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OSCAR TELECAST 2024
THIS PAST SUNDAY, EVERYTHING WAS GOING well until it was not. I had my usual chores of laundry and meal planning for the week, besides running to the health club for a pre-Oscars workout. My morning went as planned; I worked out first then came home to make lunch. It was sometime around 2 pm, when I sat down to read the Sunday newspapers, I discovered the Oscars’ telecast was starting one hour earlier. Already having pushed the clock ahead one hour and now the show was starting an hour earlier, I was cramped for time. Suddenly, I was behind schedule; I still had to bake a dessert and prep dinner so it would be ready to go into the oven. My stress level skyrocketed as I raced around the house trying to finish everything I had planned for the day. With ten minutes to spare, I washed the last of the dishes and was brushing my teeth. The television was already turned on to the station that was telecasting the show, but I had to miss watching the red-carpet arrivals. I was glad I had earlier set up both segments to be recorded. Gratefully, I sat down with my predictions list and a pen a couple of minutes before the main show began. KNOWING THE HOST WAS JIMMY KIMMEL brought a sense of comfort. There was not the usual anxiousness about how a new host would manage the responsibilities. Jimmy is dependable, funny, quick on his feet and does not come with an agenda; exactly what a host should be. His opening skit, sitting with Barbie, was the perfect icebreaker that created a lighthearted show. The monologue went on a little longer than it needed to, in my opinion. Most of his jokes landed, but not all. However, I thought the playing back and forth with people he called out in the audience went without a hitch. Each celebrity did an excellent job keeping things fun and light. I absolutely loved the way the producers had groups of past acting winners come out and each one introduced a nominee; I thought it was a wonderful idea, especially if one of the presenters was familiar with their assigned nominee. It was such a touching and loving gesture. In the past, I would sometimes get upset with the Academy’s picks, but this year none of the winners disappointed me. The only surprise I felt was in the best actress category, simply because there was so much talk about it. Jimmy’s skit with John Cena was a perfect moment; it was a funny bit, plus it certainly had people talking about it for a couple of days, besides seeing clips plastered all over social media. The producers knew what they were doing. I enjoyed all the song nominations and especially appreciated that the artists came and performed their songs on stage. TIME PASSED BY QUICKLY FOR ME, thanks to the even and steady pacing of the show. Nothing felt rushed, nor did I feel anything dragged on too long. My only complaint was about the last awards presentation. I thought Al Pacino was intoxicated or mentally impaired, the way he handled his category of best motion picture. With no mention of the nominees (granted we saw clips throughout the show), opening the envelope and simply saying he sees Oppenheimer, it was such a letdown moment, anticlimactic. I came to find out it was not his fault; it was the producers who made the decision not to announce the nominated films to save time. They were afraid the show was running late and chose to eliminate the listing of best picture nominees. Such a poor decision, in my opinion, and disrespectful to the nominees and the audience. Except for that mishap, I was pleased how well the show went off and even more pleased I was not made to stay up so late that I would be a zombie at work the next day.
Flash Movie Review: Oscar Predictions 2024
WE BOTH FELT THE SAME WAY about the current situation with the Oscar nominations. Ever since streaming came up alongside movie theaters, our joy in watching the Academy Awards telecast has lessened. I was telling my relative how I loved hearing the nominations being announced then checking off how many of them I had already seen. Those that I had not yet seen came to the forefront of my movie viewing jaunts. It was nothing for me to go to a movie theater and watch three nominated films in a row, so I could check them off the list when I returned home. By the time of the awards show, I had seen every nominated movie, and I had all my top choices picked. Now I must traverse in a much different landscape. Some films are produced and shown only on a company’s streaming service. With the variety of streaming services available, they start to add up to more than any cable bill I ever had before; it is crazy. I cannot justify signing up for every streaming service being offered that shows movies. And let us face it, not every movie coming out on streaming is a winner. MAYBE I AM MORE NOSTALGIC THIS year, but I am a little sad that I have not seen every nominated picture. I would have thought the streaming companies that have an Oscar nominated film would allow it to be released at the theaters, even if it were for a brief time, but alas no such luck. The yearly contest among the relatives has been retired for the past couple of years because I am not the only one who was not able to see all the nominees. With this in mind, I was thinking about my predictions, and I have decided I am going to follow the rule on some of the testing we were required to do in our school years; it is better to guess an answer than skip the question. So, please keep in mind the only categories where I have seen all the nominees are Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. With the remainder, it runs the gamut from seeing only one nominee in a category to all but one. I will try to do my best and as always, list what I think should get the award compared to what the Academy will do. Let us all hope that we have a fun and exciting show to watch this year. Good luck.
