Flash Movie Review: Silent Night
I MAY HAVE MENTIONED A LONG time ago one among the many things that motivated me to lose weight was a pair of bell-bottomed pants. Seems strange when I see that statement down on print, but it was true. Bell bottoms became a fashion trend when I was in elementary school; everyone, both girls and boys, wore them. I was not able to because they did not come in my waist size. It was one of those life events that influenced me because it was then I realized my excess weight made me different from the other kids. It did not matter there were other kids bigger than me; I took it personally as if the pants manufacturing companies were picking on me. Because I desperately wanted a pair, I started dieting. Granted there were many other reasons such as being called a variety of names by the bullies of the school and the humiliation of the yearly weigh-in at the first gym class of the new school year that could have been used for motivation. All of this deeply affected me to the point I decided to do something about it and began to diet. I still remember how I would eat cottage cheese for breakfast and chicken bouillon soup with oyster crackers for lunch. I cut out desserts and after a few months maintaining this way of eating, I was rewarded by receiving a pair of blue bell-bottomed pants. OUTSIDE INFLUENCES CERTAINLY CAN BE STRONG motivators as you can see. For me it was a sense of peer pressure and peer abuse that made me change my eating habits. However, I must say I have found motivation in my dreams and vision of what kind of life I wished to live. Teaching aerobics came about because of my love of music. I took that love and choreographed a variety of moves into a routine to each song I played in class. A friend of mine could not stand to be alone with herself so she quickly found someone and married them in a matter of a couple of months. This may not have been the healthiest choice to rectify the situation. The point being, she was determined to take matters into her own hands and force her way to a marriage. One never knows what is in store for them that triggers such a strong response; outside factors mixed in with one’s emotions can truly become a powerful event. Though it might be tough for some viewers to watch, this action thriller directed by John Woo (Red Cliff franchise, Face/Off) shows what a person can do when they experience a strong outside factor. WHEN HIS SON WAS KILLED IN the crossfire between two rival gangs, the little boy’s father begins a path that will avenge his son’s needless death. With Joel Kinnaman (RoboCop, The Suicide Squad) as Brian Godlock, Catalina Sandino Moreno (A Most Violet Year, Marie Full of Grace) as Saya, Kid Cudi (Need for Speed, House Party) as Vassell, Harold Torres (Memory, Run Coyote Run-TV) as Playa and Vinny O’Brien (Stoker Hills, Jexi) as Anthony Barello Esq.; this violent and bloody film took me by surprise because there was no dialog in the movie. I appreciated the premise of the story, but I thought the execution of it was too slow paced. For the first half of the picture, I noticed I was getting bored. If one does not use dialog, then the actors must be able to communicate with their faces and that was the issue I had with the movie. Joel, I felt, did not effectively communicate with his facial expressions. The action when it finally came, was intense and as I said earlier, violent and bloody. There also was a sense of non-believability in several scenes. By the time the film ended, I was left with a sense of emptiness, no feelings either way which I bet I could convey without saying a word out loud.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Meg 2: The Trench
TO ME, ENTREES ARE SIMPLY THE vehicles that get me to desserts. I always like to say I want to have something sweet as the last thing I taste at a meal. I have always been like this, even when I was a small boy. In fact, there were many times I would avoid eating everything on my plate so I would have room to eat dessert. Gratefully for me, I made changes to my eating habits so I would not stuff myself with sweets after lunch or dinner and gain hundreds of pounds. It is funny, if it is homemade desserts, I can chow down on them. If they are store bought, I have better self-control. However, as I have gotten older that idiom, “too much of a good thing” has come into play. These days if I overeat too much sugar, I feel lethargic and heavy, not to mention feeling guilty. I do not know what it is about homemade sweets, but if I love them on first bite you can rest assured, I will go for more of it. There is a way that works for me on how to control my urge to overeat on desserts. If possible, I will freeze dessert items, then slowly dole them out to myself throughout the weeks. This way I won’t find myself getting ill from eating so much of a good thing. MY PHILOSOPHY OF TOO MUCH OF a good thing, is not good for you covers more than eating desserts. I recently discovered a supplement I was taking twice a day was the reason for my stomach issues. In my brain, I thought if I took more of the product, I would feel better faster; it turns out that was not the case. Since I stopped doubling the