Category Archives: Thriller
Thriller
Flash Movie Review: Carry-On
ON MY RECENT FLIGHT, I WAS flagged by TSA. I could not believe it because I purposely do not wear a belt, wristbands, watch or shoes with any kind of metal on them. Everything is stuffed in my jacket which I take off to put through the X-ray machine. I normally do not take my wedding ring off, but in this case, we were wearing our traveling silicon ones; so even that could not set off any alarms. And I must add, as a passenger I am fine taking off jackets and shoes, only checking through liquids in 3-ounce containers, no bottled water; whatever they want us to do to keep safe I will do it. Having arrived at the airport early enough so I would not have to fret about being late for my flight, I was more annoyed that I was randomly picked for further scanning. The TSA agent asked me to step out of line and stand in front of that machine that looked like the machine Jeff Goldblum was in that turned him into a fly. Of course, my first thought was what the other people in line were thinking about me. For some reason, my first thought is what did I do wrong; did I look like an evil person, was I blinking too much or fidgeting too much. I could have gone through a multitude of reasons but chose to remain calm and let the agents do their job. THERE WERE TWO PASSENGERS AHEAD OF me, waiting for the glass X-ray booth. The first one, I could see, was agitated; they complained they were going to be late for their flight. When it was the second person’s turn, it must have been their first time because they wanted to know exactly what the agent could see from the scan. After being reassured, they stepped in and let the scanner do its thing. When I was told to step in, I smiled and lifted my arms up above my head. I figured it would earn me points though I was not sure for what. While I retrieved my items, I watched the TSA agents working. I wanted to see the screen they sat in front of that shows the inside of everyone’s carry-on bag. It intrigues me, how can they quickly decide whether something is illegal or not. From the many times I have flown, I have seen all kinds of behavior on display and do not understand why people take their frustrations out on the TSA agents. Why get an agent so angry that they might want to do something like what the agent was asked to do in this action, crime mystery. A MYSTERIOUS TRAVELER DEMANDS A TSA agent allows their carry-on bag to go through without any conflict. If the agent refuses, then his girlfriend will die. With Taron Egerton (Rocketman, Eddie the Eagle) as Ethan Kopek, Jason Bateman (Air, Game Night) as Traveler, Sofia Carson (Purple Hearts, Feel the Beat) as Nora Parisi, Danielle Deadwyler (The Harder They Fall, Till) as Elena Cole, and Theo Rossi (Emily the Criminal, Sons of Anarchy-TV) as Watcher; this film had a strong vibe reminiscent of those older action films like The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno. I was quickly hooked on the story, despite the script not always being believable. It did not matter, because the action and mystery started right up and kept up a strong tension throughout the story. The cast worked so well together, where Taron and Jason pushed everyone to dig deeper into their characters. This was such an entertaining movie watching experience; I enjoyed every minute of it, though a small part of me was wondering if this could ever happen. Hopefully not.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Twisters
FOR ALL THE YEARS I WAS TEACHING fitness and yoga, I had only one accident take place in my classes. It was a cycle class and a new couple who were husband and wife came to participate. I had gone up to introduce myself and asked if they had ever been to a cycle class before. They said yes and I saw they knew how to set up their bikes properly. I wished them success and a good ride before going back to the front of the class. It was fifteen minutes into our ride when the wife got off her bike and went over to her husband’s to adjust the handlebars higher. Things were going along until I moved the class into a standing climb. He moved into position, got off his seat, and suddenly the handlebars came off and he tumbled with them over the front of his bike. I jumped off and ran over to him, asking if he was okay. He kept reassuring me as I did a visual scan over his body, noticing a couple of cuts and all the limbs moving like they were supposed to do. I offered to walk them to the front desk to fill out an incident report, but he declined, telling me he was a doctor, and he was fine. During our short conversation he did say he wanted the handlebars higher, so he asked his wife to adjust them for him. I looked at her and she said she must have gone too high with them; I added that she probably did not lock them into place. With that they left the studio, and I went back to instructing the class. