Flash Movie Review: Venom: The Last Dance
MY VERY FIRST FRIEND WAS A boy who lived in the apartment building where I was born. He and his family lived in the apartment below us. With both sets of parents being friends, we would get together often. He was one year older than me, but it did not make any difference to us. Our apartment building was our playground. Being an “L” shaped building with two separate entrances, our entrance was on the side street side of the building. On the main street side there was a family on the third floor who had a daughter that was our age; she would play with us occasionally. Our backyard being “L” shaped was the mirror image of the building, together they formed a perfect rectangle. We would make up a variety of games that used both sets of backstairs and porches. And with our backyard right off the alley, you could find us running from the backyard to the front of the building, to the other side of the building to its back porches. I especially liked hiding in the laundry rooms that were hidden behind the back stairs, four steps down. During the summer months, we would be together almost every day. It was not until I was seven years old that my parents told me my best friend and his family were moving far away to the northern suburbs. I was devastated. Who would be an astronaut with me while we explored the backyard and alley? IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO get over the loss of my friend. Though our families tried to stay in touch, as school became the primary focus, it got harder to visit each other. Eventually, I became friends with a boy who had moved into our neighborhood over summer break from school. He was assigned to my classroom. During recess, I included him with my classmates in whatever game we were playing. Having similar interests and liking the same type of board games and baseball cards, we would get together after school. His family was nice, and his mother always had a snack for us. During summer, we signed up for the same day camp. At some point, we would have sleepovers at each other’s house. All through elementary school we were best friends until the year before graduation, when his parents decided to move to a different school district. I was sad but at least we were able to see each other periodically. However, by the time we entered high school, we started seeing each other less. There was a sense of sadness, but on the other hand, having best friends through school was the best experience. It is just harder and comes with a deeper loss when the two grow apart. I cannot imagine what the main character in this superhero, action adventure, dealt with in his situation. BEING HUNTED BY THE AUTHORITIES AND alien beings, the only thing that mattered to Eddie Brock, played by Tom Hardy (The Bikeriders, The Revenant), was to keep himself and his symbiote friend alive. But would it be enough to save the world? With Chiwetel Ejiofor (The Old Guard, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind) as Strickland, Juno Temple (Killer Joe, Fargo-TV) as Dr. Teddy Paine, Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man franchise, House of the Dragon-TV) as Martin, and Stephen Graham (Boiling Point, Young Woman and the Sea) as Detective Mulligan; this science fiction sequel had a built in appeal due to Tom and his alien friend. I enjoyed their performances and humor; however, the script had a weak storyline along with a general blandness that turned me off from enjoying myself. The special effects were not perfect, and the mix of humor, sarcasm and danger never fully committed to themselves. The production just seemed tired to me. I do not imagine this character will be gone from future productions, but it does need a rest and reboot, which might have been the reason for the two extra scenes during the ending credits.
2 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Woman of the Hour
IT IS NOT LIKE I STUDIED FOR it or practiced it over and over again; it is just some feeling that directs my interactions with the world. Let me give you an example. I had an indoor gym set that essentially consisted of one weight stack, one bench, and various attachments to work the different muscle groups. One of my exercises on it was a lat pulldown, pulling a bar suspended above my head down until my arms formed a 90-degree angle. One day, I started to close my eyes and turn my face away from the weight stack in front of me as I pulled down the bar. I cannot tell you why, though it was odd, but it was something I started doing every time I did this exercise. After one week of doing this, the next time I went to start the routine by standing to reach the bar and bringing it down, the cable snapped. I was stunned. Because t had just grabbed the bar, there was little force, and the frayed cable end flopped down onto the bench that was between my legs. It suddenly occurred to me that if I had been sitting down exerting force by pulling down on the bar, that cable would have snapped right into my face. The crazy part was after I replaced the broken cable and sat to do the pulldowns, I was not aware at first that I did not close my eyes or turn my face away. I have no explanation. THIS SAME, LET ME CALL IT, phenomenon of feeling or sense happens with people. A friend of mine introduced her boyfriend to me after they had been dating for