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Flash Movie Review: The Zone of Interest
IT WAS RARE THAT I WOULD see a “bad” person ever being good. “Bad” is more of a generic term for me; I could have used evil, horrible, mean, bully, bigot, and so on. Through the first twelve years of my schooling, I encountered students who fit one of the words I listed previously. I mentioned before the elementary school student who would torture animals. There was nothing good about him, though he never bullied me, just hit me a couple of times. You could say he was a prelude to what was in store for my high school years. There was one student who was older than us because he was held back a year. He took pleasure in bullying and or beating up students. He once picked a fight in the locker room with someone almost half his size, who barely even made a sound because he was so timid. This bully would torment, punch, shove, slap him around periodically. One time he tried with the help of one of his buddies to push the timid boy’s head in a toilet bowl. Luckily, one of the gym coaches happened to walk through the locker room and the timid boy was able to escape. After class he did not even come down to the locker room; he had his clothes and I assumed went to a bathroom to change somewhere far from the gymnasium. AS I GO THROUGH MY MENTAL list of those who harmed me, I can only think of one person who had the capability to be horrible, then switch to being the class comedian. It really was like being with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He was quick with a joke, one of those kinds that may poke fun at an individual but not stick it to them. Because of his humor he was able to hang out with the jocks, cheerleaders and the brainiacs with no repercussions. On the flip side, he sat behind me in one of my classes. It was nothing for him to spit, draw or hit me. I could not always feel him spitting or drawing on me and would only find out when someone either told me or when I noticed people chuckling and pointing at me as I made my way to the next class. Even though we were not in the same gym class, both of our classes shared the gymnasium at the same time. And though I was not the only boy he would throw a basketball at their head; I still hated him for it. He always did it when the coach was out of sight. But once the coach reappeared, he was usually the one to make the coach laugh with one of his jokes. I found it nauseating, which is the same feeling I had for the main figures in this dramatic, war history film. LIVING IN A WONDERFUL HOUSE WITH a beautiful garden, a husband and wife felt their dreams had come true, to be able to raise their children in such an idyllic setting. They believed it even though next door to them was a concentration camp. With Christian Friedel (13 Minutes, Babylon Berlin-TV) as Rudolf Hoss, Sandra Huller (Anatomy of a Fall, Toni Erdmann) as Hedwig Hoss, Max Beck (The Forgotten Battle, Land of Mine) as Schwarzer, Ralph Herforth (Speed Racer, Aeon Flux) as Oswald Pohl and Freye Kreutzkam (Gender Crisis, Time of Moulting) as Eleanor Pohl; watching this Oscar and film festival winning film was surreal. I was fascinated how the concentration camp, and its horrors were more of a backdrop to the life the family was living. It certainly was a fascinating case study, watching the juxtaposition between everyday family life with the sounds along with the brief auxiliary scenes and what they might represent to viewers. Though this film won the Oscar for sound, I did not care for it, finding it annoying. I also felt most of the long shot scenes made me an outsider, where I did not feel any connection to the characters. Add to that the slow pace and not caring much about the ending, the story’s impact was more subdued for me. Still, it was an interesting take on the genre, and I commend the writers and director for making this picture. German was spoken through the film with English subtitles.
