Flash Movie Review: The Professor
IT WAS OUR PASSION FOR WORKING out that sparked our friendship. Meeting at the house of mutual friends, I knew immediately he was into fitness. My first clue was the food he had on his plate. From all the choices available at the buffet table, he chose the items with the least amount of carbs. Also, he was wearing a light colored T-shirt that was stretched to the max across his chiseled torso and bulging biceps. It was over at the table set up as the bar, where I made a comment about his plate of food. He, in turn, asked where was my plate. When I explained I stop eating 5 hours before going to sleep, I could tell my comment piqued his interest. From there we got into a discussion about health and exercise, sharing our journey into fitness. I shared stories about witnessing the effects brought on by family members’ poor health and how I started questioning the things I was doing that might trigger into action those same poor genes I shared with them from the family gene pool. It turned out we had a similar history that motivated us to take better care of ourselves. Before the evening was over, we both had a good sense of each other and agreed to hang out at some point. FROM THAT RANDOM MEETING AT THAT party, we wound up becoming pretty good workout buddies. When time permitted we would meet at the health club and become each other’s coach and spotter. It must have been 6 or 8 months later when he got the news that would change his life forever. On a routine doctor visit it was discovered he had a serious disease. Because he was so fit, he did not notice the early symptoms. From that point on things changed, as you would expect. He still met me at the gym but not as often; not because he did not want to, but because he was busy getting his house ready to sell. Upon getting the news, he decided he did not want to live and die in a cold climate. Instead, he planned on moving to a warmer city on the west coast. He still kept close to his workout routine but the times did not mesh with my availability. By the time we were in the middle of the autumn season, he had sold most of his furnishings, grew a beard and bought a house. Though he hadn’t finalized the sale of his current house, he wanted to get out and start enjoying the days he had remaining in a warm climate. I was impressed with his matter of fact actions in completely uprooting himself to seek out comfort for his remaining days. I don’t know if I would have the same courage as him or the main character in this dark comedic drama. UPON RECEIVING DIRE NEWS ABOUT HIS HEALTH Richard, played by Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Black Mass) changed the way he was teaching his classes and also the people around him. With Rosemarie DeWitt (Your Sister’s Sister, Rachel Getting Married) as Veronica, Odessa Young (Assassination Nation, The Daughter) as Olivia, Danny Huston (The Aviator, The Constant Gardener) as Peter and Zoey Deutch (Before I Fall, Dirty Grandpa) as Claire; this film festival nominee had a decent cast of actors. Johnny was ok but he did not provide me with something new that I had not seen before. The script had an occasional glimmer of hope, but I felt it lacked in developing the characters. There were several chances for this story to well up into an emotional peak but I felt the writers wanted to play it safe. So instead what was left for the viewer was a repeat of actions and emotions; as if, the writers wanted to not only numb the main character but the audience as well.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Tigertail
I HAD KNOWN HER FOR A LONG time; yet I was still surprised when she told me the reason why she was going to college. Up until that time she did okay in school, nothing above average though. When she told me she wanted to attend college, I had asked her why and she told me she wanted to find a husband. To hide my shock I used my humor by asking her if it would be cheaper to sign up for a dating service. I had to appreciate her honesty, but the idea that college would be the place to find a mate sounded farfetched; there was no guarantee she would find on campus someone to marry. Yet, she was determined and sure enough in her junior year, she met a senior student and fell in love with him. They dated for a year before deciding to get married. During that period, I met him a couple of times when they would drive back home for a weekend visit. He seemed nice, but he had what I refer to as a salesperson’s personality. No disrespect to the people in that profession, but he had a list of catch phrases he depended on when participating in a conversation. Also, he never offered an opinion that was different from the