Flash Movie Review: Oscar Telecast
THIS WAS NEW TERRITORY FOR ME. Having not been in this situation before, I must tell you it was disconcerting for me. All day this past Sunday, I did not think about the telecast, except that it was starting at 6pm CST. For some reason, I assumed it would begin at 7pm, so I had to speed up to get all my tasks that needed to be done for the day. The one thing I did not want to happen was to rush to finish something just a minute before the Oscar Ceremony started. I have my rituals; my clothes for the workday are laid out, I am dressed in my lounging clothes, and I go to the bathroom a few minutes before the start time. If I had any concerns or worries, the first 10 minutes of the show obliterated them. I could not think of a better way to open the show with a message of love to Los Angeles than having the powerhouse singers Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande performing. Right after the first note was sung, I was transported into the lights and glamour of Hollywood and movies. My concerns about not seeing, for the first time, all the nominated films went from boiling over in my head to a quiet slow simmer. I was settled into a state of comfort and peace, able and willing to sit however long it would be until the end of the show. IT WOULD BE NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR anyone to follow that opening, but whoever came up with the idea of host Conan O’Brien doing a comedy bit based on the film The Substance, I tip my hat to them. It was a wonderful way to move the audience along to the next segment of the show. I thought he did an excellent job of hosting, though there were a few things that were a bust for me. His singing about wasting time and being late could have been deleted, in my opinion. His humor has a sly edge to it where it gives one a moment’s pause at time, but I appreciated that he did not take the easy way of cracking jokes about the latest winner. What I thought was a nice touch was the way they introduced some of the nominees by having individuals connected to their movie introduce them or just have the presenter talk about each one; it made it more personal and interesting to me. Also, Conan kept things moving along between segments. THE MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT I HAD WAS the tribute to Quincy Jones. Of all the music and songs, he was involved with, I do not understand why they chose a song from the film The Wiz. He produced the song for the film version of the Broadway production. The wrong choice to sing this song was Queen Latifah. I absolutely enjoy her singing voice, but she has a jazzier lower registered voice that was not suited for this song. Along with her outfit, she could have easily done the song “Don’t Bring Me No Bad News” from The Wiz and would have presented it better. The tribute I found touching came from Morgan Freeman talking about his friend Gene Hackman. And with that in memoriam segment I am glad they simply did a musical accompaniment. Outside of that the telecast had few surprises. There was Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal teaming up which was cute, but for me the bigger surprise was having Mick Jagger as a presenter. He truly seemed touched by the crowd welcoming him. By the end of the telecast, I was aware there was a little regret for not being able to have seen all the nominated films, but I felt this might be the wave of the future. Of course, I hope the writer and director of Anora is right when he pleaded for filmmakers to make more films for the theater and asked the public to support movie theaters. I hope this will be the case and I know I will be doing my part to see more films at the theater this year. Because when push comes to shove, I enjoy watching the Oscar telecast having seen all the nominated films beforehand. Wish me luck for next year’s telecast.
