Category Archives: Fantasy/Sci-Fi
Flash Movie Review: Madame Web
I BELIEVE MOST INDIVIDUALS CAN DISCERN if some upcoming thing they will experience will be pleasant or not. The easy example would be going to the dentist; but I am talking about something more in the grey area. For instance, a family function can be anything from a fist fight event to a supremely festive one. Some of our intuition is based on what facts we know about the soon to be event. I used to dread going to certain family milestone events if alcohol were being served because I knew what that would do to some of the people in attendance. They would have too much to drink and make a spectacle of themselves; as a result, upsetting multiple relatives and casting a dark pallor over the event. Another situation is going out to eat with a friend of mine. This person tends to send their food back every time we have gotten together. I can understand if the wait staff got the order wrong, but if the food is not piping hot or does not have the taste they were expecting, they will return it and do it in a way that makes their displeasure obvious. I find it uncomfortable so I have resorted to never offering a suggestion on where we should eat. Instead, I let them choose with the hopes they know the place and will accept their food the first time it is brought to the table. THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHERE I have had a feeling of déjà vu. I may meet someone and immediately feel a connection as if I had been with them a previous time. Again, it is based on my past experiences, but any plans made to get together again are met with a joyful feeling. I try not to go to something with the expectation that I am going to have a miserable or unpleasant time, though that has not been my nature in the past. Putting negative energy out into the world can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, in my opinion. This is one of the reasons why I try to avoid any reviews or comments about a movie before I have the chance to see it for myself. I mentioned before I am not a fan of slasher movies, but I try to keep an open mind still. When I saw the advertisement for this movie, I could not figure out what it was supposed to be. It was not until I saw the preview for it prior while waiting for a different film that I realized this was an origin story in the Spiderman world. I was not sure what I was watching so I did not give it much thought. When I finally got to see this action, adventure, science fiction film, I was glad I did not pay attention. AFTER HAVING A LIFE-THREATENING EXPERIENCE on the job, a New York paramedic begins to see snippets of things that have not taken place yet in her life. One of the snippets involved protecting three strangers on a train. With Dakota Johnson (The Lost Daughter, The Hight Note) as Cassandra Webb, Sydney Sweeney (Anyone But You, Americana) as Julia Cornwall, Isabela Merced (Father of the Bride, Dora and the Lost City of Gold) as Anya Corazon, Celeste O’Connor (The In Between, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) as Mattie Franklin and Tahar Rahim (A Prophet, The Kindness of Strangers) as Ezekiel Sims; this movie was not a pleasant experience for me. I was bored through most of it. The script was basic, predictable, and filled with nonsense. Dakota was okay but she was not able to hold up the mess that was falling around her. The flashes of future scenes were annoying because there were times I did not know if I was watching the present or future. I think if I had looked at the comments and reviews for this picture, I would have walked into the theater dreading spending my time watching such a poorly done film.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
THERE WERE SO MANY ADVERTISMENTS AND hype about the exhibit that was coming to our city, that I fell into its marketing push. I was interested in seeing the recently discovered artifacts, since they were part of our folklore for over a century. The television commercials showed glistening gold random objects, such as a plate charger, faucet handle and tie pin. I was fascinated with the print ads because they showed the event in numerous ways. Some had schematic drawings along with the print; others had old photographs and others had meticulously made sketches. The other thing that got me was the tagline, “Not seen for over 100 years.” I could easily get swept up into the idea that I would be part of a group that were the first people to see such items that were lost for so many years. I rounded up a couple of friends to join me in this pursuit, who I thought would appreciate the significance of being a part of this traveling exhibition. The ticketing process was not too painful, and I was able to purchase four tickets for a reasonable time slot. My friends and I agreed to meet in the lobby of the museum, where I would hand out the tickets, then we could go through the security line to see the exhibit. ON THE DAY WE WERE TO meet, I arrived early at the museum. I was surprised to see such a lengthy line for same day ticket purchases and wondered how big the exhibition was to accommodate so many people. At our designated time all the friends were accounted for, and we went through security, gratefully without any hassle. The