person he was interacting with in a conversation. I did not detect much sincerity behind his statements as a result. THE TWO GOT MARRIED A COUPLE of months after his college graduation. They settled into married life and seemed to be happy. I would see them from time to time and as far as I could tell they seemed fine. There was one thing I noticed however. When they were together, she seemed to talk less. I could not put my finger on it, but it seemed as if he was always the one to make any type of decisions. He never lost the catch phrases, but his delivery of them seemed to have an edge to them now. This continued for a couple of years before my friend started to show up to events without him. At first, she offered excuses for his absences; but it was not too long before she finally confessed she was unhappy and filing for a divorce. I offered support and told her if she needed to talk I was available anytime. She never took my up on the offer and I did not push the subject. Though, one time she did share with me she regretted her years focused on finding a husband because they blinded her to her husband’s faults. I wondered if she could leave her regrets behind to move forward. This was the same thought I had for the main character in this dramatic film. YOUNG GROVER’S, PLAYED BY HONG-CHI Lee (City of Rock, Baby) dream was to move to the United States. Moving there meant leaving the ones he loved behind; a decision that would come with regrets. With Tzi Ma (Arrival, The Ladykillers) as Grover, Christine Ko (Hawaii Five-O-TV, Dave-TV) as Angela, Fiona Fu (Power Rangers, Blood and Water) as Zhenzhen and Joan Chen (Love in Disguise, Judge Dredd) as Yuan; this multigenerational film had an authentic, touching story that was easy to follow. With the beautiful filming, I was thoroughly involved with the story. The acting was well done, as the story would shift between Taiwan and the United States. I did not feel as if the script was trying to manipulate me; each pause in the dialog allowed the actors to express true emotion in my opinion. The story has a certain universal appeal that I think many viewers will connect to and appreciate. I have always said for every action there is a reaction. When it comes to affairs of the heart one can only hope for the best by striving towards a goal. Several scenes were spoken in Chinese with English subtitles.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Fast Color
SOMETIMES IT TAKES AN UNEXPECTED EVENT for an individual to discover their hidden ability. I have no recollection of the event, but I was told my relative ran alongside a bus to keep me safe. The story told to me was about a time I was riding a bus from the doctor’s office. When the bus came to our stop, I lined up behind my relative who had taken me. I was the last one in line to exit the backside door of the bus. Because I was young and small, the bus driver could not see me in his rearview mirror, walking down the stairs. He closed the doors and my back leg got caught between them. My relative, who had stepped off of the bus, turned around just as I yelled out for help. She immediately grabbed me to see if she could pull me out but the doors had a solid hold of my leg. The bus started to coast away from the curb; my relative kept holding me as she trotted along. Though she was active as a teenager, it had been decades since she did anything that would yield a drop of sweat to break out on her forehead, let alone running at top speed. With the bus merging into traffic it was going at a good clip by now. There were a couple of people sitting near the back of the bus that caught a glimpse of my predicament and hollered out to the bus driver to stop. He finally did but not after my relative had been running alongside for a few blocks. DUE TO THAT EVENT MY RELATIVE discovered she had a knack for running. I know, what a way to find out, right? I was told I was shaken up from the bus ride but there were no injuries done to me. Presently, I have a friend who discovered he has an artistic flair for creating art pieces. With the stay at home order in place in his state, he has been purging his house of old, discarded items that he does not need anymore. He was gathering up all kinds of items, anywhere from hardware things to clothing accessories to expired medicine bottles. Having them stacked in a pile, one day he was sitting and looking at them. For some reason, he started picking out items and laying them on his coffee table. Pretty soon he had a small group of things that he arranged into a pattern. This intrigued him and before you know it, he found a 12 x 12 piece of wooden board and started gluing all the items onto the board. By the time he was done he