Flash Movie Review: A Hologram for the King
It seems to me to be a vulnerable position, where what you think does not matter much. One has to be quick on their feet and be able to respond to any query. The bottom line is you have something that you want someone else to buy from you. A career in sales takes a certain personality; I briefly tried and was not successful. I feel one not only has to sell their products but sell themselves to an individual. The thing that bugged me about this scenario was the person you are pitching may be making their decision on the most random of things. They may not like the way you dress or the way you look or even the way you talk; it can be based on such a biased opinion that has nothing to do with your products. I could not handle that type of environment, plus my brutal honesty did not sit well with customers. Isn’t it interesting that what I just wrote could easily be applied to dating? Think about it, aren’t people trying to sell (so to speak) themselves to other people? When two people meet with the intention to date, each one is going to try to accentuate their positive attributes. It is like a sales pitch. I knew someone who literally had a checklist of requirements that potential dates had to meet before they would agree to go out with them. I tried explaining to them that it works both ways; they needed to present themselves in the best light if they hoped their possible date would take an interest in them. Whether it is personal or business I find sales meetings to be stressful; that is why I could relate to the main character in this drama. DESPERATE to land a sale Alan, played by Tom Hanks (Bridge of Spies, Captain Phillips), agreed to fly to Saudi Arabia to pitch his product to the monarchy. Alan would quickly realize selling to a monarchy was different than selling to a company. Based on the novel this movie also starred newcomer Alexander Black as Yousef and Sarita Choudhury (The Hunger Games franchise, Lady in the Water) as Zahra. I thought the acting was good though I felt Tom’s role had a familiar ring to it. He still did a fine performance but it did not seem as fresh to me. The idea behind this story was intriguing; however, the dual story lines hindered the telling of it. Separately I enjoyed each story but I never felt I was getting the whole tale. Now visually the film had a lot to offer just because the territory was foreign to me. I also was fascinated with the culture clash in this picture. As the film neared the end I felt things were rushed to tidy up the story. This film had some good selling points; I only wished it had sold me on its entertainment value.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Huntsman: Winter’s War
They share similar features, have the same inflection in their voice, with mannerisms that are alike, even from the same gene pool; yet they are nothing like each other. This is something that has always fascinated me: the similarities and differences between siblings. I always wanted to figure out what were the factors that caused brothers and sisters to turn out the way they did when they were from the same parents. One of the obvious things to me was the birthing order because I strongly believe there is unique baggage in being an older, middle or younger sibling. I have seen families who blatantly treated their first born child differently compared to their 2nd born. From the people I know who were the youngest of their siblings I know some people claim this group was spoiled the most by their parents. I do not totally agree with this; I just think by the time the youngest of at least 3 children have been born, the parents were too tired to care about the same things they once did with their older children. Personally I am not a fan of dressing up one’s children in the same clothing; I feel it takes a bit away from a child’s identity. Now when siblings display strong reactions towards each other, I have to wonder what took place in their childhood that caused such negative feelings towards each other. It is so perplexing to me that I notice when I am introduced socially to new people I tend to ask them at some point if they have any siblings. You should hear some of the responses I have gotten, but nothing that matches the siblings’ story in this fantasy adventure drama. AFTER suffering a horrific loss Freya, played by Emily Blunt (Sicario, Into the Woods), decided to leave her older sister Ravenna, played by Charlize Theron (Young Adult, Mad Max: Fury Road), and stake out her own land where she would be the sole ruler. Her kingdom would have one major law: falling in love was not allowed. The special effects in this action film were certainly fun to watch with the actors. Besides Charlize and Emily there was Chris Hemsworth (In the Heart of the Sea, Thor franchise) as Eric and Jessica Chastain (Crimson Peak, A Most Violent Year) as Sara. I was stoked to see this cast especially in the fight scenes; however, the dull script ruined the already poorly thought out story. I could not believe two actresses like Emily and Charlize were not given more powerful dramatic scenes that they could easily have handled. With the multiple story lines I do not know if this picture was a prequel or sequel; it was totally baffling to me. The writers and director could have created a wild fantasy franchise but for me this movie was a bust. I do not know about you, but I have seen more sparks and drama at a family dysfunction.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Mr. Right
