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Flash Movie Review: The Eagle Huntress
ONE of my first supervisors in fitness was a woman; I was one of only two male fitness instructors on staff. It was not a big deal to me because I did not care about my boss’ gender. My concern was having a boss who would support me since the job there was early in my health and fitness career. All went fine for the most part, but I have to say the staff meetings annoyed me and the other male instructor. Half the meeting the two of us would sit there as the other instructors talked about their kids, hot looking celebrities, fashion and female health issues; in other words, nothing about the health club or its program. Gratefully this was not the norm because as I added more health clubs to my schedule I had other female supervisors and that type of conversation never happened during our meetings. GOING on a parallel course was my business career. I will never forget one of my first jobs where I was hired around the holidays. At a family function I mentioned the new job and a relative asked if I liked my boss. I used a pronoun to refer to my boss by saying, I thought she was cool. The relative had a puzzled look on their face and asked me if I felt okay having a woman as a boss. In my head I was screaming, “Are you kidding me!?” I told them it made no difference to me if my boss was a man or woman. As far as I was concerned good or bad bosses are not based on gender. Since I am speaking about gender in the work place I cannot confirm if true but I read a statistical piece that stated, based on current trends, women will reach parity with men in the workplace in 170 years. That means women will have equal pay and ½ of the bosses will be female. With that little tidbit how can you not love the 13 year old girl in this film festival winning documentary? HAVING been born into a family with a long line of eagle hunters all Aisholpan wanted to do was be one of them. The only problem with that was her being a female. This family adventure film was absolutely gorgeous to watch on the big screen. The aerial views of Mongolia’s landscapes were beautiful to me. I have always been a fan of eagles, ever since a camp counselor brought one to our class one day, so this story intrigued me greatly. What I found charming about this film was its simplicity. Seeing and hearing about the townsfolk along with me witnessing a lifestyle foreign from mine, I found myself being drawn into Aisholpan’s life. Especially with our current times this coming of age and female empowerment story seemed so appropriate. Let me add I thought it was genius to have Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) narrate this documentary. One of the best things about this movie happened at the end; all the women and men in the audience applauded during the ending credits. Kazakh was spoken with English subtitles.
3 1/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Queen of Katwe
One of the big mysteries I still struggle to understand is how people gain confidence. The answer is so elusive to me because I see some people who exude confidence; not in a bragging or boastful way, they just seem to have a strong sense of self and more importantly they believe in themselves. The ones who have the skills and knowledge to back up their confidence deserve it in my opinion. But the individuals who do not have the talent or masterfulness in the field they claim make me curious to know why that person feels that way. At the other end of the equation there are people who have the skill or artistry but do not believe they perform it well. I fall into this category. Since I feel that way I have always looked to see if my lack of belief is due to the environment I grew up in or were there other factors that made me feel like I am never good enough for the task at hand. Was it negative comments I received, people’s perceptions about overweight individuals or being forced to blend in with the majority; I just do not know? What I do know however, is the strength inside of me is partially fueled by my desire to prove people wrong or more precisely prove myself wrong. How twisted does that sound? With everything I have just said I am aware that I have been fortunate with the opportunities that were available to me. There is just one other factor that needs to be part of this conversation and that is acknowledging those individuals who were born with a particular gift like being genetically predisposed for a certain set of skills. It does not matter what their environment is like or their circumstances; they simply have the aptitude. But do you want to know something? A person still needs to believe they can do it. SPENDING her days selling maize Phiona Mutesi, played by newcomer Madina Nalwanga, happened to see a game of chess being played. It was a game that came with a multitude of possibilities. This film festival winning movie was based on a true story. With David Oyelowo (Selma, Lee Daniels’ The Butler) as Robert Katende and Lupita Nyong’o (12 Years a Slave, Non-Stop) as Nakku Harriet, the acting was incredible. Lupita had such power in her expressions that I thought I saw fire coming out of her eyes; that is how good she was with her character. This biographical story could have fallen into oversweet sappiness, but due to the script and directing the story came across with a solid sense of realness. I have to tell you the story was amazing. I enjoyed the setting and contrasts shown in this picture. Chess is something that is considered refined almost stately in some circles and I loved the fact that it was being played by poor villagers in a town of Uganda. After watching this film all I can say is I wish I had some of Phiona’s strength. Stay for the beginning of the great ending credits.