had created a piece of art that could easily be hung up on a wall and no one would be the wiser. I saw a photo of it and it was beautiful. At present he has several pieces created that will easily sell in an art show. Just as he discovered a hidden ability, the main character in this dramatic thriller discovered her ability. AFTER DISCOVERING HER ABILITY RUTH, PLAYED BY Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Belle, Beyond the Lights), became a target that needed to be harnessed. With David Strathaim (Lincoln; Good Night, and Good Luck) as Ellis, Lorraine Toussaint (Selma, Love Beats Rhymes) as Bo, Christopher Denham (Shutter Island, Sound of my Voice) as Bill and Saniyya Sidney (Hidden Figures, Fences) as Lila; this science fiction, film festival winning movie had a down to earth, gentleness to its story. I thought the acting was excellent and was grateful the script assisted the actors in a positive way. What I liked about this picture was the fact for a science fiction story it did not have major special effects, battles or otherworldly characters; it was rather a simple story that had similarities to other films with the same type of special ability characters. There was no new ground covered in this movie; however, its ability to be entertaining was much appreciated.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Lazy Susan
MOTIVATION IS A KEY INGREDIENT IN a person’s journey through life; I firmly believe this. It is the reason one has for behaving or acting a certain way. For example, I wanted to feel better about myself and be able to buy clothing off the rack from any store; so, I went on a diet to lose weight. Another example was my dream to visit all 50 states. I let pass social opportunities so I could save money to fund my travel plans. As long as I can remember, whenever I was motivated to do something I never had a completion date associated to it. In other words, if there was something I wanted to do or get I would stick with it until I reached my goal. Is this the norm? I do not know. From my experiences, I have seen so many variations in a person’s motivation. Now let me say upfront I found it difficult to be sympathetic to an individual who wanted to achieve something but was not motivated to go get it. I had a friend who desperately wanted to be in a love relationship; not a conversation would go by without him mentioning what he would do if he had a significant other. The problem as I saw it was he did nothing to try and meet people. I do not know if he was expecting people to come knocking on his door. WITH THE LAST EXAMPLE I DESCRIBED, the other aspect that contributes to me being unsympathetic is when the person blames others for the predicament they placed themselves in. Recognition is the first step in solving a problem. The friend I described above once in a while would meet someone by happenstance, while grocery shopping or riding the train. If they struck up a conversation and eventually went out on a couple of dates, my friend would already start to think ahead of what might happen. However, if the few dates went nowhere, he was always quick to place blame on the other person. They were conceited, stuffy, high maintenance were some of the excuses he would express to me. After hearing the same excuses over time, I had to finally suggest to him that maybe he should take a look at the things he was doing. You would have thought I was accusing him of murder or fraud; he said he was doing nothing wrong. At that point I was done and knew there was no sense in trying to reason with him. I believe I would have come to the same conclusion with the main character in this comedy. WITH NO JOB AND NO SOURCE OF INCOME; Susan, played by Sean Hayes (The Three Stooges, Will & Grace-TV), had to rely on getting money from her mother. However, the arrangement wouldn’t last if her brother had something to say about it. With Carrie Aizley (For Your Consideration, Transparent-TV) as Corrin, Margo Martindale (The Hollars, August: Osage County) as Mary, Allison Janney (Hairspray, The Girl on the Train) as Velvet and Danny Johnson (Daredevil-TV, Shades of Blue-TV) as Leon; I thought the story was interesting at the start. The cast was well suited for their roles, but I felt the script dragged on for a good portion of the film. Sean was just okay in the role; there was nothing unique to his acting. I would have preferred knowing more about how the dynamics between Susan and her family came to be. As it stood, the story did not go anywhere for me; everything seemed to stay on one level. Except for the occasional humorous scene, my pulse did not get a rise from this picture. Maybe it was expecting me to find the good parts to the plot?