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORT ROLE:
MY CHOICE: Da’Vine Joy Randolph—The Holdovers
ACADEMY PICK: Da’Vine Joy Randolph—The Holdovers
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Robert Downey Jr—Oppenheimer
ACADEMY CHOICE: Robert Downey Jr—Oppenheimer
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Carey Mulligan—Maestro
ACADEMY CHOICE: Lily Gladstone—Killers of the Flower Moon
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:
MY CHOICE: Paul Giamatti—The Holdovers
ACADEMY CHOICE: Cillian Murphy—Oppenheimer
BEST DIRECTOR: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Christopher Nolan—Oppenheimer
ACADEMY CHOICE: Christopher Nolan—Oppenheimer
CINEMATOGRAPHY: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: El Conde
ACADEMY CHOICE: Oppenheimer
COSTUME DESIGN: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Barbie
ACADEMY CHOICE: Poor Things
FILM EDITING: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Oppenheimer
ACADEMY CHOICE: Oppenheimer
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING:
MY CHOICE: Poor Things
ACADEMY CHOICE: Poor Things
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY): (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Barbie
ACADEMY CHOICE: Oppenheimer
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY): (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Past Lives
ACADEMY CHOICE: The Holdovers
VISUAL EFFECTS: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Godzilla Minus One
ACADEMY CHOICE: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE-DEAD RECKONING PART ONE
ORIGINAL SONG: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: What Was I Made For—Barbie
ACADEMY CHOICE: What Was I Made For—Barbie
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: The Boy and the Heron
ACADEMY CHOICE: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Oppenheimer
ACADEMY CHOICE: Oppenheimer
BEST PICTURE: (INCOMPLETE)
MY CHOICE: Oppenheimer
ACADEMY CHOICE: Oppenheimer
Well, there you have the choices for this year. To tell you the truth I am not noticeably confident since there were several films with multiple nominations that I have not seen this past year. I am grateful after the pandemic and the writers’ strike; we were able to get enough films to be nominated. I hope everyone has a wonderful time watching the show and let us hope next year will provide even better and more film choices for us to see. Be well and thank you.
Oscar Telecast 2023
MY PACING WAS ON TRACK AS the clock was ticking away the minutes. I was having a good day, working out in the morning and doing chores after lunch. I purposely ate dinner early because I wanted to be able to stretch out on the sofa during the telecast. A diet element I have done for years is to wait two hours after eating before laying down. It also is a good policy for digestion. While eating dinner, I went over my list and the one I printed out for all the nominations. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I felt good because I had seen more films than last year. Granted it was not up to pre-COVID times where I saw every film, but at least I was going in the right direction. I had a couple of quick things to do before settling down and gratefully I finished everything on my to-do list five minutes before the show was to begin. I THOUGHT THE OPENING FOR THE Oscar telecast was fun without being too long. Having Jimmy Kimmel parachute down from the rafters was a perfect ending to the opening and a perfect way to start the show. In my opinion, Jimmy could easily reach the status of a Bob Hope or Johnny Carson, regarding being the host. I would have no objection in fact, if Jimmy was made the permanent host; he was excellent. Most of his jokes landed and were smart and topical. He was never mean spirited when he would throw out a dig/zinger at a celebrity. I thought the pacing of the show kept a steady pace. For the most part speeches were shorter than I remember and noticeable to me was the fact that more of them were truly heartfelt, without the addition of political/cause comments. Being a fan of music, I always appreciate when the best song nominees are there performing. The day before the show, I had heard Lady Gaga was not going to be available to perform her song because of filming commitments. It was a surprise to me when she appeared on stage stripped down with no announcement. But did she ever sing her heart out with her song; I thought it was a fantastic performance. Watching the performance of the song Naatu Naatu from the film RRR, I cannot wait to see this movie. AS FOR THE WINNERS, I WAS pleased with who received the Oscar. I especially loved the acceptance speeches from Ke Huy Quan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Fraser and Michelle Yeoh. I had tears in my eyes. Speaking of winners, it was good to see the return of all the categories; I felt it was the right thing to do. Let us face it, we all know the Oscar telecast can go on for hours; it is a fact. But cutting out categories was not the way to save time. This production had no musical numbers except where they belonged in the song category, there were few humor bits to eat up time, and it seemed as all the nominees knew that after 45 seconds the music was starting. So, though it was sad to see, let us say, two people going up to get their Oscars and only one of them gets to talk, it falls on the first speaker to give a short speech; if they do not then it is on them for shortchanging their collaborator. BY THE TIME THE SHOW ENDED, I was fully sated, filled with joy and satisfaction. It was a wonderful telecast with an eye-opening set design and a slew of interesting fashion choices. There is only one complaint I have regarding the show. I would like to know who allowed that guest to sit in the audience with the large, white swirl of fabric around her head?!?! I thought that person was so inconsiderate to choose such an outfit, knowing they would be sitting in a theater without stadium seating at the very least. Shame on them for being rude, just to make some fashion statement. I hope all of you enjoyed the show as much as I did and let us hope that the new year brings us the opportunity to see as many of what will become Oscar nominated movies for next year’s telecast. Happy viewing and see you at the movies!
