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Flash Movie Review: In the Lost Lands
WHEN SOMEONE THINKS THEY ARE ALWAYS right, it is a good bet that person would absolutely enjoy having total power. I used to work at a fitness center where I had a boss who always thought she was right. Most of the time, I would not let it bother me; but when she decided that the schedule of classes would start changing every six weeks, I respectfully expressed my opinion. I could tell she was perturbed, but I did not care. To me, we instructors were there to serve the members’ needs, not my boss’s ego. I expressed how some of our members only have a particular time they can come to the center to workout. Members already expressed when they find an instructor they like, they want to stay with them. The proof of that was the fact I had the largest number of members attending my classes. My boss said it was important for the members to experience assorted styles of workouts and instructors. I countered each instructor makes sure to change up the exercise routines that are done in their classes, so the member’s body never gets used to a class and loses the shock value on their muscles. We went back and forth, point and counterpoint, until my boss said she did not care what a few members think, she is changing the number of times we will be changing formats and classes. And just like I predicted the members loudly complained and as a result attendance in general dropped until my boss bitterly gave in and returned the schedule back to the old format. THE STORY I JUST SHARED WAS recently expressed to a friend of mine who was telling me about the changes taking place at her office. She worked for a private company where the long-term president was recently replaced. What she told me was both frightening and sad. This new president was not discreet in showing his disdain for the way the past president ran the company. He was also determined to cut costs, no matter the ramifications. I sat and listened to my friend list things this new person already did and how his actions were affecting the employees. For example, the new president never listened to advice from anyone. Upon one meeting, he would already have formed an opinion of the person; most of the time he thought the person was inferior and would begin to treat them with disdain. After my friend was done sharing all her horror stories, I told her the new person sounded like a power-hungry dictator. I questioned why someone would want to lead by instilling fear in the employees who helped make the company so successful. It was a perfect example of absolute power being corruptive and destructive. I saw the same thing taking place in this fantasy action adventure. DESPITE ON A MISSION GIVEN FROM the queen to acquire a special power for her, a hunter and her guide were being hunted by someone in the queen’s realm who wanted her dead. With Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil franchise, Monster Hunter) as Gray Alys, Dave Bautista (The Killer’s Game, My Spy franchise) as Boyce, Arly Jover (Blade, A Prominent Patient) as The Enforcer, Amara Okereke (Red Rise-TV, The Morning After-TV) as The Queen, and Fraser James (Yardie, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter) as The Patriarch; this movie based on a George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones) short story was cheaply done. I thought the special effects and sets were paltry and unimpressive. Even if the entire movie was shot in one room and everything shown was CGI, it was poorly done and unrealistic looking. The script bounced around, never providing a cohesive plan of logic. As for the acting, it was nothing but average at best. I honestly was not sure why Milla and Dave agreed to star in it until I saw they were producers. What were they thinking? This film was a disappointment, and I wonder if there was only one person in charge who greenlighted everything needed to create this waste of time.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Last Breath
THE FIRST TIME I EVER STEPPED on a boat was when I was five or six years old. Well, not actually stepped on but carried on because I was kicking and crying. It was a ferry that went between two populated islands and the ride, though I did not know at the time, was only twenty-five minutes long. I had it in mind if I stepped on the boat, it would cause it to sink; I was a chunky kid at the time. My relatives kept telling me I would love the boat ride, and I kept saying to them I did not want to go. Finally, after I tried getting out of line for the second time, a relative lifted me up and held me until we were seated by a set of large picture windows in the covered area of the ship. Once the ropes were untied from the dock, the ferry’s engines gunned louder, churning the water up behind and we started moving towards open waters. I was still teary eyed and sniffling. When the ferry arrived in open waters, it picked up speed. The shore and skyline grabbed my attention. Seeing