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Ride Like a Girl
NOTHING CAUSED ME MORE FEAR IN SCHOOL than having someone shout out that I threw like a girl. To get branded with those words would mean you were going to have an especially rough semester at school. I actually was pretty good in throwing a baseball, but I wasn’t so good when it came to playing basketball. Gratefully, I just passed under the radar whenever we would play basketball in PE class. There was always someone worse than me who would suffer the humiliation of getting the moniker for throwing like a girl. And once you were deemed with that label, no matter what you did in class afterwards was never truly appreciated by the other students. I recall at one point I wondered what the girls did in their PE classes to make fun of a student who was not proficient in a particular sport. Notice, I assumed the girls could be just as mean as the boys; I don’t honestly know why that was my way of thinking. There were a few girls in the school who were bullies. Based on the things I experienced, it was natural for me to think that anyone who showed a sign of weakness or inability would be an open target for verbal abuse. For boys, the quickest cut to another boy was telling him he was a sissy or acted like a girl. TIMES HAVE CHANGED AND NOW THROWING like a girl does not have the same connotation; too bad it took such a long time to evolve. Imagine how many boys could have been spared humiliation from their fellow classmates if they understood girls could throw a ball just as well as boys. I know a father who has a daughter who went to college on a scholarship because she was a top baseball pitcher in high school. During her summer vacation, she would attend baseball camp to perfect her pitches. Her Dad would update me on the locations she and her traveling teammates visited and how well she would do in the baseball game. There were a couple of times where she pitched a no-hitter. After hearing this, I wondered how many men would hope they could pitch as well as a girl? The question I would like to know is what is happening in the classroom? Has mankind expanded its thinking to the point where a male student is told he throws like a girl and the boy says thank you? NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES BEING told she could not compete with men Michelle Payne, played by Teresa Palmer (I Am Number Four, Warm Bodies), knew in her heart she could compete with any man. She just needed someone to take her seriously. This dramatic sport film based on a true story caught my attention because of the movie’s title. With Sam Neill (Jurassic Park franchise, Hunt for the Wilderpeople) as Paddy Payne, Sullivan Stapleton (Gangster Squad, 300: Rise of an Empire) as Darren Weir, Brooke Satchwell (Subdivision, Wonderland-TV) as Therese Payne and Magda Szubanski (The Golden Compass, Kath & Kim-TV) as Sister Dominique; this biographical story had some David and Goliath moments. Fundamentally the story’s arc was not that unusual; what sold me were Teresa’s performance and the action scenes. What was missing for me was seeing more back-story to the Payne family. The scenes that involved the siblings seemed ripe for a further in-depth look at the family. I never really got a sense on where Michelle got her drive. Despite my concerns, knowing this film festival nominated picture was based on a true story made the viewing of it more engaging for me. Also, seeing what Michelle went through to do what she loved was inspiring to me because I appreciated the fact that there essentially should be no preference for a woman or man to try and reach their dreams, whatever they may be.
2 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Rust Creek
THE STORY SHE WAS TELLING DESCRIBED a world that was unfamiliar to me. Right out of school she got married and moved to her husband’s family’s lands up in the hills of Kentucky. The trip did not take them long, which allowed her to see her new home in the daylight along with several of his relatives who were stationed as lookouts. Being in love had an extra benefit here because she did not mind one bit that the home standing in front of her looked abandoned. Her husband, who had no training, built the house and it showed. There was no running water; instead, there was a pump in the back of the house. She would grow to hate the pump, especially in wintertime. Keep in mind; we are talking current times, not a date back in the 1800s. The only heat sources in the house were 2 fireplaces and a potbellied stove. She eventually got used to the house; though she mentioned she had a hard time sometimes coping with it in winter. There would be mornings when the bucket of water they kept in the bathroom for washing would be nearly frozen. Being a city person, I could not comprehend that in this day and age; people would be living in that type of situation. Her story started only 50+ years ago. DUE TO THE STORY SHE TOLD, I was careful when I decided to visit Kentucky. You may think I am paranoid but the image of her husband’s relatives sitting with rifles along the road has always stayed with me. All I could think about was whether her husband’s family was in some type of feud with another family, akin to the story of the Hatfield and McCoy families. When I visited the state I only went to large metropolitan areas. I actually had a wonderful time while delving into the history of those areas along with sampling the local cuisine. The state was picturesque which provided me with many photo opportunities. Driving down the road seeing several horses trotting across an enclosed pasture made me pull over to take a photograph. The things I was seeing were so far removed from the things my friend told me about regarding her time living in the state. The two worlds were so opposite. Granted I was simply a tourist who zeroed in on the sights I wanted to see; it is