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED EARLY IN MY career, I might have quit. It took me a few years to finally feel comfortable teaching a room filled with members; this is what takes place when you have little self-confidence. Luckily, I had established myself as a competent instructor who diligently looked out for the members in his classes. I have seen it happen where someone changes the course of their career due to a single event. There was a research scientist in one of my classes who chose that field because of their sister’s disease; they wanted to help find a cure. Another example would be a co-worker from a previous job who used to be a firefighter until he got burned during a call, trying to put out a fire in an apartment building. It just goes to show you, the choices we make sometimes get influenced by certain events in our lives. This is why I could understand the main character’s hesitancy in this action, adventure thriller. HAVING LEFT HER DREAMS AND HOPES behind, and now working behind a computer screen, a former storm chaser returns to Oklahoma after an old friend convinces her that his innovative technology will make things safer. With Daisy Edgar-Jones (Where the Crawdads Sing, Cold Feet-TV) as Kate, Glen Powell (Hit Man, Anyone But You) as Tyler, Anthony Ramos (In the Heights, Dumb Money) as Javi, Brandon Perea (Nope, The OA-TV) as Boone, and Maura Tierney (The Iron Claw, Beautiful Boy) as Cathy; this movie was filled with scattered showers. It was so predictable that I pretty knew everything that was going to take place later in the story. Sure, there were a couple of twists, but I felt the writers did an injustice to the characters, making them one-dimensional, borderline cartoonish. Despite this flaw, I thought Glenn still had great screen presence that elevated Daisy as well. The special effects were also a mixture of good and poor. Some scenes were exciting, while others were just okay. I think if the writers had added layers to the characters and opened them up to a deeper level, this film would have had more substance. Instead, this is one of those movies that will just die down to a gentle breeze.
2 stars
Flash Movie Trailer: Heretic
ONE DAY AFTER TEACHING CLASS, SEVERAL participants arranged a get together at a local restaurant. I agreed to join them after showering and changing clothes. The restaurant was a couple of miles away in the town’s business district and gratefully it had its own parking lot. As I entered the place, I saw at the back of the room a large table was set up with members from my class seated already. Walking up to the table, a couple of people commented how weird it was to see me in “regular” clothes as opposed to my workout wear. I laughed as I made my way to an empty seat. Though I recognized everyone sitting around the table, I did not know every one of them by name. There were a few who I had had little contact with except for the occasional giving of instructions and encouragement. The waitress came over and took our drink orders along with a few appetizer requests for the table. We then proceeded to cover several topics, such as the music I used in class, our new favorite restaurants, travel plans, and so on. It was not long before the waitress returned with our drinks and appetizers. More times than not at these types of events, someone will comment on how surprised they are that I am eating potato skins or garlic bread, thinking because I teach fitness, I would only eat a pure healthy diet. My usual response is to tell them I am not the type to live off tofu and broccoli. This usually gets a laugh out of people. WHILE I WAS CONVERSING WITH THOSE closer to me, I was aware there were other conversations taking place at the table. One of the groups deep in conversation appeared more animated than the rest of us. I was curious as to what was being discussed but I did not want to be rude and leave my spot so that I could sit closer to them. As it turned out, I was not alone in wondering what was going on with them. Other members started shifting their focus on this group to the point that soon I was drawn in and able to listen to what people were talking about. They were discussing religion which surprised me because everyone in my classes knows I do not allow discussions about religion or politics to take place because I believe both are personal topics and from past history, know they will lead to disagreements or worse, to a fight. It turns out one of the members I was not familiar with had brought up the subject in the context that the member she was talking to would find comfort if she belonged to a church, namely her church. From the comments I was hearing, I was appalled. She was basically trying to convert this member. Before things could escalate, I repeated my rules about not discussing religion and politics and asked the participants to change the subject which was a kinder way compared to what the main character did in this psychological horror thriller. AFTER TWO YOUNG RELIGIOUS WOMEN ARRIVE at the house of the gentleman who showed interest in their belief, they soon find themselves being tested in their own beliefs. With Hugh Grant (Wonka, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) as Mr. Reed, Sophie Thatcher (The Boogeyman, Yellowjackets-TV) as Sister Barnes, Chloe East (The Fabelmans, Popular Theory) as Sister Paxton, Topher Grace (In Good Company, That 70s Show-TV) as Elder Kennedy and Elle Young (A Score to Settle, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina-TV) as Prophet; I was pleasantly surprised that the story was more of a psychological thriller than horror. There were tense moments throughout most of the film, with most of them being led by Hugh Grant’s amazing acting. He did an excellent job with his character. However, the last quarter to third of the story fell out of favor with me as it seemed it wanted to rush to an unknown ending with a weird mix of scenes that were cliched, nonsensical and bloody violent. It was a shame because up until that point I appreciated the interesting, thought-provoking script that was starting to make me a believer.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Ballerina
