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Flash Movie Trailer: Wonka
I TEND TO BE SKEPTICAL WHENEVER a restaurant or food product gets rebranded or announces they are “new and improved.” More times than not, when a food establishment announces a change, their portions or their menus get smaller. Now I am not saying this happens all the time; it just seems to have happened enough for me to notice it. A restaurant I frequent came up with a new menu. It had the same colorful type of pages, but there were several items missing from it. When our meals came, the French fries that had always accompanied the entrée on the plate were instead stacked into a freestanding metal cone. As a display presentation it looked cool, but I could see there were not as many fries in it as there had been on the plate. It is not something I would complain about, especially since they did not increase the price for them. I have been to some restaurants that came out with a campaign about being better or tastier, and yet it all tasted the same, except the price for it was higher. That type of situation annoys me. I would rather they just raise the prices without trying to disguise it as some new and improved thing. THOUGH, I AM OPEN FOR TRYING new food items, my experience has been more of a negative reaction. There was a particular brand of ice cream I always bought. One day, while shopping, I stopped at the freezer case to pick up a container of it. At first, I missed it entirely because the packaging had been changed; it looked completely different. I looked over the label that was touting a new and improved flavor and did not see anything that stood out as unusual. Later that day, when I was back at home, I helped myself to a serving from it and immediately saw fewer chocolate chips. Not only did that bother me, but the other flavors in the mix were not as pronounced. It was another example of masking the true reasons behind their “new and improved” marketing ploy. I am aware in this line of work; the company must keep their eyes on their competitors’ pricing and not price themselves out of the market. Still, what purpose does it serve to produce something not as good? I would have rather paid more money for it and still enjoy the original flavors in the product. In my opinion, it is not always a clever idea to redo something that already works well. Case in point, today’s film. I know it is supposed to be a prequel, but something was missing from it. EVERYONE IN TOWN SEEMED TO LOVE the stranger’s chocolates, except for the members of the chocolate cartel. They were not about to let a stranger ruin their business plan. With Timothee Chalamet (Dune, Bones and All) as Willy Wonka, Hugh Grent (The Gentleman, Cloud Atlas) as Oompa-Loompa, Olivia Coleman (The Lost Daughter, Empire of Light) as Mrs. Scrubitt, Paterson Joseph (Aeon Flux, The Beach) as Slugworth and Calah Lane (The Day Shall Come, Kiddings-TV) as Noodle; this family, adventure comedy was like an assortment of Halloween candy: some scenes were good, others were not. My first reaction was about Timothee’s character; he was too mild in my opinion. There was not anything magical or special about him that made the character stand out on the big screen; unlike Hugh Grant, who I thought for the few scenes he was in was fun to watch. There was more of a cartoonish flavor to the movie as opposed to an exciting fantasy. Granted it is a prequel, but I was bored through the first half of the movie. The odd assortment of supporting characters added more “oomph” to the story. Also, except for a couple of well-known songs, the others were not memorable. I felt as disappointed as getting an apple instead of a chocolate bar for Halloween. There was an extra scene early in the credits.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Wish
I WAS CONVINCED AT A VERY early age that my wishes would come true if I could blow out all the birthday candles on my cake with one big breath. One of my earliest memories was wishing for a tool set. After making my wish and successfully blowing out all the candles, when the time came to open my presents one of them was a brightly colored tool set. The tools were each a different color and were stored in a red toolbox, each one clipped into its own storage compartment. I was so excited about getting them and the realization that every year, whatever I wished for, would come true. I still remember the first time I used my set of tools; I decided to take the doorknob off from the front door. The funny thing though, is I had no idea what I was going to do with it; however, I thought it would be a good project to work on. When I tried to unscrew the screws with my screwdriver, I had a hard time because the screws did not want to move, forcing the head of my screwdriver to bend. So, I went to where my parents kept their toolbox and took a screwdriver from it to help me. Now I was getting somewhere with the doorplate around