OSCAR PREDICTIONS 2023
WHEN THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS WERE ANNOUNCED, I had the choice to be either optimistic or pessimistic. As I looked at the categories, I felt excited that I had seen a good portion of the films nominated. It was certainly more than last year’s nominees. On the other hand, I still am not back to my original place of having seen every nominee in the major categories. It used to be where several movies would premiere on the west and east coasts before new year’s eve, then open everywhere in January or February. If that is still in place I have not seen evidence of it, which I believe is one of the reasons why I have not been able to see every nominated film. The other reason is due to the streaming services. Some of the services’ movies get a nomination and the corporation keeps them exclusive to their streaming platform. If I were to add every major streaming service to my television package, I might have to get a second job; it is getting ridiculous with everyone jumping on the streaming bandwagon when they all used to be free on network TV or cable. And I will forgo for now my pros and cons to seeing movies at a theater compared to one’s home. So unfortunately, again I have not seen every movie in the category which puts me at a disadvantage. For the sake of tradition, I will do my best to pick what I think deserves the Academy Award and what the academy will do. I will also note which group is incomplete for me. Enjoy the telecast and remember whatever you eat during the show does not have any calories. Happy Oscar’s Day!
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:
MY CHOICE: Angela Bassett—Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
ACADEMY PICK: Jamie Lee Curtis—Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: Ke Huy Quan—Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACADEMY PICK: Ke Huy Quan—Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: Michelle Yeoh—Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACADEMY PICK: Michelle Yeoh—Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: Brendan Fraser—The Whale
ACADEMY PICK: Austin Butler–Elvis
DIRECTING (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: Steven Spielberg—The Fabelmans
ACADEMY PICK: Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert—Everything Everywhere All at Once
CINEMATOGRAPHY (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: All Quiet on the Western Front
ACADEMY PICK: All Quiet on the Western
COSTUME DESIGN (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once
FILM EDITING:
MY CHOICE: Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING:
MY CHOICE: The Whale
ACADEMY PICK: All Quiet on the Western Front
WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY):
MY CHOICE: All Quiet on the Western Front
ACADEMY PICK: All Quiet on the Western
WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY) (INCOMPLETE):
MY CHOICE: Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once
VISUAL EFFECTS:
MY CHOICE: Avatar: The Way of Water
ACADEMY CHOICE: All Quiet on the Western Front
BEST PICTURE:
MY CHOICE: Everything Everywhere All at Once
ACADEMY PICK: Everything Everywhere All at Once
There you have it, my picks for this year’s Academy Awards. No matter who gets the Oscar, I hope all of us have can have a fun and enjoyable time watching the telecast. Best of luck to you.