a few months. When I shook his hand in greeting them, I got a bad feeling. It was not something physical per se, more like a sense of dread, ache or ickiness. Every time we got together, I always had this bad feeling around him. I did not want to upset my friend while she was dating this man. However, as they started to settle into being a couple, some things started coming out. It turned out he was controlling and preferred having things his way. Whenever he did not get his way, he would pout and stew about it. Gratefully, my friend did not put up with such behavior for too long, though she went longer than I would have gone. So, you see, there is just something inside of me that protects me and helps me make decisions so I can avoid getting into a bad/uncomfortable situation. I know other people have this ability and you can see for yourself how it helps the main character in this crime mystery drama. TRYING TO BREAK INTO SHOW BUSINESS, an aspiring actress agrees to go on a televised dating show. She does not realize that her instincts just might save her life. With Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect franchise, Up in the Air) as Sheryl, Daniel Zovatto (Don’t Breathe, The Pope’s Exorcist) as Rodney, Tony Hale (Quiz Lady, Arrested Developments-TV) as Ed, Nicolette Robinson (One Night in Miami, Day of the Fight) as Laura, and Pete Holmes (Home Sweet Home Alone, Crashing-TV) as Terry; this film based on a true story was Anna’s directorial debut. She did an excellent job for her first time, building up tension while not showing graphic violence. Because of the script, I did not get a strong connection to the characters, and maybe that was done on purpose to focus more on the women, for the period of time the story was set in. The fact this was based on a true story made me sit and wonder what things must have been like back then; it was such a sad and crazy story. By the time the movie ended, I had the feeling that Anna could easily make a career out of being a film director.
2 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Federer: Twelve Final Days
IT STARTS OUT WITH ME NOTICING before it turns into allegiance when it comes to left-handed tennis players. Being a lefty, I have a slightly different view of things. It was challenging the first time I was handed a pair of scissors; they were made for right-handed people. The desks in elementary school were fine; but, in the higher schools of education many desks were simply attached to the right arms of chairs. Some of the college lecture halls I sat in had trays that were stored inside again of the right arm of our chairs. It was an inconvenience at best; however, I was aware since most people were right-handed, us left-handed folks were being grouped into a minority. Because of these early experiences, I have always rooted for those left-handed individuals who have excelled in their field. The first famous lefty I knew was Sandy Koufax. I had a baseball card with his picture on it. In fact, whenever I got the ball when playing bombardment or scatter ball in gym class, I pretended I was him. As it turned out, I had a strong throwing arm and was able to knock out many players on the opposing team. I do not know if my success had to do with being left-handed, but I certainly believed that I had an advantage over the right-handed kids. I THOUGHT MY LEFTY SUPERPOWER WOULD carry me into other sports, like tennis. However, I quickly learned I was a real minority when I was the only lefty in class. The instructor had difficulty teaching me, as a result I was always behind everyone else. The other students liked playing against me because it was an easy win for them. It was not until I had gotten proficient with my ground strokes that the other students had to really work to try and beat me. They could not read my shots as easily as they could with their fellow righties. I started to enjoy the game even more. At the same time, I started watching tennis matches on television. Whenever one of the opponents was left-handed, I immediately rooted for them. My first “crush” was jimmy Connors. He was aggressive and he was left-handed. After him, I was an enthusiastic fan of John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova and of course, Rafael Nadal. These were my heroes who reached the top of their sport while being left-handed. I felt if they could do it, I could succeed as well in any field. During my time watching these players, there was one player that caught my eye. Where everyone was grunting and sweating during their matches, he was someone completely different. It looked like he was doing a form of ballet whenever he was out on the tennis court. I grew to admire his skills even though I would still root for the lefty. However, I grew to respect his incredible skill. When I saw this documentary about him advertised, I knew I had to watch it. THERE COMES A TIME WHEN ONE needs to face their future, especially when their work requires physical stamina, strength, and endurance. What started out as private home videos became a record of the last twelve days leading up to the retirement of this illustrious tennis player’s incredible career. Directed by Asif Kapadia (The Warrior, Amy) and Joe Sabia (73 Questions-TV), this documentary was a smooth, and at times, intimate production. I enjoyed the access the viewer had to Roger’s thoughts, home, and work life. This film matched Roger’s cool classiness, which both helped and hurt the story. Everything was so polished and scripted; it would have been nice if the directors could have dug deeper into Roger’s thought process more, to get an understanding of what drove him to be the best in tennis. If one is not a fan of tennis, then there would be little interest in watching this biographical sports picture. I on the other hand enjoyed seeing the camaraderie between fellow players, such as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray. Their interactions in this film created special moments. The term, “a life well lived,” seems appropriate here, for this picture simply celebrates the career and accomplishments of an extraordinary individual, who was not bad for a righty.