tall skyscrapers from a unique perspective sliding away from me grabbed my attention to the point where I stopped thinking about the boat sinking. Soon the shoreline curved away from us and we began to go even faster across the water. I did not realize this whole time a relative had stepped away to buy snacks at the concession stand set up at the back of the boat. With a cookie and carton of milk in hand, I started enjoying the ride. And by the time we arrived at our destination, I started crying again because I did not want to get off the boat. IT WAS NOT UNTIL YEARS LATER that I found myself stepping on board an ocean seafaring ship again. My childhood fears had been left behind many years ago. We were taking a cruise on a ship that held nearly three thousand passengers. Maybe because I was a decent swimmer my fears were negligible. Granted, I was a little agitated during the ship’s safety meeting we were required to attend, but nothing dramatic. Since we had a few hours before we were to set sail, we explored the ship. I quickly acclimated to the surroundings, learning where the fitness center, theater, restaurants, and snack shops were located. By the time we were ready to leave port, we went back to our room to get ready for dinner. I did not pay attention to the view out our balcony window, so I did not realize the water was choppy. As we left the cabin and started walking down the long hallway to the elevators, I realized I was not able to walk in a straight line; I had to place a hand on the walls to steady myself a couple of times. My stomach started to gurgle and moan. I made it to the restaurant but was not feeling good. We were seated and as each of us was looking over the menu, I realized I was getting seasick. Just seeing the printed descriptions of the entrees made my stomach churn. For the next 24 hours, I remained in bed until medication calmed my stomach and I was able to once again navigate around the ship. Even knowing the waters we had traveled were nowhere near as rough as the ones depicted in this dramatic adventure thriller, I still do not know how no one in this film appeared, even queasy for a moment. DESPITE HAVING ONE OF THE HARDEST jobs on the planet, a group of deep-sea divers encountered an even more challenging assignment when they had to dive in the middle of a violent storm to repair an underwater pipeline. With Woody Harrelson (Champions, Fly Me to the Moon) as Duncan Allock, Simu Liu (Arthur the King, Jackpot!) as Dave Yuasa, Finn Cole (Locked In, Animal Kingdom-TV) as Chris Lemons, Cliff Curtis (Risen, The Meg franchise) as Capt. Andre Jenson, and Mark Bonnar (The Kid Who Would be King, Catastrophe-TV) as Craig; this film based on a true story surprised me. Though the script was kept direct and simple, the story was still riveting. Even after a couple of days viewing this picture, I still could not stop thinking about this amazing story. With a steady hand directing, the tension was consistent throughout the picture. I would have appreciated more depth for the characters, and for the script to have taken more risks so as not to have been predictable, but I still was entertained throughout the story. I will say having seen this movie has given me a whole new appreciation of the sea and the people who work in and on it.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Paddington in Peru
I HAD HEARD STORIES ABOUT HER ever since I could retain memories; that is how long it had been. Stories about the incredible meals she would cook, the sweet personality, and the kindness she offered everyone; these stories contributed to the images I had of her in my mind. She was my grandmother, but I had never met her through most of my elementary school years. I honestly never knew what the reasons were, except that she lived out of town with a relative that took care of her. Nonetheless, she was part of our family’s conversations from time to time. I would have loved to have eaten some of her meals and especially desserts. Relatives who knew her always mentioned her cooking skills and how she loved being in the kitchen whipping up meals that, as they say, could feed an army. I was told she was never phased or put out by people unexpectedly dropping in to see her. She always had either homemade cookies or cakes in the house, ready to be served to company with a warm cup of coffee or big glass of cold milk. To me, she just sounded amazing and accepting and someone I wanted to sit down and visit with over one of her delicious sounding desserts. Though we were never together physically, she still was part of my life. IT WAS DURING MY LAST YEAR of elementary school when I was told this elusive grandmother was coming for a visit. One of her sons (a great uncle of mine) was going to accompany her. I was excited to finally be able to meet her and see what she was like compared to everything I had heard about her. She was going to stay at a relative’s house in the city, and it was decided all of us were to come there over the weekend to see her. I did