the handle; except when I removed the last screw and the plate did not move, I got scared for some reason and put back all the screws. FROM THAT EARLY START FROM CHILDHOOD, I eventually learned not all wishes come true immediately. I was disappointed but got used to it, though I never gave up hope. My wish choices changed depending on my age and what was taking place around the time I was making a wish. I went from toys and books to clothes and music; then, went to gift cards and home accessories and good health. Throughout the years, even when it was not my birthday, I made wishes. I think they are a wonderful option to throw into the world and see if they take root, receive nourishment, and possibly return as one’s reality. I love the fantasy of wishing for $50 million dollars and then fantasizing about what I would do with that much money. Unless I win the lottery, I know my chances are slim; however, by stating that wish I noticed I started changing my shopping habits by cutting back to increase my savings. It may be baby steps, but one never knows how a wish could come to fruition. A perfect example of what can happen is on display in this animated, musical, adventure comedy movie. YOUNG ASHA’S, VOICED BY ARIANA DeBOSE (West Side Story, The Prom) wish must have been truly powerful because it brought down to her kingdom the star she wished upon, who decided to help make her wish come true. With Chris Pine (Star Trek franchise, Don’t Worry Darling) voicing King Magnifico, Alan Tudyk (A Knight’s Tale, Rouge One: A Star Wars Story) voicing Valentino, Angelique Cabral (Friends with Benefits, Life in Pieces-TV) voicing Amaya and Victor Garber (Titanic, Family Law-TV) voicing Sabino; it appeared to be that Disney wanted this film to be the centerpiece for the past 100 years of Disney’s classic films. There was so much thought and effort put into reminding us of their past treasured films that this movie suffered. The musical numbers were not memorable or provided one song that would become a classic; however, the animation was wonderful. The story was weak to start with and as the writers kept throwing as much as they could into the script, I was quickly bored by it all. The villain did not hold a candle to the classic villains from the early pictures. I will say the actors did a great job voicing the characters, but the one thing that stood out to me was listening to the music during the touching film credits that included recreated images of the classic characters that came out of Disney studios. It was a sad reminder that this movie did not live up to those wonderful old, animated films. There was one extra scene during the credits.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Marvels
THROUGH THE YEARS, I HAVE BUMPED into individuals that I had no contact with for decades. Sometimes, it has happened in such random places. For example, on a trip to Greece I was standing in line to catch a tram from a destination spot and bumped into a childhood friend back from elementary school days, which was many years ago. He and his wife were standing in front of me, and I recognized his face. We agreed to meet up for drinks and had a good time reminiscing about our school years together. The time we spent together was fun, but upon returning to the states we went on with our separate lives. Our time together became a fun add-on to my vacation stories. I believe the long duration of time melted the bond we had with each other back then. If I were to venture a guess, I think a lot of it would have to do with our vastly different experiences in high school. He was more of a gentle jock type, who excelled in physical activities. In my book, that gives the student a pass from any type of abuse or ridicule, unlike me. I was not proficient in most sports activities and being overweight made me an easy target. So, I learned how to withdraw from most high school events and social gatherings. JUST BY COINCIDENCE, I RECENTLY RAN into two friends at a social function, who I had not seen for many years. I noticed the warm feelings that flooded through me as we sat and chatted, having been close friends back then. It was as if time had not passed by us all these years, because we found ourselves in a joyful, sweet rhythm of talking and sharing our life’s journeys with each other. For me, one of the added joys seeing each other was how our memories, which had been dormant for so long, easily rose into our conversations as we relived some of the great times we had together. I have a question for you: have you ever encountered a fond person from your past and discovered you had been missing something in your current life? Well, that is how I felt about my time spent with these two friends. As a result, we exchanged our contact information and planned to get together again. Making those plans was so much fun as the three of us were sending texts back and forth about how great it was to see each other and