Flash Movie Review: Paddington in Peru
I HAD HEARD STORIES ABOUT HER ever since I could retain memories; that is how long it had been. Stories about the incredible meals she would cook, the sweet personality, and the kindness she offered everyone; these stories contributed to the images I had of her in my mind. She was my grandmother, but I had never met her through most of my elementary school years. I honestly never knew what the reasons were, except that she lived out of town with a relative that took care of her. Nonetheless, she was part of our family’s conversations from time to time. I would have loved to have eaten some of her meals and especially desserts. Relatives who knew her always mentioned her cooking skills and how she loved being in the kitchen whipping up meals that, as they say, could feed an army. I was told she was never phased or put out by people unexpectedly dropping in to see her. She always had either homemade cookies or cakes in the house, ready to be served to company with a warm cup of coffee or big glass of cold milk. To me, she just sounded amazing and accepting and someone I wanted to sit down and visit with over one of her delicious sounding desserts. Though we were never together physically, she still was part of my life. IT WAS DURING MY LAST YEAR of elementary school when I was told this elusive grandmother was coming for a visit. One of her sons (a great uncle of mine) was going to accompany her. I was excited to finally be able to meet her and see what she was like compared to everything I had heard about her. She was going to stay at a relative’s house in the city, and it was decided all of us were to come there over the weekend to see her. I did not know any other details, like how long she would be staying here, all I was interested in was just seeing her. We drove over on a Sunday afternoon. As we pulled up to my uncle’s house, I could see a small group of people standing out on the front lawn. Once parked and out of the car, we walked up to greet our relatives. As they parted to the sides, I saw standing in the middle of all of them this tiny, white-haired woman. I do not think she was even five feet tall. With oval shaped glasses perched low on the bridge of her nose, I got to her first and introduced myself. She studied me for a moment before putting her arms out for a hug as she told me I looked like my father. I cannot describe the feeling except to say I felt an immediate kinship, a connection to this side of my family that previously had a missing piece, suddenly now becoming whole. Because of these feelings, I understood what Paddington, voiced by Ben Whishaw (Bad Behaviour, No Time to Die) felt when he received the news about a relative in this adventure, comedy mystery. UPON GETTING THE NEWS ABOUT A close relative had gone missing, Paddington and the family decided to go find her in the jungles of Peru. The trail they would take might involve clues about a hidden treasure. With Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey franchise, To Olivia) as Henry Brown, Emily Mortimer (Mary Poppins Returns, Lars and the Real Girl) as Mary Brown, Imelda Staunton (The Crown-TV, Downton Abbey franchise) voicing Aunt Lucy, and Antonio Banderas (The Enforcer, Babygirl) as Hunter Cabot; this latest installment in the franchise had similar elements to the previous films, except I did not find this one as entertaining. There is a certain charm and kind humor in the previous films that were lacking here. I felt the humor was more slapstick and some other scenes were unoriginal because they had a strong similarity to ones in the Indiana Jones movies. The cast did a wonderful job with the script, which did have a touching message in it. I feel this family film will be more amusing to younger kids than older ones. I believe the writers gave it a good try for thinking out of the box with this story, but it might be best if they stick closer to home next time. There were two extra scenes during the ending credits.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Oscars 2025
IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE I have been posting movie reviews for nearly fourteen years. I remember the first year I set out a goal to post one movie review each day for the entire year. Back then my reviews were shorter in length, but I did it, an entire year of movie reviews. Along with the reviews each year I made my predictions of who and what would win the Oscar award. Though, I was making predictions much earlier than 2011. I believe I mentioned in one of my earliest reviews how making Oscar predictions was a tradition in my family. We would all gather around the television set with our list of predictions and begin to check off the ones we got correctly. At the end of the telecast, each of us would count our wins to see who was the winner amongst us. It is such a fond memory; there was no competition between any of us and we just enjoyed being together to watch the show, with our assortment of snacks and drinks. The only thing the winner would get was bragging rights; but it never lasted long since our movie loving family would be immediately back in the hunt to see the next great picture. WHEN THE COVID PANDEMIC HIT AT the end of 2019, things began to change. I remember looking out the bedroom window and seeing no sign of human life. There were no cars on the road, the grocery store parking lot was completely empty, and no one was walking down the sidewalks. It was eerie to the point where I felt we were in an apocalyptic movie; it felt so unreal to me. No one was going to the movies; several around me were closed, and movie studios started focusing on streaming services. Our cable bill soared with all the services even though we do not have all of them. When the time came when it was relatively safe to go back to movie theaters, I would wear a safety mask and sit in the last row off to the side away from everybody. That everybody at first was sometimes only me or a few others brave enough to venture out. With my work schedule and the theaters reduced times, I had a tough time trying to find a movie that would fit in with my schedule. Add in the writers’ strike and it got even more challenging to try and find a decent film to watch. I tried my best but the roadblocks that were set up made it nearly impossible for