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Flash Movie Review: Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Before there were any scheduled play dates, before any friendships were formed and before there was the recognition of family members, there was a special steadfast presence in my young life. His name was Zippy and he was my toy stuffed chimpanzee. Waking up from a nap, my emerging gaze always fell upon the wide awake Zippy watching over me, his head lying close to mine. Dressed in red overalls he would always sit on my lap for a family portrait. He was my best friend, my protector, my guardian; he was always by my side. A few years had gone by before I found out how Zippy lost some of his fingers from his rubber hands. He was caught in the middle of a fight between siblings and had suffered a casualty. I found out he had been part of the family before I was born and had been handed down to me upon my birth. CAESAR in this action film reminded me of Zippy in some ways. Andy Serkis (The Prestige, The Lord of the Rings franchise) was unbelievable portraying the genetically altered chimpanzee Caesar in this science fiction sequel. Set 10 years in the future from the previous movie, mankind had been nearly obliterated by a deadly virus. Having seen no sign of a human for years, Caesar had become the leader to a colony of advanced apes who all lived peacefully together. Their world was about to change with the sudden encounter of Malcolm and Ellie, played by Jason Clarke (The Great Gatsby, Public Enemies) and Keri Russell (Austenland, August Rush). This intelligent exciting film got high marks for several reasons. The believable story made sense to me as it started out with a quick review of the previous movie before setting the stage to show-off its well thought out script. I especially enjoyed the acting from Jason and Gary Oldman (Paranoia, Lawless) as Dreyfus. What made this picture so special was the special effects. I sat watching this film amazed at how good everything looked. I could not tell if the apes were all CGI enhanced, done with makeup or if some actors were wearing costumes; it really was terrific. Besides Andy Serkis’ unbelievable performance I thought Toby Kebbell (War Horse, RocknRolla) was just as good as fellow ape Koba. There were only a couple of spots where I felt the story became sluggish; but they were so minor, it did not take away from the entertainment value. This was a case where the sequel was better than the original. There was scenes that made me nervously tense, excited, sad and happy; I only wished Zippy had been with me to see this great film.
3 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Internet’s Own Boy
Survival of the fittest has always been the mantra regarding the animal kingdom. It used to be for mankind but I am not so sure of it these days. Our gene pool has taken so many hits from various sources. In fact, I recently saw a television program where a scientist was talking about the overuse of antibiotics in our society. He said as a species, mankind has had good bacteria inside of them that dates back eons. With the constant ingestion of antibiotics we are killing off these defense fighters and they will not be passed down to future generations. I find it scary. As it stands now our gene pool produces people that fall on the spectrum from one extreme to the other. I remember there was a kid in elementary school who was different from the rest of us. The questions he would ask in class went over all of our heads and would even stump the teacher. There were students who were book smart, were good at memorizing and testing; but he was so different from us, talking about things that we did not even hear the adults around us ever talk about. I know a 3 year old boy, who when told he had 5 more minutes of playtime before he had to go to sleep, asked what was 5 minutes in a lifetime; it just makes you wonder doesn’t it? This biographical documentary written and directed by Brian Knappenberger (Into the Body, Life After War) was about a boy from one extreme of the human scale. Aaron Swartz was pivotal in the development of basic internet protocol, what we refer to as RSS. He also was the co-founder of Reddit. At a very early age Aaron was already far advanced from any of the other kids around him. This Sundance Film Festival nominee traced Aaron’s life from childhood prodigy to internet activist. I had never heard of Aaron Swartz before; only recently becoming aware of him due to seeing his name in the news. The layout of scenes in this film provided me a clear and easy picture of Aaron’s life. I found the home footage of him as a child quite fascinating as you could see he was someone special. The interviews of family members, friends and peers painted an amazing picture of Aaron’s life; it made watching this movie a highly interesting and fascinating experience. After watching this film is when I really started thinking about the gene pool we all share. What I assumed to be a random process in our development I now question when I see someone like Aaron.