3 1/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Captain America: Civil War
Everyone around was becoming uncomfortable by two of their friends’ heated disagreement. The argument had been brewing between the two for a while and neither was willing to give in to the other. Only recently had their words started taking on a snarky tone and the people around knew better to calm either of them down else they would become victims to the venom. The friends hated distancing themselves from the two antagonists but it was becoming the reality of the situation; people were becoming unavailable for the get-togethers. Sadly I am quite familiar with these types of situations because I was usually one of the verbal fighters. For whatever reason the environment I lived in had made me believe a person who disagreed with me no longer liked or loved me. Most of my verbal attacks usually started out saying, “You” instead of “I”; there was rarely any discussion about the what and why I was feeling the way I did. I can still remember the times I would attend a gathering and if there was someone there I had a beef with I would make sure they and everyone around knew it. Whether I used snide remarks or was passive aggressive in attacking them, I can only say it was an ugly situation. With a lot of help and hard work I began to understand an argument was simply an argument; it had nothing to due with what a person thought of you. And the biggest lesson I learned was to express my feelings, starting out a sentence with “I feel…” Need I tell you the disagreement in this action adventure would quickly grow into something of epic proportions. WHEN politicians began to feel there needed to be some checks and balances in the Avengers’ operations, sides would be drawn that could well split the good intentions of the organization. This science fiction film did something that I rarely see in these type of movies; it placed an emphasis on some real life, current issues our world is experiencing at present. The script did a beautiful job of touching on these issues for a bit before switching it up between the wicked humor and personal drama amongst the superheroes. Starring Chris Evans (Snowpiercer, Before We Go) as Captain America, Robert Downey Jr. (The Judge, The Soloist) as Iron Man and Scarlett Johansson (Don Jon, The Avengers franchise) as Black Widow; there were too many characters to list here. I will say the script played to each actor’s strengths and I loved the way it introduced 2 new characters that it was obvious will have their own solo films in the near future. Now with all I have just said I did think this picture was long, but appreciated the way the action scenes were spaced out between the more personal ones. And one other thing I have to mention; I am concerned these Marvel movies are becoming predictable with their spectacular special effects, the two extra scenes during the credits and the Stan Lee appearances; they may raise the viewers’ expectations to a level that makes the films become ordinary. This may cause some discussion among us and that is fine since I know it is not personal. An extra scene during the ending credits and another at the end.
3 1/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Everybody Wants Some!!
I know I am not the only one, based on how many reactions I have witnessed from other people. Maybe it is due to the fallacy we have all been bombarded with on what is considered beautiful, but when I see old photos of myself my 1st reaction is usually disgust. Besides seeing me when I was larger and had a lot more hair, the pictures of what was considered fashion at the time look like I was wearing clown outfits. How did we wind up having a small minority of individuals deciding for the rest of the population what was in fashion? Now for those of you who are not familiar with the 1980s, it was a time where disco music was beginning to wane as country music was becoming more popular. Before cowboy hats and boots were the rage the clothing was made up of synthetic fibers splashed with colors not found in nature. Since I am a big music lover across many genres, I can recall what type of music was playing during that decade. Usually all I need to hear is a few beginning notes of a song and I can immediately recall where I was when I first heard that song. It is then followed by the emotions I was going through at that time. For those of you who lived through the 80s, there is a good chance you would have been found on the weekends at the disco. Asking someone to dance was the standard pickup line for that generation. If you want to see how it was done you can see it in this movie. WRITTEN and directed by Richard Linklater (Boyhood, Dazed and Confused), this comedy showed what life was like for a group of college baseball players in the 1980s. Starring Blake Jenner (Glee-TV) as Jake, Tyler Hoechlin (Road to Perdition, Teen Wolf-TV) as McReynolds, Ryan Guzman (The Boy Next Door, Heroes: Reborn-TV) as Roper and Zoey Deutch (Dirty Grandpa, Beautiful Creatures) as Beverly; the soundtrack to this film was awesome. Granted I am a fan of dance music so I spent a good portion of time tapping my feet to the beats while watching this picture. The story could be seen as a continuation of the director’s previous film Boyhood only because that film ended with the boy about to go to college and the character Jake entering college here. I enjoyed seeing what life was like back then; Richard Linklater painted an accurate and believable picture in my opinion. There was not much of a story as the scenes passed by showing college life for the students; there were no big dramatic shifts in the script. I did not find anything worth laughing out loud; however, there were times where I was amused by particular goofy scenes. For those who wish to see what that time period was like, this movie would fill your curiosity. And to those who lived through that era, please do not cringe when you see something that looks familiar to you.