me to see my usual number of movies. Things came to a head this year when the Oscar nominations came out. Some films only played for one week in 2024 to be considered by the academy and never came back to the theaters, others went to a streaming service we do not have in our package, or the films did not last long for me to try and find a place to see them that was agreeable with my workload. As of today, when I look at all the nominations, for most of them I have only seen two out of five nominees for each category. It is heartbreaking and upsetting to me. The most I have seen for one category is for best picture; I have seen five out of ten of the nominated movies. Because of this situation, for the first time in my life, I cannot make my predictions. I am not alone in this within the family. Hopefully, this is not a prelude for what is in store for the future. I hope things change where there will be more opportunities throughout the year to see movies. SPEAKING OF CHANGE, ISN’T THAT WHAT life is about, it is always changing. At the end of this month, I will be retiring from my day job, after having been with the company for over thirty years. Part of me is anxious, nervous, and excited. You see, I have been working since I was thirteen years old, and the idea of waking up without a schedule is frightening to me. I am a structured person, having always lived with schedules for everything. However, with my upcoming retirement, I am hoping to break that “habit” and try to experience more living in the moment. With that being said, I want you to know my reviews may not always be on a consistent schedule as they have been. There is going to be a lot of traveling coming up, so there may be a few weeks out of the year when I will not be able to post a review. Or, where I normally post reviews Monday through Wednesday, they may now come on different days and times. Until I settle into the next chapter of my life, I do not know how everything will fall into place, and I am okay with it. I just want to experience waking up without an alarm clock blaring in my ear and see how the day moves me. Of course, I am hoping I will have more opportunities to see movies at the theater, but I cannot put anything down yet as a must do schedule. So please bear with me as I navigate this unfamiliar environment in store for me. As I have said before, I appreciate each one of you taking the time to read my reviews and communicating with me. Enjoy the Oscars telecast; I hope it will be an exciting and fun show this year. All the best to you.
Flash Movie Review: Speak No Evil
ONE OF THE CHALLENGES I FACED when dating was figuring out the person’s sense of humor. I found it difficult to do on a blind date or on a first date. My humor leans toward the sarcastic, so I felt I had a little leeway, especially because I would quickly chuckle after my comment to let the person know I was kidding. Still, I kept things low key, only testing the water. However, I have been on dates when the person would make comments that I was not sure if they were funny or serious. My motto has been if you must explain the joke then it is not a joke. I was on one date where we were sitting in a coffee shop and the person from the start was cracking jokes and kept it up through most of the conversation. It was so annoying and not very funny. You see, when I am on a first date, I want to learn things about the person, their history, their likes and dislikes, their past relationships; it is information that I feel helps me decide if there is to be a second date. I enjoy making people laugh, but I must get to know the person to see what types of jokes are appropriate. What one person finds funny may not be funny to someone else. The dates that excessively made jokes about everything usually did not get a second date with me. GRATEFULLY, THE DATING YEARS ARE FAR behind me, but I still must work at “reading” a person. In other words, believing or not believing what they are saying. The funny thing is I can do it when I am simply a bystander. A friend of mine was dating a man and after a couple of months felt comfortable enough to introduce him to her friends. We had gotten together for dinner and after hearing about him, I was finally able to listen and observe him live, in the flesh. During the conversations, I felt the guy was not being completely truthful. There were a couple of follow-up questions I asked about comments he made, and his answers did not match the knowledge I had on the subject. I also noticed he would break eye contact when he was giving false information on topics I knew. The following day after meeting my friend’s boyfriend, she called me and asked what I thought of him. I had to be honest and told her he was hiding something. She was curious plus valued my opinion since we knew each other for many years, so I told her what I thought of him. She took my information and stored it in her memory but continued dating this man until she caught him in a blatant lie. At least there was no drama during the breakup, unlike the poor family in this dramatic, psychological suspense thriller. HAVING ACCEPTED THE INVITATION TO COME visit the country home of people they just met on vacation, the couple and their daughter soon realize something is off about their hosts. How could they tactfully back out? With James McAvoy (The Book of Clarence, Together) as Paddy, Mackenzie Davis (Tully, Terminator: Dark Fate) as Louise Dalton, Scoot McNairy (Nightbitch, A Complete Unknown) as Ben Dalton, Aisling Franciosi (The Nightingale, The Unforgivable) as Ciara, and Alix West Lefler (The King Tide, Riverdale-TV) as Agnes Dalton; this movie was the type of tense horror film I enjoy because it was more suspenseful than bloody gore. There were a few scenes with blood and violence, but I did not find it overwhelming. James was spectacular in this role and in some ways reminded me of Jack Nicholson in The Shining. I appreciated the outdoor scenes as the script kept pulling me into its grip before loosening up, only to pull me in tighter next time. The whole cast was excellent, especially the children. Now, there were a few scenes that rang false to me, but overall, I appreciated the way the writers kept the viewers engaged with the story. Plus, there was a certain amount of “creep factor” that kept me on the edge of my seat.
