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Flash Movie Review: Ghostbusters: Afterlife
I CANNOT SAY I TOTALLY BELIEVE or disbelieve; I simply believe anything is possible and that is why I am fascinated to hear people’s experiences with unexplainable events. A friend was telling me about a recent encounter her daughter experienced. While driving to a family function, the daughter looked in her rearview mirror and saw her grandparents, who were deceased, sitting in the back seat. They just sat there and smiled at her for the entire trip. When they arrived and she turned off the car, the daughter turned around in her seat, but the grandparents had disappeared. She went into the house to join other family members but during her time there she felt the presence of her grandparents for most of the night. The daughter was not surprised since her grandparents had visited her multiple times before. Her mother started believing her daughter ever since her first encounter because at that occurrence the grandparents said something in their native language which the daughter would not have known. When the daughter repeated what she heard to her mother, my friend knew something unexplainable had taken place around her daughter. I enjoyed listening about the event and asked my friend if her daughter ever had an encounter that scared her. She said as far as she knew, no. IN MY EXPERIENCES, THINGS HAVE TRANSPIRED that I could not easily explain. I used to workout at home on a cable exercise machine for several years. One day while working on it I felt like my eyes were mildly hurting me. When I clenched my eyes shut the pain subsided. I had no idea what was going on and even inspected them in the mirror to make sure I had not broken a blood vessel or something. For a week every time I did this one particular exercise on the machine, I would just close my eyes through it. However, after a week I started turning my face to the side while keeping my eyes shut. I knew this did not make any sense, but I kept doing it. After a few days when I went to exercise, the cable snapped as I grabbed the pull-down bar before sitting down on the bench. I was shocked but immediately realized that if the cable had held up a few seconds longer until I was seated and pulling up the weights attached to the cable, it would have snapped right into my eyes. To say I was stunned would be an understatement. I felt there had to be something else that I could not explain that made me start to clench my eyes and turn my face away from the cable. Once I replaced the cable my eyes stopped hurting. It is things like this which have kept my mind open to any possibility and that is the way I went when I decided to go see this movie. AFTER MOVING TO A SMALL TOWN to take possession of a rundown house she inherited from her father, a single mom and her two children were unaware there was something special about the house and land around it. With Carrie Coon (The Post, Gone Girl) as Callie, Paul Rudd (Ant-Man franchise, Our Idiot Brother) as Grooberson, Finn Wolfhard (It franchise, Stranger Things-TV) as Trevor, McKenna Grace (Gifted, Annabelle Comes Home) as Phoebe and newcomer Logan Kim as Podcast; this long-awaited adventure, comedy fantasy in the franchise did not fully materialize for me. The acting was good; I especially admired the performances of McKenna and Finn. However, I thought the script was weak. There could have been more excitement, humor and suspense; everything seemed like a light version of what it was intended to be. Of course, there also was the nostalgic aspect which made things more bearable, especially the last part of the movie. I went into this film with no expectations and came out with just an okay feeling that I saw it, but no wow factor. There were a couple of extra scenes during the ending credits.