Flash Movie Review: Where the Crawdads Sing
NO MATTER WHERE OR WHEN SHE was seen, she always had on a scarf or rain bonnet. She wore each of them the same way whether it was a blistering hot summer day or a frigid, wintery one. Sometimes, I would see her wearing both. I knew she lived in the neighborhood but had no clue where exactly. She walked with an odd limp that caused her to shift her weight from side to side. It looked like she could almost tip over, except she always had a shopping cart with her, which I assumed she could use to balance herself if she felt like she was toppling over. There was one distinct feature that stuck out for me; she had a marking on the side of her face that could have been a scar or a birthmark. I was never close enough to her to see what it could be. The other thing I remembered about her was the fact she was always alone, whenever she was out in the neighborhood. I had no idea if there were family members living with her or she was all by herself. Taking these things into account, I do not know how many of these things helped contribute to the reputation she had or more precisely was given. People thought she was a “witch.” NOW I DO NOT KNOW IF people thought she did spells and incantations over a black cauldron like what has been depicted in movies and television; but I think they thought she was different from anyone else they knew. Maybe that was the reason why I never saw anyone near her; people were afraid. There were several kids in the neighborhood who would call her names; but only if they were across the street from her, in case she was going to do something to them. It was not until I started high school that I noticed she was no longer seen walking around the neighborhood. It was at that time that I started going to a new doctor for my yearly physical. From our conversations about the neighborhood, I found out he was a distant relative of that “witch” woman. The little he shared about her with me was enough to set me reeling. It turned out she was a Holocaust survivor, having lost her parents and siblings during the war. The doctor said Nazi doctors performed experiments on her while she was being held in a concentration camp. It was horrifying to hear this news and it occurred to me no one in the neighborhood had a clue about it. Instead of finding out and talking to her, people shunned her for her “differences.” It was a similar scenario for the main character in this mystery thriller drama. ABANDONED AT AN EARLY AGE, A young girl must raise herself in the marshlands of the Deep South. The townsfolk, who did not trust her, looked to her as the prime suspect when a dead body turned up in town. With Daisy Edgar-Jones (Pond Life, Cold Feet-TV) as Kya Clark, Taylor John Smith (Lost Child, Wolves) as Tate Walker, Harris Dickinson (Beach Rats, The Kin’s Man) as Chase Andrews, David Strathairn (Nightmare Alley, L.A. Confidential) as Tom Milton and Michael Hyatt (The Little Things, Snowfall-TV) as Mabel; this movie based on the bestselling book was beautifully filmed. I thought Daisy and David Strathairn did a wonderful job of acting. Having not read the book, I found myself attracted to the story; however, there were times where I felt I was not getting all the details out of the scenes. Several of them felt like snippets of a story. I can only imagine the book being better at giving the details and emotions of each character. Normally not a fan of jumping back and forth in time, I did not mind how it was done in this film; they were longer in duration and relevant to what was currently taking place in the story. This was a good try by the writers, but with more effort, this could have been a better movie.
2 ½ stars
POST OSCAR TELECAST
IT WAS A MAD DASH TO finish up the chores I had before the telecast began. I had an appointment in the morning, food shopping in the afternoon, preparing food for the week, packing up my gym bag and laying out my work clothes before the show. I finished up 5 minutes prior and quickly nestled myself into the sofa to see the return of not one but three hosts for the Oscar telecast. The opening of the show with the Williams sisters introducing Beyonce was a well-played move by the producers of the show. Let me first say Beyonce has a wonderful voice and knows how to deliver a song. However, I feel every performance of hers recently must be a big production with a multitude of people and large settings. At a live concert, I appreciate when the musical artist mixes up the songs so that there are some intimate moments in between the bigger song productions. I wish Beyonce would just come out on stage and sing the heck out of a song. NEXT UP WERE THE 3 HOSTS: Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall. I respect all three and have enjoyed the performances I have seen them in. With Amy and Wanda being more of a comedienne, where they can do standup comedy, I felt the three of them were a bit awkward working with each other. There were jokes that hit the mark, but I thought Regina’s bit concerning the testing of male movie stars went on too long. Because I think the three women, especially Wanda and Amy, have great comedic timing, I would have enjoyed their opening more if they had been given leeway to adlib and perform more like it was one of their stand-up shows. As the first award category was coming up, I realized my excitement in seeing the show was not at its usual level. The main reason was the fact I had not seen all the major nominated films, like Coda. There was a layer of sadness from this but also from the fact that some categories’ nominees were given their awards prior to the show. To me, everyone who works on a film is equally as important as their fellow workers. It takes a group of people to bring a story to life on the big screen. I know the academy made this decision in the hope of keeping the telecast tight