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Smile 2
I WAS ON THE EXERCISE BIKE, oblivious to what I was doing. All I could think about were those cookies I baked last night. I know, I see the irony with those two statements. There was something about the way the cookies looked that triggered my panic mode. In my brain, the cookies did not look right. The fact is I had never made this recipe before so how would I know what they were supposed to look like? It did not matter; I am a visual and texture eater. If something has a texture I do not like, I will not eat it. The same with looks; if it does not look right, whatever “look right” is supposed to be in my mind, I will not touch it, even if it has chocolate in it. So here I am working out on the bike, fretting whether I can serve the cookies to the company we were expecting. My entire ride was consumed by all the possibilities I had to find my happy place and serve the cookies to guests; should I make another dessert as a backup, buy one at the bakery to save myself time; just stick with the pie I had made and serve nothing else. I settled on the most logical response which is always the last thing I think about after driving myself crazy. I would have a couple of cookies for breakfast. If I liked them then I would serve them and if not, I had already decided I would bake something else. Gratefully, the cookies were good. IT IS HARD BEING ME; I WISH I would not work myself up into a frenzy when something triggers me, like in this case the look of the cookies. It is similar to something else that has been bothering me for a few weeks. I do not know if I dreamt about this conversation or if I really had it with someone about snorkeling. We are planning a trip that involves an excursion to a reef where we can snorkel to experience the beauty close up. I am already concerned about the water temperature; will it be too cold for me, and will I have to stay back in the boat. I am also concerned with sharks and jellyfish; what type of precautions will the excursion provide to protect us from an attack. My anxiety is slowly growing. Now I thought I met someone recently who told me not to worry, that we would be given wetsuits, and the temperature would be warm for the time we were going. She also said we would be handed a rope to hold on to, so that we can always be attached in some way to the boat. I found comfort with this information, but for the past week I cannot think of who told me this recent news. Going over the past few weeks of our social calendar and I cannot figure out if it was a real conversation or a dream. There are times like this where I think I am starting to lose my mind; however, nothing like what was happening to the main character in this mystery horror thriller. WITH THE RESTART OF HER TOUR, a musical pop star’s stress is causing her to question some of the things she is seeing. They seem so real, but are they? With Naomi Scott (Charlie’s Angels, Power Rangers) as Skye Riley, Rosemarie DeWitt (Out of My Mind, Rachel Getting Married) as Elizabeth Riley, Lukas Gage (Assassination Nation, Road House) as Lewis Fregoli, Miles Gutierrez-Riley (I Wish You All the Best, On the Come Up) as Joshua, and Peter Jacobson (House-TV, Fear the Walking Dead-TV) as Morris; this sequel was better than the original film. I was not expecting much; however, the story quickly grabbed me and kept me on the edge of my seat a good portion of the time. I thought Naomi and Rosemarie were excellent and enjoyed their chemistry. The script had some holes in it but with the good direction and cast, things kept moving past scenes that seemed stuck on repeat. What I most enjoyed about this movie was the fact it was more of a psychological horror story instead of just dumping gory scenes on the viewers. Now do not get me wrong, there still were some bloody, graphic scenes where I had to divert my eyes to a different part of the movie screen so as not to see the bloody action head on. And though there were no post credit scenes, I have a feeling we have not seen the last from this budding franchise.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Killer Heat