not like I didn’t know every state has more than one version of itself. I was fortunate and lucky during my stay in Kentucky, unlike the main character in this film festival winning dramatic thriller. WHEN A WRONG TURN LEAVES SAWYER, played by Hermione Cornfield (Fallen, Star Wars: The Last Jedi), in the back woods of a country road; she quickly realizes her education won’t necessarily get her to where she needs to be. With Jay Paulson (Black Rock, Mad Men-TV) as Lowell, Sean O’Bryan (Olympus Has Fallen, Vantage Point) as O’Doyle, Micah Hauptman (Everest, In Stereo) as Hollister and Daniel R. Hill (Above Suspicion, Hunter’s Moon) as Buck; this story resonated with me because of my friend’s time in Kentucky. Does this mean those with no connection to the state should not view this film? Not necessarily because the performance by Hermione was worth watching. The script was pretty generic but I appreciated what the writers did regarding the character Sawyer. There were scenes that did not make sense to me despite the predictability of the script. Except for Hermione, the other characters were a bit too stereotypical for me. What I enjoyed about this picture was watching the story arc to Hermoine’s character Sawyer. For some reason this movie reminded me of Winter’s Bone, though at a much lower level. An added bonus for me was enjoying some of the outdoor scenes of Kentucky and remembering my friend and her story.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Harpoon
THERE IS A BLURRED BOUNDARY LINE when it comes to whether someone is being serious or simply kidding around. I had a friend who enjoyed crossing this line. He had a wicked sense of humor and was quick with the comeback. It was that humor that saved him many times from getting into a verbal fight with someone. Long ago I gave up asking him to try and tone down his remarks, explaining what he thought was funny may not translate to another person. If someone mentioned something about a new article of clothing they were wearing, he would always remark with a negative comment; something along the lines of, “Was it on the clearance rack?” or “Did you buy it to wear at a funeral?” He would then say, “only kidding” followed with complimenting them profusely which in my opinion always came across as being fake. There were times where I was near enough to witness his interaction with an individual and could see in the stranger’s face they thought he was rude. I learned over the years that just saying “I’m kidding” after an off-putting remark doesn’t always cut it. Especially if the person you are saying it to you does not even know you and your humor; it really turns into an uncomfortable situation. NOW I BET YOU ARE ASKING yourself why am I friends with such an individual and trust me, I have asked myself the same question at times. Though we have history together, I learned many years ago not to react to his catty comments. After awhile of not getting a reaction out of me from his remarks, he stopped doing it to me. Believe it or not, he did have some good qualities I value in a friendship; so, I put up with his behavior. It would be nice if we could cut out the things we don’t like about a person, but that is not the case. The way I feel about unconditional love is the same way I feel about friendships; one has to accept the entire person or not. For example, I had a friend who constantly cancelled plans we made together. I would reach out to see if they wanted to get together for lunch or dinner and they would be all enthusiastic about it. Then, a day or two before we were to get together they would cancel on me. Once or twice I can understand; but after several times I switched things up and told them to let me know when they wanted to get together. I am still waiting for that invite. In my world, that person is more of an acquaintance to me then a friend. For the friends in this comedy horror, I would be fine if we were not even acquaintances. STUCK OUT ON A YACHT IN THE middle of the ocean, it didn’t take long for three best friends to get sick of each other. With Munro Chambers (Turbo Kid, Godsend) as Jonah, Christopher Gray (Christmas All Over Again, The Mist-TV) as Richard, Emily Tyra (Code Black-TV, Flesh and Bones-TV) as Sasha and Brett Gelman (The Other Guys, Lemon) as the Narrator; this film festival winner had an intentional snarky edge to it. There were a couple of scenes that got my attention, but I am afraid that was it for me. Except for the twist in the story, I was bored through the majority of this movie. There was nothing noteworthy about the acting and at times, I felt some of the action was ridiculous. Several scenes had blood and violence in them, with one of them starting early in the story. It is not easy to pull off a comedic horror picture; I did not experience either of them in this movie. Maybe the writers were joking around but I felt like the joke was on me after I spent the time watching this movie.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Christine
I DID NOT NOTICE HER WHEN I entered the classroom. My main concern was finding an empty seat. The class was mandatory; my friends teased me about the title of it, Meat and Animal Science. The instructor walked in and explained what was expected of us for the semester. After he was finished with his introduction, the teacher asked us to pair up with another student to become lab partners for the course. Since it was our first day, all the students simply asked whoever was sitting next to them. I became partnered with a farm boy, using his definition, from a little town that had only one stoplight. I thought he was joking, but it turned out he was not. The teacher waited a few moments to get the talking to die down before asking if anyone did not get a partner; one lone hand was raised in the air and it was from a female student. I looked around the room and noticed for the first time that she