More so today than any time before, I believe a sense of disbelief falls over an individual who meets someone who appears to have all the qualities to become their ideal mate. The path to perfection can start out with the simplest common denominator such as both parties prefer hot instead of cold weather or each of them is lactose intolerant. For me I assume they will understand me better if they too are left handed. From this starting point one’s brain starts sending out signals of mistrust as a defense against the heart that is waiting to gallop out of the starting gate. Here is where the conflict emerges; on the one hand, this new person is steadily matching each of the items on your checklist for the perfect person. But at the same time your brain is telling you this is too good to be true; there is no such thing as being perfect. I have learned there is no such thing as perfect; the way I feel about “being perfect” is the same way I feel about “being normal.” Each cannot set the exact same standard across the board to fit every single person on the planet. What one person thinks is normal another may feel differently. So what an individual has to do is keep a checklist of things that would be a deal breaker for starting a relationship with someone. Depending on the person some items on that list could be: no pets, only city living, gambler, no children or weight issues. A deal breaker for me would be if they were an assassin like the one in this action comedy. UNLUCKY in relationships Martha McKay, played by Anna Kendrick (Into the Woods, Pitch Perfect franchise), could not stop wondering about the curious man she met even though he frightened her. This romantic romp also starred Sam Rockwell (Poltergeist, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) as Mr. Right, Tim Roth (The Hateful Eight, Hardcore Henry) as Hopper and James Ransone (Sinister franchise, Inside Man) as Von Cartigan. I enjoyed the mix of Anna and Sam because both easily handled the comedy of the story. The script provided a variety of madcap scenes that were on the verge of being silly filler. I felt the actors worked well together with the script that did not provide enough new ideas to pull it out of being a typical story for this genre. There were scenes that had violence and blood but they were quick and kept on the “light” side if you know what I mean. Since I have been a fan of Sam for a long time I think that is what kept me interested in this movie. If they had chosen a different actor I probably would have enjoyed this film less. To watch this movie it would be better to wait until it is on DVD. Now I say this only because I have a mental checklist of things that a picture has to have to take me to a different place.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: House of Pleasures
Except for the few who have retired I do not know anyone who does not need to work for a living. If I sit and think about it I believe I know at least one person who works in almost every industry, from medical to Fortune 500 to horticulture. Even a stay at home parent who is raising a child is doing a job in essence. It would never occur to me to judge a person based on their occupation, yet I see so many people who do that very thing. For some time now I still get amused by the reactions I get from people when I tell them what I do for a living. When I mention I am a credit manager the usual response I get is one of curiosity bordering on fear as if I can investigate their credit report. If I say I am a fitness/yoga instructor I either get a look of disbelief because I assume I do not look like a typical instructor or a look of admiration for lack of a better description. Now I am curious as anyone else so I enjoy asking a person what they do for a living because I want to know why they do what they do or how they wound up working in that industry. To me it is another avenue in getting to know someone. Also, I know there is a big difference between doing what you want as opposed to doing something because you have to survive. EARLY in the 20th century women had less opportunity to make a living let alone stay alive. This award winning drama captured the look and feel of the time period. I had a general feeling of sadness as I watched this DVD because of the women’s circumstances. Starring Noemie Lvovsky (Camille Rewinds, My Old Lady) as Marie-France, Celine Sallete (Rust and Bone, Marie Antoinette) as Clotilde, Iliana Zabeth (Saint Laurent, Young & Beautiful) as Pauline and Hafsia Herzi (The Secret of the Grain, The Source) as Samira; I thought the acting was very good. It was not an easy story for me to watch personally just because I do not enjoy seeing anyone who is being taken advantage of and in this story there was an abundance of it. What I thought was a poor choice and ruined a scene for me was having these early 20th century women dancing to a piece of current music; it was so out of synch for what had been created that I found it jarring. The script kept a slow smoldering type of pace that did not provide for much action; almost all the scenes stayed in one location. Even now I am still processing the couple of bloody scenes and the ending because I do not feel complete with them. If one is uncomfortable with nudity there was a majority of it in this film. Without making a judgment I have to say life was much harder back then. French was spoken with English subtitles.