and on time. Well, I have to say it did not make a difference to me. THE DURATION OF THE SHOW WAS something I was aware of due to it being slow in my opinion. Doing a big number of a non-nominated song from a nominated film made no sense to me, wasting more time. I am upset that I even must address this since it has already sucked all the air out of the room; but Will Smith should have been removed from the theater. Violence solves nothing and correct me if I am wrong, but when the camera cut to Will and Jada after the joke, it looked as if Will was chuckling until he saw Jada’s sour look on her face. Then suddenly in testosterone mode, Will has to get up and defend Jada’s honor? Do not get me wrong, no one and I mean no one should ever make fun of any individual who suffers from an infliction. Maybe Chris knew or maybe he forgot. A better option would have been Will making a statement after the show or confronting Chris off camera. Since he was the frontrunner for best actor, I feel the academy stood paralyzed in what actions they could have done. Since Will did win, he could have easily made a statement during his acceptance speech and turn this episode into a real learning moment. What he did instead was to ramble on without taking full responsibility for his actions and not apologizing to Chris and the public who were stuck watching his foul-mouthed tirade. Yesterday the academy said they are starting an investigation and now today, Will comes out with a prepared apology to Chris. Can we say damage control here? What upsets me is the focus is off the films and on Will’s actions. My time is valuable as well as yours, who wants to listen to this stuff. FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE TELECAST one could tell things were off kilter; though, I loved Amy’s joke about taking too long to undress from her Spiderman outfit, asking if she missed anything. I felt the choices for the winners made sense and I was fine with them. One thing I have a hard time with is when celebrities in a confused state are brought onto the stage for a tribute or to speak in front the audience. It was obvious there was some confusion going on with Liza Minnelli. However, I will give credit to Lady Gaga for handling it in such a way as to maintain Liza’s dignity. But as I was cozy on the couch, I could not help feeling like I found a precious jewel that had a flaw in it. The value of it was lessened and my enjoyment level was not at its usual peak. Having gone past its scheduled time and with the feelings I was experiencing, as soon as they said goodnight I jumped up and quickly got ready to go to bed. This telecast will always be remembered for the poor behavior and lack of respect on display. They are movies, pure entertainment and that is all I want out of them. I hope the academy can get to a place where this show once again is a celebration of movies instead of a display of egos.
Oscar Predictions 2021
EVERY YEAR AT THIS TIME, I have felt a sense of excitement and joy in anticipation of the Academy Awards telecast. In the past, I would have more than likely seen every movie nominated in the major categories. Various family members and friends would list their picks on who they feel deserves to receive an Academy Award, to see who had the most correct predictions. I was always invited to viewing parties but declined all of them because I did not want to have any interruptions or too much noise interfering with my enjoyment of sitting back and watching the television show. All of that changed when COVID came into our lives. It has been a long time coming but movie theaters have reopened, though not all of them and this year’s telecast will be televised live with three hosts. DESPITE THIS GOOD NEWS, THERE IS a part of me that is sad and stressed out. I looked at the list of nominations and out of the films I was able to see this past year, there was only one I physically saw in a movie theater. For the others, I had to either stream them at home, rent them, or plead with friends to make time for me to come see a film on their streaming service; and sadly, I again this year have not been able to see all movies nominated. I also have to say, watching a picture on a small screen in the comforts of one’s own home has a different affect on the movie watching experience than sitting in a dark theater. The past year I may have given one or two films a 4-star rating; part of me thinks the lack of a big screen did not let me get fully into the story. Regardless, I do want to offer below my list of films I feel deserve to receive an Oscar award and those that I think the academy will pick.
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:
MY CHOICE: ACADEMY PREDICTIONS
AUNJANUE ELLIS ARIANA DEBOSE
BEST SOUND:
DUNE DUNE
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
DRIVE MY CAR THE POWER OF THE DOG
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:
BELFAST BELFAST
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:
KODI SMIT-McPHEE KODI SMIT-McPHEE
BEST FILM EDITING:
DUNE THE POWER OF THE DOG
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE:
FLEE ENCANTO
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE:
DRIVE MY CAR DRIVE MY CAR
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:
DUNE DUNE
BEST ACTRESS:
JESSICA CHASTAIN JESSICA CHASTAIN
BEST ACTOR:
BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH WILL SMITH
BEST DIRECTOR:
JANE CAMPION RYUSUKE HAMAGUCHI
BEST PICTURE:
THE POWER OF THE DOG THE POWER OF THE DOG
SO, THERE YOU HAVE IT; MY list of who I would recognize for an Oscar and who I think the academy will pick, all from the limited group of films I was able to see this past year. No matter how it plays out, I hope the televised show brings enjoyment, thrills and excitement to all of you and to me, too. I could use a good show to comfort and transport me to my happy place.
