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Flash Movie Review: It Ends With Us
I LEARNED QUICKLY TO STAY OUT of one student’s line of sight. To this day, I do not understand how I did not become one of his targets, but whatever was watching over me, I am thankful. There is no other way to say this, but he was truly a mean kid. He would pick on students during PE classes, in the school hallways, on the school grounds; it did not matter who was around him. He was a real “alpha male” with his group of cronies who followed him everywhere, acting as his audience and cheering section. Through my years at the school, I only suffered his bullying once; I was not the direct target but was with a group of friends who all suffered his nastiness. After witnessing a few of his pranks on students, I started imagining what could have happened that made him turn out so mean. It was “normal” for him to trip or knock students down in the hallway. Another of his acts was to grab an unsuspecting student’s book, lunch bag, or personal item and throw it down a staircase. I always believed he was hoping the item would get trampled on by students on the way to their next classes. ONE COULD CALL IT LUCK OR fate, but whatever it was I happened to be in the right place at the right time. One day at the grocery store, I spotted him standing with a police officer. I assumed it was his father because they looked so much alike. Also, a police officer would not be yelling and slapping a perpetrator’s face in the middle of a crowded store. I was not close enough to hear everything since I was trying to remain partially out of their sight. The thing that struck me was how our school bully looked so timid and fearful; his “tough man” persona was gone. They soon left the store after making their purchases and I was left processing everything I had witnessed. I understood our bully was being bullied/abused by his father, which explained where he learned how to become a bully. It was not until my college years that I learned what the other ramifications could be by being a victim of an abusive parent. Whether he was taking out his frustrations on innocent students or trying to temporarily beef up his masculinity, it still did not take away the fact he was becoming just like his father. If I were to venture a guess, I do not think he ever acquired self-awareness to his actions; I can only hope if he has children, he has not taught them what he learned from his father. WITH OPENING HER OWN BUSINESS AND being in a committed relationship, everything seemed to be on track for Lily Bloom, played by Blake Lively (A Simple Favor, The Age of Adaline). However, when an old flame enters the picture, Lily begins to question the path she has taken in life. With Justin Baldoni (Con Man, Jane the Virgin-TV) as Ryle Kincaid, Jenny Slate (Obvious Child, I Want you Back) as Allysa, Hasan Minhaj (Babes, No Hard Feelings) as Marshall and Brandon Sklenar (Midway, The Big Ugly) as Atlas Corrigan; this movie based on the best-selling novel was a perfect vehicle for Blake to act out in. She had the screen presence and emotions to make her character come to life. I became attached to the story, having been abused/bullied myself; but felt the script could have gone through a rewrite to tighten and improve the dialog. Also, one did not have to experience an abusive episode to appreciate this picture. I also thought Blake and Jenny worked well together. With an important story and message, this was a worthwhile viewing experience.
2 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut
I AM A THIRD GENERATION FAMILY member who has eaten the same lunch for over 30 years. The family members before me used to eat the same thing every day for their lunch, though each of us had a different menu. Mine happens to be the fullest and every single day, when I sit down at the table to start my lunch, I get the same amount of pleasure from that meal. My meal consists of a salad with six varieties of vegetables in it, a low-fat protein on a grain bread, one can of diet cola and an apple. When I was teaching fitness full time, I used to have a bigger lunch which consisted of fat free plain yogurt and one cookie, two if they were small. The only variation my lunch could have would be the salad dressing flavor or the type of bread. Now, here is the oddest thing that recently happened to me. Going to a new doctor, we were discussing what type of diet/lifestyle I do to maintain my weight. I explained my eating the same thing and he asked if I tell my fitness class members to do the same exercise every day. I told him no, that their bodies need a day of rest, especially if they are doing any weight-bearing exercises. He then asked why I would then want to submit my body to the same foods every day; wouldn’t I want to give my body a bigger variety of nutrients? His remarks struck a chord in me. AFTER THAT DOCTOR VISIT, I STARTED thinking about all the different dieting things I did in the past. There is that old saying, “You are what you eat,” which made me wonder if the changes in my body due to the aging process are having an affect on my digestive system. Maybe I should re-evaluate the foods I eat and mix things up a bit. One of my sayings I have always used whenever a class member asks me if I have a recommendation for a diet plan is to “eat foods from all color groups.” In addition, I usually say the only thing to be aware of is to have more calories get out of the body than in it. In other words, one must move every day to burn off some of those calories. Looking at my daily lunch items, I decided I could add plant-based protein to my salad. In turn, I recently started experimenting with different food choices at lunchtime to see how they make me feel. Do I get less tired at midday, does my stomach growl less; these are things I have been thinking about and now after seeing this interesting documentary, I have been thinking even more about what I put in my mouth. SCIENTISTS FOR YEARS HAVE BEEN LOOKING at the gut for answers to their questions on how to maintain good health, both physically and mentally. This lighthearted film hopes to answer some of those questions. Directed by Anjali Nayar (Silas, Gun Runners) and talking with World Champion Hot Dog Eater Takeru Kubayashi and Michelin star pastry chef Maya Okada Erickson among others; I was fascinated with this movie. The lighthearted way they discussed the topics threw me at first; I initially wondered if this was some kind of joke or satire. Plus, it tended to take away the seriousness of the subjects. However, listening to the various scientists and subjects talk about their own health drew me further into the topics. I started to understand the way the topics were being portrayed made sense, since talking about the digestive system and one’s own excrement could easily be a turnoff for viewers. By the time this film was over, my mind was racing with ideas on how I could improve my body’s chances of maintaining a healthy balance in life.