hoped we could get together real soon. As it turned out we did, and our friendship picked up from where we left it. It is that type of long-lost connection that I found charming in this action, adventure fantasy film. HAVING CARRIED THE HEAVY BURDEN FROM the outcome of her past experiences with the Kree, Captain Marvel, played by Brie Larson (Short Term 12, Just Mercy), finds herself entangled with two other individuals, one of them is from her past, who will all need to work together to save the universe. With Teyonah Parris (Dear White People, If Beale Street Could Talk) as Monica Rambean, Iman Vellani (Avengers franchise, Ms. Marvel-TV) as Kamala Khan, Samuel L. Jackson (The Kill Room, The Protégé) as Nick Fury and Zawe Ashton (Nocturnal Animals, Velvet Buzzsaw) as Dar-Benn; for a product of the Marvel universe, this movie was a disappointment. I enjoyed the connection between the three main stars, especially Iman’s character. The fight scenes had a fun element, and the CGI effects were good; however, the script was a scattered mess. At times, I found several scenes filled with slapstick humor that then morphed into dramatic, sorrowful scenes. The excitement and thrills of past Marvel films did not appear in this picture. And as I have said before, if the villain is truly not menacing then the story will never succeed. For all the money spent on this, what a shame. There was only one (what a shock) extra scene during the ending credits.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Quiz Lady
I HAVE A FRIEND, WHO I HAVE told numerous times, he should be a contestant on a musical game show. His knowledge of musical artists and songs is amazing; though, I should preface it by saying his command of music is limited to pop culture. Think Billboard, Top 40 type of music. He can tell you where a song ranked on the Billboard charts and for what year. When we are driving together in a car, he can name the song playing on the radio within the first couple of notes. Rarely has he ever been wrong when the radio announcer names the song after it has played. What is more fun to witness are the times he enters the music trivia contests that are held periodically at various clubs around the city. Sometimes he plays solo, but at others he has a childhood friend join him to form a formidable team. His friend is as good as him, so together they have won more times than not. I asked him once how it is that he knows so much about music, and he said it was due to his mother. She was always playing records in the house when he was growing up. At an early age, he could easily name songs from the Supremes, Everly Brothers, Little Richard, and the Kinks. I think he missed his calling and should have entered one of those reality music-based television shows. GROWING UP, I USED TO WATCH several game shows: some in reruns and others current. Jeopardy was one of my favorites, but only after I was in high school. Another one was Hollywood Squares, where the different squares of a Tick Tack Toe grid had different celebrities who would either give a truthful answer or a fake one to the contestant’s query. There were some shows where I could get the answer before the contestant had time to figure it out. It crossed my mind a couple of times that maybe I should apply to one of the game shows, but by the end of the telecast I realized I could not compete with the competition. Nonetheless, I got much enjoyment out of watching these shows. Sure, there were some that were informative, where I learned at least one new thing every time I watched the show. However, there were other shows I watched that focused more on silly situations to generate audience laughter. The one that comes to mind is The Newlywed Game. It is funny, when I was younger, I watched several game shows but now, there are not too many I care to watch. I just do not find them interesting; however, if the game show in this comedy was on the air, I would certainly tune in to it. ANNE YUM, PLAYED BY AWKWAFINA (THE FAREWELL, Crazy Rich Asians), never missed an episode of her favorite television game show. Little did she know that the things she learned would help her and her estranged sister one day. With Sandra Oh (Under the Tuscan Sun, Grey’s Anatomy-TV) as Jenny Yum, Will Ferrell (Anchorman franchise, Barbie) as Terry McTeer, Holland Taylor (The Practice-TV, The Wedding Date) as Francine and Jason Schwartzman (Moonrise Kingdom, Saving Mr. Banks) as Ron Heacock; this movie’s saving grace was the cast. I thought there was real chemistry between Awkwafina and Sandra Oh. It was because of the cast that the predictable story was easier to watch. I found most comedic scenes only humorous, warranting a chuckle every now and then. A couple of times I did laugh aloud, but that was it. The story kept an even pace, though I thought the beginning was a bit slow. If the question, “did you enjoy the film,” was posed to me, my answer would have to be, “it was okay.”