2 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Beekeeper
SOMETIME IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, I CANNOT remember the year, I learned even when you are in the right, you do not always win. We were playing the game of tag in the school playground during recess. All of us were running around to avoid getting tagged. At some point I could not spot the tagger. Right then, he jumped out behind a group of girls and pushed me while yelling, “Tag, you are it!” As I started to fall, I instinctively extended my arms out to break the fall. However, by doing so, I accidentally scratched a girl’s arm as I fell. She ran and told a teacher, and I got in trouble. I tried explaining my side of the story to the assistant principal but could see she had already made up her mind and did not care what I had to say. I was not allowed to go out for recess the rest of the week as punishment. I was angry about it because it was not my fault; it was not like I was trying to scratch her on purpose. The boy who pushed me never got in trouble. It was on that day I learned something that I have seen from time to time: Not all “bad” people get punished for their deeds. AT ONE OF MY EARLIER JOBS, I had a boss who was a horrible man. It was several months in my position before I decided he had a “Napoleon” complex, also known as short man syndrome. He was aggressive and domineering, treated all his employees as if they were his personal butlers and/or slaves. I will never forget the time he took his hairbrush out of his drawer and handed it to an employee, telling them to clean it. The employee hesitated for moment, I think out of shock; but my boss noticed and yelled at them to stop dawdling. I realized right then that I had it easier because he would toss me the keys to his car and tell me to take it to the carwash. I had no issue doing it, but I did not know what I would do if I had to clean his hairbrush. In my position and being observant, I was convinced he was stealing from the company. Some customers came in and paid cash for their orders. My boss always worked with those individuals. Because one of the items sold was not a stock item, I remembered it but never saw the receipt for the sale. After some digging for the next couple of weeks, I realized that my boss was making the sales but pocketing the cash. From my time there, he never got caught and because I was still in school, I felt no one would listen to me, the newest employee. It proved to me again that bad people do not always suffer the consequences of their actions. With my mind set on this way of thinking, you will understand why I had such an enjoyable time watching this action thriller. A MAN WITH A MYSTERIOUS PAST sets out on a mission of vengeance after he sees what happens to the nicest woman he ever met. With Jason Statham (The Meg franchise, Wrath of Man) as Adam Clay, Emmy Raver-Lampman (Blacklight, Central Park-TV) as Agent Verona Parker, Bobby Naderi (Bright, Under the Shadow) as Agent Matt Wiley, Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games franchise, Five Nights at Freddy’s) as Derek Danforth and Jeremy Irons (The Flash, Assassin’s Creed) as Wallace Westwyld; if you are a fan of the John Wick franchise then you will enjoy this movie. The script is perfectly suited for Jason’s acting abilities, with a touch of humor and brutality. There were multiple scenes of heavy violence and blood. Despite the illogical and farfetched scenes, I still enjoyed all the thrills and non-stop action. This is one of those pictures where you sit back and do not put a lot of thought into what is taking place; just sit and go with the story. I will say I was surprised with the way the story turned out, finding it interesting for this type of genre. And especially for me, I enjoyed the lesson being taught. Check your brain at the door if you plan to see this killer of a movie.
2 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Creator
IF THE PERSON I WAS INTERACTING with on the telephone was an artificially enhanced intelligent receptionist, then I was not impressed or worried. When the phone call connected and she greeted me, listing the medical group’s name, I thought she was a live person. After asking for my name and date of birth, she asked how she could help me. I told her I wanted to make an appointment to see a particular doctor. She said she was putting me on hold to check on availability. After a couple of minutes, she came back on the line and said there were several patients in queue ahead of me making appointments; as soon as they were done, she could then offer me open dates. Before I could say anything, she was replaced with an automatic message that said if I remain on hold for ten minutes, I will be asked to leave a message and someone from the doctor’s office would call me back. I thought how strange this was since I had just talked to the receptionist. After a few minutes, the same scenario occurred. I tried to break in but there was no hesitation on the receptionist’s part. All she offered was an apology but went right back into her message. I wound up staying online for ten minutes and then a recorded message came on and told me to leave my information for someone to return my call. I cannot tell you how annoyed I was by this experience. NOW IF I THOUGHT THIS WAS going to become the standard procedure for all of us, I would say why bother with AI. However, ever since I saw the film The Matrix, I have wondered at times if we could ever get to a point where machines would be making all the decisions for mankind. If I am not mistaken, one of the more contentious disagreements in the talks with the actors’ union is the use of artificial intelligence to capture samples of an actor’s voice or face to generate content without paying the actors. I had to wonder if there would be a time where I might be watching a movie and none of the cast really had acted in it; everyone was computer generated. It is a scary thought for me. Wasn’t It last week when the news reported there would be a new Beatles’ song because AI pulled out the voice of John Lennon from an old recording and cleaned it up to the point it sounded as if he had just recorded the song with the other Beatles? So musical artists can be replaced just like actors?!?! Is it possible if AI goes unchecked, we could one day find ourselves in a world like the one depicted in this action, adventure drama? SET IN A TIME WHERE HUMANS found themselves at war with the forces of artificial intelligence, a former soldier is chosen to hunt down a new weapon that could end mankind, allowing machines to rule the planet. With John David Washington (Tenet, Malcolm & Marie) as Joshua, newcomer Madeleine Yuna Voyles as Alphie, Emma Chan (Eternals, Crazy Rich Asians) as Maya, Allison Janney (Lou, The Hours) as Colonel Howell and Ken Watanabe (Godzilla franchise, Inception) as Harun; this story had a thought-provoking message wrapped in a visually, fascinating landscape that was filled with sensitive acting. I felt John David stood out while Madeleine Yuna Voyles was the show stealer; she was that good. However, my issue with this production was the script. It seemed as if the writers used several ideas from different films and tried to put a story together. Especially, the last third of the movie was a mishmash of lost opportunities. As I said earlier, the idea behind the story was both frightening and curious. One must wonder if human beings were even involved with the writing of this story.