dose, I have been feeling much better. Another area I noticed where moderation could come in handy is the application of people’s makeup. I have seen individuals with so much makeup on their face that you can see where it cracks from their expressions. I know this is my personal taste, but I am also not a fan of houses that are decorated with an overabundance of holiday items. Do not get me wrong, I am on board when the decorations are within a theme; however, when there appears to be no rhyme or reason to how the decorations are placed on the lawn, the house, the surrounding trees/bushes and garages, it looks like a mess to me, and things just get loss in the mass of a glowing aura around the property. To sum up, all that I am saying is it is not necessarily a good thing to have so much more of something that it loses its distinctiveness. It certainly was the case in this action, adventure horror film. WHILE ON AN EXPEDITION AT THE bottom of the ocean, a research team discovers an unknown mining operation wreaking havoc with nature’s boundaries. What ensues could tip the balance of power in nature’s pecking order. With Jason Statham (Wrath of Man, Wild Card) as Jonas Taylor, Jing Wu (Wolf Warrior franchise, The Wandering Earth) as Jiuming Zhang, Shuya Sophia Cai (Somewhere Only We Know, The Meg) as Meiying, Cliff Curtis (Doctor Sleep, Risen) as Mac and Page Kennedy (Bad Roomies, The Upshaws-TV) as OJ; this film took what was in the original movie and supersized everything. I will say there were some exciting action sequences and a few thrills; but overall, I found the script a clumsy mess. The dialog was stunted, and it had a formulaic plot. For Jason, this picture was geared to him; it was loaded with a bunch of action scenes. For me, I would have preferred more depth and variation in the story and scenes. This is one fish fry that you might want to miss.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Totally Killer
THE MAN IN THE PHOTO WAS a college football player. He was fit and trim with wisps of hair trailing out under the back of his helmet. What was shocking about the photo was the fact he was my friend’s father, and I could not see any resemblance to the man that was standing next to me. I am not talking about graying hair or wrinkles; the man next to me was short and slightly hunched over. The excess weight he carried was stored in his belly; it hung prominently in front of his frame. His gait since I had known him was unsteady; there were times where I saw him struggling to get up from a chair. The man in the photo compared to the one I knew were polar opposites. Granted, I was not privy to any health issues he might have; but it literally looked like two different individuals. What makes me curious about such a difference is what kind of life did they live to get to their present state. Absolutely, one’s career can affect one’s health. I knew a person who experienced health issues like heartburn, headaches and dizziness Monday through Friday, the days they were at work. Let me just say, stress can seriously damage a person. I guess I am fascinated when a person has a dramatic physical change over the years. THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE THAT GIVES me an equal amount of surprise or shock. When someone I know, whether they are an acquaintance, relative or business associate, reveals something unexpected that never occurred to me. For example, a friend’s father who to me was this quiet, older gentle man told me he used to work for the United Nations as an interpreter, having studied seven different languages. There were times he sat in on meetings just so he could hear exactly what international diplomats were saying to each other: I was stunned. It sounded like espionage to me. All I knew about him was he owned a few apartment buildings. It was not like I was making any assumptions about his life; it was just what I observed when I was around him. I think the other reason this kind of stuff fascinates me is because the adults are parents and what child imagines their parents doing something exotic or wild in life. When I see old photographs of friends’ relatives and see them in a different light, it looks like they almost had an alter ego. I think it would be wild if we were able to see our parents and relatives when they were so young. The results could be eye opening, which happened to the daughter in this comedic horror film. WHEN AN ACCIDENT TRANSPORTS A DAUGHTER back in time, she will need the help of her now teen mother to try and solve why a killer has returned after so many years. With Kiernan Shipka (Wildflower, Mad Me-TV) as Jamie Hughes, Olivia Hold (Same Kind of Different as Me, Cloak & Dagger) as Pam Miller, Charlie Gillespie (Love You Anyway, Suze) as Teen Blake Hughes, Lochlyn Munro (A Night at the Roxbury, White Chicks) as Adult Blake Hughes and Troy Leigh-Anne Johnson (Let’s Scare Julie, Big Sky-TV) as Teen Lauren Creston; this movie was a surprise for me. With the mashup of genres and a smart script, I enjoyed watching this picture with its well-placed actors. There were amusing parts sprinkled into the serial killer scenes that gave off a freshness to the story. The acting was good, and I really enjoyed the fun factor. It was as if the writers took a little bit from Back to the Future, mixed it in with the Scream franchise, then added their own twist that provided me with almost two hours of enjoyment. After watching this film, maybe it is not always a good idea to see what one’s parents were like when they were young.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Wish