I WAS NOT GOING TO LISTEN to him badmouthing my friend any longer. The two of us had been friends for several years and though I knew him to be quick to judge others, I did not let that be a reason for not being friends. However, when his focus landed on another friend of mine, I could see the change in him. Though these two friends were from different circles of my friendships, there were a few occasions where they would find themselves at the same place/event, like a charity ball or concert. I do not think I am alone when I say I have different circles of friends because everyone’s personality does not always blend. There are friends from book club, the health club, the office, and from childhood. My friends from the health club enjoy physical activities like hiking or walking. The book club folks enjoy movies and discuss current events over a meal. It is not like I keep them pigeonholed into one category, but I know them well enough to know what they like and dislike. So, when my friend was making negative comments about my other friend, I told him I did not appreciate it. I explained I would do the same thing if someone was saying “bad” stuff about him. He was welcome to his opinion, but I was not experiencing the things he was saying regarding my other friend. My feelings are, if you do not want to be around someone then do not agree to join in. However, do not come and let your attitude disrupt everyone; we are all adults. SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I FOUND MYSELF in a similar situation, where I disliked a friend’s boyfriend. I thought the boyfriend was a user, taking advantage of my friend. I desperately wanted to tell her what I thought, but I was also aware of how happy she was with him. Maybe my impressions were wrong, I was not around them enough to get a better idea; but I was going to be there to support my friend. She was an adult and could take care of herself without me telling her what I thought, or what she should do. Trust me, if I saw something that indicated she was in a tough situation, I would absolutely tell her. I used to work with a woman who would have bruises, though she tried covering them up with makeup. I would talk and listen to her, making suggestions and offering advice on what she could do to seek help and get out of her situation. It took some time, but gratefully she found the strength to leave her boyfriend. She was more than a fellow employee, she was a friend and that is what friends do for each other; they watch out for each other. There is an unbelievable example of what a friend would do for their friend in this action thriller. FINDING A NOTE AFTER HER FRIEND’S premature death, her best friend sets out to fulfill her deceased friend’s request. She will find the person responsible and make them pay. With Jeon Long-seo (Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, Nothing Serious) as Okju, Kim Ji-hoon (The Age of Blood, Rich Family’s Son) as Choi Pro, Park Yu-rim (Drive My Car, Miraculous Brothers-TV) as Min-hee, Kim Mu-yeol (Space Sweepers, Forgotten) as Chief Jo, and Jang Yoon-ju (Veteran, Three Sisters) as Mun-yeong; this revenge film’s strength was in the fight scenes. They were well executed and intense. I enjoyed the story line and having a female in the lead role; however, the script did not provide anything new to this genre. There were many scenes with blood and intense violence, in a down and dirty visual way. My interest in seeing strong female leads in this type of movie was the only reason I continued to watch it. Plus, there is the added factor of the big guy vs the little one aspect. But for nothing else, I have to say the lead character would make someone a mighty best friend. Korean spoken with English subtitles.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Smile 2
I WAS ON THE EXERCISE BIKE, oblivious to what I was doing. All I could think about were those cookies I baked last night. I know, I see the irony with those two statements. There was something about the way the cookies looked that triggered my panic mode. In my brain, the cookies did not look right. The fact is I had never made this recipe before so how would I know what they were supposed to look like? It did not matter; I am a visual and texture eater. If something has a texture I do not like, I will not eat it. The same with looks; if it does not look right, whatever “look right” is supposed to be in my mind, I will not touch it, even if it has chocolate in it. So here I am working out on the bike, fretting whether I can serve the cookies to the company we were expecting. My entire ride was consumed by all the possibilities I had to find my happy place and serve the cookies to guests; should I make another dessert as a backup, buy one at the bakery to save myself time; just stick with the pie I had made and serve nothing else. I settled on the most logical response which is always the last thing I think about after driving myself crazy. I would have a couple of cookies for breakfast. If I liked them then I