2 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Fair Play
AT A BUSINESS EVENT, I WAS introduced to a husband and wife, where the wife was the major breadwinner in the family. She was the head of her department that employed over 100 people. Their work directly affected the financial stability of the company. Her husband worked but I was not clear about what he did for a living. From the various times I ran into them at business functions, he was always there no matter where in the country the event was being held. I have known many couples where one makes a substantial amount of more money, so I am never surprised by such things. But here is the interesting thing I found with this couple; I have been around attendees and co-workers of the wife who mention the husband is a freeloader. They say he comes to every business event that involves a free meal. It is funny, because I have attended various events that served a meal, but I am not a fan of buffets. Hearing these comments made me wonder if they would have said the same thing if the husband’s and wife’s roles were reversed, where he was the major money earner, and the wife was not. The times I have been around the couple, I never got a sense that he was threatened or upset that his wife made more money than him. ON THE OPPOSITE END OF THE spectrum, I know a couple where the husband and wife both worked, but the wife had a difficult time remaining at a job. I knew she did not have a college education, not that it always means something, but it seemed to me she did not want to work. She was taking temporary jobs, working with a temp agency. One job would last one month, then she would have a couple of weeks off before she got assigned to another company. As time went on, it seemed as if her time off between jobs was being extended further and further. Normally, I would not pay attention to any of this because it is not my business; however, whenever I was around the two of them the husband would make passive aggressive remarks about her not earning her keep. For example, she was talking about a wedding they were going to attend and how she wanted to get a new outfit for it. Her husband suggested, in that pseudo kidding way, she find a job to pay for the outfit; except, I could tell he was not kidding. It came to the point I was uncomfortable engaging with them when they were together. I was feeling that same uncomfortableness as I watched the main characters in this dramatic, mystery thriller. WORKING AT THE SAME COMPANY CAN be challenging for a couple. Especially, when the policy frowns on such relationships. When one of the couple’s job duties changes, it sets in motion a series of events that test the couple’s resolve. With Phoebe Dynevor (The Colour Room, Bridgerton-TV) as Emily, Alden Ehrenreich (Oppenheimer, Cocaine Bear) as Luke, Eddie Marsan (Happy-G0-Lucky, Vera Drake) as Campbell, Rich Sommer (The Devil Wears Prada, Mad Men-TV) as Paul and Sebastian De Souza (Kids in Love, Medici-TV) as Rory; I thought Phoebe and Alden were excellent as a couple. The range of emotions they displayed made for some exciting moments in the story. I was fully engaged as the story unfolded, fascinated with not only the emotional side of the story but the business side as well. Unfortunately, the last part of the movie did not maintain the clarity of the story. I was getting confused and thought the script dipped into comic book theatrics. Also, it seemed as if the characters lost some of their authenticity. This could have been a fascinating study of gender equality/inequality, but the message got somewhat lost.