Flash Movie Review: Paw Patrol: The Movie
FUR, PURR, PAWS, BARK, CUDDLES; THAT is enough for me to fall in love. I am an animal lover. Whether it is a cat or dog, doesn’t make a difference to me. A friend of mine had a dog that knew to lie down anytime I said, “Do you want a doggie massage?’ Of course, I would then rub him down, including his limbs. This dog became my shadow anytime I was over at my friend’s house. I guess if someone was going to offer me a massage, I would do the same thing! The dog was a real sweetheart; he rarely barked and loved to play fetch. Another friend of mine had a dog that was also sweet but feared many things. She refused to go outside if it was raining. And if there was thunder, she spent most of the time under a bed. Where most dogs walk into a room, she would slink in by staying close to a wall. In fact, it took months before she let me even pet her. I would squat down with my hand extended out for her to sniff. My friend would even let me give the dog a treat, but the poor thing would only come near after I would place it on the floor and step several steps back. I couldn’t get upset nor would I because she was so cute. MY LOVE OF DOGS IS MATCHED by my love of cats. A relative of mine had a gorgeous cat that loved to snuggle around my neck. If I was sitting on the sofa, the cat would jump up to the back of the couch then walk behind me before curling herself around my neck. She had one of the loudest purrs; it sounded like a low motor. On the opposite side, a friend of mine had a cat who hated people coming over to their house. I know that sounds strong, but she did not like people except for her owner. My friend told me the first time his girlfriend stayed over for the night; the cat was a terror. When the two of them were in bed, the cat would jump up and start walking on top of his girlfriend who was not amused. My friend would grab hold of the cat and put her down on the floor, but she would immediately jump up again. There was no choice after going through this a few times; my friend put the cat in the hallway and closed the bedroom door. Their night was mostly filled with the cat meowing non-stop outside the door. The girlfriend wasn’t really a cat person I was told and evidently the cat knew. My friend and I felt it was her loss. Some people prefer one animal over another and act accordingly. You can see how that plays out in this animated adventure comedy. THE PAW PATROL WOULD HAVE THEIR work cut out for them when Adventure City elected a new mayor who loved cats. With Tyler Perry (Gone Girl, Good Deeds) as Gus, Ron Pardo (Hairspray, Undercover Brother) as Cap’n Turbot, Will Brisbin (Forbidden Playground, Abducted) as Ryder, relative newcomer Kingsley Marshall as Marshall and Keegan Hedley (Never Saw it Coming, Odd Squad-TV) as Rubble; this film reminded me of my youth, sitting and watching the Saturday morning cartoons. I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. The visuals, the soundtrack, the mix of excitement with fear; everything blended well to the point I became vested in the characters. I especially enjoyed the inventiveness of the gadgets. With elements of charm similar to those good old-fashioned cartoons, I appreciated the message the writers were conveying. Young children will absolutely enjoy this movie and I feel their parents will as well. With so much going on in the world, I think my enthusiasm for this picture was heightened because of its simplicity and G rating.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity
I TOLD HIM I THOUGHT IT was a wonderful wish, but it would never fly in his crazy family. My friend was telling me about his recently deceased grandfather’s final wish; he wanted his children to stop fighting and remain friends with each other. I knew my friend’s family well for many years and they were certainly an argumentative bunch. They also were a fun group of people to be around. The best way to describe them would be to say they were unfiltered; whatever came to their minds was immediately spoken out loud. I asked my friend how the family reacted to their patriarch’s last wish and he said they were all on their best behavior, for the moment. He really did not think the current peacefulness would last long, since all he remembers from growing up is how the family could be laughing together at one moment and then arguing with each other in the next. I remembered my friend’s grandparents; they were short and quiet. They loved being around their children and grandchildren; however, if an argument started to take place between a couple of their kids, they would ask for silence and want to hear what the two siblings were fighting about. Usually this was enough to get the children to calm down or at least to stop arguing and walk away from one another. LATER ON, WHEN I WAS ALONE, I sat and wondered about the grandfather’s wish. As far as I knew, there was no one in my family who had a final wish request. Though, I guess if someone states how they want their death to be handled, that could be considered a final wish. I know amongst my close friends and family members I joke about not wanting to suffer with sadness over their deaths; so, I would need to go first. However, I then tell them I hope to live a long life, so they need to take care of themselves and be around until my time is close to being done here. The other thing I thought about is what would happen if the