would serve them and if not, I had already decided I would bake something else. Gratefully, the cookies were good. IT IS HARD BEING ME; I WISH I would not work myself up into a frenzy when something triggers me, like in this case the look of the cookies. It is similar to something else that has been bothering me for a few weeks. I do not know if I dreamt about this conversation or if I really had it with someone about snorkeling. We are planning a trip that involves an excursion to a reef where we can snorkel to experience the beauty close up. I am already concerned about the water temperature; will it be too cold for me, and will I have to stay back in the boat. I am also concerned with sharks and jellyfish; what type of precautions will the excursion provide to protect us from an attack. My anxiety is slowly growing. Now I thought I met someone recently who told me not to worry, that we would be given wetsuits, and the temperature would be warm for the time we were going. She also said we would be handed a rope to hold on to, so that we can always be attached in some way to the boat. I found comfort with this information, but for the past week I cannot think of who told me this recent news. Going over the past few weeks of our social calendar and I cannot figure out if it was a real conversation or a dream. There are times like this where I think I am starting to lose my mind; however, nothing like what was happening to the main character in this mystery horror thriller. WITH THE RESTART OF HER TOUR, a musical pop star’s stress is causing her to question some of the things she is seeing. They seem so real, but are they? With Naomi Scott (Charlie’s Angels, Power Rangers) as Skye Riley, Rosemarie DeWitt (Out of My Mind, Rachel Getting Married) as Elizabeth Riley, Lukas Gage (Assassination Nation, Road House) as Lewis Fregoli, Miles Gutierrez-Riley (I Wish You All the Best, On the Come Up) as Joshua, and Peter Jacobson (House-TV, Fear the Walking Dead-TV) as Morris; this sequel was better than the original film. I was not expecting much; however, the story quickly grabbed me and kept me on the edge of my seat a good portion of the time. I thought Naomi and Rosemarie were excellent and enjoyed their chemistry. The script had some holes in it but with the good direction and cast, things kept moving past scenes that seemed stuck on repeat. What I most enjoyed about this movie was the fact it was more of a psychological horror story instead of just dumping gory scenes on the viewers. Now do not get me wrong, there still were some bloody, graphic scenes where I had to divert my eyes to a different part of the movie screen so as not to see the bloody action head on. And though there were no post credit scenes, I have a feeling we have not seen the last from this budding franchise.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Rebel Ridge
HE WAS A SHORT, SLIGHT MAN with a close-cropped beard and straight brown hair that always looked feathery. This was my first impression of my yoga instructor, who would remain mine through the first year of my training to become an instructor. There was gentleness and kindness about him; he always took the time to work one on one with each of us in class. Whenever he would demonstrate a pose, he moved into it like a cat, slow and determined. Because I was so focused on taking notes and looking at the poses he did, I did not notice him as much if that makes sense. I was looking to see where hands and feet needed to be rather than focusing on the way his body would move into the pose. Around halfway through the year we had a celebratory event where multiple classes would come together. It was part doing yoga and part mingling. I met some of the upper-class students and watched them during our yoga session. They were so smooth as they moved into the various poses. During the break, I went up and talked with them, asking about their experience at the school. At some point, one of them asked me who was my instructor. When I told him, he said I had the best teacher in the school. I was thrilled to hear it. WHAT HE SAID NEXT THREW ME for a loop. He asked if I knew about my instructor’s background. I said no. He told me something that stunned me. My instructor was involved with the military until a tragic event shattered his leg. The story this upper-class student told me was after the event my teacher was sent home for multiple surgeries and a lengthy rehabilitation. This student told me to look at the instructor’s body when he moves into a pose. Since he was ahead of me in school, I thought I would see what he was talking about and look at my instructor’s body when he was doing poses. It turned out I had to look more than once because what I saw was fascinating. The fact his leg was shattered, I would never have known. Each time his body moved into a pose I would see his smooth, pliable limbs turn into sculpted, solid muscle. Not like a heavy weightlifter’s muscles, more like a Michelangelo statue. They would rise from his skin and form this rock-solid landscape across his body. I would have been most curious to hear what he used to do in the military because he was nothing what I pictured a military person to be. I was reminded of him because of the main character in this action, crime thriller. MAKING HIS WAY TO POST BAIL for his cousin, a former Marine finds himself in a town that could