MY FIRST EXPOSURE TO TWIN SIBLINGS was a movie where teenage twin sisters swap places and scheme to reunite their divorced parents. Seeing the two sisters together looking identical fascinated me. I was too young to realize that it was one actress playing both sisters. The next time I encountered twins was watching a television show called Family Affair. The twins were Buffy and Jody, a brother and sister, but they were not identical. Except for these two experiences, I had no contact with any sets of twins until I was in high school. And then, it was like an explosion because there were several sets during my four years in school. A couple of them were identical twins; one in particular was always difficult to figure out who was who, until you talked to them for a little while. One brother was into sports, and I thought was mean; the other one was more into the social clubs like film and debate team which suited his friendlier personality. I remember one time when they swapped their classes for one period. I had the nicer brother in my classroom, and I knew within a matter of minutes that the other brother was sitting next to me instead; he did not say hello, which the nicer one always did when coming in and sitting down at his desk. Surprisingly, the teacher did not know the difference. THERE WAS ANOTHER SET OF TWIN brothers in the school that were both bullies, one was worse, however. They would pick on students all the time; in the classroom, lunchroom and outside on the school grounds. I learned quickly to stay away from them as best as I could. It was not until the end of our sophomore year that some of us found out the two brothers were not twins. The meaner one was held back a year; in other words, he flunked a grade. The two brothers decided to tell everyone they were twins so the older one would not be embarrassed. The thing I found interesting about the sets of twins in school was when there were two girls or a girl and a boy set, they were never competitive with each other. Sure, they may have had some form of sibling rivalry, but I never saw one trying to beat out the other. It was only the sets that had two boys that were competitive at our school. Even if the personalities were different, they still had a strong streak of competitiveness. Granted, none of them could match the competitiveness of the twins in this romantic, crime mystery drama, and I am grateful for it. AFTER A YOUNG ROCK CLIMBER FALLS from a cliff to his death, one of the family members secretly hires a detective to investigate all the clues to see if things match up. As the detective delves deeper into the case, his own issues begin to come out. With Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Trial of the Chicago 7, Flora and Son) as Nick Bali, Shailene Woodley (Dumb Money, To Catch a Killer) as Penelope Vardakis, Richard Madden (Eternals, Game of Thrones-TV) as Elias ‘Leonidas,’ Clare Holman (Let Him Have It, Inspector Lewis-TV) as Audrey, and Babou Ceesay (Eye in the Sky, We Hunt Together-TV) as Georges Mensah; this film was shot in the beautiful island of Crete. The outdoor scenes were stunning. I enjoyed the performances from the cast, but the script did not offer them much to work their craft. The characters were one-dimensional, which turned many scenes into standard fare. I liked the idea of the story, and I thought Joseph and Shailene could have turned into characters with depth and emotion; though no fault of their own, I was disappointed. Well, at least I enjoyed the scenery.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Officer Black Belt
BESIDES WANTING TO BE A TOUR guide, dancer, and a window washer when I was a little boy, I also wanted to be a ninja. I remember the first time I saw Brue Lee as Kato in the Green Hornet, with his quick moves and high kicks; I was mesmerized. By the time his movie, Fist of Fury, came out, I was convinced if I learned his moves a/k/a martial arts, I would no longer have to be afraid of anyone. A period of time took place where I was constantly seeing martial arts moves in television shows and films. I became obsessed with those metal star weapons that both villains and heroes would throw during fight scenes. The points were razor sharp and would lodge into anything from flesh to walls. One of my comic books had an advertisement in back for a martial arts handbook; I sent away for it. When the book arrived, I would hole up in my bedroom and study the various poses and moves over and over. My problem was I never knew if I was getting good because I did not have someone to practice with. I could kick a pillow across the room, but there were times I would lose my balance and fall on top of my bed. I needed to find an actual class. ONE SUMMER VACATION FROM SCHOOL, OUR community center offered a martial arts class. I was so excited and pleaded to be signed up for it. On the day of the first class there were fourteen of us signed up. I guess I was not the only one with the idea of becoming a ninja. We spent the entire class learning how to tumble and fall; I hated it. Though the mats we practiced on were cushy and thick, I still did not like the feeling of falling. I was always hesitant with my movements. Eventually, I got good enough to the point where I was not being corrected all the time by the instructor. It was after our third lesson that we saw demonstrations of trips and stances. One boy in our class thought he was better than the rest of us. He would walk up and surprise the less agile or weak students with a foot trip or headlock. I thought he was just a mean bully. No one wanted to tattle on him for fear he would do something worse to them. He was the opposite of why I wanted to take martial arts class. I did not want to use it to show off or tease anyone. I was