exhibit was on the second floor, spread out through three galleries. Hanging on the barrier walls to help with the flow of traffic, there were reproductions of the old posters that would have been used to advertise the company back a century ago. As we walked through, there were freestanding glass cases placed throughout that had the artifacts. I walked up to the first display and enclosed I saw a rusty pen, a broken dinner plate, and a tarnished fork. None of these items were shown in any of the advertisements. On to the second case and there I saw a tarnished flask, a piece of glass with an emblem etched on it, and what I assumed was an envelope opener. Again, nothing special or spectacular. The four of us made our way to a dark room where there would be a visual presentation; it was a film clip from a famous movie showing the disaster where these items were lost. Throughout the exhibit, there were a couple of highlights that made the trip worthwhile; but overall, the entire experience was a bust; which is how I felt about this action, adventure fantasy. WHEN A VENGEFUL BEING BEGINS A campaign of destroying everything Arther, played by Jason Momoa (Dune, Slumberland) holds dear, there is no choice for Arthur but to reach out to the last person he wanted to contact for help. With Patrick Wilson (The Nun franchise, The Phantom of the Opera) as Ora, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Ambulance, The Trial of the Chicago 7) as Black Manta, Amber Heard (The Rum Diary, 3 Days to Kill) as Mera and Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos, The Goldfinch) as Atlanna; this sequel left much to be desired. On the plus side, Jason and Patrick did their best with what was handed to them. The script was basic, following a set pattern for a superhero movie. There was little drama or character development as the story unfolded. The special effects were decent, and the battle scenes were imaginative and hectic. However, I was bored through most of the film; even, the humor was basic and only worthy of one or two chuckles. Based on this picture, I felt this film franchise should consider hanging it up because it had the trappings of being all washed up.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Trailer: Wonka
I TEND TO BE SKEPTICAL WHENEVER a restaurant or food product gets rebranded or announces they are “new and improved.” More times than not, when a food establishment announces a change, their portions or their menus get smaller. Now I am not saying this happens all the time; it just seems to have happened enough for me to notice it. A restaurant I frequent came up with a new menu. It had the same colorful type of pages, but there were several items missing from it. When our meals came, the French fries that had always accompanied the entrée on the plate were instead stacked into a freestanding metal cone. As a display presentation it looked cool, but I could see there were not as many fries in it as there had been on the plate. It is not something I would complain about, especially since they did not increase the price for them. I have been to some restaurants that came out with a campaign about being better or tastier, and yet it all tasted the same, except the price for it was higher. That type of situation annoys me. I would rather they just raise the prices without trying to disguise it as some new and improved thing. THOUGH, I AM OPEN FOR TRYING new food items, my experience has been more of a negative reaction. There was a particular brand of ice cream I always bought. One day, while shopping, I stopped at the freezer case to pick up a container of it. At first, I missed it entirely because the packaging had been changed; it looked completely different. I looked over the label that was touting a new and improved flavor and did not see anything that stood out as unusual. Later that day, when I was back at home, I helped myself to a serving from it and immediately saw fewer chocolate chips. Not only did that bother me, but the other flavors in the mix were not as pronounced. It was another example of masking the true reasons behind their “new and improved” marketing ploy. I am aware in this line of work; the company must keep their eyes on their competitors’ pricing and not price themselves out of the market. Still, what purpose does it serve to produce something not as good? I would have rather paid more money for it and still enjoy the original flavors in the product. In my opinion, it is not always a clever idea to redo something that already works well. Case in point, today’s film. I know it is supposed to be a prequel, but something was missing from it. EVERYONE IN TOWN SEEMED TO LOVE the stranger’s chocolates, except for the members of the chocolate cartel. They were not about to let a stranger ruin their business plan. With Timothee Chalamet (Dune, Bones and All) as Willy Wonka, Hugh Grent (The Gentleman, Cloud Atlas) as Oompa-Loompa, Olivia Coleman (The Lost Daughter, Empire of Light) as Mrs. Scrubitt, Paterson Joseph (Aeon Flux, The Beach) as Slugworth and Calah Lane (The Day Shall Come, Kiddings-TV) as Noodle; this family, adventure comedy was like an assortment of Halloween candy: some scenes were good, others were not. My first reaction was about Timothee’s character; he was too mild in my opinion. There was not anything magical or special about him that made the character stand out on the big screen; unlike Hugh Grant, who I thought for the few scenes he was in was fun to watch. There was more of a cartoonish flavor to the movie as opposed to an exciting fantasy. Granted it is a prequel, but I was bored through the first half of the movie. The odd assortment of supporting characters added more “oomph” to the story. Also, except for a couple of well-known songs, the others were not memorable. I felt as disappointed as getting an apple instead of a chocolate bar for Halloween. There was an extra scene early in the credits.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Wish