2 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Extraction 2
BLOOD MAY BE THICKER THAN WATER, but it might be the wrong type that could kill you, metaphorically speaking. I have seen and been exposed to such a variety of families, that it would be hard to shock me with what you might think is something crazy about your family. I have spent holidays with a family where one sibling spent the night throwing passive aggressive digs at their other sibling. By the time dessert was served, the tension was thick and ready to break at any moment; I wanted to get out before it did. Sadly, I did not get out in time before a verbal fight broke out between the siblings. On the other hand, I have been with a family that takes so much joy in being together that it is refreshing. Whether it is just to share a meal or to play a card game, they love spending time together. It would be nothing for them to call each other on a whim and plan an impromptu game night. I envy that ability because I would have to sit and analyze it, worrying about what food to have on hand, check to see if I had enough seating and other things before, I could agree to be a host for it. But they always pull it together without ever having an issue. ONE THING THAT I HAVE CONSISTENTLY found among families is their inability to dislike a family member when they are being ignorant. A piece of advice that I still remember is give yourself permission to dislike a person you love. It doesn’t have to be an either/or situation. I have found myself in situations where I did not like being around a relative because of something they were doing or saying. It did not stop me from loving them since we had a good history together with many happy memories. However, they were displaying a behavior that made me uncomfortable. I recall an event where we were seated at a restaurant table and a friend of mine happened to be at the same restaurant with her husband. They came over to say hello and I introduced them to everyone at the table. One relative started a conversation with them that was inappropriate; the relative had unbeknownst to us mixed alcohol with drugs. I was embarrassed and could see my friend looking at me for guidance. Before things got uglier, I stood and walked over to thank them for stopping by and promised I would catch up with them later in the week. My relative was being a jerk; but they paled in comparison to the intensity of the family members in this action thriller. AFTER SURVIVING A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE, a mercenary accepts another job because this one was on a personal level. With Chris Hemsworth (Thor franchise, Bad Times at the El Royale) as Tayler Rake, Golshifteh Farahani (Body of Lies, Arab Blues) as Nik Khan, Adam Bessa (The Blessed, Of Sound Mind) as Yaz Khan, Tornike Gogrichiani (Adam & Eve, Artificial Breathing-TV) as Zurab Radiano and Tornike Bziaua (A Fold in My Blanket, Brighton 4th) as Davit Radiani; this sequel amped up the violence and action scenes to such a high level that I was exhausted by the end of the movie. There was something like a non-stop 20-minute fight scene that was unbelievable. As for the drama aspect, it was kept at a more subdued level where the actors appeared stiff at times. I feel if you go into viewing this film knowing its focus is on fights and battles, you might have an easier time digesting it. Ultimately, the picture does what it said it would do; provide a fast violent, bloody, visual experience for the viewer. Though I will say, if one could pick who they would like for a relative, I would certainly pick Chris Hemsworth.
2 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Year Between
I NEVER KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT whenever she was in my yoga class. When I first met her, she seemed to hide behind her large, round shaped eyeglasses. The reason I say this is because she appeared to be timid or nervous. I chalked it up to first time jitters, which I have seen in many individuals who were either new to me or new to the class format I was about to teach. She was inquisitive and had a few questions before the class was to start; I was hoping my answers would provide her a little calmness before we began. After answering her, she found an empty space on the floor and unrolled her yoga mat. It looked new to me which confirmed her telling me she had never done yoga before. As I started the class into a series of slow stretches, I noticed that woman’s flexibility. She was either born with it or was doing some other version of exercise that she did not share with me earlier. I was pleased to see she kept up with the other members in class and seemed to be enjoying herself. Occasionally she would look at one of the members close by to help her figure out what she was supposed to do with a limb or foot. Overall, for a first-time participant, she did a good job. AFTER A COUPLE OF WEEKS WITH her participating in class, she showed up one day without her glasses. I saw her talking to a few people who had chosen a spot near her. Usually before class, I would walk around and chat with members; my way of getting the members focused and ready to get into a yoga state of mind. As I passed that woman minus her glasses, she began telling me how much she enjoyed the class. It struck me that her tone and speech pattern were opposite of our initial conversations. She was quite animated and continued talking non-stop in this singsong