2 ½ stars – DVD
Flash Movie Review: Criminal
It suddenly appears from what seems to be its own volition and surprises you. Like an air bubble that has suddenly risen up to disturb the still surface of a pool of water, the thought bursts into your consciousness where you have to stop and wonder where it came from. I do not know about you but this happens to me on a consistent basis. I could be walking or driving along and suddenly some random thought pops into my head that at least has some type of connection to something in my life; but it can be so weird at times. There are things I can remember from when I was an infant; however, I could tell myself I have to do something as soon as I am done with what I am doing and as soon as I walk out of the room the thought goes poof, disappearing from my mind. The brain is both bizarre and miraculous at the same time. I have a friend who works in the medical field. You would not believe the things I hear that have to do with the brain; some of them would make good science fiction stories. To this day I remember watching a computer screen as the image of a patient’s brain, who had just suffered a stroke, began to appear. It was fascinating to watch as I could see where the blood was pooling inside of them. It was that experience and its aftermath that caused me to see the human brain in a different light. The same thing took place for me when I watched this crime drama. WHEN agent Bill Pope, played by Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool, The Proposal), was killed his boss Quaker Wells, played by Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight franchise, Paranoia), became desperate enough to see if the dead agent’s memories could be taken out of his head. This action film also starred Kevin Costner (Black or White, The Untouchables) as Jericho Stewart, Tommy Lee Jones (The Homesman, Hope Springs) as Dr. Franks and Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious franchise, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) as Jill Pope. As you can see a well qualified cast was assembled for this picture. Though the basis of the script had a science fiction slant to it, I was willing to go along and believe the story. I enjoyed the way Kevin played his character and was a bit surprised to see him so intense in the action scenes, though it could easily have been a body double. But this is what annoyed me about this movie; if you want me to believe the story than follow through with it. When one character’s house with elaborate security was broken into, tell me how the house was broken into again later in the story. They didn’t change the pass code? C’mon, this among other issues ruined the story for me. Congratulations to the person who came up with the idea for this story, but then why make it predictable in a scatterbrained way?
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Barbershop: The Next Cut
When we get together we not only come up with solutions to each of our problems, but we can provide the same for most of the world’s issues. There is something about getting together with friends on a regular basis to hash out anything that is troubling one of us at the time. I am part of a small group who has gotten together every three months for many years now. It is a time for us to take a break from the daily treadmill of our lives to catch up with each other and share a meal. I wish I could say I can solve any problem I am experiencing; but the fact remains, extra opinions can provide different pathways to a solution that I am not wired to come up with on my own. Because I feel every single person has a unique set of skills (doesn’t this sound like the beginning of a Liam Neeson movie?), there is always an opportunity to learn something new from other people. Another great aspect of getting together with friends is the sense of community and support. I am a person who needs down time, where I remove myself from the outside world. Having a re-occurring date to mingle with friends energizes, enlightens and relaxes me among other things. There is someone I know who leads a support group for like-minded individuals; they meet once every 4 to 8 weeks with the purpose to share their experiences on that night’s topic. I know what I am about to say is a cliché, but there is some truth in the phrase, “strength in numbers.” The people at this barbershop are the proof. WITH the neighborhood changing business partners Calvin and Angie, played by Ice Cube (Ride Along franchise, 21 Jump Street franchise) and Regina Hall (Scary Movie franchise, Think Like a Man), came up with an idea they hoped would start a change in the residents. This dramatic comedy sequel took me by surprise. It is difficult to blend comedy and drama in a story, yet I felt the writers did a real good job with this script. The movie was relevant as it tackled the issue of violence in a major metropolitan city. A tough topic to be sure; but the actors such as Cedric the Entertainer (The Soul Man-TV, A Haunted House franchise) as Eddie, Common (Selma, Now You See Me) as Rashad and Nicki Minaj (The Other Woman) as Draya provided a balanced mixture of humor and seriousness. All the actors I found created a believable sense of community. I know I saw the previous films but honestly I do not remember them; it was not an issue in viewing this picture. Where Spike Lee’s film Chi-Raq tackled the same topic, I liked seeing the contrast in the way this movie handled it. Who knew one could learn so much from one small barbershop in the city of Chicago.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Jungle Book
