Flash Movie Review: Priscilla
I LOOKED AROUND AND EVERYONE WAS laughing at everything he was saying. I had to admit, he was funny and knew how to work a crowd; however, I knew what he really was like when he did not have an audience. You see, he was married to a friend of mine. I was not too keen on the idea of her marrying him, mostly because they had only been dating for a short while. There was something about him that rubbed me the wrong way, though that is not exactly what I said when my friend asked me what I thought of him. All I said was I did not feel a connection with him, as if he always had his guard up around me. I would never do anything to upset my friend and if she felt that strong about wanting to marry this man, it was not up to me to voice my negative opinion. They had a small wedding since both had been married previously. After the ceremony we had appetizers and desserts at a hall they rented out for the occasion. In the beginning of their marriage, she would mention from time to time a thing or two about how angry he would get over things he had no control of. As the months passed, she would mention he would wake her at 5 am on a Saturday because he decided that was the time they needed to clean their house. When she said she was not ready, he would yell at her, and I knew for certainty something was off with him and she needed to get out of the relationship. Though I came to this conclusion first, she came around to it within a matter of months. HER EXPERIENCE HAPPENED A YEAR AFTER I had a similar revelation in my relationship. We had been dating for one year, having met at a party. I was taken by surprise when we started talking because I felt I was so out of their league. They were charming, beautiful, star salesperson in the medical field and had this worldly cosmopolitan air about them; I simply felt I was not their type. Because of this mindset, I felt I did myself an injustice and ignored what I needed in a relationship. We would eat out at fancier restaurants because that is what they wanted to do. If I mentioned I wanted to go to a casual dinner place I was fond of, they would tell me they would not be caught dead at such a place. And I would give in; what the heck was I doing? As time passed, I started to become resentful and felt I was not an equal in the relationship. Funny, before I decided to end it, they beat me to the punch. They had met a surgeon, and I was glad for them. With my friend’s marriage and my relationship, it showed me that one never knows what life is like beneath the surface of a person or behind closed doors. FROM HANGING OUT AT THE COFFEE shop on a U.S. army base in Germany, a young teenage girl found herself as a guest at a party where a well-known, young musical celebrity was holding court. Then suddenly, he started to talk to her. With Cailee Spaeny (On the Basis of Sex, Pacific Rim: Uprising) as Prisciilla, Jacob Elordi (Saltburn, The Kissing Booth) as Elvis, Ari Cohen (It franchise, Spiral) as Captain Beaulieu, Dagmara Dominczyk (The Lost Daughter, Succession-TV) as Ann Beaulieu and Tim Post (Mambo Italiano, My Salinger Year) as Vernon Presley; this film festival winning dramatic biography was directed by Sofia Coppola, who shot the film through the eyes of Priscilla. It was an interesting take on Elvis’ story, besides not making his songs the feature star. This film started out slowly and I was not getting into the acting from the cast. It was later into the story when I began to appreciate Cailee’s and Jacob’s skills. As for the story, even if what was depicted was exactly what happened in real life, I felt I was still missing something. I could not understand what each of them saw in the other except maybe their looks. I am glad I saw this movie, but I had an empty feeling by the time it was over.
2 ½ stars
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.