2 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Eternals
A FRIEND OF MINE CREATED AN informal group that consisted of friends and acquaintances, who wanted to help take care of our neighborhood. The only requirement to be part of the group was to have pride for the neighborhood. Since I was born and raised in it, I signed up to become a member of the group. I have to say my friend was a sensitive individual, who started the group to combat the negativity he was experiencing both in his workplace and personal surroundings. His hope was to spread a little positivity around the neighborhood through acts of kindness. The first event he scheduled was to meet at the beach, ready to clean up any litter. When I arrived, he handed me a trash bag; I already was wearing a pair of gloves, so did not need the ones he was providing. There was a total of 9 or 10 people who participated and the time my friend set for the event was two hours. We each were assigned an area of the beach and went at our own pace because some of us weren’t as young and nimble as the others. I was grateful that in my section I did not come across anything truly disgusting. Instead, most of the items I found were cigarette butts, plastic cups, empty bottles, cans and tattered sheets of paper. Why people could not take the time to walk over to the trash and recycling bins, I would never know. ONE OF THE REASONS MY FRIEND asked me to join his group was because he knew how attentive I was in recycling everything I could at home. Granted I was lucky that the town I lived in had a very active recycling program that was easy to follow. Each resident was given two large bins, one for trash and the other for recyclables. They also gave out small orange crates as backup in case our bins got full before trash day. Since I kept my bins in the garage, I made doubly sure to rinse any containers out before leaving them sitting outside for days. I did not want to attract any wildlife with food encrusted items. Besides the usual newspapers and magazines, I recycled most of my junk mail, along with any container that showed the recycling number on it. I also would recycle those plastic rings that held together a six pack of soda, but only after I cut open each ring to prevent any wildlife from getting their head stuck in one. For me, I felt I was doing my part in protecting this world just like the main characters felt in this action, adventure fantasy. DUE TO AN UNEXPECTED EVENT, ANCIENT aliens who lived among us had to come out of their peaceful lives to combat an old enemy. With Gemma Chan (Captain Marvel, Crazy Rich Asians) as Sersi, Richard Madden (The Take, A Promise) as Ikaris, Angelina Jolie (Maleficent franchise, Those Who Wish Me Dead) as Thena, Salma Hayek (The Hummingbird Project, Like a Boss) as Ajak and Kit Harington (Pompeii, Game of Thrones-TV) as Dane Whitman; this latest release from the Marvel Universe was a big disappointment. I felt the script lacked the typical humor one expects from Marvel films. Scenes dragged for me and I did not care for the flip flopping that took place in the latter part of the movie. Surprisingly, I thought the special effects were not up to par; there seemed to be an almost cartoonish aspect to the characters, and I do not mean that in a good way. The pacing and the action scenes just seemed off to me which added to my boredom. Except for the 2 extra scenes during the ending credits, I would not have immediately thought this was a Marvel film. It felt like I had spent an eternity watching this picture by the time it was over.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: F9 The Fast Saga
A FOND CHILDHOOD MEMORY OF MINE was the many times I went to the auto show. Having built and painted a fleet of model racing cars, I loved seeing all the new cars inside the convention center. The faster a car could go, the more I was attracted to it. I would impatiently wait by a sports car, wishing the attendees sitting inside would get out, so I could sit behind the wheel and pretend I was speeding down a long highway. There was not one compartment, switch or knob that I left untouched. At some of the displays there were hired people, dressed in fancy clothes, who would walk around the car and talk about it to any passing person. To emphasize the point, they would eagerly open a car door to invite the individual to come and take a seat in the “latest,” most “advanced” automobile that is out on the street today. I took all of this in, fantasizing that one day I could get hired to talk about all the cars on display. Adding to my excitement, would be all the pamphlets and paraphernalia that the different auto manufacturers would pass out. By the end of the day, I usually had two full bags of stuff that I collected throughout the exhibit. I HAD ANOTHER SPECIAL MEMORY FROM my times at the auto show. In the cafeteria where we would stop for lunch, they sold one of my favorite cookies but in a smaller size. I loved the idea of my favorite cookie being in a bite-size form because they were so easy to pop in my mouth. And they would not leave any crumbs. I always made sure I finished the bag before we would continue our way through the convention center. Even to this day, I remember those little sized cookies. Now, when I go to the grocery store, there are so many options to my favorite cookie that it becomes overwhelming. I remember when they changed the