When something that has only been created in a novel or been seen on television comes to life it can be a miraculous experience. Think about it, for those who saw Santa Claus sitting in his big chair with a line of children waiting nearby to tell him their wish list of toys; it had to be an amazing event. Depending on a child’s age seeing characters from their video games brought to life must also be a heady experience. I remember the first time I went to the zoo; having only seen household pets, squirrels, birds and a couple of farm animals; I was so excited to see all the exotic animals that were living in the zoo. My very first stuffed animal was a chimpanzee dressed in red overalls. Now I was seeing what I thought were all of his cousins jumping and swinging around in their own habitat. I have mentioned previously how I prefer reading afterwards the book a movie was based on, due to the author’s choice of words are usually better than the finished film project. With that being said I have to say there has been many times where I love seeing stories, historical events and folklore coming to life on the big screen. When done right, a movie can provide the voices of the characters one has made up in their heads of the ones in a novel. They can also bring to life an event that took place years ago but still has an importance in one’s life to this day. Today’s review is about a movie that brings new life to a classic story. WHEN it suddenly became dangerous to stay at home the man-cub Mowgli, played by newcomer Neel Sethi; was taken by the panther Bagheera, voiced by Ben Kingsley (Learning to Drive, The Dictator), who would take him to a safer place. Mowgli’s journey would be life changing. This adventure drama was absolutely unbelievable to watch on the big screen; in fact, I may go back to see it in 3D because the CGI in this film was beautiful and realistic. Kudos to Neel Sethi because he was utterly believable as Mowgli; keeping in mind he was the only live person in this fantastical family film. Now that does not take anything away from actors such as Bill Murray (Rock the Kasbah, The Monuments Men) as Baloo the bear and Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation, Thor franchise) as Shere Khan the tiger who were perfect voicing their characters. Having read the Rudyard Kipling book and seen the animated film years ago, I was totally taken into Mowgli’s world from my theater seat. I still love the first film but I have to tell you this version has every right to be considered a Disney classic on its own merits. It will not matter if you are familiar with this story or not because either way all the characters in this picture will draw you into their “real” world and you will be glad you were able to visit it.
4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Forsaken
It is a strange creature that can stick with you for years. For some people it is a positive thing; but not so much for others. The sneaky part is that you may not have done anything for it to latch on and become part of you. What I am talking about is a person’s reputation. I have the reputation of being a lover of chocolate; oh wait, that is not a good example. There was a girl in my elementary school who was the first female I ever heard use a curse word. Not that I am making a judgment or saying it is okay for males to swear but not females; it was just an observation I made at that time. Well from that quick utterance this girl got the reputation for being a “bad” girl, if you know what I mean. Among my friends I am known for being direct; I tend not to sugarcoat things. Now this is part of my reputation and I own it. There are some people who get a reputation due to a rumor being started about them or one time they did something out of character. If someone observes the uncharacteristic action and makes a snap judgment about the person, the seeds of a reputation are immediately planted and will flourish. It surprises me how these false reputations can spread like a flash fire. I will say there are times where having a false reputation can work to a person’s advantage. AFTER being away from home for so many years there were some townsfolk who did not believe, based on his reputation, that John Henry Clayton, played by Kiefer Sutherland (Phone Booth, Mirrors), came back just to settle down at home. This film festival nominated western had some beautiful landscapes in many scenes. With actors Donald Sutherland (The Hunger Games franchise, The Italian Job) as Reverend William Clayton, Brian Cox (Troy, Believe) as James McCurdy and Demi Moore (Ghost, Mr. Brooks) as Mary-Alice Watson; I thought the acting worked well in this drama. The story was not very original; it pretty much followed step by step instructions in creating a western. Just in case there are some of you who do not know what I mean, I will refrain from explaining it. But here is the thing, though I could see where the story was going I enjoyed watching the cast acting it out. The scenes between Kiefer and his father were interesting to me since they are father and son in real life that were now playing the same with their roles. It was good to see Demi getting back to acting; I thought she was fine in the role. For those of you who have the reputation of being a western movie lover, this would be a worthy watch. To those who may not be a fan of westerns, the acting and scenery is something worth seeing in this old fashioned film. There were scenes with blood and violence in them.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Demolition