3 1/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: 10 Cloverfield Lane
There was a time when the words, “Do you have any change you can spare,” meant someone needed something. Sadly times have changed or maybe I have because when I hear those words from a stranger my first reaction is disbelief. Let me give you an example why I do not trust as many people as I once did. I was standing on the crowded train platform one morning. There was a man going up to each waiting passenger and asking them for money. He would point to his wife and 2 children sitting on a bench, so it sounded like he needed money to feed his family. Under these circumstances who could refuse the man? I saw a few people gave him some money, but before he could get to me the train pulled up to the station and the man walked over to his family. Since it was not my train I watched them as the wife and 2 kids walked onto the train first. The individuals who had given this man money had all entered the train cars by now; however, the man did not follow his family inside. He just stood by the doors until they finally closed and he went back to sit down on the bench. I thought it strange, not understanding at first why he did not go with them. The reason I soon found out was because the woman and 2 children were not his family; he pretended they were to get more sympathy out of his story, for as soon as the train platform became crowded with new passengers he did the same thing, except now his family was an elderly couple he would point to as he told people they were his parents he was taking to the doctor. I ask you, “Who can you trust?” WAKING up from a bad car accident MIchelle, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Smashed, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World), found herself chained to a bed. A man named Howard, played by John Goodman (Love the Coopers, Argo), who came into her room told her he had saved her. Saved her from what she thought. This dramatic science fiction mystery was twisted in all the right ways. John and Mary Elizabeth were amazing; this was one of John’s best roles. I cannot call this a sequel per se because I barely remember the first film from 8 years ago and did not see where it would be necessary to watch it before this suspenseful one. The directing beautifully played to the audience’s fears about trust and beliefs; I appreciated the way the story created this tense atmosphere without the need for violence or fighting. The script was absolutely generated by the actors; they pushed the story along and kept the intensity up throughout. The soundtrack was an additional help. I could see where this movie could spawn a new direction in the franchise; the question I have to ask you is, “Do you trust me?”
3 1/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Nine Queens
It is getting harder and harder not to turn into a cynic these days. Before the internet (boy, don’t I sound older than dirt) it was easier to believe the things people were saying were true. Not that there weren’t criminal elements throughout society; let us say there were less tools of the trade for a criminal to use to scam someone. Though I believe everyone is born with good and bad tendencies, I lean more towards the thought people are telling me the truth. My reasoning is to look at what they are saying and wonder what gain would come from them lying to me. As you can imagine I have been burned in the past, gratefully at very little loss. There have been people I know who were taken by scam artists and do you know what one of the saddest remarks has been for them to agree with the transaction? “They had a nice face” or “They were so polite” are excuses I have heard. Personally I have always had issues about judgements being made based on a person’s appearance. Whether a person is perceived to be pretty or not should have no bearing on a person’s character. Besides, what is the definition of pretty or handsome? What one person finds beautiful another person may find ugly. So now with the internet as a major part of our lives, criminally minded individuals can be whatever they want to be or what the victim wants them to be. How scary is that? For everyone, but especially those of you who were born after the internet, take a look at how the characters worked their trade in this crime thriller. JUAN, played by Gaston Pauls (Nuts for Love, Iluminados por el Fuego), had that innocent looking face that would fit perfectly into Marcos’, played by Ricardo Darin (The Secret in Their Eyes, Son of the Bride), scheme to sell counterfeit stamps. This film festival winning drama was an absolute twisted, wild ride written and directed by Fabian Bielinsky (The Aura, Sleepwalker). Though these were con artists one could not help but follow them throughout this film with its multiple stories. I thought the acting was terrific as the actors were able to be totally serious yet deliver some sly and wicked humor. Including Leticia Bredice (Burnt Money, The One-TV) as Valerie, I enjoyed the way the story and everyone in it were like jigsaw puzzle pieces that were attempting to fit into spots before finding their correct places. At one point I felt scenes were bordering on being unrealistic but it became a passing thought because I was getting deeper into following the story. On one level one could be horrified about witnessing a crime taking place; but on the other hand, this movie was meant to entertain and it did. Just reading the synopsis about this picture doesn’t convey how fun it was to watch this DVD. Spanish was spoken with English subtitles.