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Red, White, & Royal Blue
WHO WAS I TO TELL HER what to do? My friend was telling me about a date she had over the weekend, someone she had previously met at a party. Their date was at a coffee shop, and they settled down at a small table on the outdoor patio. She told me he was pleasant but boring. I asked her to explain what was boring about him. The things she described seemed to me to be just average traits that were neither boring nor exciting. He was not much of a book reader, but he did like reading magazines. His physical activities were focused on hikes, walking and bowling. My friend made a disparaging comment about his bowling; I told her there was nothing wrong with it and besides, it still was a physical activity. She continued and as I listened to her, I had to remind myself that this really was only one date. I did not understand how things like bowling and not being able to dance played such an important part in her decision process on whether to like a person or not. From my dating experiences, my dealbreakers were unclean fingernails, bad teeth and an unkept appearance. Whether they liked or participated in the same activities I enjoyed did not play such an important part in whether I was attracted to them or not. I told her first dates were tough, that I always agreed to a second date unless I felt there was something serious wrong with the person. I SHARED MY STORIES ABOUT A past relationship who I disliked upon first meeting. They were a college professor who stressed during our first date, that they did not want to get involved with anyone who was too dramatic. From our first date, I felt they were somewhat conceited; they talked a lot about the things they achieved since they started teaching at the college. I could not tell if they were boastfully talking out of nervousness or desperation. We got on the subject of travel, and they shared some of their travel stories, making a point to tell me about the people who kept complimenting the bathing suit they wore by the hotel’s pool. I took all of this in stride and agreed to meet up again. On our second date, there was a calmness in them that was not present before. Our conversation had more substance to it. I think it was on our fourth date, when I started to feel a real connection between us. I told my friend all of this, making the point to say that if I had based my decision on our first date and my impressions, I would not have found myself becoming attracted to them. However, I understood not everyone thinks like I do and may not want to give a second chance on a person. I saw it happen in this romantic comedy. IT IS HARD ENOUGH TO BE the son of famous parents; but, when the US President’s son and a royal prince get into a scuffle, the two are forced to put on appearances of friendship for the sake of important trade negotiations taking place between their countries. With the public watching, the two had to be careful about how they acted towards each other. With Taylor Zakhar Perez (Cruel Intentions-TV, The Kissing Booth-TV) as Alex Claremont-Diaz, Nicholas Galitzine (Cinderella, High Strung) as Prince Henry, Uma Thurman (Kill Bill franchise, The War with Grandpa) as Ellen Claremont, Thomas Flynn (Shark Bait, Bridgerton-TV) as Prince Philip and relative newcomer Bridget Benstead as Princess Martha; this film based on the best selling novel followed a standard rom-com template, though with a bit of a twist on it. There were several fun scenes with some witty dialog, that easily fell into place with how the story flowed. I felt the writers did an adequate job of keeping viewers interested in the characters and story. My first impression at the beginning of this movie improved as the story unfolded.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: She Came to Me
I DID NOT MEET THEM UNTIL years later after they were married. From what our mutual friends told me, they were a happy couple. Having met initially at a wedding reception, they went out for a drink a couple of days after the event. This was followed by a series of dates that progressed until it became official, they were a couple. I was told they took turns hosting dinner parties and game nights at each one’s home. They took vacations together, enjoying each other’s company more and more. After a couple of years, they got engaged with a fall wedding date planned for the year after. I was introduced to them after they had been married for fifteen years. Everything I had heard about them seemed to be accurate, but I was surprised to notice a bit of an edge to some of their comments. At first, I thought they were just teasing each other, but some of the comments sounded strong and judgmental to me. Because I only saw them in social circles and not one to one, each time I encountered them, they seemed to be more argumentative with each other and, in my opinion, unhappy. My impressions wound up being accurate because it was only a year or so later that they agreed to get a divorce. The ex-husband stopped coming to social events, but the ex-wife continued and from conversations, one of her comments stuck with me. She said she had outgrown her husband. FUNNY, I WAS FAMILIAR WITH THAT word, “outgrown.” I knew three other people who said the same thing about their reasons for divorcing their spouses. I believed it to be a valid reason because though I did not experience it in a love relationship, I did in a friendship. We had been friends all through school and several years after. Where we used to have similar reactions to situations, as time passed one of us started to have different viewpoints about things and no longer shared the camaraderie that resulted from reacting similarly to various situations. Not to be rude, but I believe this happened because I had been working on myself, emotionally and mentally, and was maturing at a different rate than my friend. The gap that formed between us only grew as time passed. It was not too long after where we started getting together less, not sharing as much personal information to avoid getting