not know any other details, like how long she would be staying here, all I was interested in was just seeing her. We drove over on a Sunday afternoon. As we pulled up to my uncle’s house, I could see a small group of people standing out on the front lawn. Once parked and out of the car, we walked up to greet our relatives. As they parted to the sides, I saw standing in the middle of all of them this tiny, white-haired woman. I do not think she was even five feet tall. With oval shaped glasses perched low on the bridge of her nose, I got to her first and introduced myself. She studied me for a moment before putting her arms out for a hug as she told me I looked like my father. I cannot describe the feeling except to say I felt an immediate kinship, a connection to this side of my family that previously had a missing piece, suddenly now becoming whole. Because of these feelings, I understood what Paddington, voiced by Ben Whishaw (Bad Behaviour, No Time to Die) felt when he received the news about a relative in this adventure, comedy mystery. UPON GETTING THE NEWS ABOUT A close relative had gone missing, Paddington and the family decided to go find her in the jungles of Peru. The trail they would take might involve clues about a hidden treasure. With Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey franchise, To Olivia) as Henry Brown, Emily Mortimer (Mary Poppins Returns, Lars and the Real Girl) as Mary Brown, Imelda Staunton (The Crown-TV, Downton Abbey franchise) voicing Aunt Lucy, and Antonio Banderas (The Enforcer, Babygirl) as Hunter Cabot; this latest installment in the franchise had similar elements to the previous films, except I did not find this one as entertaining. There is a certain charm and kind humor in the previous films that were lacking here. I felt the humor was more slapstick and some other scenes were unoriginal because they had a strong similarity to ones in the Indiana Jones movies. The cast did a wonderful job with the script, which did have a touching message in it. I feel this family film will be more amusing to younger kids than older ones. I believe the writers gave it a good try for thinking out of the box with this story, but it might be best if they stick closer to home next time. There were two extra scenes during the ending credits.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Captain America: Brave New World
I WAS SO CONFUSED WHEN THE new Darrin appeared for the first time in the television show, Bewitched. For five years, starting at the debut of the show, Dick York played Darrin Stephens; then suddenly, Dick Sargent was Darrin. My family had to try and explain to me this new person on the show was Darrin. I did not believe them. It made no sense to me; it was not like the first Darrin died on the show or got divorced from Samantha. Simply, a different actor was playing Sam’s mortal husband. With this being my first time witnessing a switch of actors in a cast, by the time I saw the Harry Potter films, I was so used to it that I did not find it startling when a new actor started playing the character, Albus Dumbledore. I guess, in movie world it is easier to replace actors for a well known character. Just think how many James Bonds we have seen played by different actors. I am aware it is easier when the changes take place in a make-believe world as opposed to our daily lives. Let me show you by defining the word, boss. According to the dictionary the definition of the word boss is a person who oversees a group, worker, or company. Think of how many times you had a boss who was different from your other bosses. THE CLICHÉ A BREATH OF FRESH air comes to mind when I think about a company I left years ago, where I had an awful boss, and wound up at a new company where I respected and admired my boss. My former boss was a nasty man; he ruled by intimidation and yelling at the employees. It was nothing for him to give a project to an employee late in the afternoon and demand it be done first thing in the morning. As a result, the employee would have to work through the night to complete it. I noticed he only did this with salaried employees, so he would not have to pay the employees overtime. I lasted a few years before I sought out other employment. At my new job, my boss was completely opposite to my former boss. She constantly offered encouragement and sought out employees’ opinions on work related matters. If an employee made a mistake, she would sit with them and ask them what they could have done differently to achieve better results. I was impressed by the way she ran the department and started modeling myself after her throughout my career. In this case she was such a welcome change for a boss. In the case of this action, science fiction, superhero adventure, I am trying to keep an open mind about the change that has taken place. ON THE VERGE OF COMPLETING A groundbreaking international trade deal, the president of the United States is being targeted by an evil force that could derail all the work that was put in