3 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Captain America: Brave New World
I WAS SO CONFUSED WHEN THE new Darrin appeared for the first time in the television show, Bewitched. For five years, starting at the debut of the show, Dick York played Darrin Stephens; then suddenly, Dick Sargent was Darrin. My family had to try and explain to me this new person on the show was Darrin. I did not believe them. It made no sense to me; it was not like the first Darrin died on the show or got divorced from Samantha. Simply, a different actor was playing Sam’s mortal husband. With this being my first time witnessing a switch of actors in a cast, by the time I saw the Harry Potter films, I was so used to it that I did not find it startling when a new actor started playing the character, Albus Dumbledore. I guess, in movie world it is easier to replace actors for a well known character. Just think how many James Bonds we have seen played by different actors. I am aware it is easier when the changes take place in a make-believe world as opposed to our daily lives. Let me show you by defining the word, boss. According to the dictionary the definition of the word boss is a person who oversees a group, worker, or company. Think of how many times you had a boss who was different from your other bosses. THE CLICHÉ A BREATH OF FRESH air comes to mind when I think about a company I left years ago, where I had an awful boss, and wound up at a new company where I respected and admired my boss. My former boss was a nasty man; he ruled by intimidation and yelling at the employees. It was nothing for him to give a project to an employee late in the afternoon and demand it be done first thing in the morning. As a result, the employee would have to work through the night to complete it. I noticed he only did this with salaried employees, so he would not have to pay the employees overtime. I lasted a few years before I sought out other employment. At my new job, my boss was completely opposite to my former boss. She constantly offered encouragement and sought out employees’ opinions on work related matters. If an employee made a mistake, she would sit with them and ask them what they could have done differently to achieve better results. I was impressed by the way she ran the department and started modeling myself after her throughout my career. In this case she was such a welcome change for a boss. In the case of this action, science fiction, superhero adventure, I am trying to keep an open mind about the change that has taken place. ON THE VERGE OF COMPLETING A groundbreaking international trade deal, the president of the United States is being targeted by an evil force that could derail all the work that was put in creating this monumental trade deal. The ensuing chaos would draw in Captain America and his friends. With Anthony Mackie (The Woman in the Window, We Have a Ghost) as Sam Wilson, Harrison Ford (The Call of the Wild, The Age of Adaline) as President Thaddeus Rose, Danny Ramirez (No Exit, Assassination Nation) as Joaquin Torres, Shira Haas (Broken Mirrors, Shtisel-TV) as Ruth Bat-Seraph, and Carl Lumbly (Men of Honor, The Life of Chuck) as Isaiah Bradley; this latest in the franchise starts out with a new actor playing Captain America. Because of this, the writers had to find a way to ease Anthony into this new role. For the most part, I felt they did, but it also took time away from developing a better story. The script had its moments but there was less humor compared to past Marvel films. Honestly, I thought Harrison Ford was the standout from the cast which made Anthony fade into the background. The idea for the story was good but it lacked the drama and finesse of the previous Marvel superhero movies. Even the special effects were somewhat dull. Despite this, I am keeping an open mind, believing this picture was more of an introduction for this new Captain America. I hope the movie studio can rise to the occasion for the next installment. There was one extra scene at the end of the final credits.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Star Trek: Section 31
ONE OF MY EARLIEST SOLO TRIPS was to Las Vegas solely because a new, I do not know what they called it, attraction, exhibit, ride, or business had opened in a large, aged hotel. In the era where a deluge of new properties was being built up, this hotel wanted to remain relevant and competitive against the new establishments. I booked my flights six weeks after they had opened, just in case they needed time to work out any kinks to, what I had seen in advertisements, the elaborate production they had created. I chose to stay at a different hotel because the rooms were cheaper, but I mapped out that I could easily walk to the new exhibit. Once I landed, got to the hotel, and unpacked, I headed out to see the attraction. The first part of it was a