure comedy was a visual triumph. Using the stop-motion claymation style alone would have been fun enough; however, the witty and clever story had generational appeal. The way the writers included classic movie scenes with physical humor was utterly brilliant or let me say, baa-rilliant. There was very little dialog used throughout this film and I did not mind one bit because of the seamless movements of all the characters. It must have taken years to create this visual feast of a film. The thing I especially liked about the story was at its core there was a real heart to it. Some of the other movie studios that produce animated films could learn a lesson or two from this picture. For those of you (like myself) who prefer keeping a routine, I hope you can make an exception and go see this film. To those of you who need change then this film is a real change to what has been out recently at the movie theaters. There were 2 very brief scenes at the end of the credits.
3 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Fantastic Four
One of the quickest ways to bond with another human being is to share an event together. Whether it is an occurrence filled with celebration or tragedy, there is something about being a part of the same occasion that cuts through the preliminary chitchat and creates a quicker path to friendship or possibly something more. One of the first health clubs that hired me to teach aerobics had an all female staff. I always assumed I was hired because of my teaching skills and style, hoping that I did not get the job because I was a novelty. It was a year later when another man was hired on staff. The two of us quickly bonded, sitting near each other during staff meetings and traveling together to fitness conventions. Now do not get me wrong, this was in no shape a battle of the sexes type of thing or a testosterone competition; we just happened to have a similar mindset towards teaching, with the same type of humor. And do you want to know something; we have remained friends all these years. I could share other examples of how people bond but the events may cause you to become sad and I would rather we all try to stay upbeat with tonight’s movie review of this science fiction, action adventure film. TELEPORTED to a distant world, the four space travelers returned to earth changed in unusual ways. They would have to learn to work together to overcome their differences if they wanted to save the world from an evil force. Having gone to this viewing with no prior knowledge of the film, my shock and confusion about what I was watching was a surprise to me. With competent actors Miles Teller (Whiplash, That Awkward Moment) as Reed Richards, Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station, That Awkward Moment) as Johnny Storm, Kate Mara (127 Hours, Shooter) as Sue Storm and Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot, King Kong) as Ben Grimm, I was stunned at how poorly they came across on the big screen. The reason started with the script and anyone else involved with this film who was not familiar with what it took to make a superhero movie. The first half of the fim was utterly boring; with no action, no humor or fun surprises. I could not remember a recent time where an entire cast looked like they were sleepwalking through the picture. As for the evil aspect to the story, it was simply dull and did not provide any thrills. The fact that there was no extra scene at the end of the credits spoke volumes about how poorly managed this project was from beginning to end. On the plus side a group of us stopped in the theater lobby after the movie to talk about our similar negative reactions to this super dud.
1 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Secret of Roan Inish
When it happens the mind has a hard time believing it is true. Knowing the difference between fantasy and reality, when one of them crosses to the other side the brain forms a hiccup. It could be something as trivial as checking one’s wallet or purse several times for a missing credit card and then on the 8th try the card is there. For me it was when I was at Yellowstone National Park and saw what actually looked like purple colored mountains, just like the lyric in the song that goes, “For purple mountain majesties.” I was standing on the peak of one mountain looking out and seeing a range of purple mountains as a low hanging, orange sun was piercing holes thru large billowing clouds like they were white pin cushions. The precise rays of sunlight formed little stars across the landscape. At first it did not look real to me; I just stood there and stared in disbelief. But there are other events that happen where a person has to take a step back to make sure what they are experiencing is actually real. Think about it, did you ever dream about something that later came true? Maybe what your ideal mate would look like or what your dream house would be? It can be a bit unsettling at first; however, I will say when it happens it brings a magical quality to it. The way this DVD showed up at my front door with no prior knowledge and its timing really made me experience an enchanting movie watching experience. WHEN Fiona, played by Jeni Courtney (Nothing Personal), went to live with her grandparents she discovered there was something extraordinary about her family members. This film festival winning dramatic fantasy was a special treat to watch because it was based on the same Irish folklore as the animated movie, “Song of the Sea.” I recently had reviewed it here. Having seen the animated picture first, when I started watching this one I could not believe I was viewing the live version of that fantasy tale. With a cast that included Eileen Coogan (My Left Foot, I Sell the Dead) as Tess and John Lynch (The Secret Garden, In the Name of the Father) as Tadhg, I thought everyone did a wonderful job in creating a mysterious and magical atmospheric story about life in a small fishing village in Ireland. The beautiful landscapes and camera shots only added more charm to the story. Speaking of the story, there were differences between the two movies; I found this story was gentler and sweeter in a way, still just as family friendly as the other one. Whether the timing was right or I was in the right frame of mind, I found this DVD drew me completely into its world where I felt I was experiencing a fantasy coming to life.
3 1/2 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Ant-Man
There is one kind of hero that resides in a make-believe world. They could have an extraordinary power because of the planet they came from or due to an earth shattering accident that changed them on the molecular level. I enjoy and look forward to seeing these types of superheroes on the big screen. However, there is a different type of hero that is just as strong and important; who was born here on earth, did not experience a life transforming accident and for the most part is unrecognizable. They do not have some special type of clothing that can block bullets or allow them to fly; instead they may be wearing a white apron and hairnet as they stand behind the counter of a school’s cafeteria. Or they may be on disability as a life threatening disease slowly spreads across their body. I see these type of heroes all around me. There is the single mother who has to pull double shifts so her child can afford school supplies and lunches. Another hero I have seen is the volunteer who devotes time everyday to bring food and check-in on a stranger who is housebound. For me these are some of the true heroes around us. I am so impressed by the individuals who do not wear their heroism like a badge of honor; they simply do what they do because they have to or want to do it. This is why I was impressed with the unlikely hero in this action film. WHAT started out as a way for con man Scott Lang, played by Paul Rudd (Role Models, This is 40), to see his daughter turned into a crisis that would have worldwide consequences. This science fiction adventure film did not fit into the typical superhero genre. Here was a human with no special powers who was not an ideal citizen; yet he overcame himself to become the Ant-Man. Paul was perfectly cast for this role and he even helped with the screenplay. Michael Douglas (Falling Down, Wonder Boys) as Dr. Hank Pym and Evangeline Lilly (Real Steal, The Hurt Locker) as his daughter Hope van Dyne were an excellent fit. Now I understood there was a change of directors and writers for this film and I am not sure if that is the reason why I found the 2nd half of the film to be stronger. I really had to give thought to the idea I was reacting to the movie having a long intro arc without many special effects. However, Paul along with the fun sight gags in the film made this a worthy picture, besides a mini history lesson (at least for me) into the Avengers World. Pulling off this type of movie was no small feat and the studio succeeded. Two extra scenes in the middle and end of the closing credits.
3 stars
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