creating this monumental trade deal. The ensuing chaos would draw in Captain America and his friends. With Anthony Mackie (The Woman in the Window, We Have a Ghost) as Sam Wilson, Harrison Ford (The Call of the Wild, The Age of Adaline) as President Thaddeus Rose, Danny Ramirez (No Exit, Assassination Nation) as Joaquin Torres, Shira Haas (Broken Mirrors, Shtisel-TV) as Ruth Bat-Seraph, and Carl Lumbly (Men of Honor, The Life of Chuck) as Isaiah Bradley; this latest in the franchise starts out with a new actor playing Captain America. Because of this, the writers had to find a way to ease Anthony into this new role. For the most part, I felt they did, but it also took time away from developing a better story. The script had its moments but there was less humor compared to past Marvel films. Honestly, I thought Harrison Ford was the standout from the cast which made Anthony fade into the background. The idea for the story was good but it lacked the drama and finesse of the previous Marvel superhero movies. Even the special effects were somewhat dull. Despite this, I am keeping an open mind, believing this picture was more of an introduction for this new Captain America. I hope the movie studio can rise to the occasion for the next installment. There was one extra scene at the end of the final credits.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Star Trek: Section 31
ONE OF MY EARLIEST SOLO TRIPS was to Las Vegas solely because a new, I do not know what they called it, attraction, exhibit, ride, or business had opened in a large, aged hotel. In the era where a deluge of new properties was being built up, this hotel wanted to remain relevant and competitive against the new establishments. I booked my flights six weeks after they had opened, just in case they needed time to work out any kinks to, what I had seen in advertisements, the elaborate production they had created. I chose to stay at a different hotel because the rooms were cheaper, but I mapped out that I could easily walk to the new exhibit. Once I landed, got to the hotel, and unpacked, I headed out to see the attraction. The first part of it was a bar/nightclub. Walking around were individuals dressed as Klingons, Vulcans, and the Borg; I had to immediately get a photo of them. Luckily, they were all gracious and willing to pose. The bar area had the same look as the one in Star Wars, except this one had characters associated with Star Trek. I wandered around, ordered a soft drink, and just took in all the sights which were plentiful. There were glass cases everywhere with Star Trek paraphernalia inside. I kept snapping picture after picture until I covered all the cases. WHEN I LEFT THE NIGHTCLUB AREA, there was a sign pointing to what I knew to be a virtual shuttle ride. There was a mockup of one of the ship Enterprise’s shuttles. Guests waited in line and were eventually ushered into the ship eight at a time. We each strapped ourselves in before the attendant gave us final instructions. Upon leaving, the doors whooshed close, the cabin’s lights dimmed, and the bay doors opened to reveal the universe. Over the loudspeakers a male voice announced he was captain and explained our mission. It felt like we were rising and moving away from earth. The announcement of full thrusters made the ship tilt back as it appeared we were picking up speed. I could not get over how realistic everything felt; I was pressed to the back of my seat as it felt like we were soaring higher and higher. The ride lasted two to three minutes but in that time, we had to navigate through a meteor shower, fight a Klingon Bird of prey ship, and do evasive maneuvers. By the time we were done, I was feeling a little dizzy. But it was worth it; from the very first episode of Star Trek, when it aired on television, I became a huge fan, and this place was nirvana for me. When I saw this film being advertised, I was equally as excited to see it and experience my beloved Star Trek universe again. Little did I know what was waiting for me. WHEN SEVERAL STARFLEET OFFICERS DRESSED AS bar patrons showed up to her nightclub, Philippa Georgiou, played by Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians, Wicked) knew something was up. She did not know it involved something far back in her past. With Omari Hardwick (The Mother, Army of the Dead) as Alok Sahar, Sam Richardson (Velma-TV, Mulligan-TV) as Quasi, Robert Kazinsky (Hot Pursuit, EastEnders_TV) as Zeph, and Kacey Rohl (White Dog, The Magicians-TV) as Rachel Garrett; this science fiction action, adventure drama was shocking to me. It was nowhere near the caliber of any of the previous Star Trek films. It felt like this was hastily put together to fulfill a contract. I thought the script was poor, the story line was weak, and the special effects were dull. I enjoyed watching Michelle because her character seemed so out of character for her; but it was not enough to save this picture. It almost felt like the production company who put this all together had never seen a film or episode of Star Trek. Being so disappointed, all I can say is this film needs to be transported to a far, far galaxy; never to be shown again.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