Flash Movie Review: Good Grief
HAVING EXPERIENCED PRETTY MUCH EVERY VARIATION for breaking up, I always found the sudden ones the hardest. There was the beginning relationship where we had around a half dozen dates and I thought things were progressing smoothly, but suddenly I was being ghosted, no responses to any of my communications. I could not understand why the dead silence. My sadness and confusion were quickly replaced by anger because I kept wondering what type of person would do such a thing. If that is how they operate then I absolutely would not want to be with them. It has always been easier for me to deal with anger and turn the painful situation around to put all the blame on the other person. Gratefully, I grew up and learned to look inside myself. I have been in relationships where we both came to the same conclusion that we would be better as friends and that has always been a winning outcome for me. One of the hardest situations is when the ending of the relationship is due to the breaking of trust; I have had a few of those and I must tell you, they are brutal. You cannot imagine what it feels like to come home to find someone else’s clothing under your bed. One of the most important aspects of a relationship is honesty. I could handle my loved one telling me they are in love with someone else instead of cheating behind my back. THERE IS ANOTHER CHALLENGE FOR ME when a relationship ends. It is that mindset that went from a singular train of thought to a dual one then suddenly it must go back to singular. I have mentioned before what helps me transition back to being single is to break up the routines that were created in the relationship. There have been times where I spent hours watching movies and videos or focused harder on diet and exercise. Listening to what my friends have done; I think the breaking of routines may be a frequent practice. A friend of mine went on a trip after her relationship ended. Another friend went through her apartment and got rid of anything that was associated with her ex. In the majority of circumstances, I have heard about, there were few that involved a sudden ending of the relationship, like death; it had either been building up to such a point that things exploded, and it ended or one person noticed a change taking place in their relationship and communicated what they were feeling, having an adult conversation about where the two of them were in the relationship. As I said earlier, the sudden endings are the hardest ones in my opinion. An example can be found in this dramatic, romantic comedy. AFTER A TRAGIC ACCIDENT TAKES THE life of his husband, the widower embarks on an international trip with his two best friends, hoping to fill the void he was now experiencing in his life. He would wind up making discoveries that could change everything about the life he had. With Daniel Levy (Happiest Season, Schitt’s Creek-TV) as Marc, Ruth Negga (Passing, Loving) as Sophie, Himesh Patel (Yesterday, Station Eleven-TV) as Thomas, Luke Evans (Dracula Untold, Beauty and the Beast) as Oliver and Celia Imrie (Best Exotic Marigold Hotel franchise, Imagine Me & You) as Imelda; this movie had both a solid script and steady direction in the way it told its story. There were scenes that were sad and amusing, but mostly done in a gentle way instead of being a tearjerker or laughing out loud moment. It was surprising to see Ruth play such a character, because I have only seen her do serious roles in the past. The script offered depth in the characters, but I felt it could have gone farther. Overall, this was a good debut for Daniel in his writing and directing skills.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Madame Web
I BELIEVE MOST INDIVIDUALS CAN DISCERN if some upcoming thing they will experience will be pleasant or not. The easy example would be going to the dentist; but I am talking about something more in the grey area. For instance, a family function can be anything from a fist fight event to a supremely festive one. Some of our intuition is based on what facts we know about the soon to be event. I used to dread going to certain family milestone events if alcohol were being served because I knew what that would do to some of the people in attendance. They would have too much to drink and make a spectacle of themselves; as a result, upsetting multiple relatives and casting a dark pallor over the event. Another situation is going out to eat with a friend of mine. This person tends to send their food back every time we have gotten together. I can understand if the wait staff got the order wrong, but if the food is not piping hot or does not have the taste they were expecting, they will return it and do it in a way that makes their displeasure obvious. I find it uncomfortable so I have resorted to never offering a suggestion on where we should eat. Instead, I let them choose with the hopes they know the place and will accept their food the first time it is brought to the table. THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHERE I have had a feeling of déjà vu. I may meet someone and immediately feel a connection as if I had been with them a previous time. Again, it is based on my past experiences, but any plans made to get together again are met with a joyful feeling. I try not to go to something with the expectation that I am going to have a miserable or unpleasant time, though that has not been my nature in the past. Putting negative energy out into the world can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, in my opinion. This is one of the reasons why I try to avoid any reviews or comments about a movie before I have the chance to see it for myself. I mentioned before I am not a fan of slasher movies, but I try to keep an open mind still. When I saw the advertisement for this movie, I could not figure out what it was supposed to be. It was not until I saw the preview for it prior while waiting for a different film that I realized this was an origin story in the Spiderman world. I was not sure what I was watching so I did not give it much thought. When I finally got to see this action, adventure, science fiction film, I was glad I did not pay attention. AFTER