Slowly you remove yourself from the warmth you were lovingly lying next to, to give them a couple of extra minutes of sleep before the start of their day. You did not even think about the clothes you have at the dry cleaners because they will be hanging in your closet when you get home that night from work. When the two of you are out at a restaurant, you do not have to ask the waitstaff to remove the veggies you do not like from your salad; your significant other will take them without having to be asked. The two of you have an easy symbiotic relationship. Not that you take each other for granted, but the daily things that transpire between you two become their own type of routine. It is sad to say, but it is not until you no longer are a couple that you realize the extra wonderful things that made your relationship so special. I do not mean to paint this in a bad light; but I have found it is the small things that take place between two people that re-enforce the glue which keeps both in a relationship. It is part of the support system each one has created in unison and like anything that occurs on a constant schedule, it may appear less special and sweet as it fades into a routine. This is one of the reasons that I have always insisted on keeping up a date night so the two of us can break out of our daily routines to focus on each other. Not only do I understand but I have experienced what it feels like when that special love is no longer with you. SUCCESSFUL investment banker Davis, played by Jake Gyllenhaal (Source Code, Nightcrawler), only began to realize what he was missing after his wife was killed in a tragic automobile accident. This film festival winning comedic drama also included Naomi Watts (While we’re Young, The Impossible) as Karen, Chris Cooper (Adaptation, American Beauty) as Davis’ father-in-law and Judah Lewis (Point Break) as Chris. Though the acting was good I found the script to be dismal though in a way this played to Jake’s strengths. I do not even know if I would classify this movie as part comedy. There was nothing in it that I found funny. Now there were several opportunities to create impressive dramatic scenes but they tended to fall short. Also, I usually do not notice but this time I thought Jake’s shower scenes were unnecessary and wondered if they were inserted for eye candy value. The other odd thing I found was the lack of time awareness. I became aware to the fact that he wasn’t working yet these different events were taking place with him over time. For some reason this stood out for me. The idea behind this story was interesting and the script had some valid points; however, I did not connect to this film, nor did I miss it after it was over.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Hardcore Henry
From the era where the video game Pong appeared to current times, video games have technically advanced by light years. I like most kids my age was swept up into this new form of entertainment, acquiring and trading game cartridges that my friends and I would play on our television screens. My favorite types of games were either based in science fiction or brain teasers. I was always excited to get a new space type of game where I would have to defend earth from hostile alien beings. With these types of games I did not have a problem shooting a ray gun or a cannon blaster. However, if a game used realistic guns in a real type of setting I was not a fan of the game. I did not care to pretend I was shooting humans in a war or criminal setting. As a little boy I loved playing with toy soldiers in battles; but as an adult I had no desire to put myself in a realistic fighting scenario. Now here is an interesting thought: do you think there is any correlation between violent video games and an increase in actual violence among us? It is not something I have actually thought about much until I saw this action movie. I have to tell you I always thought the more violence a person is exposed to the more numb they become to it. Even at the health clubs I chose not to teach any type of combat classes due to my beliefs. I wonder if this is why I felt I was not best suited to watch this adventure science fiction film. WAKING from unconsciousness with no memories, to a strange woman telling him she knows him, Henry had to quickly decide if he should believe her when she was kidnapped. This film festival winner had a unique idea by filming the entire picture through Henry’s eyes. This meant there was a lot of shaky and quick jerky looking scenes. By a lot I mean every scene. With a cast that included Sharito Copley (District 9, Chappie) as Jimmy, Danila Kozlovsky (Vampire Academy, The Spy) as Akan and Tim Roth (The Incredible Hulk, Reservoir Dogs) as Henry’s father; I cannot honestly say I enjoyed the acting because there really was no story. The little story there was made no sense to me. This entire film simply was a video game on a big screen, but none of the viewers could play it. I give the movie studio credit for trying such a novel approach to filming; however, sitting in my seat watching shooting and violence the entire time was extremely boring. Hopefully I am not stereotyping but the small predominantly male crowd sitting in the theater appeared to be gamers. If this is the future of both video games and movies I do not think I will be able to handle it. I would rather stick with those old games like Pong or Tetris.
1 1/2 stars
moviejoltz 