make better use of his bail money. With Aaron Pierre (Brother, Old) as Terry Richmond, Don Johnson (Knives Out, Book Club: The Next Chapter) as Chief Sandy Burnne, AnnaSophia Robb (Soul Surfer, Bridge to Terabithia) as Summer McBride, David Denman (The Equalizer 3, The Office-TV) as Officer Evan Marston, and Emory Cohen (Brooklyn, Lords of Chaos) as Officer Steve Lann; this drama was slick and to the point, taking me by surprise. I thought the cast, especially Aaron, was excellent. The story is a no-frills good against evil type of story and I fell right into it. The action was intense, and the fight scenes were well done. In a way, it was refreshing to watch an action film without the special effects or wild camera work or a multitude of dead bodies; I felt I was following a simple, story that could have been based in truth. On some level, this movie reminded me of an old-fashioned western film besides reminding me of my past yoga instructor.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Killer’s Game
I KNEW TWO INDIVIDUALS, A FRIEND and an acquaintance, who chose to ignore their mortality. It was some time after they had received the news about their medical test results that I met them; so, if they acted differently prior to the news, I had no knowledge. My friend and I met at a party we were both attending. We had a similar sense of humor which made our conversation easy, which led us to hang out together. The acquaintance was a friend of a friend despite my friend wishing she could have more than just a platonic relationship with this guy. Both guys were extreme extroverts. My friend told me about his health status early in our relationship; the other guy never divulged his health status until it became obvious something was seriously wrong with him based on the physical changes taking place with his body. Over several months, my friend was acting more extreme and outrageous. If everyone was having a couple of cocktails at a party, he was having several until he was numb in the throes of drunkenness. I noticed the same behavior with the acquaintance. If there were drugs at a party, he was taking the most until he was either bouncing off the walls or falling asleep in mid-sentence. Both became heavy risk-takers. The friend’s friend got sicker and sicker until they died while walking down the street one night. My friend took a job offer out of state and no one ever heard from him again. So, I do not know if they are dead or alive. A DIFFERENT EXAMPLE OF A PERSON dealing with their own mortality was a relative of mine. After receiving their dire medical results, they chose not to do any treatments because they were known to have bad side effects. Instead, my relative chose to have a decent quality of life for as long as they could last. Being around them, one would never know something was wrong; they chose to enjoy every second of living, from meeting friends for dinner, to going to concerts, to hosting family events. Instead of ignoring their condition, they would acknowledge it whenever anyone asked how they were doing. I was in awe of her strength and commitment to enjoy everything they could while they were alive. A common phrase they would say is. “Don’t leave with any regrets.” If I were in a similar situation, where I was to receive negative health results, I would like to think that I would be strong and fight it. However, until one is in that situation, I honestly do not know if I have that inner strength to fight it to the best of my abilities. I for sure know I would not choose the option the main character did in this action, comedy, thriller. AFTER RECEIVING THE RESULTS OF HIS medical tests, a hired assassin decides to hire a hit on himself. When the assassins started going after his girlfriend, he had only one option, to protect her. With Dave Bautista (My Spy franchise, Glass Onion) as Joe Flood, Raffaello Degruttola (Rush, Unlocked) as Dr. Kagen, Sofia Boutella (Star Trek Beyond, Kingsman: The Secret Service) as Maize Arnaud, Ben Kingsley (Night Hunter, Sexy Beast) as Zvi Rabinowitz, and Antonia Desplat (Witchboard, Shantaram-TV) as Aimee; this film based on the book felt like a John Wick wannabe. However, I was pleasantly surprised that Dave’s character had a love interest because his imposing presence normally would not lead him to such roles. The action scenes were intense and there were multiple scenes with blood and violence. There really was nothing new about the story/script, but I still enjoyed watching it. There were a couple of times where I chuckled and other times where I cringed from the violence. The main draw for me was watching Dave and I was entertained by his and Sofia’s acting. There were multiple scenes of blood and violence throughout this film.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Fall Guy
