Flash Movie Review: American Symphony
CREATIVE PEOPLE GET THEIR CREATIVITY FROM the right side of their brain. I should know because I consider myself to be a creative person. Any decisions I make first utilize the right side of my brain before filtering over to the left side to add logic into the decision. For example, when I walked into the attic of my house and saw a hole in it, which explained the wet spot on my dining room ceiling, I did not immediately think I needed to patch the hole up. I first thought about hiring someone to fill the hole with glass bricks to bring natural light into the attic. Next, I wondered if I could install an attic fan into the hole to draw out the stifling air from summer. Those were my two thoughts before the left side of the brain kicked in and I ran to call the insurance company. Some people have a challenging time using both parts of the brain; hang around a group of actors and you will understand. I am not saying either way is good or bad, I just mean challenges can develop from the situation. For me, when I am baking a dessert, the instructions must be exact. If they are not, I will stop and wonder what the author is trying to say and usually come up with a variety of ways that may not necessarily work for the recipe. My example is, a “pinch.” How much is a pinch? Do you see what I mean? THERE HAVE BEEN INCIDENTS WHERE I have had to force myself to use both sides of my brain at the same time. I was hospitalized with a case of E Coli some time ago. While I was on the road to recovery, I had to work on my new class sessions. Trying to create physically challenging formats for the members to follow while not feeling well was rough for me. My mind wanted to work on the exercise routines, but my body was not in shape to undertake such a thing. I wound up drawing out the movements to match the beats of several different songs, then would do the leg and arm movements while seated in a chair. I had to watch and monitor my fatigue level and many times just imagine the movements in my head. It was hard to stay on the beat, so I had to count them out as well. With my limited experiences, I am in total awe of what the main characters tried to achieve in this heartfelt, Oscar nominated biographical music documentary. AS MUSICIAN JON BATISTE SETS OUT to create a symphony that will be debuted at Carnegie Hall, his life partner, writer Suleika Jaouad, begins her journey with cancer treatments. How will each be there to support the other? Directed by Matthew Heineman (A Private War, City of Ghosts), this film had scenes filled with a variety of celebrities such as James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Questlove, Lenny Kravitz and Jonathan Dinklage. Having had very little exposure to Jon Batiste, I was enthralled with Jon’s creativity. The story is such an intimate one and the director did a beautiful job of never having the camera work come off as an intrusion. The story itself is incredible; to see such opposing forces as cancer and musicmaking vying to be in the forefront added a level of tension as the story unfolded. Creating and presenting a new symphony in the way Jon wanted to do it was already a huge undertaking; then add in Suleika’s medical issues and I cannot see how someone could not be drawn into the story. I also feel one does not have to be a fan of Jon’s style of music to appreciate what transpires in this lovely documentary.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Rustin
THROUGH THE YEARS, I HAVE HAD the good fortune and just plain good old luck to have met activists for various causes I believed in. One man was only a couple of years older than me, but his wisdom and foresight were way beyond his chronological age. I was an intense individual, but I was nothing close to the intensity that streamed out of him. There was something about the way he looked at you while talking that would be unnerving for many people. He would lock eyes with you, and they would stay on you without ever blinking while he was talking. The first time I experienced this, I did not know how to handle it; I thought it would be disrespectful if I broke my gaze with him. His words were measured but they flowed out, sometimes with a slight melonic tone, at other times in a rapid staccato. There was a newsclip I happened to see while watching the evening news, where he debated a politician who was trying to justify his argument with bible passages. This activist did not miss a beat, correcting the politician’s misuse of the passage, quoting the passage back to him and then explaining what it meant. The politician did not know the activist’s previous ‘life” was studying for the priesthood at a seminary. ANOTHER ACTIVIST I MET SEVERAL TIMES over the years, who came out of a seriously dysfunctional environment, took her energy, and focused it on creating safe environments for people to discover how to find healthy ways to express their feelings. Listening to her having a conversation, I was so impressed how she would call a person out for their ”BS.” Not in an antagonistic way, but in a calm way by asking the person to further explain the statement they made. I must tell you it was a revelation to experience that because seeing that event stuck with me and put me on the road to becoming a better communicator. With her and the other activists I have encountered in my life, one of the things that they all had in common was the ability to corral and focus all types of personalities into a unified force. The only way I can describe it would be to say