thinking more on the lines like the main character in this action, comedy crime film. ALWAYS ONE TO HELP SOMEONE IN need, a young martial artist decides to enlist to become a martial arts officer, to help fight crime. He soon discovers it will take more than his fists to help a victim. With Kim Woo-bin (Master, Our Blues-TV) as Lee Jung-do, Ren Hanami (Goodbye Earth-TV, Queen of Tears-TV) as Yu-Jin in the English version, Kim Seong-gyoon (The Neighbors, Target) as Kim Seon-min, and Lee Hae-young (The Matchmakers-TV, Kill Boksoon) as Lee Sang-woo; I liked the idea of the story but felt the script was poorly written. The fact the story took the viewers to a deep dark side of crime on the streets, I thought the element of humor was not a good fit. Kim Woo-bin had the stance, looks and capabilities for the role, but the script predominantly kept his character on one level. The fight scenes were exciting and well-choregraphed, and several scenes had blood and violence. Overall, the story followed a generic template, not offering anything new for the viewer. Because this was a Korean made film, I wonder if the goal was to try and emulate a Hollywood blockbuster. Sadly, it never hit its mark. Korean was spoken with English subtitles; I saw the English version.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Saturday Night
I CANNOT REMEMBER HOW, BUT I kept hearing about a new television show that was going to air on a Saturday night. The first thing that struck me was the fact it was airing on a Saturday night; the night most everyone could do something that was not work or school related. The other thing that struck me was the fact I kept hearing about it no matter where I was on campus. In discussion halls, the student union, laboratories; I would hear bits and pieces of students’ conversations about this strange new show. Only one friend out of our group had a television in their room, but they were going back home that weekend; so, the rest of us decided to meet at our student union building because they had a large TV room for the students. The week before the telecast, I was hearing more chatter about the show. It seemed as if every student was curious enough that they wanted to see what the show was about. I told my friends there may be a lot of students showing up at the student union, so maybe we should come up with an alternative plan in case we cannot get into the TV room. We pleaded with our friend to let us borrow his television and we would bring it back on Sunday when he returned to campus. He was not too thrilled, but we promised we would make sure nothing happened to it, that we would wrap the TV in a blanket before moving it. He finally agreed. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TELEVISION would come to my room because I did not have a roommate, so I had a little more space for us to spread out. On Friday, four of us met up and moved the television to my place. Once I plugged it in, we turned it on to make sure we had good reception; all was in order and all we had to do was wait until the next day. Saturday came and we met for dinner at a pizza place near campus before coming back to watch the show. Once everyone had settled into my place and the television was turned on, we sat and waited. It did not take long before we were laughing and hooting at the television screen. The show was such a mix of oddball scenarios mixed with humor nuttiness; all of us could not stop talking about it after the show had ended. On Monday, back in class, everyone was talking about the show, some feeling the humor was directed at our age group, others loving the satirical bent used during the fake newscast. For the rest of the school year, my friends and I would squeeze into a packed television room at the student union to watch the show. All these feelings flooded back to me when I watched this biographical, dramatic comedy film. ON OCTOBER 11, 1975, A GROUP of young comedians and writers were hoping to do something different on television. They would not know if they would be ready to go until the very last minute before airing. With Gabriel LaBelle (The Fabelmans, The Predator) as Lorne Michaels, Rachel Sennott (Bottoms, I Use to be Funny) as Rosie Shuster, Cory Michael Smith (Carol, May December) as Chevy Chase, Ella Hunt (Anna and the Apocalypse, Lady Chatterley’s Lover) as Gilda Radner, and Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner franchise, Love and Monsters) as Dan Aykroyd; this movie started out at a frenzied, frenetic pace that was almost overwhelming for me. However, once I got used to it, I fell into a satisfying rhythm. The actors had varying degrees of likeness to the characters they were playing, but it was their acting abilities that made them believable. Since I was a fan of the television show, I got a huge kick out of watching this picture. I did not mind the holes in the script that could have been filled with more story about each character. Also, I am guessing not everything depicted was true and I was okay with it. Putting the pieces together, I had a fun time sitting and watching this film while reliving my memories of being there when the first episode was broadcast.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Hold Your Breath