packaging and proudly proclaimed “New & Improved” across the top. They tasted the same to me. However, with their latest version, I must tell you I did not think they tasted as good as I remembered. After so many years, I hope I am not just getting bored with them; they did not excite me like I know they did in the past. I feel the same about this latest installment in the film franchise despite my love of fast cars. AFTER HAVING SETTLED INTO A QUIET, idyllic life in the country, a crisis forces Dominic Toretto, played by Vin Diesel (Bloodshot, The Last Witch Hunter), and the crew to deal with a terrorist that can match their fight and driving skills. With Michelle Rodriguez (The Assignment, Battle Los Angeles) as Letty, Jordana Brewster (American Heist, Home Sweet Hell) as Mia, Tyrese Gibson (Black and Blue, Transformers franchise) as Roman and John Cena (Vacation Friends, Daddy’s Home franchise) as Jakob; this action, crime adventure took the stunt driving to a new level. I enjoyed watching the over-the-top car scenes; however, there were so many of them that it got repetitive for me. There was no place for logic nor was there any time to focus on the characters. It was humor, race, pause for words of wisdom and repeat. The script could have gotten some help if it had incorporated more of Charlize Theron’s character because one of the “evil” characters was not very evil in my opinion. The cast appears quite comfortable with each other and I imagine they are enjoying themselves during the filming process. I am afraid compared to the prior installments in this film franchise, this latest one was more of a basic model instead of being top of the line. There was an extra scene in the middle of the ending credits.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Venom: Let There Be Carnage
I KNEW MY FRIEND WAS NOT prone to hyperbole, but the gentleman sitting with us at the dinner table was as friendly and jovial as could be. The picture that my friend painted of this man, prior to the dinner engagement, made me hesitant to attend the evet. I was told he was a tyrant who would belittle everyone around him; he was an uber alpha male, though physically not the stereotype. He was quite tall, easily 6’5” in length with an equally large girth. My friend said this man used his height to intimidate his peers and business associates; he loved to lean slightly forward while bending his head to exaggerate the look of peering down at his prey. One story I remember my friend telling me was about a time when this man was trying to return an item to a store and the clerk couldn’t accept it because it had been opened. The amount of anger he displayed to the clerk made her cry and call the manager, who eventually took the item back to stop the man from making a bigger scene in front of the other customers. Throughout the dinner I found this gentleman to be friendly and engaging to the other wedding guests sitting at our table. I did not know what to say when afterwards my friend said the man who was sitting with us was not the man he knew, he must have been an imposter. THE ONLY THING I COULD COME up with, regarding the drastic contrast, between perceptions and reality was to assume the gentleman was either put on medication or doing therapy or possibly found a new way of life. Keeping in mind that I believe each of us is born with both good and evil, the experience at the wedding was not a total surprise; I have encountered many individuals who you could say acted as if they had dual personalities. There was a member in one of my yoga classes who could walk into the room as light and cheery as you could imagine; other times, she looked as if it took all her strength just to put one foot in front of the other and would keep a sad, dour look on her face. When she was “down” I knew there was no coaxing I could do to get her involved with the class. Some say it might be a chemical imbalance in the brain, others could think the drastic contrasts in behavior were drug related. Then there is this picture that offers the possibility it could be due to an alien manifestation. GETTING THE OPPORTUNITY TO INTERVIEW AN inmate on death row could provide a needed boost to Eddie Brock’s, played by Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises, The Revenant), career. However, a small incident causes a major shift in the balance of power at the prison. With Woody Harrelson (The Highwaymen, Zombieland franchise) as Cletus Kasady, Michelle Williams (My Week with Marilyn, All the Money in the World) as Anne Weying, Naomie Harris (Collateral Beauty Rampage) as Frances Barrison and Reid Scott (Black and Blue, Late Night) as Dr. Dan Lewis; this action, adventure sequel amped up the humor in a major way. I thought Tom did a wonderful job in both his acting and stunts. The issue I had with this movie was once again the script. With the abundance of humor and mayhem stuffing the story, it just started to get repetitious for me after a while. I think if more time had been given to develop the characters deeper, it would have been a better viewing experience. In a way, I had this opposite thing going where there were parts I enjoyed watching then other sections were blah. There was an extra scene in the middle of the credits.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Cruella