I WAS CONVINCED AT A VERY early age that my wishes would come true if I could blow out all the birthday candles on my cake with one big breath. One of my earliest memories was wishing for a tool set. After making my wish and successfully blowing out all the candles, when the time came to open my presents one of them was a brightly colored tool set. The tools were each a different color and were stored in a red toolbox, each one clipped into its own storage compartment. I was so excited about getting them and the realization that every year, whatever I wished for, would come true. I still remember the first time I used my set of tools; I decided to take the doorknob off from the front door. The funny thing though, is I had no idea what I was going to do with it; however, I thought it would be a good project to work on. When I tried to unscrew the screws with my screwdriver, I had a hard time because the screws did not want to move, forcing the head of my screwdriver to bend. So, I went to where my parents kept their toolbox and took a screwdriver from it to help me. Now I was getting somewhere with the doorplate around the handle; except when I removed the last screw and the plate did not move, I got scared for some reason and put back all the screws. FROM THAT EARLY START FROM CHILDHOOD, I eventually learned not all wishes come true immediately. I was disappointed but got used to it, though I never gave up hope. My wish choices changed depending on my age and what was taking place around the time I was making a wish. I went from toys and books to clothes and music; then, went to gift cards and home accessories and good health. Throughout the years, even when it was not my birthday, I made wishes. I think they are a wonderful option to throw into the world and see if they take root, receive nourishment, and possibly return as one’s reality. I love the fantasy of wishing for $50 million dollars and then fantasizing about what I would do with that much money. Unless I win the lottery, I know my chances are slim; however, by stating that wish I noticed I started changing my shopping habits by cutting back to increase my savings. It may be baby steps, but one never knows how a wish could come to fruition. A perfect example of what can happen is on display in this animated, musical, adventure comedy movie. YOUNG ASHA’S, VOICED BY ARIANA DeBOSE (West Side Story, The Prom) wish must have been truly powerful because it brought down to her kingdom the star she wished upon, who decided to help make her wish come true. With Chris Pine (Star Trek franchise, Don’t Worry Darling) voicing King Magnifico, Alan Tudyk (A Knight’s Tale, Rouge One: A Star Wars Story) voicing Valentino, Angelique Cabral (Friends with Benefits, Life in Pieces-TV) voicing Amaya and Victor Garber (Titanic, Family Law-TV) voicing Sabino; it appeared to be that Disney wanted this film to be the centerpiece for the past 100 years of Disney’s classic films. There was so much thought and effort put into reminding us of their past treasured films that this movie suffered. The musical numbers were not memorable or provided one song that would become a classic; however, the animation was wonderful. The story was weak to start with and as the writers kept throwing as much as they could into the script, I was quickly bored by it all. The villain did not hold a candle to the classic villains from the early pictures. I will say the actors did a great job voicing the characters, but the one thing that stood out to me was listening to the music during the touching film credits that included recreated images of the classic characters that came out of Disney studios. It was a sad reminder that this movie did not live up to those wonderful old, animated films. There was one extra scene during the credits.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Marvels
THROUGH THE YEARS, I HAVE BUMPED into individuals that I had no contact with for decades. Sometimes, it has happened in such random places. For example, on a trip to Greece I was standing in line to catch a tram from a destination spot and bumped into a childhood friend back from elementary school days, which was many years ago. He and his wife were standing in front of me, and I recognized his face. We agreed to meet up for drinks and had a good time reminiscing about our school years together. The time we spent together was fun, but upon returning to the states we went on with our separate lives. Our time together became a fun add-on to my vacation stories. I believe the long duration of time melted the bond we had with each other back then. If I were to venture a guess, I think a lot of it would have to do with our vastly different experiences in high school. He was more of a gentle jock type, who excelled in physical