was the only female; it was just a curious observation on my part. The instructor assigned her to the two students sitting next to her who had teamed up, forming a trio. AS WE PROGRESSED THROUGH THE SEMESTER, there were times my partner and I were stationed near the trio during our lab time. I did not notice at first; but as the weeks passed, I noticed the female student was rarely working alongside her lab partners. My first thought was that she wanted to work alone. The reason being anytime her group had to do a presentation, the two male students would do the talking and fielding of questions. She would nod her head in agreement and would only talk if the instructor or student asked her something directly. As the weeks continued, I paid closer attention to her group, mostly to satisfy my own curiosity. I began to notice she did offer suggestions and advice to her teammates; they would nod their heads and/or mumble something I could not make out. However, based on how they proceeded, I saw the female lab partner would start up her own work on the task. I could only assume her lab partners were ignoring her and doing what they felt was the right thing to do. As far as I could tell the instructor did not notice or, sadly if this was the case, did notice and did not care. I did not know how she made out in the course, but I felt sad that her lab partners treated her with a lack of respect. My feelings for the main character in this film festival winning drama were similar. ON HER QUEST TO REPORT ONLY hard news stories television news reporter Christine Chubbuck, played by Rebecca Hall (The Town, The Gift), constantly came up against roadblocks. Whether it was not being the right type of story or something else; the only thing left was for her to create the story she wanted to report on. With Michael C. Hall (Kill Your Darlings, Dexter-TV) as George, Tracy Letts (Lady Bird, The Post) as Michael, Maria Dizzia (True Story, Rachel Getting Married) as Jean and J. Smith-Cameron (Man on a Ledge, You Can Count on Me) as Peg; this biographical story was based on true events. The key in making this movie work was the cast, led by the amazing Rebecca in her role. Unfamiliar to me, it was because of the cast’s acting skills that kept me involved with the plot. It took a while for me to get a sense of what was going on; but once I did, I enjoyed watching this movie. What surprised me about this picture was the fact not only was I unaware of the story, but also that I could not recall having heard anything about Rebecca’s amazing performance.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Crip Camp
IT WAS THE CLANKING SOUND THAT made me turn and look at the storefront. I was living out of state to attend college and was exploring the downtown section of the city I was now living in. The clanking sound came from a man sitting in a wheelchair, who was stuck between 2 sets of doors. His back was towards me; I could not tell if he was trying to leave or enter the store. A couple of people passed in front of me as I walked up to him and offered to help. He said he was trying to get out of the store when both sets of doors wedged him in. I took a look down at the wheel of his chair and saw what needed to be done to free him. I had to lift the edge of the chair up just enough to free the door so I could push it out with my foot. Putting the wheel back down, the man wheeled himself out onto the sidewalk. It was there I finally saw he was missing his left leg. Up until that time the only people I had seen sitting in a wheelchair were patients in a hospital or people who temporarily needed a wheelchair while they mended a broken leg. The man thanked me profusely before he wheeled himself away. I took a look at the doors to the store and thought they were a bit narrow which explained why it was not easy for the man to enter and exit the place. AS I CONTINUED ON MY WAY, I could not get the image of the man in the wheelchair out of my head. I tried to picture how his daily life must be, sitting in his chair. The first thing that came to mind was transportation; how did he get around? Was he able to drive a car, I wondered? Maybe he could with his right leg. But, what if he did not have a car and had to take a bus; how would he get on the bus while sitting in his wheelchair? The more I thought about the everyday things I do, the more I thought about the challenges facing that man. As I kept thinking of other scenarios that would be impactful for the man, I thought about those people who might not have one or both arms, the ones who did not have the ability to hear or see and so on. This made me look at my surroundings in a whole different way. How challenging it must be for these individuals each and every day. What they might not have known was things were going to change because of one particular camp that was operating in the Catskills. PARENTS WHO SENT THEIR CHILDREN TO Camp Jened found when their children returned home, they were not the same. This film festival-winning documentary stunned me on several levels. Not only did I learn something new, I was thoroughly entertained and engrossed by the presentation of the subject matter. Written and directed by Nicole Newnham (The Rape of Europa, Sentenced Home) and first timer James Lebrecht, this film began its story in the 1970s. From the Catskills story line, the viewer becomes exposed to the beginning of a monumental movement that was to take place later in the movie. By the time the story shifts to Berkeley, California, we see how the activities at the camp created a special bond among the campers that fueled their desires. I thought the mix of archival and current video clips created a captivating presentation of the story. I will admit I was not cognizant of the laws that were passed, though I was aware of them. Sitting and watching this movie was an eye-opening experience that I doubt I will ever forget.