way that added more levels of tone to her speech. It confused me because it was so unlike her based on the impression, I had built on her. From talking about yoga, she veered off onto other topics; some that had nothing to do with yoga or the class. It was as if I was encountering a completely different person. Some of the things she said were not appropriate for a classroom setting and honestly, not in mixed company. I wasn’t sure how to handle this since it had never happened to me in class before. Looking at my watch and saying it was about time to start class, I asked her to challenge herself with the poses we were about to do. It seemed to work, and she calmed down. After class I spoke to my supervisor and explained the situation that took place. I was informed this person was an employee who had a personality disorder. My exposure to it prepared me to watch this comedic drama. AFTER BEING DIAGNOSED WITH A MENTAL illness, a college student drops out and moves back home, where she encounters the aftermath of what she had left behind. With J. Smith Cameron (Man on a Ledge, Succession-TV) as Sherri, Steve Buscemi (The Death of Stalin, Miracle Workers-TV) as Don, David Brown (I Used to Go Here, Assistance-TV) as Mikael, Wyatt Oleff (Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, It franchise) as Neil and Emily Robinson (Eighth Grade, Dark was the Night) as Carlin; this psychological drama based on true events came across as authentic. The dark humor was just enough to keep the story going without getting tripped up into a deeper uncomfortable setting. I will say the main character does not come across as likable; but I think that was intentional from the writer. It is not an easy topic that lends itself to storytelling. There were a few slow parts with a couple of scenarios that seemed to be repetitive. However, the film and story as a hold were not a usual Hollywood production which made this an interesting piece of filmdom to view.
2 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Burning
I FELT LIKE I WAS WEARING a disguise because he did not recognize me. One night I was about to start my yoga class when an unfamiliar couple walked in. As was my custom, I went up to introduce myself and ask if they had ever done yoga before. Through the conversation, I never let on that I recognized the man; I was friends with him in elementary school. Granted, I had lost a lot of weight, had a beard and was wearing a baseball hat; so, chances were he would not have remembered me after all these years. However, after class I went up to ask both how they felt. At some point during the conversation, I came out and asked if he recognized me. He looked at me for a moment and said no. I chuckled and asked how his sister was, to see if that would jog his memory. His face showed such utter confusion that I chuckled and told him my name. Not only did he stare at me in disbelief, but he asked me what happened to me, that I was so skinny now. It was my turn to chuckle before I answered him. I TOLD HIM EVERYTHING I LEARNED about fitness; I learned after I left high school. That statement got us started on talking about our years together in school. I mentioned that I could only recall us having a gym class together in high school and he said he remembered the class; but he cut it often. I shared with him how I had to cut gym class sometimes out of concerns for my safety. That is not a typical statement, I know; he asked what happened. From what I told him, we each shared our horror stories about high school. The thing that amazed me the most was how my perceptions of him did not match who I thought he was in school. Because of his laid-back appearance and lack of enthusiasm during the school day, I thought he had little motivation. He explained how he found most of the classes boring, naming a few teachers he thought were the worst. When he would cut class, he would go downtown to explore the different museums or go to a particular exhibit or concert. I was so surprised to hear this since I interpreted his actions as a slacker. On the contrary, he was at the city’s main library studying the same school subjects we were, but he really wanted to learn about the assigned topic. What a surprise! It just goes to show, you can never assume you know how a person will turn out from your childhood. It can be seen in this film festival winning, mystery thriller. IT WAS A BIT OF A SHOCK that the employee during her performance was flirting with him. It was a bigger shock when she said she knew him. With Yao Ah-in (The Throne, Voice of Silence) as Lee Jong-ju, Steven Yeun (I Origins, Minari) as Ben, Jeon Jong-seo (Nothing Serious, Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon) as Shin Hae-mi, newcomer Kim Sao-Kyung as Yeon-ju and newcomer Choi Seung-ho as Lee Yong-seok; this drama was a slow burn, pun intended. For the beginning portion of the movie, I kept wondering when things would pick up. Things slowly took place in what seemed to be no particular direction. On a better note, I was fascinated seeing on display the Korean culture and landscape. One could argue there were different stories taking place, that were filled with symbolism and metaphors. Maybe there was, but I am not the type to delve into a movie story’s psyche and try to figure out what the writer and director were trying to say. Korean was spoken with English subtitles.
2 ¾ stars
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