3 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: North Face
There are still so many different things I see that I do not understand. Competitive eating contests would be one example. I like food as much as the next person but the idea of shoving and swallowing a bunch of food in one’s mouth in a short period of time makes no sense to me. In a circus I have seen some acts that make me sit there and wonder if that person really grew up wanting to swallow swords or chew up lightbulbs. When it comes to mountain climbing, the whole concept baffles me. I have no problem trekking up a mountain to a vantage point that looks out onto an extraordinary view; however, I want a trail that zigzags its way up where I can just walk and not have to use my arms to pull myself along. At the top I would like a little rest stop or cafe where I can sit out and gaze upon the breathtaking scenery. Even before the recent tragedy in Nepal, I never understood people who had the need to conquer Mt. Everest or any other high mountain peak. Hanging off the side of sheer rock covered in snow and ice, while dangling by a rope tied to a spike driven into granite does not sound like a fun time to me. Based on a true story, this adventure drama was absolutely riveting. Set in 1936 at a time where European countries were drawing sides, it was important to Germany that they be the first to conquer one of the most dangerous peaks in the Alps. Their hopes were dependent on the German climbers Toni Kurz and Andi Hinterstoisser, played by Benno Furman (Joyeux Noel, In Darkness) and Florian Lukas (The Grand Budapest Hotel, Good Bye Lenin). Though they were experienced climbers the two men knew this climb would be their most challenging since they would have to compete against several other climbing teams to reach the top first. This award winning film had several remarkable scenes of Mt. Eiger which means ogre in German. Most of the drama took place on the mountain; however, the secondary story being held in the mountain hotel where childhood friend Luise Fellner, played by Johanna Wokalek (Aimee & Jaguar, Pope Joan) worked as a photographer was a needed respite from the intensity of the story. I abhor cold weather, am not fond of tall heights, do not understand the motivation to do something so dangerous, but none of it mattered because I was frozen to my seat watching this incredible story. There was German, French and Italian languages used with English subtitles. There were a couple of scenes where blood was shown.
3 1/2 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: The Fault in Our Stars
It started out as a simple cough, nothing more. The advice given was to push fluids and rest. The cough got deeper, sounding as if it was trying to peel layers of lung up like faded paint chips. Everything that tried to suppress it only seemed to make it stronger. The color of their skin began to fade into the atmosphere around them and their facial expressions softened. Those little creases at the edges of their mouth got shallower and shallower as the eyes sunk further back into their skull. Besides hearing about it in the news, I have heard about people in a relationship who leave it when their significant other becomes ill. It is hard to imagine anything lower in a human being in my opinion. To love someone for life comes with a lot of responsibilities, it takes work; but the rewards enrich and color our experiences with added shades of hues from the palette of life. Unconditional means not subject to any conditions. The only way I know how to love someone is unconditionally. In this romantic drama decide for yourself if the love you see was an unconditional one. Shailene Woodley (The Spectacular Now, Divergent) played Hazel, a teenager whose only close friend was an oxygen tank due to her illness. Wanting to just live an ordinary life, Hazel felt stuck in a support group where she met Gus, played by Ansel Elgort (Divergent, Carrie). Her with her tank and him with his prosthetic leg, they made an odd couple. The major reason this film worked was the chemistry between Shailene and Ansel. Having played brother and sister in their recent movie Divergent, they were outstanding; I believed every word uttered by the two of them. What accentuated their roles was having Laura Dern (Wild at Heart, Tenderness) and Sam Trammell (Autumn in New York, True Blood-TV) play Hazel’s parents Frannie and Michael. Only recently being aware of the acting from Nat Wolf, he was quite good as Gus’ best friend Isaac. There was no getting around the fact the story was a tearjerker. I have not read the book but part of the script seemed to have an extra layer of melodrama, some of it predictable. On the other hand if you know how I rate the films I review, this movie allowed me to enter into the lives of Hazel and Gus, leaving my life behind. I cried like everyone else in the theater and despite my few minor gripes, I loved this film unconditionally.