they were like musical conductors. They could immediately tell upon talking to an individual what they were best suited for in helping the cause. Looking at the end goal and being able to navigate a monumental number of roadblocks, these activists never gave up. It was so inspirational to witness it and the feeling I had around them was like the feeling I had watching this biographical, historical drama. BELIEVING IN MARTIN LUTHER KING’S NONVIOLENT resistance philosophy, an activist and friend of his came up with an idea to show the country how it could work. However, to succeed he needed to get everything in place in a short amount of time while being met with resistance. With Colman Domingo (The Color Purple, Selma) as Bayard Rustin, Chris Rock (Amsterdam, Nobody’s Fool) as Roy Wilkins, Glynn Turman (Super 8, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) as A. Philip Randolph, Aml Ameen (The Maze Runner, Til Death) as Martin Luther King Jr and Gus Halper (Cold Pursuit, Holler) as Tom; this Oscar nominated film was a fascinating piece of history that I was never taught in school. Having recently seen Colman in The Color Purple and seeing him now in this picture made his acting ability stand out even more for me because of the huge contrast between the two roles. He was incredible, to the point I felt he was channeling Bayard. The story and script were overall wonderful, but I felt the story being rushed towards the end and some of the scenes seemed like a setup. Because of the historical value, I still loved watching this movie and am amazed at what Bayard, who might be unknown to many viewers, set out to do under tough complications.
3 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Beekeeper
SOMETIME IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, I CANNOT remember the year, I learned even when you are in the right, you do not always win. We were playing the game of tag in the school playground during recess. All of us were running around to avoid getting tagged. At some point I could not spot the tagger. Right then, he jumped out behind a group of girls and pushed me while yelling, “Tag, you are it!” As I started to fall, I instinctively extended my arms out to break the fall. However, by doing so, I accidentally scratched a girl’s arm as I fell. She ran and told a teacher, and I got in trouble. I tried explaining my side of the story to the assistant principal but could see she had already made up her mind and did not care what I had to say. I was not allowed to go out for recess the rest of the week as punishment. I was angry about it because it was not my fault; it was not like I was trying to scratch her on purpose. The boy who pushed me never got in trouble. It was on that day I learned something that I have seen from time to time: Not all “bad” people get punished for their deeds. AT ONE OF MY EARLIER JOBS, I had a boss who was a horrible man. It was several months in my position before I decided he had a “Napoleon” complex, also known as short man syndrome. He was aggressive and domineering, treated all his employees as if they were his personal butlers and/or slaves. I will never forget the time he took his hairbrush out of his drawer and handed it to an employee, telling them to clean it. The employee hesitated for moment, I think out of shock; but my boss noticed and yelled at them to stop dawdling. I realized right then that I had it easier because he would toss me the keys to his car and tell me to take it to the carwash. I had no issue doing it, but I did not know what I would do if I had to clean his hairbrush. In my position and being observant, I was convinced he was stealing from the company. Some customers came in and paid cash for their orders. My boss always worked with those individuals. Because one of the items sold was not a stock item, I remembered it but never saw the receipt for the sale. After some digging for the next couple of weeks, I realized that my boss was making the sales but pocketing the cash. From my time there, he never got caught and because I was still in school, I felt no one would listen to me, the newest employee. It proved to me again that bad people do not always suffer the consequences of their actions. With my mind set on this way of thinking, you will understand why I had such an enjoyable time watching this action thriller. A MAN WITH A MYSTERIOUS PAST sets out on a mission of vengeance after he sees what happens to the nicest woman he ever met. With Jason Statham (The Meg franchise, Wrath of Man) as Adam Clay, Emmy Raver-Lampman (Blacklight, Central Park-TV) as Agent Verona Parker, Bobby Naderi (Bright, Under the Shadow) as Agent Matt Wiley, Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games franchise, Five Nights at Freddy’s) as Derek Danforth and Jeremy Irons (The Flash, Assassin’s Creed) as Wallace Westwyld; if you are a fan of the John Wick franchise then you will enjoy this movie. The script is perfectly suited for Jason’s acting abilities, with a touch of humor and brutality. There were multiple scenes of heavy violence and blood. Despite the illogical and farfetched scenes, I still enjoyed all the thrills and non-stop action. This is one of those pictures where you sit back and do not put a lot of thought into what is taking place; just sit and go with the story. I will say I was surprised with the way the story turned out, finding it interesting for this type of genre. And especially for me, I enjoyed the lesson being taught. Check your brain at the door if you plan to see this killer of a movie.