into any type of disagreement due to different perceptions. There was a sense of sadness as the years of friendship were simply turning into a stored memory, but the sense of relief generated from less time together was getting stronger. I chalked it up to one of life’s lessons; something like what took place in this comedic, romantic drama. SUFFERING FROM WRITER’S BLOCK, A COMPOSER walks the streets of New York City, where a chance encounter both surprises and scares him into a different state of mind. With Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones-TV, American Dreamer) as Steven Lauddem, Anne Hathaway (The Witches, The Hustle) as Patricia Jessup-Lauddem, Marisa Tomei (Spider-Man franchise, The Big Short) as Katrina Trento, relative newcomer Evan Ellison as Julian Jessup and Harlow Jane (Dig, I Love Us) as Tereza Szyskowski; the cast is what saved this movie. Everyone was wonderful, beautifully playing off each other. I appreciated the different story lines of the script; however, I felt there was too much going on that robbed each story of fully developing a sequence of growth. Each one alone was intriguing, but the range of emotions they drew out clashed somewhat for me. However, I still enjoyed watching this film, because it kept my curiosity piqued. Maybe the writers had some writer’s block of their own, which caused them to create extra story lines and weaken the distinctions between comedy, drama and romance.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Golda
WHILE EATING BREAKFAST, I WAS LISTENING to the news about the recent passing of a celebrity actress. She starred in a television sitcom back in the 1970s. I knew of her, but never really followed her career. What surprised me about the news was the fact she was fired from the TV show because she demanded equal pay, to match the male star of the show. I was not surprised that she was being paid a lesser amount to her male counterpart; but I was surprised that she got fired because of the request. In this day of age, I could not imagine any company doing such a thing; but who knows, anything I guess is possible, no matter how wrong it may be. The reason I am bringing this up is because near the same time, the early 70s, there was a woman who was the leader of her country. I had to wonder if she was being paid less than any of the men who had been in that same role. If that was the case, then it really was a crime for the powers that be to do that to her, especially since she found herself fighting a war during her years of service. And not that I pay much attention to a person’s looks, but she did not look the part of a leader; she looked more like someone’s grandmother who is constantly trying to give you food whenever you are at her house. I HAVE TO ADMIT I HESITATED to write a review today of this movie because of the current state of world events. I wound up seeing this film the week before war broke out in the middle east. If I had reviewed this film sooner, then I would not have had to deal with the mixed feelings I have at present. But after much thought, I decided to go ahead because the two situations separated by decades seem to be in parallel. It is not my place to pass judgement or to spin my words to paint a better light on a political or religious event; all I wish to do is tell you what I thought about the movie. It is not my job to try and sway your thoughts and beliefs; I only want to provide you with my reaction to a picture without giving away any of the plot. My number one focus is whether the film entertained me. With that being said, let me tell you about this biographical drama. AT 71 YEARS OLD, MOST PEOPLE would be enjoying their retirement. However, for this woman she not only started a new career position, but she also had to do her job during a war. With Helen Mirren (The Duke, Shazam! Fury of the Gods) as Golda Meir, Zed Josef (Breaking Infinity, Milk and Honey: The Movie) as Adam Snir, Claudette Williams (The Colour of Spring, The Sons of Misteltoe) as Golda double, Henry Goldman (Taking Woodstock, The Damned United) as Chairman Agranat and Emma Davies (The People We Love to Hate at the Wedding, Holby City-TV) as Miss Epstein; this film’s top draw was Helen Mirren. I thought she was wonderful in the role. It was unfortunate the script did not support her. I thought it was skimpy on details that would have made this movie more entertaining. There were several good scenes, but I never felt connected to anyone in the cast. It almost seemed as if the writers wanted to give the viewers a quick overview without delving deep into the character and emotions of the individual. I found myself drifting at times as the scenes jumped from intense war strategies to chain smoking and baths. I am afraid this production did not do anything to match the amazing feat this woman endured during her lifetime.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Pope’s Exorcist
WHEN I ENCOUNTERED A BULLY DURING my school years, I would always wonder how their parents could allow such behavior in their child. I did not understand those individuals who abused others until I got older and discovered many abusers were abused themselves. Maybe I was naïve; but any act of meanness I saw on display, I attributed it to poor parenting. Or to be more exact, having mean parents. In some cases, I was correct; however, there were some instances where the level of meanness was so intense that I could not comprehend parents being at such a level. There was a student in one of my classes in elementary school who took pleasure in torturing animals. I still remember when he set fire to a cat’s tail and watched the cat scamper around before it was consumed completely by the flames. It was after school hours, and I only came upon him when I was cutting through the alley to get to a food market. Having seen how much pleasure he took in watching the cat suffer, I never went near him throughout the rest of the school year. Because I was so young, I could not comprehend how two adults could create such an evil child. It was because of that act that I started