I WAS CONVINCED AT A VERY early age that my wishes would come true if I could blow out all the birthday candles on my cake with one big breath. One of my earliest memories was wishing for a tool set. After making my wish and successfully blowing out all the candles, when the time came to open my presents one of them was a brightly colored tool set. The tools were each a different color and were stored in a red toolbox, each one clipped into its own storage compartment. I was so excited about getting them and the realization that every year, whatever I wished for, would come true. I still remember the first time I used my set of tools; I decided to take the doorknob off from the front door. The funny thing though, is I had no idea what I was going to do with it; however, I thought it would be a good project to work on. When I tried to unscrew the screws with my screwdriver, I had a hard time because the screws did not want to move, forcing the head of my screwdriver to bend. So, I went to where my parents kept their toolbox and took a screwdriver from it to help me. Now I was getting somewhere with the doorplate around the handle; except when I removed the last screw and the plate did not move, I got scared for some reason and put back all the screws. FROM THAT EARLY START FROM CHILDHOOD, I eventually learned not all wishes come true immediately. I was disappointed but got used to it, though I never gave up hope. My wish choices changed depending on my age and what was taking place around the time I was making a wish. I went from toys and books to clothes and music; then, went to gift cards and home accessories and good health. Throughout the years, even when it was not my birthday, I made wishes. I think they are a wonderful option to throw into the world and see if they take root, receive nourishment, and possibly return as one’s reality. I love the fantasy of wishing for $50 million dollars and then fantasizing about what I would do with that much money. Unless I win the lottery, I know my chances are slim; however, by stating that wish I noticed I started changing my shopping habits by cutting back to increase my savings. It may be baby steps, but one never knows how a wish could come to fruition. A perfect example of what can happen is on display in this animated, musical, adventure comedy movie. YOUNG ASHA’S, VOICED BY ARIANA DeBOSE (West Side Story, The Prom) wish must have been truly powerful because it brought down to her kingdom the star she wished upon, who decided to help make her wish come true. With Chris Pine (Star Trek franchise, Don’t Worry Darling) voicing King Magnifico, Alan Tudyk (A Knight’s Tale, Rouge One: A Star Wars Story) voicing Valentino, Angelique Cabral (Friends with Benefits, Life in Pieces-TV) voicing Amaya and Victor Garber (Titanic, Family Law-TV) voicing Sabino; it appeared to be that Disney wanted this film to be the centerpiece for the past 100 years of Disney’s classic films. There was so much thought and effort put into reminding us of their past treasured films that this movie suffered. The musical numbers were not memorable or provided one song that would become a classic; however, the animation was wonderful. The story was weak to start with and as the writers kept throwing as much as they could into the script, I was quickly bored by it all. The villain did not hold a candle to the classic villains from the early pictures. I will say the actors did a great job voicing the characters, but the one thing that stood out to me was listening to the music during the touching film credits that included recreated images of the classic characters that came out of Disney studios. It was a sad reminder that this movie did not live up to those wonderful old, animated films. There was one extra scene during the credits.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Marvels