2 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Society of the Snow
I LOVE FLYING AS LONG AS I keep thinking I am on an elevator. My first flight took place when I was 13 years old. A friend and I were able to buy tickets for $38.00, yes $38.00, for a flight from our smaller airport that would fly around the city for 30-40 minutes. It was promoted as a tour plane, taking passengers along the lakefront up to the near northern suburbs, then back towards the western side before we would begin our descent on the south side. I still remember the push I experienced back into my seat when the thrust from the engines kicked in while we began our trek down the airstrip. Both of us were so excited from the flight that we vowed to become avid travelers. Even back then, the airplane reminded me of an elevator, except with more space and a bathroom. One steps into it, the doors close, it moves and when it eventually stops the doors open and you are in a different location. The flight attendants were like elevator men and women who helped facilitate your journey. The weird thing is when I was flying in my younger days, I did not have any worries. That was because most of the land I saw out the window was flat looking. After my growth spurt where I suddenly was taller, I no longer was interested in the window seat, instead I wanted the aisle seat. IT WAS DURING A FLIGHT THAT went over the Rockies, which started me second guessing about air travel. I had flown over green covered mountains, which did not appear dramatic compared to the Rockies. It was on that flight that I thought about what would happen if the plane had to go down from this location. Also, as I got older, I started thinking about more things that could go wrong on a flight. In my lifetime, there were some newsworthy airline incidents, from crashes to engines on fire. Those started weighing on me; each one carrying equal weight of fear and concern no matter the ratio between victims and survivors. Each one was a horrific experience. My last flight involved flying over the ocean and it did give me a moment of pause. However, since it was taking place at nighttime, I figured I could sleep through that portion of the trip. The sad thing is I used to focus more on outside factors causing a problem with a flight. Recently in the news there has been so much talk about the poor craftsmanship taking place on airplanes, that my anxiety levels are elevated. Now having watched this Oscar nominated international film, I cannot even take in all the emotions that I was experiencing while watching it. A RUGBY TEAM CRASH LANDS IN the Andes Mountains. The survivors must produce ways to survive long enough to be saved; that is if they can even be found. With Enzo Vogrincic (A Twelve-Year Melt; Yosi, The Regretful Spy) as Numa Turcatti, Agustin Pardella (What the Waters Left Behind, Secrets of Summer-TV) as Fernando ‘Nando’ Parrado, Matias Recalt (Planners-TV, Apache: The Life of Carlos Tevez) as Roberto Canessa, Esteban Bigliardi (Bad Christmas; Murder Me, Monster) as Javier Methol and Diego Vegezzi (The Invisible Eye, Music for Getting Married) as Marcelo Perez del Castillo; this adventure drama, history movie was an intense viewing experience. I vaguely remember the true story and knew going in this was going to be a difficult story to watch. The cinematography was outstanding, and the cast were completely believable. I had to assume the writers took some liberties with the dialog, but regardless my attention was glued to the scenes. The subject matter was treated with respect, I felt; and the story was so incredible that it still was hard for me to believe this film was based on that true event. The original movie was done in Spanish; I saw the English dubbed version.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Holdovers
ONE YEAR I WAS ENROLLED IN an overnight camp, and it turned out to be the only time I agreed to such a thing. It was fun to be with friends morning and night, though I was anxious about the bunkbeds. I was assigned to an upper bunk and desperately did not want it because of being overweight. Not that I was any type of extreme heaviness, but my little kid’s mind had blown it out of proportion. I remember slowly climbing the ladder one rung at a time, testing to make sure it would support me. The food served us was picked more for nourishment instead of taste, so I did not care for it. The thing that upset me the most were the organized activities like swimming and baseball. I knew how to play