WE WERE THE BEST OF FRIENDS from an early age. Every weekend we would be together, either at my house or his, which was only kitty-corner to mine. My house was on the northwest corner of a city square block and his was on the southeast corner. We would cut through the alley to each one’s place. We had been friends from kindergarten up to sixth grade. It was during the sixth grade, when we started having certain class subjects assigned to other teachers’ rooms, where my friend had the opportunity to spend more time with a couple of boys from a different class. What happened over the next few months was my friend started including these boys into our circle of friends that we had for the past several years. This did not upset me at first; however, suddenly there were a few Saturdays when my friend was not home when I called him. His mother said he had gone out with a couple of friends. A couple of friends? I was part of his friendship. It was not until I saw him in school that he said his friends from the other classroom invited him out. My feelings were hurt, but I did not say anything. As we were nearing the end of the school year, it seemed as if he was spending more weekends with them than me. And through the summer months, we barely got together; so, by the time we were starting the new year, I felt totally rejected. THE FEELINGS OF LOSS I EXPERIENCED made me more conscious about my relationships with my friends as I grew up. I never wanted any of my friends to experience the feelings I had back then. I may have even overcompensated by wanting to include everyone all the time. However, I soon learned not everyone wants to be with everyone all the time. So, I started making plans with friends and family members individually, creating a rotation system so no one would get left out. There was one other factor I had not counted on. Originally, I thought something was wrong with me when getting together with some of my long-term friends seemed to take on a sense of struggling for conversation. Our comfort zone was talking about the past; but nothing else talked about seemed to be interesting to one of us, or were things to which one could not relate. It occurred to me whether one of us or both were growing in different directions. I did not see this as a negative thing, it was just a part of the growing process. And as proof, as time passed more of our face to fact time converted to a series of texts and emails. With this knowledge, I certainly could relate to the feelings Gromit was experiencing in this stop motion animated adventure comedy. WHEN A NEW INVENTION WAS INTRODUCED into his master’s house, Gromit soon begins to feel jealous of everything it could do. However, when a series of strange things begin to happen, Gromit believes there is something more going on with this high-tech invention. With Ben Whitehead (Berry Bees-TV, Wallace & Gromit franchise) voicing Wallace, Peter Kay (Car Share-TV, Roary the Racing Car-TV) voicing Chief Inspector Mackintosh, Lauren Patel (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Lloyd of the Flies-TV) voicing P.C. Mukherjee, Reece Shearsmith (High-Rise, Inside No. 9-TV) voicing Norbot, and Diane Morgan (Mandy-TV, After Life-TV) voicing Onya Doorstep; this film offered exactly what fans have come to expect, a fun, sly story with a fascinating artform of animation. I enjoyed the story line and thought the writers did a wonderful job blending the two story lines. The combination of slapstick humor, thrills, suspense, and tongue-in-cheek commentary kept me engaged the entire time. The level of stop motion animation, I imagine, must have taken at least a couple of years to achieve; it was so precise, even down to the facial expressions. This was a surprise treat for the way it lit up my spirits during this gloomy winter we have been having here.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Gladiator II
ANGER IS A TOOL THAT IF used carefully can fuel one in their endeavors. I firmly believe this since I am a product and result of it. Going through what I went through in school, my anger was nourished by the abuse and bullying I endured. Every time I was punched, kicked, and called a name, it only made my anger grow larger. Of course, no one saw it because I forced it to stay inside of me. Instead, I would excessively eat to stuff and keep my feelings down inside of me. I know this behavior is both typical and non-typical for others; but for me it worked, though ironically the more I ate to keep my feelings down, the more I was providing ammunition for the abusers and bullies to get meaner towards me. It was a vicious cycle. In the middle of this taking place, I had no idea my anger was plotting and nurturing my dreams, my dreams to just fit in with the rest of the school population. Sure, in my fantasy world I could hit a baseball