person who is listening to someone’s final wish just flat out says they cannot fulfill it. I am so used to seeing people in movies agreeing to someone’s final wish that I just assumed everyone would be agreeable. But what if they have no plans to agree to someone’s final wish, but simply nod in agreement knowing full well once the person is dead, they will not do whatever was asked of them. I honestly do not know what I would do in such a situation. I cannot say the same thing for the main character in this action drama fantasy. TAKING HIS MASTER’S LAST WISH TO heart Qing Ming, played by Mark Chao (Caught in the Web, Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe), makes his way to the city where he will find himself in a game of cat and mouse that will determine the fate of the world. With Allen Deng (Great Escape-TV, Ashes of Love-TV) as Bo Ya, Ziwen Wang (Enter the Forbidden City, Ode to Joy-TV) as the Princess, Jessie Li (Port of Call, Our Time Will Come) as Long Ye and Duo Wang (Bloody Romance-TV, Inference Notes) as Zhong Xing/He Shouyue; this film festival nominee was a weird mix of genres for me. It was part folklore, part X-Men, part video game and part martial arts film. I enjoyed the special effects even if they were a bit cheesy at times. The fight scenes were well choreographed and to tell you the truth, I enjoyed the imagination that went into them. The way the story played out, I do not know if this film was based on a book, comic book or video game. Of course, there was a moral message placed in the story; however, I found this movie to be one of those that will be easily forgotten. Chinese was spoken with English subtitles.
2 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Those Who Wish Me Dead
I FELT AS IF I WERE driving through the site where a horrific battle had taken place. The landscape was painted in shades of white, gray and black; it was supposed to have been predominantly filled with greens, blues, yellows and a multitude of combined primary colors. The road I was driving on appeared to be dusty, as if it had not been dusted in months. I barely could make out the road markings; so, I was driving slower because of all the curves in the road. The black figurines thrusting out of the ground reminded me of a scene I saw in a movie, where the charred remains of the dead residents of Pompeii looked like ashen statues. These black structures looked like they were part of an abstract painting, frozen into freakish poses. Some looked like they had multiple arms while others appeared to have been the results of a mad scientist’s freakish experiments. I was convinced I was seeing whisps of smoke slowly twisting away from different parts of the terrain. The air even smelled smokey with traces of sulfur. When I planned my vacation, none of this was part of my itinerary; I was envisioning wild animals roaming the grounds. Instead, everywhere I looked I saw dull, barren land. It turned out I was one of the first to drive through this portion of the state after it had succumbed to a major forest fire. TOWARDS THE END OF MY VACATION, I read the forest fire had burned through thousands and thousands of acres. The reporter mentioned the charred remains would help repopulate the landscape, but that it would take time. Those black figurines I saw on my road trip were the burnt remains of decades old trees. I wondered how the animals who survived the fires would be able to live on the land; there could not be any food for them, nearby. It was sad to see the devastation. I know life is a series of events connected in a circle, from birth to death; however, after seeing what I saw I had a difficult time trying to justify the reason for such destruction. From the news I heard and read, there was no word yet about the loss of human life. What did come out sometime later, was that the fire appeared to have been started by a visitor who was camping. I could not believe it. I wondered if the camper(s) even knew what they had done. The idea that these individuals could have been that careless angered me. If you wish to see some of the destruction that can take place in a forest fire, then feel free to watch this dramatic, action thriller. IT WOULD TAKE EVERY OUNCE OF strength and wits for smoke jumper Hannah, played by Angelina Jolie (By the Sea, Maleficent franchise), to keep the lost boy she found alive in the middle of a forest fire and gunfire. With Finn Little (Angel of Mine, Storm Boy) as Connor, Jon Bernthal (Baby Driver, The Wolf of Wall Street) as Ethan, Aiden Gillen (Game of Thrones-TV, The Maze Runner franchise) as Jack and Nicholas Hoult (Tolkien, Warm Bodies) as Patrick; it was fun to see Angelina back in an action figure role. And action is predominately what took place in this movie. With little or no depth to the characters, this was the type of story one only needs to feel; no need for a lot of thought about the story. There were some tense and exciting parts that drove the rest of the scenes that paled in comparison. For the most part there was nothing new in the script; it was simply because of the acting and the thrills that made this an easy picture to watch. However, I do hope those who have been careless when it comes to protecting the land from fires appreciate what smoke jumpers have to do to try and keep a place safe; let alone, see what kind of destruction can take place from a single careless moment.
2 ½ stars
moviejoltz 