them, but I was never competitive; the counselors always turned them into a contest to see who was the “best.” I must tell you I was one of those “weird” kids who brought a book to read; there were not many others who did such a thing. Thinking about it and how today I live a very structured life; back then, it was the structure I was rebelling against. I did not like being told when I could eat or shower. By the end of the session, I could not wait to be back in my own home. OVERNIGHT/SUMMER CAMP WAS NOT THE only thing I disliked. I never cared for school field trips. It was not the destination so much, but the going and coming I truly could not stand. First, my good time was based on who was on my bus. If our bus had any troublemakers, then I knew for sure our ride to whatever place we were going would be hellish. It would always be worse if one of the troublemakers sat close to you because it was more than likely you would become one of their targets. Another reason I did not like the bus rides was because if someone happened, through the luck of the draw, to be sitting by themselves then the teacher or one of the chaperones would take up residency next to that lone student; or worse, have them join them at the front of the bus. It always stressed me out with kids shoving and pushing, singing ridiculous songs, the adults yelling and for what? Sometimes we did go to cool places but other times they were lame and boring. The way I feel about such things, if I found myself in a situation like the main characters in this comedic drama, I would have run away. STUCK WITH NOWHERE TO GO, A teacher, cook and student are stuck over the Christmas holiday break at their prep school. None of them want to be there. With Paul Giamatti (Jungle Cruise, Billions-TV) as Paul Hunham, Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Lost City, Rustin) as Mary Lamb, newcomer Dominic Sessa as Angus Tully, Carrie Preston (True Blood-TV, They/Them) as Miss Lydia Crane and Brady Hepner (The Black Phone, Resisting Roots) as Teddy Kountze; this film was a joy to watch. The acting was wonderful, and the script was intelligent with its mix of humor, sadness and drama that kept me engaged with the story early on. I also thought the characters were well developed. There were not necessarily laugh out loud moments, but there were humorous spots that were appropriate for the story. What really made this film stand out was its adult storytelling and script. It was refreshing to sit back and watch a good story unfold without the special effects or brand marketing. The other thing that set this film apart were its details. For example, there actually was one special effect, but a good many viewers may not even be aware of it taking place. This picture is an Oscar contender and rightfully so.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: NYAD
I WAS FORTUNATE THAT I NEVER injured myself while teaching one of my fitness classes. My good fortune came about from a discussion I had with one of my earliest directors at the fitness center. When I first arrived there, many of the members thought I was the director’s brother because we were so similar in our coloring and temperament, though she was over a decade older than me. When she hired me, she explained her philosophy on teaching classes, which included how she not only paid attention to the members’ form and movement, but to own as well. Back when I started, high impact aerobics was still a thing and she told me to begin the exercise demonstrating the high impact moves, but to drop down to low impact to protect my body. It was great advice because, through the decades, I was able to maintain teaching 15 to 20 classes a week without any soreness in my joints or muscles. Though that early director retired from her position, she still maintained her training license the entire time I was working at the fitness center. She may have been the oldest trainer on the fitness floor, but she was still getting results out of each of her clients; she was and still is an inspiration to me. WHILE I WAS TEACHING FITNESS CLASSES, I decided to go back to school to become a yoga instructor. Once I completed my courses, I introduced yoga classes into the fitness center. One of the instructors that was hired was an older person. Nothing was said about it, this was just an observation. She and I struck up a friendship since we had similar styles in our yoga practices. Looking at her, I had to say she looked like she was in her 50’s. The yoga program was an enormous