activities. In my book, that gives the student a pass from any type of abuse or ridicule, unlike me. I was not proficient in most sports activities and being overweight made me an easy target. So, I learned how to withdraw from most high school events and social gatherings. JUST BY COINCIDENCE, I RECENTLY RAN into two friends at a social function, who I had not seen for many years. I noticed the warm feelings that flooded through me as we sat and chatted, having been close friends back then. It was as if time had not passed by us all these years, because we found ourselves in a joyful, sweet rhythm of talking and sharing our life’s journeys with each other. For me, one of the added joys seeing each other was how our memories, which had been dormant for so long, easily rose into our conversations as we relived some of the great times we had together. I have a question for you: have you ever encountered a fond person from your past and discovered you had been missing something in your current life? Well, that is how I felt about my time spent with these two friends. As a result, we exchanged our contact information and planned to get together again. Making those plans was so much fun as the three of us were sending texts back and forth about how great it was to see each other and hoped we could get together real soon. As it turned out we did, and our friendship picked up from where we left it. It is that type of long-lost connection that I found charming in this action, adventure fantasy film. HAVING CARRIED THE HEAVY BURDEN FROM the outcome of her past experiences with the Kree, Captain Marvel, played by Brie Larson (Short Term 12, Just Mercy), finds herself entangled with two other individuals, one of them is from her past, who will all need to work together to save the universe. With Teyonah Parris (Dear White People, If Beale Street Could Talk) as Monica Rambean, Iman Vellani (Avengers franchise, Ms. Marvel-TV) as Kamala Khan, Samuel L. Jackson (The Kill Room, The Protégé) as Nick Fury and Zawe Ashton (Nocturnal Animals, Velvet Buzzsaw) as Dar-Benn; for a product of the Marvel universe, this movie was a disappointment. I enjoyed the connection between the three main stars, especially Iman’s character. The fight scenes had a fun element, and the CGI effects were good; however, the script was a scattered mess. At times, I found several scenes filled with slapstick humor that then morphed into dramatic, sorrowful scenes. The excitement and thrills of past Marvel films did not appear in this picture. And as I have said before, if the villain is truly not menacing then the story will never succeed. For all the money spent on this, what a shame. There was only one (what a shock) extra scene during the ending credits.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Strays
ONE OF THE PERKS OF BEING on social media is seeing photos of people’s pets. This would also include the wildlife photos individuals post online. Being an animal lover, I enjoy seeing the variety of pets people have in their household. There is one individual who does a daily post of their dog, who has the most expressive face. When the dog’s owner puts a caption describing the dog’s mood, I would absolutely believe it based on the dog’s face. What really gets me is how the dog looks like he is posing. I do not think any artistic or editing abilities were used to create the photo, they simply are random shots of their day together. This is not the only pet posts that get to me; there are hundreds posted from other individuals. Though some people like to dress up their pets in human clothing, where some produce funny results at the animal’s expense, I per se am not one who wants to dress up my pet. It is the pet photos where they do not need anything to look like they are talking to us, just a cock of the head or expression on its face that completes the “look” for me. IN THE PAST, I HAVE MENTIONED a special dog from my past. This dog seemed to understand what I was saying all the time, except when I wanted him to go lie down, so I could work in the kitchen without constantly tripping over him as he followed me around. He had an uncanny way of knowing what mood I was in, reacting to it in an appropriate way like a friend or family member would do. If my mood was down, he would simply come up alongside and lean into me. Or sometimes, he would wrap his front paws around my arm or neck, like giving a hug, if he was able to reach it. If I was in a good/happy mood, he would want to play or interact with me more than usual. One of my favorite things to do was to look at him and ask if he would like a “doggie massage.” As soon as he heard those two words, he would run up to me, plop down onto his side and wait for me to give him body rubs. It was the funniest thing. With my experiences being around animals, I believe they really can understand or at least sense us; however, in all my encounters I have never come across dogs like the ones in this adventure comedy. GROWING UP BELIEVING HIS OWNER LOVED him, a dog discovers the truth after being dropped off and stranded in a different town, far away from his home. With Will Ferrell (Blades of Glory, Downhill) voicing Reggie, Jamie Foxx (They Cloned Tyrone, Day Shift) voicing Bug, Isla Fisher (The Beach Bum, Wedding Crashers) voicing Maggie, Randall Park (Totally Killer, Young Rock-TV) voicing Hunter and Will Forte (Nebraska, The Last Man on Earth-TV) as Doug; this movie is absolutely not meant for children. It is crude, rude and at times funny. I thought the idea for the story was interesting and surprisingly touching. It just seemed as if the humor got old after a while from all the trash talk and curse words being thrown about. If one can stomach all of this, the special effects are terrific. The dogs looked as if they were really talking and acting out the story. There were a few times I laughed out loud, but for the most part I either chuckled or groaned. I will say, after seeing this film I feel like I will pay closer attention to the dogs I encounter in my life. There was an extra scene during the ending credits.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Five Nights at Freddy’s
ONE OF MY EARLIEST MEMORIES OF amusement parks was me vomiting into a trash container. I remember the park because the ride I got sick on was one of those haunted, fun house attractions. There was a huge head that looked like an evil genie perched above the entryway, with its eyes moving from side to side as if scanning the park for its next victims. It was a family outing with a group of relatives and for the younger ones, which included me, this was our first time attending the amusement park. When I walked into the fun house, it was nearly pitch-black inside. There were objects that glowed and appeared to be floating in the air. At certain turns a mechanical figure would spring out to scare onlookers who were walking by. Being so young, I did jump and get scared multiple times; but, with my relatives nearby I never got to the point of being crying scared. I remember we came to a juncture where we had to go through a door that had cobwebs on it. Once we were through, we heard the door lock. We continued walking until we found ourselves in a dark space where the walls were formed into a full circle. As we gently walked into it, the continuous wall started to turn. In other words, it was like walking into a barrel that started rolling down a hill, but this rolling device stayed in one place. I could not keep my balance, constantly falling. As the pictures on the walls rolled by, I started to feel nauseous. Miraculously the spinning stopped, and a hidden door opened into the sunlight. I staggered out and made it to the trash container in time before my stomach decided to evacuate all its contents. ONE WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT WOULD have been my last time at an amusement park; but because of my earlier enjoyment of rides and carnival foods, I ventured to other amusement parks and learned what attractions were more agreeable with me and my body. I was a sucker for the games of chance, convinced I could win a stuffed animal easily. There was the shooting gallery where water guns were used to hit a target that would inflate a balloon. The first balloon to pop would be the winner. I never won that game. I also failed at the ring toss on top of a glass bottle and the pseudo basketball hoop game. I believe it was after a couple of years that I finally won one of those games; throwing a ball to knock off from their shelves, three hairy troll dolls. Out of the prizes offered, I chose a small, stuffed purple monkey. I felt so proud of myself. It was a good thing I did not have the knowledge then to add up how much it cost my family to pay for all the tries I took to finally win that small stuffed animal. There were so many different amusement parks I used to attend and gratefully not one of them was like the one in this mystery, horror thriller. DESPERATE TO EARN MONEY TO KEEP his daughter, a down on his luck father takes a nighttime security guard job at an abandoned amusement park. What he would experience would be worse than any of the rides. With Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games franchise, The Long Home) as Mike, Piper Rubio (Holly & Ivy, For All Mankind-TV) as Abby, Elizabeth Lail (Countdown, Ordinary Joe-TV) as Vanessa, Matthew Lillard (Scooby-Doo franchise, The Descendants) as Steve Raglan and Mary Stuart Masterson (Fried Green Tomatoes, Blindspot-TV) as Aunt Jane; this movie based on a video game was lost on me. Maybe if one was familiar with the game, the movie would make better sense; I found it simply odd and dull. I enjoyed Josh’s and Mary’s performances, but the script was a jumble of things that were never fully explained. As the movie was nearing its end, I thought the story was weird and made little sense. It might be best to take your money and use it to spend a day at an amusement park. There was an extra scene during the ending credits.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Quiz Lady