farther than anyone else at school or be the fastest running back on the football team, but in the real world I felt I stood out because of my size, my hair, and my complexion dotted with acne. I just wanted to be invisible. Unbeknownst to me, anger had a plan. DURING THE EIGHTH GRADE SOMETHING HAPPENED inside of my brain. I wanted to wear clothes like everyone else, since many current fashions did not come in my size. So, I started exercising at home. A book I found at the library had photos with step-by-step instructions of different exercises like jumping jacks and sit-ups. Every day after school I would spend between 30-60 minutes doing various calisthenics. I never wavered or put off my exercising because my anger would not allow me. I wanted to show everyone I was not the things I was being called. My diet drastically changed where I got on this kick to drink hot bouillon for lunch with oyster crackers every day. I had read somewhere about not eating late, so I made a rule to finish eating at least five hours before I had to go to sleep. My other rule which again I had read in some magazine was not to put anything on top of things; in other words, eat a hamburger or hot dog plain with no catsup, mustard, pickles, etc. It took the entire school year and summer to lose weight; so, when it was time to start high school, I felt like I was a different person. This is what anger did for me and if you think that is something, please feel free to see what anger does for the main character in this epic action-adventure film. AFTER HIS HOME AND CITY WERE captured by the Romans, a man was forced to fight for his life in Rome’s colosseum. No one knew this man’s pedigree. With Paul Mescal (All of Us Strangers, Aftersun) as Lucius, Denzel Washington (The Equalizer franchise, The Magnificent Seven) as Macrinus, Pedro Pascal (The Uninvited, The Mandalorian-TV) as General Acacius, Connie Nielsen (Wonder Woman franchise, Role Play) as Lucilla, and Joseph Quinn (Overlord, A Quiet Place: Day One) as Emperor Geta; this drama was meant to be big and bold and seen on the big screen. I enjoyed the way the script wove in the original film’s story into this one where it made perfect sense. The acting was good by all, however, Denzel turned out to be the big eyecatcher of the group. He ate up his scenes. On the downside, the script dragged out the story way too long and had some ridiculous scenes, like the one with the shark(s). There was an overabundance of blood and gore which got tiresome. That with the script being predictable in places, made for a mixed viewing bag for me. This film did not catch all the pomp and glory of the original one.
2 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Sonic the Hedgehog 3
I KNEW THERE WAS SOMETHING BETWEEN his father and him, but I did not want to pry. We had known each other for some years and all that time I never met his folks. They lived out of state, and he would always be the one to travel to them for the holidays. We met at a coffee shop for a light lunch since we had not seen each other in a while. As soon as he walked in, I could tell something was wrong. He sat done; the first thing out of his mouth was telling me how ticked off he was at his father. I asked him why, and what happened. What he told me would upset me as well. It turns out, his father was always doing something to try and make a quick buck. One year he took funds out of the savings account and put a deposit down on a heat press transfer machine. I had to ask him what kind of machine was it. He said it was used to print things on T-shirts; his dad thought he could start an online presence to sell T-shirts he designed and made, using the machine. When I asked what kind of designs, my friend said his dad thought he was funny and could write jokes on the shirts and do others with different landscapes and artwork from a program that was included in his purchase. The online business never made money and eventually the father sold the machine used back to the company where he purchased it. THE THING MY FRIEND WAS UPSET about this time was his father had depleted most of his parents’ retirement funds to invest it in a company that was about to go public. His father thought it was a “sure thing” that would yield a huge gain. Like every investment he had made, as I soon found out, it failed. The company never went public, and the owners were nowhere to be found. All the investors lost their money and now his parents had no retirement funds to live on. I finally understood why my friend had issues with his dad. I asked what his mom thought of all these losses, and he said she was frustrated, toying with the idea of divorcing him; but she did not know how she would survive on her own. It was a sad situation; I felt bad for the mother. My friend said he was talking to his siblings to see what they could do to help the situation. He added, he grew up thinking his dad was the smartest person in the world, but then found out in his adult life it was not true. I offered dads are