HAVING A LIFE-THREATENING EXPERIENCE on the job, a New York paramedic begins to see snippets of things that have not taken place yet in her life. One of the snippets involved protecting three strangers on a train. With Dakota Johnson (The Lost Daughter, The Hight Note) as Cassandra Webb, Sydney Sweeney (Anyone But You, Americana) as Julia Cornwall, Isabela Merced (Father of the Bride, Dora and the Lost City of Gold) as Anya Corazon, Celeste O’Connor (The In Between, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) as Mattie Franklin and Tahar Rahim (A Prophet, The Kindness of Strangers) as Ezekiel Sims; this movie was not a pleasant experience for me. I was bored through most of it. The script was basic, predictable, and filled with nonsense. Dakota was okay but she was not able to hold up the mess that was falling around her. The flashes of future scenes were annoying because there were times I did not know if I was watching the present or future. I think if I had looked at the comments and reviews for this picture, I would have walked into the theater dreading spending my time watching such a poorly done film.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Past Lives
I THOUGHT IT COULD WORK OUT and we would get back to our “happy place.” We had been together for a couple of years before I discovered trust had been broken between us. I took it hard, packed up my few things and returned to my place that I was still paying rent on. After being together for a few years, our friendships had blended; so, I would still hear tidbits about them. Because our apartments were close to each other, it was not unusual for one of us to see the other driving down the street or shopping at the nearby grocery store. Where I would not make any eye contact or acknowledge their presence due to the pain I had felt, they tried to catch my attention with their sad, dark, puppy dog eyes. I was not buying it. There was a bitterly frigid winter day where I had just gotten back from the grocery store and had to park a block away from my place. Struggling with the bags I had placed in the trunk, suddenly they appeared and without hesitation took a few of the shopping bags to help me. I started to protest, but they cut me off and said they knew how much I disliked the cold, and they would just put the bags in the building’s hallway then leave me alone. I do not know if this was a new tactic, but I did not resist. By the time spring arrived, they had chipped down enough of my defenses that I was civil to them and would carry on light conversations. IN THE BACK OF MY MIND, I had been remembering all the good times we had together and how I felt when I was around them. Though I had never done it before, I started fantasizing about us being together again. I did not know if I could trust them, but I felt I could at least try because we had such a good connection between us. As it turned out, we lasted as a couple for six months before I realized I was not happy because I could not trust them. I saw signs of the behavior that had taken place before and was becoming uncomfortable. At least I tried because I thought they were the one, but it was not to be the case. My concern about seeing them in the neighborhood was short lived because my new lease came with a significant increase in the rent; I decided to move out of the neighborhood. From that earlier time in my life, I knew I made the right decision because there were other love relationships where it did not work out, but we remained close to each other. I believe we encounter certain people who will form an unbreakable bond, which will go beyond the initial love to form something deeper. This Oscar nominated movie honestly portrays this aspect of love. THEY WERE TOGETHER EVERY DAY THROUGH their early school years and expected it would be the same as when they grew up. However, when Nora’s, played by Greta Lee (Sisters, The Morning Show-TV), family decides to emigrate to the United States, the bonds that connect them would be tested. With Teo Yoo (Decision to Leave, New Year Blues) as Hae Sung, John Magaro (The Big Short, Carol) as Arthur, Moon Seung-ah (Scattered Night, Voice of Silence) as Young Nora and Leem Seung-min (Good Deal) as Young Hae Sung; this film festival winning romantic drama was beautifully done. The script was honest, delicately portraying various aspects of love. I thought the acting was wonderful as was the direction. At first, I thought the sparse dialog would bore me; but as the story unfolded the performances became magical, filled with emotion and feelings. I was impressed with the script; it was so well done. In fact, I could feel the love coming out of this story. There were scenes where Korean was spoken with English subtitles.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Boys in the Boat
IT WAS MY FIRST FITNESS TEACHING job and I had only been working at the health club for a few months. They were going to hold a charity event by doing a four-hour aerobics marathon. It was expected that all the fitness instructors would both teach a portion of the time and remain to support each other’s time segment. I was highly anxious about participating in the marathon because I had no idea if I could hold up moving for such a lengthy period of time. Plus, I had no idea how much it would tax my body’s limits. I had seen marathon runners lose control over their body functions or nearly pass out and I certainly did not want to be that person. At the club, I started out teaching three classes a week which were Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The classes lasted one hour each, but there were my introductory remarks, demonstrating and lastly the last five minutes after the cooldown, were meant for everyone to put any of their equipment away and get out of the aerobic studio before the next class was to start on the hour. After one hour of teaching, I had worked up a good sweat and could feel my muscles tingling. But after four hours, I had no idea what to expect. THE MARATHON WAS STARTING AT EIGHT in the morning and the instructors had to be there an hour earlier for sound checks, set up and go over the order we would be teaching. Being the newest member