THROUGH THE YEARS, I HAVE BUMPED into individuals that I had no contact with for decades. Sometimes, it has happened in such random places. For example, on a trip to Greece I was standing in line to catch a tram from a destination spot and bumped into a childhood friend back from elementary school days, which was many years ago. He and his wife were standing in front of me, and I recognized his face. We agreed to meet up for drinks and had a good time reminiscing about our school years together. The time we spent together was fun, but upon returning to the states we went on with our separate lives. Our time together became a fun add-on to my vacation stories. I believe the long duration of time melted the bond we had with each other back then. If I were to venture a guess, I think a lot of it would have to do with our vastly different experiences in high school. He was more of a gentle jock type, who excelled in physical activities. In my book, that gives the student a pass from any type of abuse or ridicule, unlike me. I was not proficient in most sports activities and being overweight made me an easy target. So, I learned how to withdraw from most high school events and social gatherings. JUST BY COINCIDENCE, I RECENTLY RAN into two friends at a social function, who I had not seen for many years. I noticed the warm feelings that flooded through me as we sat and chatted, having been close friends back then. It was as if time had not passed by us all these years, because we found ourselves in a joyful, sweet rhythm of talking and sharing our life’s journeys with each other. For me, one of the added joys seeing each other was how our memories, which had been dormant for so long, easily rose into our conversations as we relived some of the great times we had together. I have a question for you: have you ever encountered a fond person from your past and discovered you had been missing something in your current life? Well, that is how I felt about my time spent with these two friends. As a result, we exchanged our contact information and planned to get together again. Making those plans was so much fun as the three of us were sending texts back and forth about how great it was to see each other and hoped we could get together real soon. As it turned out we did, and our friendship picked up from where we left it. It is that type of long-lost connection that I found charming in this action, adventure fantasy film. HAVING CARRIED THE HEAVY BURDEN FROM the outcome of her past experiences with the Kree, Captain Marvel, played by Brie Larson (Short Term 12, Just Mercy), finds herself entangled with two other individuals, one of them is from her past, who will all need to work together to save the universe. With Teyonah Parris (Dear White People, If Beale Street Could Talk) as Monica Rambean, Iman Vellani (Avengers franchise, Ms. Marvel-TV) as Kamala Khan, Samuel L. Jackson (The Kill Room, The Protégé) as Nick Fury and Zawe Ashton (Nocturnal Animals, Velvet Buzzsaw) as Dar-Benn; for a product of the Marvel universe, this movie was a disappointment. I enjoyed the connection between the three main stars, especially Iman’s character. The fight scenes had a fun element, and the CGI effects were good; however, the script was a scattered mess. At times, I found several scenes filled with slapstick humor that then morphed into dramatic, sorrowful scenes. The excitement and thrills of past Marvel films did not appear in this picture. And as I have said before, if the villain is truly not menacing then the story will never succeed. For all the money spent on this, what a shame. There was only one (what a shock) extra scene during the ending credits.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Five Nights at Freddy’s
ONE OF MY EARLIEST MEMORIES OF amusement parks was me vomiting into a trash container. I remember the park because the ride I got sick on was one of those haunted, fun house attractions. There was a huge head that looked like an evil genie perched above the entryway, with its eyes moving from side to side as if scanning the park for its next victims. It was a family outing with a group of relatives and for the younger ones, which included me, this was our first time attending the amusement park. When I walked into the fun house, it was nearly pitch-black inside. There were objects that glowed and appeared to be floating in the air. At certain turns a mechanical figure would spring out to scare onlookers who were walking by. Being so young, I did jump and get scared multiple times; but, with my relatives nearby I never got to the point of being crying scared. I remember we came to a juncture where we had to go through a door that had cobwebs on it. Once we were through, we heard the door lock. We continued walking until we found ourselves in a dark space where the walls were formed into a full circle. As we gently walked into it, the continuous wall started to turn. In other words, it was like walking into a barrel that started rolling down a hill, but this rolling device stayed in one place. I could not keep my balance, constantly falling. As the pictures on the walls rolled by, I started to feel nauseous. Miraculously the spinning stopped, and a hidden door opened into the sunlight. I staggered out and made it to the trash container in time before my stomach decided to evacuate all its contents. ONE WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT WOULD have been my last time at an amusement park; but because of my earlier enjoyment of rides and carnival foods, I ventured to other amusement parks and learned what attractions were more agreeable with me and my body. I was a sucker for the games of chance, convinced I could win a stuffed animal easily. There was the shooting gallery where water guns were used to hit a target that would inflate a balloon. The first balloon to pop would be the winner. I never won that game. I also failed at the ring toss on top of a glass bottle and the pseudo basketball hoop game. I