4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Highway
WE WERE SITTING AND ENJOYING OUR menu choices that we carried out from a local restaurant. At some point the conversation turned to traveling and we started asking each other what places we have gone to in the states. I think I was the most interested in the answers because I was the only one at the table who had been to all 50 states. Listening to the places people were mentioning brought back my memories of those times when I was there. I remembered one city where I got there the day they opened a new people mover to connect their airport to the downtown area. As I was sitting in one of the train cars, I noticed an elderly couple staring at the automatic doors. From the conversations I had with them during the ride, it turned out they had never seen automatic doors before. I know, hard to believe right? They lived in a tiny town out in the country. I will always have this memory as part of my memories of the city. Now some of the stories being told around the table dealt with areas in a state that I did not have time to visit. Many of my state visits dealt with flying into a city and exploring it and its surrounding area; usually there was not time for me to explore further out unless the destination was a national park or something else significant. MORE THAN SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE EVENING, someone would mention staying at a local area of an out of state city where I also had stayed during my trip. When this would come up we then would compare our notes on our time there. I found it curious when someone, who stayed in the same area as me, saw nothing of what I had seen. Though they could recall the street where their hotel was located, they had no idea what I was talking about as I mentioned the different tourist and local attractions/places I went to see when I was there. I would mention a famous museum, garden or mansion and they would shrug and tell me they had no clue such and such was there. I do not mean this to sound judgmental or condescending; I was simply perplexed by the things they chose to experience. Going out of state and visiting the same places one has back home has never been my thing. For example, going to a national pizza chain or clothing store or breakfast restaurant are places I do not care to visit when I am out of state. I know some people find comfort by choosing places that are familiar but then I would ask why spend the money to experience them out of state. Also, I am guessing some people may not even know there are other choices; like the main character in this film festival winning movie. KIDNAPPED AT GUNPOINT, THE DAUGHTER OF A wealthy businessman discovers a completely different world than the one she grew up in. Depending on how you look at it, it can be a scary or beautiful world. This romantic crime drama starred Alia Bhatt (Gully Boy, Dear Zindagi) as Veera Tripathi, Randeep Hooda (Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai, Beeba Boys) as Mahabir Bhati, Durgesh Kumar (Dhadak, Paharganj) as Aadoo, newcomer Pradeep Nagar as Tonk and Saharsh Kumar Shukla (Ugly, Raees) as Goru; I initially thought this was going to be a standard Bollywood picture. Surprisingly, the script started out that way but eventually took a different trajectory. There were times the story wavered and turned to typical relief tricks; but I liked the ride this film provided me. I thought the acting was decent and I enjoyed the variety of outdoor shots the story provided. To call this movie a coming of age story would not necessarily convey its true story, I believe; it is more of a coming into awareness story. Hindi was spoken with English subtitles.
2 ½ stars
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