I REMEMBER THERE WAS A STUDENT in class who was more creative than the rest of us. He would get reprimanded for always drawing outside of the lines. Where pretty much all the drawings being done around me used the color yellow for the sun, he would use a different color like tan or pumpkin. I was not very good at drawing and preferred having figures and objects outlined on the paper, so I could just fill them in with color. My favorite thing to do would be to boldly add color to the pre-drawn outlines then lightly shade color inside of them. The teacher at least did not complain about my work like she did with his art pieces. Many a times he would get a lower grade from the teacher than I did. It puzzled me because his stuff, I thought, was much better than mine. At first, I thought his lower grades were due to not following the rules; but what the teacher explained to us never mentioned the things he did were not acceptable. Maybe she just did not like the work he produced, I thought. Either way, I admired his determination in following his creativity. Years later, I still wonder what he might be doing artistically these days. JOINING A FRIEND AT AN ART fair, we stopped at a booth that was selling jewelry. My friend was familiar with the artist’s work and especially fond of the earrings they created. She was showing me one pair she liked and oddly it looked familiar to me. It was as if I had seen something like it years ago. I had to think about it for a while, but then suddenly it occurred to me; it looked as if that student in my art class from years ago had designed it. I mentioned it to my friend, and she said maybe they did. I told her it was not because his name was different than the jewelry artist. She surprised me when she next said the artist at the booth did not design his jewelry; he had a team of artists who created his look and he simply was the face of it to the public. I could not believe it because listening to him talking to a customer, it sounded like he had designed and manufactured the pieces he was selling. So, in other words, he was taking credit for someone else’s creativity? Maybe that student was one of the artists he had working under him. In my mind the jewelry artist was taking credit for someone else’s hard work which was similar to what I found in this comedic crime adventure. HAVING DREAMT ABOUT WORKING FOR THE top design house in London, nothing prepared Estella, played by Emma Stone (Battle of the Sexes, The Favourite) for the nightmare she was about to experience. With Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks, A Walk in the Woods) as The Baroness, Joel Fry (Game of Thrones-TV, 10,000 BC) as Jasper, Paul Walter Hauser (Richard Jewel; I, Tonya) as Horace and John McCrea (God’s Own Country, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) as Artie; the standouts for me were both Emma’s and the soundtrack. Their acting together was wicked and fun. I enjoyed everyone’s performances; however, I thought the script was odd for the main character. Who was the movie studio marketing this film to because it was too dark for young children, in my opinion? Situations seemed too extreme to me in a very unfun and unfunny way. The costumes were great, and I loved the idea of Emma taking charge of her creations; however, there was a streak of meanness that I found uncomfortable. The question comes up for me, was this film created for a quick money grab? I felt the creative team behind this picture could have worked better together to create a more enjoyable experience for the viewer.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Dune
I KEPT THINKING I WAS SEEING something different compared to my friend. The way she talked, you would have thought her daughter was going to be a superstar. Now I am not an expert, but I thought her daughter was a good dancer. My friend had been a dancer and as soon as her daughter was old enough, she enrolled her into dance classes. As the daughter progressed in her training she eventually moved up into the competitive world of dance. Her mother was overjoyed and agreed to take her wherever the competitions were located. Since I had been part of this progressive journey, I came to realize my friend was reliving her dance years through her daughter. What tipped me off that the young dancer was not as enthusiastic as her mother was her facial expressions. I did not see joy or happiness when she danced; it was as if she was more like a robot who had been programmed to go through the steps in precise order. There was no passion coming out of her as far as I could tell. I could not imagine how much money my friend invested in her daughter’s training and costumes over the years. The way my friend talked about her daughter, I could tell she was placing her feelings on top of her daughter’s. It was hard when the daughter told her mother she would no longer participate in competitions and give up dancing. My friend was shattered. MY FRIEND AND HER DAUGHTER WERE not the first parent/child relationship I have seen where the two were not in synch about the child’s future. I worked for a man who brought his son into the business to eventually take over from him when he retired. The son was not interested in running a business; however, he certainly liked tapping into the company’s finances for his own personal use. There was nothing I could do about it; I was just an employee, but I could see the son’s way of doing business was not a sustainable business solution for