believe it was after a couple of years that I finally won one of those games; throwing a ball to knock off from their shelves, three hairy troll dolls. Out of the prizes offered, I chose a small, stuffed purple monkey. I felt so proud of myself. It was a good thing I did not have the knowledge then to add up how much it cost my family to pay for all the tries I took to finally win that small stuffed animal. There were so many different amusement parks I used to attend and gratefully not one of them was like the one in this mystery, horror thriller. DESPERATE TO EARN MONEY TO KEEP his daughter, a down on his luck father takes a nighttime security guard job at an abandoned amusement park. What he would experience would be worse than any of the rides. With Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games franchise, The Long Home) as Mike, Piper Rubio (Holly & Ivy, For All Mankind-TV) as Abby, Elizabeth Lail (Countdown, Ordinary Joe-TV) as Vanessa, Matthew Lillard (Scooby-Doo franchise, The Descendants) as Steve Raglan and Mary Stuart Masterson (Fried Green Tomatoes, Blindspot-TV) as Aunt Jane; this movie based on a video game was lost on me. Maybe if one was familiar with the game, the movie would make better sense; I found it simply odd and dull. I enjoyed Josh’s and Mary’s performances, but the script was a jumble of things that were never fully explained. As the movie was nearing its end, I thought the story was weird and made little sense. It might be best to take your money and use it to spend a day at an amusement park. There was an extra scene during the ending credits.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Exorcist: Believer
ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS FOR me to witness is a sick animal or sick baby/child. I still remember watching a relative of mine carrying their sick dog down three flights of stairs so that it could relieve itself on the grass outside. The poor dog tried to remain standing but fell over every time he tried to raise his leg. It was so sad to see, and I was only seeing it this one time; my poor relative was experiencing it multiple times a day. I gave my relative credit for managing the situation, but I did wonder about the quality of the dog’s life. The dog reminded me of this other dog I met at a small hotel I was staying at on vacation. The owner of the hotel had this small black dog that looked like Toto from The Wizard of Oz. Except, the poor thing lost its sight and hearing. I was sitting in the lobby, waiting for my ride, watching this little dog rely on its sense of smell to navigate around the open space. However, that sense did not help with some objects in the way like leg chairs and walls. I watched as the dog bumped into a table leg, a wall and a floor lamp. Luckily, it was not running; instead, it was carefully and tentatively moving its way forward. THE OTHER THING THAT IS HARD for me to see is an ill child or worse, a sick baby. I knew these parents who had their baby in the hospital’s ICU for four to five months. The poor baby was hooked up to a variety of machines via tubes and wires. I kid you not; it looked like a scene out of a horror film. To make matters worse, the only way one could see the baby was through a glass window. I wondered if this would influence the baby as it grows up, the lack of human touch besides the kind that was sticking it with needles and probes. It was such an awful situation; the parents looked like walking zombies because they took turns spending the entire night with the baby, just so the baby could hear a soothing voice without experiencing something painful happening to it. I honestly do not know how those two parents did it, but they did. I have said this before; children come into this world with a pure clean slate. They have no prejudices, no hatred, no negativity. Many of them learn these traits from their parents. To see a child unable to take care of itself, having to suffer for something out of their control is just as sad to me as a child being taught how to hate. This is why I had a tough time watching what happened to the kids in this reboot of the horror franchise. A SEARCH WAS INITIATED AFTER TWO neighborhood girls went missing. Gone for three days, the two girls returned with no memory of what happened to them. It would be soon after when the parents realize something indeed had happened to their young daughters. With Leslie Odom Jr (Hamilton, One Night in Miami) as Victor Fielding, Tracey Graves (Sebastian, Super Turnt) as Sorenne Fielding, Lidya Jewett (Hidden Figures, Good Girls-TV) as Angela Fielding, Danny McCarthy (Stronger, Prison Break-TV) as Stuart and Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale-TV, Hereditary) as Ann; this horror film had a good start for the story. It was suspenseful as it mixed the past and present together, encompassed in excellent filmed scenes. However, as the story neared its halfway point, everything started to break down. I lost interest because the suspense was gone, and the horror scenes were not frightening. I felt the script was just rehashing previous scenes from the franchise, including using similar music from the original film. By the end of this movie, I felt bad for the cast getting stuck in such a non-scary mess.
1 ¾ stars