3 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Ida
Some of us wear the identity we were given as a young child, while others wear the one they grew into and became when older. A child who was always told they were bad could grow up to be living proof of that statement. Labeled with a derogatory nickname like Chunky or Four Eyes can remain as part of a person’s identity throughout their lifetime; coloring many of their future decisions. Imagine an only child discovering years later their parent had children from a previous marriage; I wonder what that does to someone’s mindset? Last Oscar awards season after I saw the movie Saving Mr. Banks, I read a startling story about the author of Mary Poppins. If I remember correctly she adopted one child from a set of twin boys and never told her son he had a twin brother. Trust me I still cannot believe someone would do such a thing. You know though, they say there is this thing called karma and here is where it played out with the author. When her adopted son was a young adult his twin brother, after years of searching, walked up to him at a bar. As you may have guessed, the adopted son was stunned to discover he had a twin brother. Where I found this scenario to be tragically triumphant, the story in this alluring film festival winning movie was sadly startling. Set in Poland during the 1960s, newcomer Agata Trzebuchowska played Anna who was an orphan who grew up in a convent. The week before she was to take her vows to become a nun, Anna was told she had a living relative and would need to go visit her before her vows. When Anna met her Aunt Wanda, played by Agata Kulesza (Suicide Room, Rose), Anna found out she was not who she believed she was all these years. This black and white drama was beautiful to watch on the big screen. I found the camera angles told the story as well as the dialog; but the fact that the film made a square frame on the rectangular movie screen, creating an extra closeness with the audience, allowed us an intimate glimpse into the life of these 2 women. The acting was outstanding. The producers must have known these actresses were able to take a somewhat sparsely worded script and provide such richness to the scenes and story. What an amazing film and testament to the ability of humans to choose their identity. The dialog was in Polish with English subtitles.
3 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: X-Men: Days of Future Past
The words had just passed my lips when I realized these were not the correct ones to utter at the moment. I inhaled with the same force I use with a straw in a chocolate peanut butter milkshake, but it was to no avail; the words were out in the open for everyone to hear. If only I had the opportunity to do it all over; but then again, there are so many times I wish for that chance. Almost every checkout line I choose winds up with a customer ahead of me who has some type of issue that will require a price check or swapping out a product. Recently I was running late for work. I had just missed the green light at an intersection that has an unusually long wait period between signals. It was a split second decision and I veered off into a restaurant’s parking lot to avoid the wait. As I was about to exit on the opposite side a police car was sitting there waiting for me to leave the lot. If only I could have turned time back, I would have saved myself from a moving violation ticket. I would have a better understanding of time travel if it personally affected me. In movies I get lost by the explanations or logistics of it. However, in this action adventure film I had no problem. Due to a particular event in history, both humans and mutants (individuals with special abilities) were being targeted for elimination. A plan was developed to send Logan/Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman (Prisoners, Australia), back in time in an attempt to alter the outcome of the specific incident, change the course of history and hopefully save mutants in the future. What drove this fantasy film to excellence was the well thought out script and amazing special effects. I especially liked the way humor was injected into scenes without taking away from the building tension. The other main force that made this movie special was the cast. I thought Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook, The Hunger Games franchise) as Raven/Mystique, Michael Fassbender (The Counselor, Shame) as Erik Lehnsherr and James McAvoy (Trance, The Last Station) as Charles Xavier were outstanding. One of my few and minor complaints was not seeing enough of Patrick Stewart (Safe House, Star Trek franchise) as Professor X and Ian McKellen (The Hobbit franchise, Emile) as Magneto. Though there were a couple of things where I did not understand the logic, it really did not matter; this fantasy film delivered a high dose of exciting entertainment and suspense. In fact, I would not need the ability to turn back time because I would willingly go see this movie again. There was an extra scene at the end of the credits.
3 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Finding Vivian Maier
The day was a dull grey with roaming packs of spewing dark clouds threatening the landscape. I was determined to make the hike since it was the only day I would be in the area. Trekking along the marked trail, I was grateful I wore long pants since the plants with their lush soft edges had a real bite underneath their green leaves. Whenever I was lucky to feel a breeze filter into the dense forest, it was always filled with a dampness that my skin soaked up. The reason I was doing this was because I had read there was an ideal vantage point where I would be able to see the two stepped waterfall in its entirety. If there was going to be rain I was hoping it would wait until I could take a few photographs. As I reached a sharp turn to the left I felt I was walking onto a stage. The dense foliage had split apart like a heavy, green velvet curtain and a single slash of bright sunlight tore a sliver in the sky. Laid out before me was not only the waterfall but appearing like a ghost was a rainbow forming through the mist of water crashing down on the lower rocks. It was such a beautiful site that surprised me more than I imagined. Watching this gem of a documentary gave me the same sense of surprised wonder. Seeking out old photographs for a project, John Maloof was high bidder for an old trunk filled with film negatives. It turned out all of the frames were shot by a Vivian Maier. Though an internet search of her produced nothing, John realized he found something special. This film festival winner was a double surprise for me. First, there were her photographs which were shown throughout the film. Having minored in photography back in college I was not only fascinated with her style, but with the incredible depth in her shots. Her photos had their own personality that seemed to come alive no matter the subject. Secondly, the story about Vivian’s life, which was mildly non-descript, was unreal to the point where I almost found it hard to believe she was the creator of such incredible work. On a personal note, I got an extra charge out of this movie because I had been to some of the same places as Vivian. If you do not have an appreciation for photography, you may not get as excited about this film as I did. However, there still was an amazing story that would still surprise you.