of the group, I had to wait until everyone else had picked their time slots; we started with the longest employed and worked our way down to me. I was grateful that the time slot left for me was for sixth place; in other words, I would be teaching at the 90-minute mark. Better than the 180- or 195-minute mark, I felt. I did not have to go full out with the moves like I did in my own class, but I had to make sure I still had good form and look like I was exerting myself. At the top of the hour, we began the marathon. The first instructor welcomed everyone and started up the music. Everyone was in a good mood and excited for the event. Though I was nervous about my segment of teaching, I was surprised how good of a time I was having as a participant. All the instructors were close to each other and were feeding off each other’s enthusiasm. By the time it was my turn, I was buzzing inside and simply ran up to the front, cued in my music and off I went leading the group. The time flew by for me as it did for the rest of the morning and by the end exhaustion had settled into me. However, all the instructors came together and congratulated each other on pulling off a major event. From that experience, I felt I knew what the teammates were feeling in this dramatic, sports biography. STUDENTS FROM A SMALL UNIVERSITY HAD limited resources to excel in a sport that was dominated by well endowed universities from across the country. To succeed, these students would need something else if they wanted not only to compete but win. With Joel Edgerton (Thirteen Lives, The Green Knight) as Coach Al Ulbrickson, Callum Turner (Fantastic Beasts franchise, Green Room) as Joe Rantz, Peter Guinness (The Last Boy, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan) as George Pocock, Sam Strike (Leatherface, Monster Party) as Roger Morris and Thomas Elms (I Still See You, The Order-TV) as Chuck Day; this George Clooney directed movie based on a true story was a feel good film. Set in the 1930s, this film festival winner had the trappings for a good old-fashioned feel-good picture. The sets and costumes were wonderful, and the cast did a solid job with their acting. The story was predictable and despite the no frills direction, I wished more time were devoted to fleshing out more substance for each character. Despite these misgivings, I still cheered on these students as they made their way on what was to become an historical trip. An historical trip that was never mentioned throughout any of my schooling, I might add.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Self Reliance
I WAS CHANNEL SURFING WHEN SOMETHING caught my eye that made me stop at a channel. I could not understand what was taking place; I was dumbfounded. There were two people completely unclothed scavenging for food on either some exotic island or jungle setting. There were palm trees and thick foliage that rose above the couple as they looked about for something edible. At certain angles where their genitals could be visible, the censors had blurred them out, but just barely. It took me a bit of time to realize I was watching a reality show. A reality show!? I could not imagine who would want to be placed in a setting with no food or water, stripped of all their clothing and left to fend for themselves. And it was not just for a day and night, it was for a couple of weeks. As the program progressed there were a couple of shots of wild animals that were lurking by; but were they really lurking by I wondered. Obviously with the production company spending a bunch of money on the show, I am sure they would not want their contestants killed off in the first episode, or for that fact any episode I am guessing. Though if it would give a boost to ratings, who knows? I HOPE I DO NOT SOUND judgmental, but certain reality shows make no sense to me. Watching people make fools of themselves for a free trip or cash prize is not my thing. I remember at a health club where I was working out, they had one of their TV monitors on a channel that showed an obstacle course that was designed to knock the contestant off balance. This had nothing to do with strength or balance; the obstacles were more cartoonish like a huge foam hammer that would pound the track the contestants had to walk on. Or there was a waterfall of some green slime that one had to run through despite the road being slippery from the gooeyness. The shows I tend to watch are more talent based like singing or dancing. Even shows that test mental capabilities, like searching for clues in a foreign city or figuring out a recipe to bake with only random food items the producers gave them, are types of reality shows I can watch. I could never see myself participating in any type of reality show, no matter how much money I was offered. And I especially would not participate in the show being done that the main character agreed to do in this comedy thriller. THE CHANCE OF WINNING ONE MILLION dollars was enough for Tommy, played by Jake Johnson (Safety Not Guaranteed, New Girl-TV), to agree to a dark web reality show and because he believed he had found a loophole that would keep him alive. With Andy Samberg (Palm Springs, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) as Andy Samberg, Bjorn Johnson (The Passing Parade, Parallel Chords) as Magnus, John Hans Tester (Royal Pains-TV, The Man in the High Castle-TV) as Anders and Anna Kendrick (Woman of the Hour, Pitch Perfect franchise) as Maddy; this movie had an interesting mix of humor, satire and drama. Since Jake wrote and directed this picture, I expected his comedic timing to be on target and it certainly was perfect. I thought he and Anna had a good screen presence together. As the story moved to the last half, things started to break down for me. I do not know if I was simply getting bored or missing the point of the plot, but I felt myself becoming disengaged. It might have to do with some scenes feeling repetitive to me or it could be the fact that things became predictable. Either way, I was left with only an okay feeling after viewing this movie. It was not great nor was it horrible and that is my reality.
2 stars
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