growth. Eventually there would not be enough funds for the company to operate based on how much money was going into the son’s pocket. Sadly, my thinking was accurate because the company eventually closed after I had left it, just in time. When it comes to choosing a hobby or career path, I believe the child should be allowed to investigate their desires. If they succeed, then it was meant to be and if they fail, they will learn from it. It is one thing to encourage a child down a certain path, but I would never predetermine what they should become. It causes a conflict which I detected taking place in this action, adventure drama. WITH HIS FATHER BEING GIVEN THE role of ruler over a distant planet, the visions Paul Atreides, played by Timothee Chalamet (Beautiful Boy, Lady Bird), was seeing became increasingly disturbing. With Rebecca Ferguson (Doctor Sleep, Men in Black: International) as Lady Jessica Atreides, Zendaya (The Greatest Showman, Spider-Man franchise) as Chani, Oscar Isaac (Star Wars franchise, At Eternity’s Gate) as Duke Leto Atreides and Jason Momoa (Aquaman, Sweet Girl) as Duncan Idaho; this science fiction picture was visually and musically alluring. I found the sets and film shots enticing; not to be a cliché but the style had an otherworldly effect on the presentation. Having said that, I found the script to be weak compared to these stand-out features. The story was slow moving and as the movie progressed, I began to lose interest. I did not realize this film was Part One which I am not always a fan of experiencing. Because of that I did not care much for the ending. My experience of watching this film was like a comet passing across the sky; it surprises and ignites the imagination, but it is short lived.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Trailer: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
I WANT TO CLARIFY BEFORE TALKING about the viewing of today’s movie, a good day is one where a person is alive and well. That would be at the top of the list in my opinion. There was this fellow I knew who when asked if he was having a good day would answer, “I am above ground, aren’t I?” So, keeping things in perspective, I am sure we can all agree there are many options we use to define a good day, maybe even a perfect day. For some people, having an easy commute makes for a good day. I can relate to this because at one time I had to cross 5 different railroad tracks to get to the office and rarely did I ever make it all the way without being stopped at a train crossing. Other folks may discover money forgotten in a pocket of clothing or a twenty-dollar bill lost on the street and that would warrant the day becoming a good one for them. Being able to fix a computer issue or a broken item in my home always makes my day brighter and my mood happier, since I am not handy or computer savvy. Everyone has their own definition of perfect and good when describing a day. I can say with certainty that my day was made perfect due to the circumstances that allowed me to see today’s film. AS SOME OF YOU HAVE KNOWN or guessed, I have not been to a movie theater during the pandemic. I do not have a problem sitting in the theater with a mask on my face for the entire movie; however, I cannot trust other patrons doing the same thing, especially if they are not vaccinated. I had a free night coming up and toyed with the idea of venturing back to the movie theater. The issue was timing; I wanted to see a film right after work so the night would not get to be too late for me. Checking online, I looked at all the movie choices at the closest multiscreen theater near my office. Out of 20 film choices, three of them fit into my time requirement; two of them had start times that reflected my closing time. I remembered for this theater chain, their average time for showing previews was between 20-24 minutes. If traffic was good, I felt I could get to the theater in time. Not only did I get there in time, despite there only being 18 minutes of previews, I was the only one in the theater to see this outstanding, adventure fantasy. Already I was having a good day. DESPITE TRYING TO AVOID HIS PAST, when a group of attackers confronted Shaun, played by Simu Liu (Women is Losers, Kim’s Convenience-TV), he had no choice but to show them what he was trained to do. With Awkwafina (The Farewell, Crazy Rich Asians) as Katy, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung (Red Cliff franchise, The Grandmaster) as Xu Wenwu, Ben Kingsley (An Ordinary Man, Night Hunter) as Trevor Slattery and Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians, Tomorrow Never Dies) as Ying Nan; this action movie not only grabbed me near the beginning but took me to a faraway place filled with utter entertainment. There was folklore, incredible fight scenes, wonderful imagination, humor, drama and excitement; I loved every part of this picture. And this is despite the story having Marvel’s template for storytelling; it did not matter to me at all. The introduction of a new Marvel film superhero was handled in such a way to include back story into the drama and humor of the character. As with other Marvel movies, there were 2 extra scenes in the middle and end of the credits. Already having a good day, seeing this dynamite of a picture made my day perfect. Because of the entire movie watching and entertainment experience, I gave the movie a top rating.