IF I AM NOT READING A BOOK or listening to music, I always have the television turned on, even if I have no plans to watch it. I use a TV as background noise because I am uncomfortable being in silence. There is a reason for it. There was a television show that debuted when I was a small child of six or seven years of age. I probably was too young to watch it, because I always dreamt of a horrible nightmare when I went to sleep after having watched the show. Every episode started out with the television screen going black and a single white dot would appear in the center. A voice would come on and tell us not to adjust our television sets, there was nothing wrong with them. I believe the next thing the announcer said was they were taking control of our sets and that is when that white dot turned into a wavy line, getting smaller and bigger at times. I can remember snippets of the different episodes, but each week there was always a “monster” or alien being since the show leaned more towards science fiction as opposed to something like The Twilight Zone. I would be terrified of the monsters; some with extra powers or wanting to do experiments on humans. Even if I closed my eyes during a scene, I still would wake up in the middle of the night from a bad dream. THAT SHOW WAS THE START OF me not liking silence. As I grew older and no longer needed a babysitter, I could not handle being in a quiet space. Any little sounds coming from the house or outside would cause me to jump. One time there was some noise I heard coming from the back porch. I quickly turned off all the lights and hid in the kitchen pantry. Not because I was hungry, but because from there I could sneak peeks at the back door, to see if a human shadow loomed up. I would stand in there for 15-20 minutes before I thought it was safe to come out. Through the years, past my college graduation and moving out into my own apartment, I was the same when it came to hearing noises. Imagine living in a big courtyard apartment building; there were always various noises sounding off; my television and music player were my constant companions. It is as if my mind is always ready to take a pessimistic view when it comes to hearing an uncommon sound that I cannot explain. I do not know if it is a good or dreadful thing, that I understood what the main character was going through in this dramatic, horror thriller. WITH HER HUSBAND AWAY FOR WORK, a wife had to take care of the house and their children during the Oklahoma dust storms that ravaged the state. The fact that there might be something else bad outside made raising their kids all the harder. With Sarah Paulson (Run, American Horror Story-TV) as Margaret Bellum, Amiah Miller (The Water Man, War for the Planet of the Apes) as Rose Bellum, relative newcomer (Alona Jane Robbins as Ollie Bellum, Annaleigh Ashford (American Reject, B Positive-TV) as Esther Smith, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear-TV, No Hard Feelings) as Wallace Grady; this movie was beautifully filmed. I enjoyed the atmospheric scenes mixed in with the starkness; they helped with creating the bleakness of the environment. Sarah and Amiah were especially strong with their characters; Sarah was especially riveting. However, my interest periodically faded at times because the script created this series of repetitive scenarios that did not build up the tension or move the story forward. There needed to be more tension that would have led to a stronger ending. Even if I did not like hearing unfamiliar sounds when I am alone, after seeing this picture, I am amazed at the people who survived these storms back in the 1930s in Oklahoma.
2 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Will & Harper
I BUMPED INTO A FRIEND, WHO I had not seen for some time, and immediately noticed something different about their face and neck. It only took me a few seconds before I realized they no longer had a puffy neck. In his family, as they age, they develop folds in their neck, like a rooster or turkey neck. Honestly, it was nothing I ever paid attention to; it was simply his neck to me, nothing more. Evidently, it must have been bothering him if he went to the trouble of having some kind of work on it. Because of that change, I studied his face while we talked and realized he had more work done. He no longer had the bags under his eyes or the little lines and creases around his eyes. I did not know whether I should comment on his looks or not, so I decided to wait and see if he would say something. Sure enough after several minutes, he asked me if I noticed anything different about him. As a joke, I said it looked like he lost a little weight. He said not exactly, but he did have some work done on his face. I feigned surprise and then said I was trying to figure out what was different about him. He told me his neck and eyes had been bothering him to the point of depression, so he decided to get plastic surgery, and that he had never felt better about himself. I was happy for him and told him so. AFTER WE PARTED, I THOUGHT ABOUT the things he said about himself. Now granted, I was not in his shoes, so I could not completely understand feeling bad enough about oneself to make such a change. I have never paid that much attention to the outside of someone’s body; what was on the inside intrigued me so much more. Maybe there will come a time when a feature of my body will illicit a strong reaction to have it altered. For the time being, this friend was