3 1/3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Red Beard
Knowledge is acquired by studying, practicing, being taught or experiencing something. It took me some time before I realized I was a visual learner. I cannot tell you how torturous it was for me to be in a classroom where the teacher would sit and just read to us straight out from our textbook without any type of dscussion. My mind would try to create images of what was being told to us, but after a time my brain would start to venture away from the subject. You could say I was an active daydreamer. Listening to my friends talk about the way their children are currently being taught, it amazes me how different times have changed since I was in school. It is curious to me when I see a child acting out, especially in a way that borders on hatefulness or prejudice. Where does a child learn such things? If I had to guess I would say they learned from example. I have always been a firm believer in explaining choices to children. For example if they choose to act a certain way, explain to them what the consequences would be for that type of behavior. Even as adults we all have the ability to make choices. When I think about those times where I would get angry over something and make everyone miserable around me, I now cringe about it. I had a choice back then on how to act and I made a poor decision. It is so true how one learns from example. ARROGANT and upset when he arrived at the clinic Doctor Noboru Yasumoto, played by Yuzo Kayama (47 Samurai, The Sword of Doom), did not want to have anything to do with such a poor facility. No matter what Doctor Kyojo Niide a/k/a Red Beard, played by Toshiro Mifune (Throne of Blood, Rashomon), had to say about the patients and staff, Dr. Yasumtot did not care. It is what he saw that made a difference. This film festival winning drama by acclaimed director Akira Kurosawa (Seven Samurai, Ran) had such a simple story that was told in a beautiful way. Filmed in black and white, scenes were presented in a clean creative way with a heightened use of shadows. I almost found the dialog secondary as the actors actions were more pronounced. Set in 19th century Japan this DVD had a long viewing time. At first I felt the pacing of the film was slow; however, as the story progressed things started to fall into place for me and I was won over. I felt because the emphasis was placed on the physical aspects of the characters the story had to stay at a slower pace throughout the film. This movie offered teaching moments without having to say a single word. Japanese was spoken with English subtitles.
3 1/3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Creed
I gained new friends after I finished reading the book. Once the novel was back safely on its shelf the characters remained alive for me; I found myself thinking about them from time to time. As days turned into weeks I found myself wondering what a certain character would be doing now if the story had not ended. Do you ever find yourself doing the same thing? From a book or movie, maybe even someone you used to know? I have known several people who spend time online looking up individuals they used to have contact with in the past. Some may have been business contact, friends or romantic ones; they just wanted to know what happened to them. The same curiousity can be applied to the cast in a movie. There have been times where I enjoyed a film so much I wanted to experience the same characters in another story, hence the reason for sequels. Like any movie there have been excellent and poor sequels made by the film studios. I do not know if you feel the same way; but when I watch a sequel of a movie I praised highly, if the sequel is not good I feel cheated. It makes me not receptive to anything else the studio tries; I just want to preserve the good feelings I still have with the original one. In regards to this movie today, I thought Rocky was an excellent picture. Once the franchise was over I never gave it any thought; in fact, I did not know I even wanted to know something more until I saw this total surprise of a film. GROWING up without knowing his famous father Adonis Johnson, played by Micael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station, Fantastic Four), never wanted anyone to know he was the boxing champion’s son; instead, he wanted to make a name for himself. With his athletic abilities Adonis felt the only person who could help him hone his skills was the former boxing champion Rocky Balboa, played by Sylvester Stallone (The Expendables franchise, Escape Plan). This dramatic sport film was simply a stunner for me. I never imagined a story would be created that moved the Rocky franchise from years ago to current times. The writers did an incredible job of tying the past to the present and I was amazed at how good Sylvester was playing a much older Rocky. With Phylicia Rashad (Good Deeds, Just Wright) as Mary Anne Creed and Tessa Thompson (Selma, Dear White People) as Bianca, everyone in the cast did their part to create an honest and real film that totally kept my interest. Even with the tough bloody scenes, I remained focused into this beautifully told story. Some of you may be surprised with this review and I want to tell you no one is more surprised than me. I want to know what will happen next to Adonis Johnson. Several scenes had blood and violence in them.