bar/nightclub. Walking around were individuals dressed as Klingons, Vulcans, and the Borg; I had to immediately get a photo of them. Luckily, they were all gracious and willing to pose. The bar area had the same look as the one in Star Wars, except this one had characters associated with Star Trek. I wandered around, ordered a soft drink, and just took in all the sights which were plentiful. There were glass cases everywhere with Star Trek paraphernalia inside. I kept snapping picture after picture until I covered all the cases. WHEN I LEFT THE NIGHTCLUB AREA, there was a sign pointing to what I knew to be a virtual shuttle ride. There was a mockup of one of the ship Enterprise’s shuttles. Guests waited in line and were eventually ushered into the ship eight at a time. We each strapped ourselves in before the attendant gave us final instructions. Upon leaving, the doors whooshed close, the cabin’s lights dimmed, and the bay doors opened to reveal the universe. Over the loudspeakers a male voice announced he was captain and explained our mission. It felt like we were rising and moving away from earth. The announcement of full thrusters made the ship tilt back as it appeared we were picking up speed. I could not get over how realistic everything felt; I was pressed to the back of my seat as it felt like we were soaring higher and higher. The ride lasted two to three minutes but in that time, we had to navigate through a meteor shower, fight a Klingon Bird of prey ship, and do evasive maneuvers. By the time we were done, I was feeling a little dizzy. But it was worth it; from the very first episode of Star Trek, when it aired on television, I became a huge fan, and this place was nirvana for me. When I saw this film being advertised, I was equally as excited to see it and experience my beloved Star Trek universe again. Little did I know what was waiting for me. WHEN SEVERAL STARFLEET OFFICERS DRESSED AS bar patrons showed up to her nightclub, Philippa Georgiou, played by Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians, Wicked) knew something was up. She did not know it involved something far back in her past. With Omari Hardwick (The Mother, Army of the Dead) as Alok Sahar, Sam Richardson (Velma-TV, Mulligan-TV) as Quasi, Robert Kazinsky (Hot Pursuit, EastEnders_TV) as Zeph, and Kacey Rohl (White Dog, The Magicians-TV) as Rachel Garrett; this science fiction action, adventure drama was shocking to me. It was nowhere near the caliber of any of the previous Star Trek films. It felt like this was hastily put together to fulfill a contract. I thought the script was poor, the story line was weak, and the special effects were dull. I enjoyed watching Michelle because her character seemed so out of character for her; but it was not enough to save this picture. It almost felt like the production company who put this all together had never seen a film or episode of Star Trek. Being so disappointed, all I can say is this film needs to be transported to a far, far galaxy; never to be shown again.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Companion
A RELATIVE OF MINE JUST NEEDED to vent and knows I always have an open ear. She was telling me about her son who desperately wanted to be in a love relationship. The more I heard, the less I thought her son understood what love really meant. She told me all her son wishes for is to be with someone. He uses the dating apps, goes out to bars to meet women, and has no qualms starting up a conversation with a female shopper at the grocery store. However, according to my relative, he does not want to do much of the dating and wooing part to get into a committed relationship. I asked how that was working out for her son, while keeping a perplexed look on my face. She said he scares off a lot of women because he is so quick to tell them he loves them and wants to move in together with them. I knew she knew this, but I had to say his actions were a big red flag to prospective dates and she agreed 100% with me. She said he does not take the time to really learn anything about the women he meets; all he wants is to be part of a couple. In my mind, all he wants is a companion. THE REASON I USE THE WORD companion is because I have already seen couple relationships where the two people seem more like companions or roommates instead of it being a relationship of love. Not that there is any right way, or I am criticizing someone, I am aware that love comes in all shapes and sizes. There was one couple I knew, where the woman was a long-time friend of mine. She started dating a man that I soon learned not to trust. He was a braggard and a liar. After catching him in a couple of lies, I felt compelled to tell my friend. She heard what I had to say but it did not stop her from following her heart. After one year of dating, she discovered he had been stealing tiny amounts of money from her purse. She