2 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Beautiful Game
RECENTLY, I WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE to find a particular box of cookies. This box of cookies was something special to me when I was a young boy. The cookies were simple, buttery, and just slightly more crisp than soft in texture. As I found the cookie and snack aisle at the store, I slowly made my way down to see if I could spot these cookies. I realized my memories could be of what would be now their old packaging, but I hoped I could still locate them. The first thing that took me by surprise was the number of different cookies on the shelves. And not only the amount of different cookie brands, but the amount of variety there was for specific cookies. One type of cookie was positioned on multiple shelves in a section. Besides the original type I remembered, there were ones in assorted flavors; some of them did not sound appealing to me. They also came in varied sizes now, where some were extra thick, and others were being called crispy thin. It made me wonder what was ever wrong with the original ones because I thought they were terrific. I continued down the aisle, amazed by all the different choices most brands offered. Sadly, after looking at every shelf, I never found the cookies I used to eat during my childhood. ON MY WAY HOME FROM THE store, I was remembering other foods I enjoyed as a kid. I do not know if other people feel the same way as I do about food, but there are certain foods that trigger a warm, happy memory for me. Besides the food, there is a place I associate with the food. I remember going to an older relative’s house when I was small, where she would always have on hand homemade fruit bars. The apartment was not air conditioned, the furniture was old and sagged whenever you sat in it, but it did not matter to me. Sitting at her kitchen table with a couple of fruit bars and a glass of chocolate milk, I felt like I was eating like a king. It was cozy, comfortable, and safe; time felt like it had slowed down so I could remain seated in the vinyl kitchen chair that would be a little sticky in summer. This is the feeling I was trying to recreate from my cookie shopping experience. There are times where I do not want any complicated, fancy, new and improved food item; I simply want to sit down and eat something that just feels good. I am the same way with movies; I am not always looking for the biggest spectaculars or greatest special effects. I want something that makes me feel warm and good, and gratefully this sports drama gave me those feelings. HOPING TO BRING A WINNING SOCCER TEAM to the championship games in Rome, the manager of the team brings in a new player just before the tournament. A player that does not want to be around his teammates. With Michael Ward (Empire of Light, The Book of Clarence) as Vinny, Daniel Attwell (Brothers of War, 1917) as Mark, Bill Nighy (Living, The First Omen) as Mal, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (Avengers franchise, The Infiltrator) as Kevin and Kit Young (The School of Good and Evil, Out of Darkness) as Cal; this movie inspired by true stories was a feel-good experience. Already a fan of Bill Nighy, I enjoyed watching this film that was about an event I had never heard of before. The acting was decent from the cast, and it was easy at times to figure out what was going to happen in the scenes, but it did not matter to me. The feelings of easy comfort and joy I was experiencing made up for any of this film’s flaws. It was good to sit back and watch a story being told simply and directly with no added frills. In other words, just a good old-fashioned story.
2 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Idea of You
“AGE IS JUST A NUMBER” HAS been my motto as long as I have been able to understand what it means to me. When I was a small kid, I played with older and younger kids in the neighborhood. None of us questioned anyone’s age; all that mattered was if you had an enjoyable time playing together. With my schooling, from elementary through college, I always befriended students who were not of my year. In college, when I was a first-year student, I became good friends with a graduate student. In fact, I mentioned him in an earlier review about the college friend who taught me how to play ping pong. We were friends all through my college years and after. It is more important to me to have a faithful friend who is trustworthy, loyal, and supportive than someone who is not but the same age. Some years ago, I had a good friend that asked me to be the best man at his wedding; he felt that close to me. All was good since we had been friends for almost ten years. A year after the wedding the whole wedding party met up at the same place the wedding took place. The only difference was I and one other member of the bridal party brought the people we were dating at the time. My friend took an immediate dislike to my partner because they were fourteen years younger than me. He never came out and said it that way but made rude comments about them being immature to understand what was going on. I was so offended, especially when I asked them to explain their behavior and they simply said they did not like who I was dating. Our friendship ended on that trip. THOUGH THAT RELATIONSHIP DID NOT LAST past five years, age was never an issue between us. Our tastes and interests were similar, we loved each other and always had a fun time when we were together; age was only an issue for those around us. I just remembered something else about that relationship. We were at a family function and a relative made the comment “act your age.” We looked at each other and wondered if she was referring to us, but my relative was saying that regarding a different issue. However, that saying has always annoyed me because I never understood what it meant for someone to act their age. Is a seventy-five-year-old riding a roller coaster acting their age? Is a fourteen-year-old going to college acting their age? I find that saying has no relevance to anything anyone chooses to do. Plus, I would like to know how someone doing something that a person feels is not age appropriate, affects that opinionated person. In my dating history, I dated people who were 19 years younger than me and twenty years older. I never saw it as being odd and that is why I had no issue watching this dramatic, comedy romance. FROM A CHANCE ENCOUNTER, A FORTY-year-old single mother begins a romance with the lead singer of a band, who is twenty-four years old. Not only would the press have a field day with the age difference, the pressures of being in the spotlight would have an affect on the mother, daughter, and everyone else around them. With Anne Hathaway (The Witches, Locked Down) as Solene, Nicolas Galitzine (Purple Hearts; Red, White & Royal Blue) as Hayes, Ella Rubin (The Rewrite, The Sweet East) as Izzy, Annie Mumolo (Bad Moms, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar) as Tracy and Reid Scott (Veep-TV, Wildflower) as Daniel; this film had its moments. I thought the acting was good and appreciated how the writers put a spotlight on the age differences. With a steady hand of directing, I only wished the script would have dug down deeper into feelings and emotions. It would have helped with the chemistry between the two main stars and added more punch to the story. Though I thought the way the writers wrote the characters of the ex-husband, and his girlfriend were typical, I liked how it showed the prejudices between males and females with younger partners. Overall, I enjoyed this film because of the acting and more so for the topic.
2 ¾ stars
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
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