believing some people were just born evil. IT WAS NOT UNTIL HIGH SCHOOL, when I came to the belief that everyone was born with good and evil in them; they had the free will to decide which they wanted to become. Some students maintained an optimistic attitude about certain individuals, giving them the benefit of the doubt. High school killed that process for me; the things I saw were nothing more than pure meanness. There were a couple of boys who had gym class with me, and they were just awful. They took such pleasure in picking on a mentally challenged classmate, it was horrific to see. One of the things they liked to do was throw a basketball at the boy to try and knock him down or at least into a wall. The students who witnessed this would always laugh along with these two boys. I always wondered if they found such a horrible act funny or were afraid not to laugh because it could have set them up to be the next target. There were many days I dreaded having to go to gym class. From my past experiences and the knowledge, I have acquired, I am open to other suggestions on the origin of a person’s evilness. This horror thriller film does present a possible reason. UNDER THE DIRECT AUTHORITY OF THE pope, Father Gabriel Amorth’s, played by Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind, Boy Erased), position is to investigate incidents of demonic possession. His latest case would unearth a deep dark secret that he might never come back from. With Daniel Zovatta (Don’t Breathe, Station Eleven-TV) as Father Esquibel, Alex Essoe (Doctor Sleep, The Edge of Sleep-TV) as Julia, Franco Nero (Django Unchained, John Wick: Chapter 2) as The Pope and newcomer Peter DeSouza-Feighoney as Henry; this story inspired by the files of Father Amorth earned a passing grade because of Russell Crowe. He was excellent in the role, trying to keep the story from falling into a generic typical exorcist plot. The pacing was a bit uneven; I felt there could have been a tighter focus on creating a more terrifying scene. At one point, it felt like the writers and director went on automatic because scenes seemed to be like previous ones. If it was not for Russell’s performance, I would have gotten bored, despite me enjoying the wonderful sets and props. Having no knowledge about Father Amorth and having now seen this film, I am curious to hear about some of his other cases.
2 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Transformers: Rise of the Beasts
AT A JOB, I HAD TO find a way to work with someone I did not trust. It is harder than you think. This person had an ego, which was not a reason to distrust them. One of the things that I had a hard time with was the fact they would never admit to being wrong. In my position at the company, I would get copied on emails with them because it involved one of my companies I covered. Reading the emails they would send in reply to questions from the company was an amazing experience. I could not make out what they were trying to say because they were mentioning things that had nothing to do with the questions. At times, I was embarrassed thinking the customer must wonder how our company can conduct business based on this one person’s remarks. Feeling protective of my company’s reputation, I had to jump in and try to deflect the comments being made and give the customer the answer they were seeking. You would think the employee on the emails would have thanked me privately or send some positive feedback, but no. That was who they were and there was nothing I could do about it. But, when an answer or solution is needed one needs to find a way to work with someone, no matter how you feel about them. MY PHILOSOPHY IS “WHATEVER IT TAKES.” At that company where I worked with that egotistical individual, it at least taught me the importance of looking at the end results. While visiting with a friend, their two children decided they wanted to play in the same room where we were seated. I normally would not have an issue, but these two kids were notorious for fighting. And soon enough they started up while we were trying to have an adult conversation. My friend’s scolding to stop bickering lasted only for a short time before the two siblings were at it again. I was not in the mood to hear the squabbling. Seeing some toys in a container in the corner of the room, I asked the two if they could build a bridge that was strong enough to hold the weight of one of their toy cars. They took the bait and proceeded to pull items out of that container and sat down to figure out which items went where in the construction of the bridge. My friend and I continued our conversation in peace. I hoped the two siblings would learn and understand the importance of working together in life. It is a great message and one I appreciated in this science fiction, action adventure. DESPERATE TO GET MONEY FOR HOSPITAL bills, an older brother agrees to steal a car, not knowing this car had a mind of its own. With Anthony Ramos (A Star is Born, Honest Thief) as Noah Diaz, Dominique Fishback (Judas and the Black Messiah, Project Power) as Elena Wallace, Luna Lauren Valez (The First Purge, Dexter-TV) as Breanna Diaz, Dean Scott Vazquez (In the Heights, 9 Bullets) as Kris Diaz and Sarah Stiles (Unsane, Get Shorty-TV) as Jillian; this latest in the movie franchise was better than some of the previous installments. However, it was not the best either. The action was plentiful and fast paced with decent special effects. I liked the chemistry between Anthony and Dominique. My issue was with the story and script. It did not provide me with much to latch onto and feel connected. There were different angles the writers were writing from that never really gelled for me. Plus, the excitement and thrill levels needed to go closer towards the extremes. It just never felt like there was enough time devoted to the scenes to let them develop into a more meaningful state. Maybe it was a struggle between film studio departments with budgets and such, but this could have been a better movie if everyone had worked better together.
2 ½ stars
moviejoltz 