success for the center, and we were able to offer several classes throughout the week. At some point, in one of my conversations with this older instructor, she told me her age. I was shocked when she said she was about to turn seventy years old. I was only shocked because she did not look it, and no one could imagine she was that age based on the yoga poses she taught in her classes. During her time at the fitness center, I grew to admire her accomplishments based on the personal stories she shared with me. It is because of her and my earliest fitness director that I felt I could have a lengthy career in fitness/yoga. They taught me age was only a number; it did not need to represent me. THOUGH SHE DID NOT COMPLETE HER swim between Cuba and Florida decades earlier, a marathon swimmer never forgot her dream. She was determined to be the first person to complete the course, even when others said she was too old. With Annette Bening (Jerry and Marge Go Large, Death on the Nile) as Diana Nyad, Jodie Foster (Hotel Artemis, Flightplan) as Bonnie Stoll, newcomer Anne Marie Kemf as Candace, Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man, Anonymous) as John Bartlett and Eric T. Miller (Separation, Redemption in Cherry Springs) as Coach Jack Nelson; this true story was a showcase for the acting skills of Annette and Jodie. They were wonderful in their roles, staying strong and solid throughout the film. The story is incredible; but more than that, I never found myself bored while watching the scenes unfold. I would have appreciated a little more background story to the characters because at times I did not understand why people were putting up with Diana’s behavior. Regardless, this was an entertaining and inspirational movie. Even if one does not find this biographical, sport drama appealing, one cannot fault the message, to never give up on one’s dream.
3 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Sound of Freedom
IT EVEN PUZZLES ME AT TIMES, but for some reason I tend to walk in the back when there are several individuals in my group. This is especially true when there are children amongst the adults. At first, I was not conscious of doing it but as time went on, and I was at my fittest, I felt like I was protecting the group from harm. Not that I have any unique skills like Liam Neeson, I simply felt I was adding an extra layer of protection around my friends and family. Looking ahead at crosswalks, observing what type of person was walking towards us, assessing traffic patterns and driveways; I tried to make sure every step forward was a safe one for everyone. This thinking came about because I grew up in a large city and traveled by various means to all areas of it; I do not know. I have a memory thinking whenever I was walking with a person who was carrying a purse or bag, I wanted to be walking on the outside, closer to the curb so a purse snatcher would not be able to grab their bag and take off with it. When little kids were involved, I instinctually wanted to walk behind them so I could keep an eye out, scanning for any potential trouble areas that could put them in harm’s way. FOR ALL THE YEARS I HAVE been walking in the back, we never encountered any type of trouble. I honestly, do not think I had something to do with it, but I can say times were safer back then as compared to the present. There are so many distractions I see when walking outside, I cannot imagine herding a small group of people through it. I saw a tween or young teenager looking at their phone while walking down the sidewalk and they bumped into a streetlamp. Just last week, the car ahead of me nearly went through a traffic light that turned red because they were on their phone. The worse news is hearing and reading about little children who got shot by accident because they were in the line of fire between members of two rival street gangs or a robber. I know in some circumstances there would have been nothing I could do to prevent such tragedy. Innocent children should not have to suffer for adults’ choices/mistakes/wayward ways. Growing up, I do not recall hearing stories about the criminal activities that took place in this biographical, crime drama. Even knowing about them as an adult, I cannot even process the horror of it. A GOVERNMENT AGENT RESCUES A LITTLE boy who was abducted away from his family. When the agent discovers his sister was also taken, he decides he must find her as well, no matter where his search might take him. With Jim Caviezel (The Thin Red