I HAVE A FRIEND, WHO I HAVE told numerous times, he should be a contestant on a musical game show. His knowledge of musical artists and songs is amazing; though, I should preface it by saying his command of music is limited to pop culture. Think Billboard, Top 40 type of music. He can tell you where a song ranked on the Billboard charts and for what year. When we are driving together in a car, he can name the song playing on the radio within the first couple of notes. Rarely has he ever been wrong when the radio announcer names the song after it has played. What is more fun to witness are the times he enters the music trivia contests that are held periodically at various clubs around the city. Sometimes he plays solo, but at others he has a childhood friend join him to form a formidable team. His friend is as good as him, so together they have won more times than not. I asked him once how it is that he knows so much about music, and he said it was due to his mother. She was always playing records in the house when he was growing up. At an early age, he could easily name songs from the Supremes, Everly Brothers, Little Richard, and the Kinks. I think he missed his calling and should have entered one of those reality music-based television shows. GROWING UP, I USED TO WATCH several game shows: some in reruns and others current. Jeopardy was one of my favorites, but only after I was in high school. Another one was Hollywood Squares, where the different squares of a Tick Tack Toe grid had different celebrities who would either give a truthful answer or a fake one to the contestant’s query. There were some shows where I could get the answer before the contestant had time to figure it out. It crossed my mind a couple of times that maybe I should apply to one of the game shows, but by the end of the telecast I realized I could not compete with the competition. Nonetheless, I got much enjoyment out of watching these shows. Sure, there were some that were informative, where I learned at least one new thing every time I watched the show. However, there were other shows I watched that focused more on silly situations to generate audience laughter. The one that comes to mind is The Newlywed Game. It is funny, when I was younger, I watched several game shows but now, there are not too many I care to watch. I just do not find them interesting; however, if the game show in this comedy was on the air, I would certainly tune in to it. ANNE YUM, PLAYED BY AWKWAFINA (THE FAREWELL, Crazy Rich Asians), never missed an episode of her favorite television game show. Little did she know that the things she learned would help her and her estranged sister one day. With Sandra Oh (Under the Tuscan Sun, Grey’s Anatomy-TV) as Jenny Yum, Will Ferrell (Anchorman franchise, Barbie) as Terry McTeer, Holland Taylor (The Practice-TV, The Wedding Date) as Francine and Jason Schwartzman (Moonrise Kingdom, Saving Mr. Banks) as Ron Heacock; this movie’s saving grace was the cast. I thought there was real chemistry between Awkwafina and Sandra Oh. It was because of the cast that the predictable story was easier to watch. I found most comedic scenes only humorous, warranting a chuckle every now and then. A couple of times I did laugh aloud, but that was it. The story kept an even pace, though I thought the beginning was a bit slow. If the question, “did you enjoy the film,” was posed to me, my answer would have to be, “it was okay.”
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Entergalactic
ONE OF THE BEST PIECES OF advice given to me was I need to love myself before someone can love me. Never having a great self-image of myself, it took a long time to find my way to accepting and loving myself. Prior to getting to that place, I went through a period where I had a series of multiple dates that each one did not last more than two or three months. Looking back, I can see one factor that did not work in my favor. By not feeling good about myself and/or where I was in life, I was not able to connect with others on a deeper level. I stayed very guarded, not willing or to be more precise, not able to express a sense of joy and wonder about life. Most of my first dates were more like an interview, with me as the interviewer. It was easier for me to hear about someone else’s issues and try to fix them than me working on myself. I especially enjoyed the challenge when a first-time date talked about their ex, which many people say is a red flag. It never bothered me unless it sounded like they missed and wanted to get back with them, which has happened to me. On some level, hearing about someone else’s troubles with a previous partner made me feel like I was not the only one suffering from a bad relationship. FROM MY EXPERIENCES, WHEN ASKED I have offered advice to my friends who are dealing with dating issues. I have one friend who has avoided looking at their recent past relationships that ended with sadness. It is as if they take all their feelings and emotions and put them in a box to be stored somewhere in the back of their brain. I remember when their previous relationship ended and one week later, they were out on a date. When they finally asked me for advice, I asked them if they saw a pattern taking place from each breakup. Maintaining a safe environment for them to finally open up about it, they discovered certain things they do in each relationship. Once that connection was made, they got into exploring more about themselves and I could not be happier that today they are in a