WHEN ONE IS YOUNG, THEY WILL do foolish things. Add in the love factor and whatever common sense is left gets pushed to the side. Why does it take one’s older self to realize that? Back when I was young and participating in the dating world, I now look at some of the things I did and cannot believe it. At one time, I was dating someone who shared my sense of humor and had similar likes and dislikes. One thing that we were apart from was our tastes in music. They were a big country music fan, and I was a disco baby. Country music was never part of my music library, nor my family members. However, I had feelings for them and wanted to make a good impression; so, I agreed to go to a country western bar and did it with an enthusiastic smile on my face. I was told the place had a big dance floor and they would teach me how to dance. Because I was a fitness instructor and choreographed my routines to music, I felt I would be able to manage the country dancing with no problem. The night of our date, I dressed up in my new clothes, including cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. By the time we got to the club my feet were hurting me. Our first dance lesson was iffy; I could not get the rhythm for two-stepping. We eventually got through but with me still fumbling at times. Looking back, I wonder if that was the start of the deterioration of our relationship. WITH ANOTHER RELATIONSHIP, I WAS DATING a landscape architect. Having grown up in apartments, the closest I came to being involved in such a field was having a droopy houseplant. Maybe because I had purchased a house just prior to our meeting, they were excited to oversee the landscape around the house. I sat through drawings they did and saw photos they pulled up online of different plants and flowers they thought would look good in the front lawn and backyard. I agreed to everything and wound up spending more money than I had, but I wanted to make them happy. What troubled me was knowing I could not sit back and watch but had to be a participate in this endeavor. On a Saturday, they arrived in a rental truck with bags of dirt, plants, and gardening tools. We spent the entire day digging, moving, and planting foliage. The sun was beating down and I was being bitten up by bugs; I hated it. Once everything was done, every weekend turned into a lawn and garden activity. I did not have an interest in cutting the grass or trimming bushes; I intended to pay someone to do it for me. But because I was in love, I endured it for a couple of months before making excuses for not going outside to help. As time progressed, whether there was some disappointment or anger involved, the relationship ended. The lesson learned is to be yourself from the start and let the chips fall where they may. Plus, luckily, I did not have to do what the main character was doing in this action, comedy romance. AFTER AN ALMOST CAREER-ENDING ACCIDENT, a stuntman is drawn back into the business because an old flame requested him. And, because the movie star of the film was missing. He would need to find out what happened to the star while still doing his stunts during the production. With Ryan Gosling (Barbie, The Gray Man) as Colt Seavers, Emily Blunt (Oppenheimer, Mary Poppins Returns) as Jody Moreno, Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Bullet Train, Nocturnal Animals) as Tom Ryder, Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso-TV, Sex Education-TV) as Gail Meyer, and Teresa Palmer (Warm Bodies, Lights Out) as Iggy Starr; this was an absolute fun film to watch. Turn your brain onto mute and sit back and enjoy the chemistry between Ryan and Emily, along with the great acting from the entire cast. The script had its flaws, action was the main engine driving this machine; but I thought the tongue in cheek flavor, the stunts and the mix of drama thrown in made for an entertaining picture. Kudos to the actual people who created the stunts. This is the type of film where one comes as themselves and simply enjoys the experience.
3 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Killer
I SPOTTED SOMETHING DARK, BURIED UNDERNEATH a pile of blankets that were on the top shelf of a closet. I was using a stepstool to reach the blankets and spotted something that was barely peeking out from underneath. Sliding my hand under the blankets, I felt a stiff leathery cover; I thought it might be a book, except it felt bigger. Having to use both hands, one to hold the blankets back and the other to drag the item out from underneath, I pulled it to the edge of the shelf and had to use both hands to lift it up, so I could finally see it. To my surprise, it was a large, leather covered album or binder. There was gold tooling on the cover that had cracks and wrinkles. I carefully stepped down off the stepstool with the album and sat down in a chair so I could place it on my lap to see what was inside. From underneath the cover as I was opening it, fell out fragments of yellowed paper. There was writing on them, but it was so faded I could not make out any full words. Turning over the cover page which was just a sheet of tissue or wax paper, there sealed onto the stiff page was a handwritten recipe. The handwriting was not familiar to me, nor was there any type of date written to give me an idea of how old the album could be. EACH BLACK CARDBOARD PAGE HAD ANYWHERE from one to several recipes. Because I had been teaching myself how to cook and bake, I was fascinated with this find. Maybe it was a book of family recipes; I needed to find out. Page by page I scanned each recipe until suddenly, one recipe stuck out from all the rest. The name written on top spelled out a word I had not heard since I was a little boy. Was it possible this desert bread recipe was for the one we used to have when I was a small child? I was determined to make it and find out; however, the recipe listed only the ingredients, not the amounts, oven temperature or time for