3 1/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: 99 Homes
There are hardships that affect us on an emotional and internal level. An attack on the heart can feel as if we are experiencing it in a physical way; but once that initial punch subsides over time, the shattered pieces of one’s heart and soul remain below the surface for the most part. To the average person, the one in mourning could pass by undetected. Now there are some misfortunes that cause pain in a predominately physical way. Sure there is the emotional aspect but the physical trauma is irreversible. The loss of something related to one’s physical being such as eyesight or a limb is something that can alter a person’s life forever. Another life changer would be the change of status for one’s home. An apartment fire that throws tenants out into the cold, forced to take residence up in a shelter or if lucky a place to stay with a family member or friend, could have a long term effect on an individual. I have a friend who lost their house due to the financial crash a few years back. It was devastating for them; the house they lived in for years with the tree in back that started out as a small sapling was now gone. I drove by the place some time later only to see it looking crippled and old as a hungry wild lawn was in the middle of devouring it. It was so sad to see and I know this house was only one of millions that are in the same situation, with former inhabitants that are suffering in pain. The worst day of Dennis Nash’s, played by Andrew Garfield (The Amazing Spider-Man franchise, The Social Network), life was the day he and his family were evicted from their home by real estate broker Rick Carver, played by Michael Shannon (Take Shelter, The Iceman). That was before he accepted a job from the greedy realtor. This dramatic film festival winner was powered by two important elements: incredible acting by the cast that also included Laura Dern (Wild, The Fault in Our Stars) as Lynn Nash and Noah Lomax (Safe Haven, Playing for Keeps) as Connor Nash, along with a straightforward honest script. This story was utterly believable where I started feeling for the characters’ plight early on. I have been a fan of Michael Shannon for some years and this role was another stellar performance by him. He really has a presence that dominates on the big screen. If I have to look for any negative aspects to this film it would be a few scenes that were a bit slow. Honestly though they were no big deal compared to the positive things that were going on. I think everyone except maybe the top 5% could relate to what was taking place in this movie.
3 1/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Knuckleball!
For some people when they hear these words they expect to have a fun time; others do not share the same feelings. “Start picking sides for your team,” are words I have always found to be twinged with cruelness. Let me show why I think this way. You have a group of people let us say who want to play a game of basketball. Two individuals have been picked as the team captains and they start taking turns picking people for their team. They are certainly going to pick those individuals they think can play well. So as player after player gets picked, imagine how the ones left standing must feel. It is not a real confidence booster, let me tell you. I know how it feels and it takes all the fun out of playing the game, knowing you really were not wanted for the team. There was one PE teacher I had in school who never had teams chosen in this fashion. He would have everyone line up side by side and starting at one end he would assign a number to each student. Usually it was in a series like 1, 2, 3 and 4; other times he would keep assigning numbers in numerical order. Once done he would say all the 1s and 4s will be one team and the 2s and 3s will be the other team. I always found this to be a fairer and kinder way in choosing sides. Ironically, I rose in the pecking order when the other students discovered I threw a hard, fast ball with bull’s-eye accuracy. Little did I know I would have more in common with this sports documentary. CONFUSION and frustration would be felt by both players and coaches who had or faced pitchers who threw knuckleball pitches. It was a baseball pitch that seemed to have a mind of its own. I was utterly surprised by this documentary DVD. The movie played more like a drama as it showed the highs and lows in a knuckleball pitcher’s life. The main focus of the story centered on Tim Wakefield from the Boston Red Sox and R. A. Dickey of the New York Mets. Each of their stories was so compelling to me; especially Tim who was one of the oldest pitchers in the league. As for the pitch itself, I had no idea what it took to throw such an unpredictable ball; I felt like I was getting a mini-class in physics. There were so many touching parts in this film, aided by the interviews of former pitchers Phil Niekro and Jim Bouton. I am not a team sports fan per se, but I have to tell you I thought this documentary was extra special as it focused on what some consider the underdogs of the baseball world.
3 1/3 stars – DVD
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