loving relationship that turned into marriage. When things fall into places where one feels good about themselves, their career, their life, then they can really make connections with other human beings. And I am not only talking about connecting on a love relationship, but with friends and family, the world opens for them to spread and share that love. I saw it in this animated, musical romantic comedy. AFTER GETTING HIRED BY A POPULAR publishing company and moving into a dream apartment, a graffiti artist finds himself balancing the aspects of his new life. He can also forget about the girlfriend who dumped him…or could he? With Kid Cudi (Need for Speed, X) voicing Jabari, Jessica Williams (Fantastic Beasts franchise, Booksmart) voicing Meadow, Laura Harrier (Spider-Man: Homecoming, White Men Can’t Jump) voicing Carmen, musical artist Ty Dolla Sign voicing Ky and Timothee Chalamet (Dune, Call Me by Your Name) voicing Jimmy; I found this film exciting. The reason is because it took a generic rom-com scenario and injected it with a new, creative flair that made viewing and listening to it so enjoyable. I thought the animation was excellent, to the point where one could almost see the characters as living, breathing human beings. The musical soundtrack fit the story perfectly and I liked the way the songs were introduced during it. Even when scenes were predictable, it did not matter to me because of the way the movie told the story. This was a confident and well-done production all around.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Exorcist: Believer
ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS FOR me to witness is a sick animal or sick baby/child. I still remember watching a relative of mine carrying their sick dog down three flights of stairs so that it could relieve itself on the grass outside. The poor dog tried to remain standing but fell over every time he tried to raise his leg. It was so sad to see, and I was only seeing it this one time; my poor relative was experiencing it multiple times a day. I gave my relative credit for managing the situation, but I did wonder about the quality of the dog’s life. The dog reminded me of this other dog I met at a small hotel I was staying at on vacation. The owner of the hotel had this small black dog that looked like Toto from The Wizard of Oz. Except, the poor thing lost its sight and hearing. I was sitting in the lobby, waiting for my ride, watching this little dog rely on its sense of smell to navigate around the open space. However, that sense did not help with some objects in the way like leg chairs and walls. I watched as the dog bumped into a table leg, a wall and a floor lamp. Luckily, it was not running; instead, it was carefully and tentatively moving its way forward. THE OTHER THING THAT IS HARD for me to see is an ill child or worse, a sick baby. I knew these parents who had their baby in the hospital’s ICU for four to five months. The poor baby was hooked up to a variety of machines via tubes and wires. I kid you not; it looked like a scene out of a horror film. To make matters worse, the only way one could see the baby was through a glass window. I wondered if this would influence the baby as it grows up, the lack of human touch besides the kind that was sticking it with needles and probes. It was such an awful situation; the parents looked like walking zombies because they took turns spending the entire night with the baby, just so the baby could hear a soothing voice without experiencing something painful happening to it. I honestly do not know how those two parents did it, but they did. I have said this before; children come into this world with a pure clean slate. They have no prejudices, no hatred, no negativity. Many of them learn these traits from their parents. To see a child unable to take care of itself, having to suffer for something out of their control is just as sad to me as a child being taught how to hate. This is why I had a tough time watching what happened to the kids in this reboot of the horror franchise. A SEARCH WAS INITIATED AFTER TWO neighborhood girls went missing. Gone for three days, the two girls returned with no memory of what happened to them. It would be soon after when the parents realize something indeed had happened to their young daughters. With Leslie Odom Jr (Hamilton, One Night in Miami) as Victor Fielding, Tracey Graves (Sebastian, Super Turnt) as Sorenne Fielding, Lidya Jewett (Hidden Figures, Good Girls-TV) as Angela Fielding, Danny McCarthy (Stronger, Prison Break-TV) as Stuart and Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale-TV, Hereditary) as Ann; this horror film had a good start for the story. It was suspenseful as it mixed the past and present together, encompassed in excellent filmed scenes. However, as the story neared its halfway point, everything started to break down. I lost interest because the suspense was gone, and the horror scenes were not frightening. I felt the script was just rehashing previous scenes from the franchise, including using similar music from the original film. By the end of this movie, I felt bad for the cast getting stuck in such a non-scary mess.
1 ¾ stars
moviejoltz 