4 stars
Flash Movie Review: How I Became a Superhero
DESPITE THE DJ’S MUSIC TRYING TO drown him out, the wedding guest sitting at my table kept going on and on about himself. The gentleman was an imposing figure, easily over 6 feet tall and stocky, with massive hands that gave his arms a sledgehammer appearance. I was not sure what industry this man had worked in, but he had been some high up executive. At least that is what my friend sitting next to me had told me. This man was telling us about the changes he had made at his company. I was appalled by the number of negative comments he had about his co-workers. He even went so far as to essentially say he went to a better college than anyone else in his department. At one point, I glanced over at his wife to see how she was reacting to her husband dominating the table conversation. She just sat there with a smile plastered on her face; I could not tell if it was an automatic response, or she enjoyed hearing her husband bragging about himself. It was boring to me, sitting there like a captive as he went on and on about his so-called achievements. What I found telling was the fact several of his achievements involved the reduction of employees, as if laying off workers was an accomplishment. PEOPLE WHO HAVE TO BRAG ABOUT themselves do not impress me. I understand there are times when one should toot their own horn, but I feel a person’s actions tell me more about them than anything they can say. I remember this student in one of my college classes. She was “down to earth,” displaying a gentleness and kindness towards her fellow classmates. We struck up a friendship, that allowed me the opportunity to see more into her intelligence. Despite carrying a full course load of classes, she was tutoring younger students in English. If that was not enough, she was working on an outline for a story she hoped to write and publish. I was struck by the way she talked about the things she was doing; there was no bravado involved, simply hoping she could make a difference in someone’s life. No one in class knew about any of this and in fact, she asked if I would not mention any of her extracurricular activities to the other students. It is people like her that confirm my belief that actions speak louder than words. I think that is one of the reasons I liked the way the writers spun the story in today’s film review. A NEW DRUG HITS THE STREETS of Paris that gives the user superpowers. It appears those who use it aren’t thinking of doing something good. With Pio Marmai (I Kissed a Girl, The Trouble with You) as Moreau, Vimala Pons (The Wild Boys, Elle) as Schaltzmann, Benoit Poelvoorde (Coco Before Chanel, The Brand New Testament) as Monte Carlo, Leila Bekhti (A Prophet, The Third War) as Callista and Clovis Cornillac (A Very Long Engagement, Eden Log) as Gigaman; this action, adventure comedy took some time to let the story unfold; but I was intrigued with the premise. I enjoyed seeing a different perspective on the superhero genre. What helped was the filming of this picture; there was a dark grittiness to the scenes that added an extra layer of intrigue. Maybe it is my own personal feeling, but I do not associate grittiness with the city of Paris. The acting was convincing and authentic to me. I will say the special effects were not on the level of a Marvel film; however, what there were was not a distraction. This was an interesting viewing experience. There was an extra scene at the end of the credits and though I saw an English version, this film was originally done in French with English subtitles.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Kate
THE PHOTO WAS FORWARDED TO ME and I immediately had memories flood my brain as soon as I saw it. I had not thought about that trip in years; no, actually decades, but remembered the who, what and where of the trip. I am always amazed at the workings of the mind. How these stored memories suddenly appear in full force, like a spotlight, into one’s consciousness; it is fascinating. From that one photo, I was able to remember the place I stayed at, the time of year and the various sights I visited while there. Truthfully, if I had not seen that one photo I do not know if I would have ever recalled that vacation. And that is the other aspect of stirred memories I enjoy experiencing; that random trigger that sets off the memory like a firecracker. For example, just recently I had a lunch date with a few family members. I had found this new food item at the store and thought the relatives would enjoy trying them. Buying a few different flavors, I put them out on the dining room table when the meal was ready. As the group of people inspected the items, I brought out drinking glasses for them to give the products a try. One family member kept taking a taste from their drink. When I asked what they thought of it, they said the taste is reminding them of a different time when they were back in college drinking a mixed alcoholic beverage out of a plastic cup. How random it was; I enjoyed hearing how a past memory got ignited from a new type of drink. JUST AS I AM FASCINATED WITH the way memories suddenly appear from random stimuli, I am also curious how some memories always stay close to the surface to steer the actions of an individual. Many of us might have experienced buying a car that turned out to