no different to me compared to what he was before surgery. Whether he has a smooth neck, or a rippled one makes no difference to me as it should not make a difference to anyone else. Outside features have no bearing on a person’s character. What a person has inside, their attributes like kindness and empathy have more importance to me instead of someone dyeing their hair or getting a nose job. Friendship is an unconditional bond that can last a lifetime, and you can see it for yourself in this heartfelt documentary. ON THE VERY FIRST DAY STARTING his career on Saturday Night Live, Will Ferrell (Quiz Lady, Downhill) forged a bond with another “newbie” that turned into a friendship that has lasted over 30 years. Then one day Will received news that his friend transitioned into living their life as a woman. Will’s reaction was for the two of them to take a cross-country road trip. With Harper Steele (Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Sage), Saturday Night Live-TV), Tina Fey (Date Night, A Haunting in Venice), Will Forte (Nebraska, The Last Man on Earth-TV), and Colin Jost (How to be Single, Saturday Night Live-TV) all playing themselves, this was a beautiful, thoughtful movie. With Will Ferrell, one can expect to have some humor interjected into the story. Sure, some stuff was staged but at the heart of this film, the story is about the bonds that connect two lifelong friends, and I must tell you it was a privilege watching these two friends navigate the altered landscape they now live in. This was done with a mix of sad, happy, scary, and thought-provoking scenes. The movie is a testament to the love and strength between two long term friends.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Joker: Folie A Deux
I BELIEVE I AM A MARKETER’S dream because I like trying out new products. Not every kind of product, mind you, just those that are in my wheelhouse. They say variety is the spice of life, and in certain circumstances that is true; however, when it comes to food items I have my limits. I remember when my favorite candy-coated chocolate candy came out with a caramel flavor; I had to buy a bag the next time I went to the grocery store. It was terrific. Now if you are not a fan of caramel then this item would not do anything for you, I get it. The same thing with my favorite chocolate sandwich cookie. They came out with a thin version, touting less calories. That may have been questionable, but I enjoyed them because I like the chocolate cookie part more than the creamy filling. The cookies recently came out with a cola flavored cookie which just seems wrong to me. Now on the other hand, when I see or read about a new product or flavor that uses weird combinations, at least weird in my mind, I must wonder who would buy such a thing. The candy-coated candies tried a new flavor: jalapeno peanut chocolate. They were a flop. One of the most unusual items I have ever heard about were pumpkin spice scented flushable wipes. I wonder who would use such a thing. BESIDES THE FOOD CATEGORY, THERE ARE certain things/ideas I hear about that do not sound good to me. There was talk at one time about creating a Titanic themed resort in Las Vegas. The hotel would be in the shape of the ship. Personally, I thought it was a poor idea to turn a tragic event into a happening Vegas resort. The movie with Kate Winslet was wonderful; however, when I heard, there was talk to turn it into a Broadway musical, I found it disturbing. Though it could be said of the film, the idea of cashing in a tragedy makes me uncomfortable for some reason. The only example I can come up with is basing a musical on a meat packing plant or something similar. This mixing of two genres or two ideas that share nothing in common does not seem to work in my opinion. Or, let me say it in a different way; it often does not end in success. Here is the perfect example: I do not want to see comic book characters thrust into singing in a musical number. You will understand with my review of this musical drama thriller. WHILE WAITING FOR HIS TRIAL, A prison inmate finds the love of his life, who appears to be in perfect synch with him. With Joaquin Phoenix (Beau’s Dead, The Sisters Brother) as Arthur Fleck, Lady Gaga (House of Gucci, A Star is Born) as Lee Quinzel, Brendan Gleeson (In the Heart of the Sea, The Banshees of Inisherin) as Jackie Sullivan, Catherine Keener (The Adam Project, Get Out) as Maryanne Stewart, and Zazie Beetz (Nine Days, Deadpool 2) as Sophie Dumond; this movie was one of the worst films I have seen this year. There was very little positive about it except for Lady Gaga. As far as I was concerned, she was the star of the movie and with the little portion of the script given to her, she turned it into a solid piece of work. The script was looney with most of the action taking place in prison but being broken up with several musical numbers. Joaquin cannot sing, which only made watching this film more painful. I could not wait for this movie to be over, having sat through it with no movement of story or purpose. It came across as someone’s pipe dream, and whoever greenlighted this production should not be allowed to keep their position. As a side note: I read in the newspaper that ticket sales dropped 81% after its first week at the theaters. That should tell you everything you need to know.
1 ½ stars
moviejoltz 