was devastated and told me she felt foolish. I tried to comfort her, but she stayed upset for some time. Another friend of mine had been dating a woman for six-seven months. I thought everything was fine until we stopped at a store for the girlfriend to get a pair of sunglasses. We all tried on various pairs, but during that time I could overhear my friend directing his girlfriend on what he wanted her to buy. It was odd the way he said it, so I asked if he always tells her what to buy. He said he wanted her to look a certain way that he thought was flattering. It still was odd to me; it looked like he had an idea of how she should look, and he wanted her to become that image. It seemed more like he was dating a doll instead of a live human being. I thought it was strange but not as strange as what I saw in this psychological comedy thriller. A WEEKEND GETAWAY FOR A GROUP of friends turns sinister when one of them is killed by one of the others. With Sophie Thatcher (Heretic, Yellowjackets-TV) as Iris, Jack Quaid (The Hunger Games franchise, Scream) as Josh, Lukas Gage (Road House, Smile 2) as Patrick, Megan Suri (It Lives Inside, Never Have I Ever-TV) as Kat, and Harvey Guillen (The Internship, Werewolves Within) as Eli; this science fiction film was twisted fun. I thought Sophie and Jack were great together and enjoyed all the twists and turns in the script. Part of the success was the tight directing taking place; I felt engaged throughout the movie as I was exposed to scenes of dark humor, satire, tension, and fear. What helped me was not knowing or seeing anything about this picture because it increased my surprise level. I will have to say, when the movie was over, it made me wonder if we could ever get to a similar place in time. There were a few brief scenes with blood and violence. 3 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
WE WERE THE BEST OF FRIENDS from an early age. Every weekend we would be together, either at my house or his, which was only kitty-corner to mine. My house was on the northwest corner of a city square block and his was on the southeast corner. We would cut through the alley to each one’s place. We had been friends from kindergarten up to sixth grade. It was during the sixth grade, when we started having certain class subjects assigned to other teachers’ rooms, where my friend had the opportunity to spend more time with a couple of boys from a different class. What happened over the next few months was my friend started including these boys into our circle of friends that we had for the past several years. This did not upset me at first; however, suddenly there were a few Saturdays when my friend was not home when I called him. His mother said he had gone out with a couple of friends. A couple of friends? I was part of his friendship. It was not until I saw him in school that he said his friends from the other classroom invited him out. My feelings were hurt, but I did not say anything. As we were nearing the end of the school year, it seemed as if he was spending more weekends with them than me. And through the summer months, we barely got together; so, by the time we were starting the new year, I felt totally rejected. THE FEELINGS OF LOSS I EXPERIENCED made me more conscious about my relationships with my friends as I grew up. I never wanted any of my friends to experience the feelings I had back then. I may have even overcompensated by wanting to include everyone all the time. However, I soon learned not everyone wants to be with everyone all the time. So, I started making plans with friends and family members individually, creating a rotation system so no one would get left out. There was one other factor I had not counted on. Originally, I thought something was wrong with me when getting together with some of my long-term friends seemed to take on a sense of struggling for conversation. Our comfort zone was talking about the past; but nothing else talked about seemed to be interesting to one of us, or were things to which one could not relate. It occurred to me whether one of us or both were growing in different directions. I did not see this as a negative thing, it was just a part of the growing process. And as proof, as time passed more of our face to fact time converted to a series of texts and emails. With this knowledge, I certainly could relate to the feelings Gromit was experiencing in this stop motion animated adventure comedy. WHEN A NEW INVENTION WAS INTRODUCED into his master’s house, Gromit soon begins to feel jealous of everything it could do. However, when a series of strange things begin to happen, Gromit believes there is something more going on with this high-tech invention. With Ben Whitehead (Berry Bees-TV, Wallace & Gromit franchise) voicing Wallace, Peter Kay (Car Share-TV, Roary the Racing Car-TV) voicing Chief Inspector Mackintosh, Lauren Patel (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Lloyd of the Flies-TV) voicing P.C. Mukherjee, Reece Shearsmith (High-Rise, Inside No. 9-TV) voicing Norbot, and Diane Morgan (Mandy-TV, After Life-TV) voicing Onya Doorstep; this film offered exactly what fans have come to expect, a fun, sly story with a fascinating artform of animation. I enjoyed the story line and thought the writers did a wonderful job blending the two story lines. The combination of slapstick humor, thrills, suspense, and tongue-in-cheek commentary kept me engaged the entire time. The level of stop motion animation, I imagine, must have taken at least a couple of years to achieve; it was so precise, even down to the facial expressions. This was a surprise treat for the way it lit up my spirits during this gloomy winter we have been having here.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Number 24
IT WAS NOT THE ORGANIZATION’S FAULT. I was supposed to be one of many volunteers who were assigned to turn an empty warehouse space into a fantasy land. The theme of the event they were hoping to create was titled “Coming Out of the Shadows.” When I was given the assignment, I was told at the time that there would be longer hours involved the closer we got to the gala charity event. When I arrived on the first day of my assignment, I was expecting a large group to be in attendance. It was obvious to me there were not a lot of people. The coordinator addressed it immediately, telling us several individuals called at the last minute to say they would not be able to come and help. He told us he was trying to find others to help, but they had to follow a tight schedule and asked us to be patient and do the best we could. I felt bad for the organization but was willing to do whatever I could to help. After he was done speaking, the coordinator took us to a storage space that was filled with all kinds of props, lights, materials, and mannequins. Each of us was handed a sheet that had a rendering of what the room was supposed to look like. He told us different people will pop in at times to check on the progress and give any suggestions if needed; but he stressed that we should try to have fun creating what he thought was such an imaginative space. ONCE HE LEFT US, EACH OF us took turns introducing ourselves and stating what we thought our strengths were for this task. I mentioned that I have a good eye for spacing and organization. Part of my job was to haul out groups of items that were ready to be used by the volunteers who had a flair for decorating. I offered suggestions to them when I thought something was not working or would be in the way of the guests when the room was full. Later in the day it was obvious we would have to stay late if we were to stay on track to finish everything on time. Gratefully, the organization ordered pizza for us since we were going to be there late into the night. As I was taking things out of the storeroom, I discovered there were props that were too heavy for me to carry. I found someone to help, and we still struggled to get the items out onto the floor. For the entire week we had to keep this pace up, staying up late every night, eating something quick when we could, and always on the move. I was exhausted every night when I got home. By the end of the week all of us were sore and exhausted from all the work, but it was worth it. The organization was thrilled with the results. I felt good about how much we sacrificed to get things done and ready for the event. Not that it is a contest, but after seeing this biographical drama, my sacrifice pales in comparison. ON THE VERGE OF BEING OCCUPIED, a Norwegian citizen decides he cannot sit back and watch his country be taken over by Nazi Germany. What he starts to do will make him the number one target of the German forces. With Sjur Vatne Brean (Out Stealing Horses, Delete Me-TV) as Gunner Sonsteby, Erik Hivju (Max Manus: Man of War, Hvaler-TV) as the older Gunnar Sonsteby, Philip Helgar (Russebussen-TV) as Edward Tallaksen, Magnus Degpale (Cabin Crazy, Total Paranoia) as Andreas Aubert, and Ines Hoysaeter Asserson (Softshell, Heirs of the Night-TV) as Reidun Andersen; this war film told a story I had never heard in any of my history classes, which is a shame. I thought the script was going to bother me as it jumped from present time to past, but it wound up adding an extra layer of connection with the characters. The story in of itself was remarkable and I enjoyed the way the writers stuck to a straightforward story line without taking many dramatic liberties. It also assisted with keeping the moral questions on equal footing. The acting was good; they came across as real people. This was such an incredible story to watch and knowing that it was based on a true person made it even better. Norwegian, German, Danish and English were spoken with subtitles.
3 ½ stars
moviejoltz 