3 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Ernest & Celestine
When I arrived at the city in the new state I was visiting, I drove my rental car to the eastern part of town. There spanning the length of a city block was a mural painted on a brick wall, depicting the struggles immigrants had who settled in the area. After spending some time examining the fine detailed work I noticed a community center across the street. I walked over to it to see if I could use their restroom before driving off to another part of town. Once inside I saw a tired looking woman sitting behind a long formica counter. Hearing my footsteps, the woman slowly raised her face up until her eyes made contact with mine. With a look of shock creeping on her face she asked me what I was doing there. I explained how I stopped to see the mural across the street. When I asked if I could use the restroom she muttered something in a low voice, then told me to use the private restroom behind her, not the one down the hallway. It seemed odd but I did as she told me. At the end of the day back at my hotel, I asked the front desk clerk if they had ever seen the mural across town. A stunned look came across her face as she asked if I had gone and seen it yet. When I said yes, she nearly hissed at me that I should have never gone, it was a bad area; no one in their right mind would be caught there. When I asked her how I would have known she told me it was easy, just look at what was walking around there. I was sensing she might be prejudiced so I decided to drop it and go to my room. I was reminded of this incident while watching this exquisite, Oscar nominated film. The message in this movie was told in such a delicate and lovely way; I was totally engrossed with the story. Raised to fear the other, rodents lived underground away from the bears who resided above. Rules were in place to keep each away from the other until young Celestine, voiced by newcomer Pauline Brunner, accidentally met street musician Ernest, voiced by Lambert Wilson (Of Gods and Men, Sahara). Their friendship would go against everything in place that kept the two groups apart. This Cannes Film Festival winning movie was enchanting with its uncluttered and simple artwork that magically told a beautiful story. I saw the original version of this dramatic comedy in French with English subtitles, though I found out later there was an English version. Without preaching or browbeating the audience, this film had a wonderful message that bears repeating.
3 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Past
There is a method to my madness, just hear me out. Until I see a movie I avoid reading any reviews of it. I want to know as little as possible about a film, only allowing myself to see the movie trailer, though sometimes the trailer is better than the whole picture. After I have seen the movie then I will look at some of the reviews. This is why in my reviews I barely mention any particular scene details or facts about the story line. With today’s review, this is the perfect example to show you why I prefer to blindly walk into a theater with my mind an open and blank slate. I had no idea this dramatic mystery was directed by Asghar Farhadi (About Elly) who directed one of my favorite films of 2011, A Separation. Gratefully I did not know which movies won at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival because this movie was a winner. The only thing I knew when I went to see this picture was it had subtitles. The movie started and I immediately found myself in Paris, witnessing a separated couple finishing up the process of their divorce. There were children involved from past and present relationships; however, hanging over everyone like a dense fog, hampering everyone’s senses was a woman in a coma. Every scene in this movie had an authentic sense of true emotion; the cast could have easily been a friend, relative or acquaintance of yours because they never came across as if they were actors acting. They were just being real. Let me name a few of the exceptional performers: there was Berenice Bejo (The Artist, A Knight’s Tale) as the soon to be ex-wife Marie Brisson; Ali Mosaffa (Leila, The Last Step) as the Iranian husband Ahmad and Tahar Rahim (A Prophet, The Eagle) as the live-in boyfriend Samir. I felt as if I was a guest invited into the lives of these individuals, sitting with them when they were eating, wanting to comfort them when they were sad. There were no special effects needed, no sudden unexplained turns in the story that would leave one wondering; all that was there were genuine feelings of fear, guilt, love and doubt. This film is one of the reasons why I love going to the movies. I do not have to pack an overnight bag, wait in long security lines or dress in a particular way; yet, I do get to leave all the things that make up my daily life and experience for a moment how other people live their lives. The dialog was done in French and Persian languages with English subtitles.
3 1/2 stars
moviejoltz 