Line, Person of Interest-TV) as Tim Ballard, Mira Sorvino (The Replacement Killers, Butter) as Katherine, Bill Camp (Passing, 12 Years a Slave) as Vampiro, Javier Godino (The Secret in Their Eyes, Operation Mincemeat) as Jorge and Manny Perez (Pride and Glory, A Killer Romance) as Fuego; this film based on a true story was a disturbing watch. I had no idea it was based on a true story, which made the story more gripping for me. As I sat and watched it, I thought some scenes may have been watered down from reality because they seemed a bit farfetched. Also, I think a little more character development would have been in order. But here is the thing; from an entertainment standpoint, this movie was thrilling, creepy, gut wrenching to watch for me. Regardless of its flaws, I still felt it was a powerful picture. I honestly wonder how a parent could watch this film and not want to ever let their children out of the house by themselves.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Anyone But You
THROUGH THE ENTIRE DINNER, I PRAYED a fight would not break out at my table. Two of the seated guests had dated for a brief time; their relationship ended badly. I was friends with both and heard each of their complaints about the other. There was no way I was going to get in the middle, so stayed neutral without voicing an opinion. Anytime one of them asked me a loaded question, I deflected and answered with a question back at them. This was their battle and there was no reason for me to be a part of it. The hosts for this dinner party did not know the two guests were not on speaking terms. However, most of our table guests knew as we shot side glances at each other whenever the vibe neared a hostile state. Instead of keeping their mouths shut for the sake of the other guests, these two former partners would make snide remarks about the other one, who happened to be seated directly across. I wanted to just tell them to be adults for one evening and not spoil things for the rest of the guests, including the hosts. Some of us tried to ignore this former couple’s antics, but it still was uncomfortable and made eating the meal stressful, as if a ticking timebomb was about to explode in front of us. Once I finished the last course, I excused myself and went to talk to a few friends who were seated at another table. MY EXPERIENCES WITH BEING IN THE same space as an ex were less dramatic. Gratefully, most of the relationships I was in ended amicably; and the ones that did not, attitudes softened as the years went by. The only uncomfortable meeting I had was at a funeral service, of all places. My ex and I were both friends with this person whose mother had died. We both knew we would see each other at the memorial service. When I arrived, they were already in the room. Since this was the first time seeing each other after our rough breakup, I really did not want to have a conversation. It turned out neither did they. I quickly figured out they were watching me because wherever I walked in the room, they would move away to maintain us being on opposite sides of the room. Yes, I know it sounds and probably is ridiculous, but I was fine with it. There was nothing to say to each other and frankly I was there for our mutual friend, to support her in her time of sorrow. Since the service lasted around one hour, it was easily doable. If it was an occasion that would have taken longer, such as the one in this romantic comedy, then it might have been a different story for me. AFTER HAVING A FANTASTIC FIRST NIGHT together, a couple’s morning spirals down to a new low for each of them. Angry and bitter, they never see each other again, until by a rare coincidence, they are each invited to the same wedding. With Sydney Sweeney (Americana, Euphoria-TV) as Bea, Glen Powell (Hidden Figures, Top Gun: Maverick) as Ben, Alexandra Shipp (Shaft, tick, tick…Boom!) as Claudia, Hadley Robinson (Little Women, Moxie) as Halle and Dermot Mulroney (The Getback, The Family Stone) as Leo; this film had the appearances of a fun time. The two main stars had appeal and were equally matched. There were a few fresh moments; but overall, the writers stuck to a formulaic pattern. Much of the story was predictable, though there were a few tender scenes that had a little more oomph to them. What kept me interested in this film were certain parts of the dialog and some of the antics, which by the way, I hope I never find myself in such situations, where I would have to deal with such things.
2 ¼ stars
moviejoltz 