baking. From the ingredients, I only needed one item that I ran to the store to buy. Keeping a piece of paper nearby, I listed what amounts I was guessing, while judging how the batter looked. My first attempt was dry with no taste. My second attempt only filled up the loaf pan halfway, but it came out hard with still no taste. In four weekends, my seventh attempt was a success; the dessert loaf was in fact the one I used to eat when I was a kid. I was ecstatic with the results. From this experience, I must wonder if writer and director John Woo felt the same about doing this updated version from the original one, he did thirty-five years ago. ON ASSIGNMENT TO KILL HER TARGET at a nightclub, along with any witnesses, a feared assassin backs off from killing a blinded woman at the scene of the massacre. The assassin’s “good deed” would not go unpunished. With Nathalie Emmanuel (The Invitation, Game of Thrones-TV) as Zee, Omar Sy (The Book of Clarence, Jurassic World franchise) as Sey, Sam Worthington (Avatar franchise, The Exorcism) as Finn, Diana Silvers (Booksmart, Space Force-TV) as Jenn and Said Taghmaoul (Wonder Woman, Three Kings) as Prince Majeb Bin Faheem; this current version still had John Woo’s trademark bloody violence. The action/fight scenes were beautifully choreographed as well as edited. I enjoyed Nathalie’s and Omar’s performances to the point I would not mind if they starred in a sequel. With so much action and chase scenes, I thought the script was shallow; I did not feel connected to the characters. There were times, I felt I was watching a video game instead of a movie. Despite what I have said and because I was in the mood for a steady action film, I still enjoyed watching this remake. Once again, there were multiple scenes with blood and violence.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Blink Twice
ON OUR RECENT VACATION, WE HAD several casual encounters with one particular couple, a man and woman. The first time we met them was in the ship’s main dining room; they were seated next to us. The man looked older than the woman but if I had to guess, I would say she was in her 50’s and he was in his late 60’s or early 70’s. While looking at their menus, she saw my entrée and asked how I liked it. It was an item on the daily special menu, and it was quite good. Expressing this to her, she turned to the man and asked him what he thought about it. He agreed with her but said he wanted to see what else was being offered for dinner. Having the opportunity to look at them directly, I believed they were not married because neither was wearing a wedding ring. The woman’s clothes, in my opinion, were tight on her; I did not know if it was intentional or not. Her blouse, which was cut low to expose and amplify her ample chest also revealed a couple of rolls from her stomach. I am not judging by any means, just describing what I saw. She wore a flashy necklace and a few sparkling bracelets and rings on her hands. I noticed her hair was dyed blonde because of the beginning of darker roots emerging from her scalp. The four of us had a further short verbal exchange before they went back to studying their menus. WHEN THE WAITER CAME TO THEIR table, I could not help but hear what was being said. What caught my ear was something that I could never understand; one person ordering for the other. The waiter had asked the woman if she was ready to order and the man answered, telling the waiter what she would have for dinner. Because our tables were close to each other, I had not heard any discussion between the two on what they wanted to eat. For the duration we were sitting there, I had to wonder how well they knew each other. As it turned out, we happened to bump into them at a couple of other meals and on one of our excursions. What struck me odd about the excursion was the fact we were told how to dress, due to the strenuous trek we would be following, and yet this woman was wearing shoes with high heels. For some reason, I started wondering what kind of relationship they had because it just seemed off to me. Having now seen this mystery thriller has only made me even more curious about those two. AT A FUNDRAISING GALA, A TECH billionaire invites one of the servers to join him and his friends on his private island for a fun and exciting vacation. Once arriving and partaking in the daily antics, the waitress begins noticing some strange things that make her question what she is experiencing. With Naomi Ackie (Lady Macbeth, The Score) as Frida, Channing Tatum (Fly Me to the Moon, The Lost City) as Slater, Alia Shawkat (The To Do List, Whip It) as Jess, Christian Slater (Freelance, Chupa) as Vic and Simon Rex (Scary Movie franchise, Red Rocket) as Cody; this film written and directed by Zoe Kravitz started out well. I thought Zoe did a decent job with directing the movie, building up tension, with her shots and pacing. However, after a while the story started to drag on me. I thought the cast did a respectable job with the script, despite it being somewhat predictable and confusing at times. For example, I thought Geena Davis’s character was distracting and odd. It appeared to me Zoe was trying to get a message across; however, I felt it got bogged down due to her dealing with various aspects of bringing her story to the big screen. There were several scenes with blood and violence.
2 ½ stars
moviejoltz 