human just like everyone else; they can easily make mistakes and do crazy things. The perfect example of this can be found right here in this action, adventure fantasy. WHEN A NEW THREAT APPEARS ON Earth, it would force Sonic, voiced by Ben Schwartz (Renfield, Parks and Recreation-TV), and his friends to team up with the most unlikely being to try and save the planet. With Jim Carrey (Dark Crimes, Dumb and Dumber franchise) as Ivo Robotnik, Keanu Reeves (John Wick franchise, The Matrix franchise) voicing Shadow, Idris Elba (Beast, Three Thousand Years of Longing) voicing Knuckles, and Colleen O’Shaughnessey (Murder and Cocktails, Tails Tube-TV) voicing Tails; this latest in the franchise was more of the same. The action spreads out through the entire picture, with the same humor and predicaments. I was bored at times. The cast, both live and voices, were fine; though, I thought Jim Carrey was trying too hard to make his character a bit different this time. He appeared to mug and adlib for many of his scenes. I felt the script needed a rewrite with a better plot. I do not know if the investors in this film will break even. There were two extra scenes during the closing credits.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Mufasa: The Lion King
I SIMPLY SAT THERE ENTHRALLED LISTENING to how the two finally came together as boyfriend and girlfriend. The first time they met was in college. For a dance being held, he asked his roommate if his girlfriend had any friends, he could be fixed up with to take to the dance. The girlfriend did and the first time the two met was the day of the dance. Things seemed to be fine that evening, and he even went out on a second date with her. However, that is where the dating status ended. Unbeknownst to him, by the end of the second date the girl who had been fixed up with him did not care for him. Two years later they bumped into each other at a party off campus. They talked on and off throughout the night but left at separate times. It was not until their senior year, when they bumped into each other at a concession stand at the college’s football stadium, that a fuse was lit. He walked her back to her seat and by the time they got there they agreed to meet at an afterparty. It was at that party where the fuse ignited their hearts. They quickly became a couple since they saw each other multiple times throughout the week and weekends. However, a decision was looming over their heads regarding their graduation. AFTER HIS GRADUATION, HE WAS SCHEDULED to enter the U.S. Army Officer Candidate School in a southern state. The question they were mulling over is whether she returns home and the two of them maintain a long-term relationship, or she relocates to where he will be stationed and find a job. Though they knew each other for the first three years of college, it was their senior year where they blossomed and grew into a loving couple. She decided she would move with him, find a job and a small apartment to live in. That decision worked out well because they easily found themselves in a steady routine and continued to grow within their relationship. After a little over a year, they got engaged and started to plan a wedding, which was going to take place just before he was to get his first assignment. All their planning fell into place; they had a brief honeymoon vacation before they had to pack and combine their belongings and move to Germany. For the next few years, they would wind up moving three more times, along with their children who were born in different countries. When they told me this tale, their daughter was sitting with us; it was the first time she had heard about how they met. And it was a chance meeting at a concession stand that made everything possible, including her. Their story reaffirmed my belief that there are no accidents; there is a reason for everything, and it is proven again in this family fantasy adventure film. LOST AND ON HIS OWN, A YOUNG cub has a chance encounter with another cub that puts the two of them on a journey that will have a dramatic effect on their destinies. With Aaron Pierre (Rebel Ridge, Brother) voicing Mufasa, Kelvin Harrison Jr (It Comes at Night, Waves) voicing Taka, Tiffany Boone (The Midnight Sky, The Chi-TV) voicing Sarabi, Kagiso Lediga (The Umbrella Men franchise, Wonder Boy for President) voicing young Rafiki, and Preston Nyman (Crooked House, Ben & Holly’s Little Kingdom-TV) voicing Zazu; this sequel like the original was a visual wonder. Everything looked totally real. As for the story, I appreciated the idea behind it; however, with it being told in flashbacks, I felt some of the drama was lost. Plus, adding in the comedic interludes did not provide a continuous buildup of events. Also, it took me longer to get engaged with the characters, leaving me slightly bored in the beginning. Despite not having the same magic feeling as the first one, this movie’s message and my belief with there being no accidents, I am glad I saw this on the big screen.
2 ½ stars
moviejoltz 