be a complete lemon. I know I did. There was a car I had that would periodically just shut off while I was driving it. I remember one time it decided to turn off in the middle of a busy intersection. There was nothing I could do because the car would not turn over. I go so fed up, I grabbed my stuff, got out, locked the car doors and walked over to the curb to call a tow service. For the next few weeks while I looked for a car, I rode a bicycle wherever I had to go. From that time, I have never bothered looking at that car manufacturer’s products when I needed to buy a car. Some memories just never fade away, like the one the main character kept having in this action, crime adventure. AFTER AN ASSIGNMENT GETS BOTCHED UP, a well-honed assassin discovers she has a short time to live before she dies. She only has one thing on her mind. With Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Birds of Prey, 10 Cloverfield Lane) as Kate, Woody Harrelson (The Hunger Games franchise, Out of the Furnace) as Varrick, relative newcomer Miku Patricia Martineau as Ani, Tadanobu Asano (Thor franchise, Battleship) as Renji and Jun Kunimura (Kill Bill franchise, The Naked Director-TV) as Kijima; this story was a mix of previous film stories I have seen. There seems to be a recent smattering of movies with female killers. I have enjoyed seeing them and in fact, this film reminded me of a cross between John Wick, Atomic Blonde and Crank. Kate did an admirable job of acting and fighting in this role; however, the script was generic, without much depth and character development. There was a stylized flair in the look of this picture, but it did not have that extra punch, so to speak, to make this a great movie. The bottom line here is I might remember Mary Elizabeth’s performance, but I doubt I will remember this movie after a short time.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Water Man
AFTER I FINISHED WATCHING THIS MOVIE, I switched over to the news. The newsman was reporting about an issue a local hospital was having with one of its patients. The screen changed and the image of a woman popped on the TV screen. The shot was from the neck up; she had skin that was wrinkled into deep crevices by the sun. On top of her head, she wore a baseball type of cap that was bejeweled with colored stones to look like the American flag. There was no sound coming from her despite her mouth moving. The reporter was saying this woman did not believe in the COVID vaccines. She wound up being admitted into the hospital because she contracted COVID, and she wanted to be treated with a drug she read about on the internet that claims to cure the disease. It was a medicine that is given to horses. Because the drug is not approved by the FDA for humans, the hospital would not administer it to her. She was fighting them for it. I sat there in bewilderment. How did things get to the point where humans were perfectly fine ingesting medications formulated for animals? Death, I know, can be a huge motivator and I know I would want to learn as much as possible on how to combat whatever illness befalls me. However, I would want to hear from scientists and doctors, not the internet necessarily. I KNEW A FAMILY THAT SUFFERED a major loss of one of their family members. When the person was diagnosed the family went into shock. The older family members understood the severity of the disease; the children only knew it was “bad.” I remember one of the kids delved into a fantasy life to cope with the changes that were taking place in the household. The child believed there were magic seeds that could cure her parent. Anytime she went outside, the young child would spend most of her time searching for these seeds in flower beds, around trees, in sidewalk cracks and even along the curbs of the streets. She was convinced if she could find these seeds and give them to her parent, it would make them feel better. The reason I mention this little girl is because to me, there is a similarity between her and the woman that was reported in the news who is demanding a horse pill to cure herself. Each of them is looking to fantasy for a cure; the difference being one is a child and the other is an adult. For those who may have forgotten what it is like to be a child, this dramatic family adventure can remind you. WITH HIS MOTHER’S ILLNESS GETTING WORSE, a young boy sets out to find a cure for her. With Lonnie Chavis (This is Us-TV, Magic Camp) as Gunner Boone, David Oyelowo (A United Kingdom, Don’t Let Go) as Amos Boone, Rosario Dawson (Eagle Eye, The Captive) as Mary Boone, Amiah Miller (Lights Out, War for the Planet of the Apes) as Jo Riley and Alfred Molina (Boogie Nights, The Devil has a Name) as Jim Bussey; this movie had a touching story that was easy to watch. I thought the cast was well suited to tell the story. The script was good though it was close to predictable and the reason I say that is because some of the scenes were done in a heavy-handed way. A lighter touch would have allowed the scene to mature and grow I believe. I also enjoyed the way the writers introduced the minor story line and kept it low key for the viewer to connect the pieces. There have been other similar stories told before; the difference for me was this one had a gentleness in the way the story was told that was much appreciated.
2 ½ stars
moviejoltz 