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Flash Movie Review: The Way Back
It can be seen as early as infancy. Some may mistake it for stubbornness, but it really is not. I feel a person is born with it, this determination to succeed. I have seen some babies spend untold time on a single item or toy until they came to some sort of conclusion in figuring it out. For all my years working in fitness centers, I have seen adults with walkers or in wheelchairs struggling against their own bodies to lift a weight or walk the track. I am in awe of the determined drive they have in achieving their goal. There are stories that come out that talk about something that seems humanly impossible. One such true story is Slavomir Rawicz’s book “The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom” which inspired this Academy Award nominated movie. The year was 1940 as the world was breaking out into war. A group of men sentenced to a Siberian prison camp made their escape in the dead of winter. From the frigid arctic cold to the unbearable heat of the Gobi desert to the heights of the Himalayas, they walked 4000 miles as they made their way to India. I know, this story sounds unimaginable; but it made for a riveting film that was beautifully directed by Peter Weir (The Truman Show, Dead Poet’s Society). Jim Sturgess (One Day, Cloud Atlas) played the wrongly accused Polish prisoner Janusz. His skills would help the small band of escapees on their perilous journey. The casting for this dramatic adventure was a major asset in bringing the story to life. Among the actors were Ed Harris (A Beautiful Mind, A History of Violence) as Mr. Smith, Colin Farrell (Phone Booth, Total Recall) as Valka, Mark Strong (Body of Lies, Kick-Ass) as Khabarov and Saoirse Ronan (The Host, Atonement) as Irena. The scenes were so thoughtfully set up that I easily accepted everything as being real. In fact, I felt a shiver as I watched the men struggling in the cold harsh conditions. Though the film was long I never felt bored; even in simple scenes that seemed unnecessary, I felt the director was accurately portraying the group’s physical and emotional struggles. This really was an amazing feat of human strength that was done justice by this film. Some scenes had Russian and Polish with English subtitles. A few scenes briefly showed blood.
3 1/3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
All of us I am sure have encountered people who turned out to be someone totally different than who they claimed to be. It goes without saying that type of revelation has broken many hearts. I find these types of individuals to be learning lessons for us, no matter how painful it may have been to learn the lesson. But have you ever considered that these people may only be one definition of beings that affect our daily lives? Think about it; what if two elevators open up for you at the same time and in a split second you switch and take the one on the left instead of the right side. As you rise up to your designated floor; unbeknownst to you, the other elevator became stuck between floors, trapping its passengers for a couple of hours. How about that split decision you made to wait an extra 30 minutes for a ride home instead of walking through an unfamiliar area only to discover later a crime had been committed along the route you would have taken. These things could be attributed to our intuition, internal voices or maybe from some being watching over us. I believe anything is possible and that concept is what attracted me to this action, fantasy film. Lily Collins (The Blind Side; Mirror, Mirror) played Clary Fray, who lived with her artist mother Jocelyn, played by Lena Headey (Dredd, Game of Thrones-TV). When Clary began to doodle the same odd symbol over and over, it set into motion a discovery that was kept hidden by her parents, finally explaining the strange things she had been seeing. Jonathan Rhys Meyers (August Rush, Match Point) as Valentine, was the best character out of the cast for me. Lily was ok for the most part but I did not understand why she had to wear the outfit she was wearing through most of the movie. Based on the acclaimed book series by Cassandra Clare, I can appreciate the task of staying true to the story. I felt so many characters and things were being crammed into this adventure film that I never got a sense for any of them. It became a series of altercations that were nothing special. Jamie Campbell Bower (Twilight franchise, Winter in Wartime) as Jace did not have the physical presence to be a lead character as far as I was concerned. I liked the concept of the story but there was no life to this movie. If the people responsible for creating this film were basing their decisions on their inner voices, they were listening to the wrong ones.
1 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
There were two things that stoked my imagination when it came to mythology. One was the original movie of Jason and the Argonauts. Watching those fantastical creatures battle Jason was something that sparked endless imaginary battles in my head. I would use Jason as a decoy while I was the one who found the Golden Fleece. The other object that gave me a new appreciation for myths was the book Mythology by Edith Hamilton. Growing up it was required reading in school; everyone I knew had to read it. The idea that there were these beings living among us, who did not quite fit in, was something I could strongly identify with. If only I could have found a place like Camp Half-Blood that was featured in this fantasy film. Logan Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower, The Number 23) once again reprised his role of Percy Jackson, the son of Poseidon. When the security system protecting the children of gods and goddesses staying at Camp Half-Blood was neutralized, Percy and his friends decided to go out on a mission to seek the one item that could restore and protect their home from evil forces–the Golden Fleece. I thought the concept of this story was a good idea; setting it in current times with typical teenagers who had special gifts. Logan, as he has done in his past films, came across as a likable character; one you did not want to see get into harm’s way. Others in the cast such as Alexandra Daddario (Hall Pass, Texas Chainsaw 3D) as Annabeth, Douglas Smith (Blast From the Past, Antiviral) as Tyson and Jake Abel (I Am Number Four, The Lovely Bones) as Luke were nothing memorable. The special effects could have been better I thought. Ultimately for a story that had multiple opportunities to amaze and surprise me fell flat. I have a feeling the book this adventure film was based on would have been a better choice to spark my imagination, just like when I was kid.
1 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Planes
Looking down at the rolling landscape below from my small window, I kept waiting for the dotted lines to appear between each state. I wanted to know the exact moment when the airplane would cross over into a new state. To prepare for my very first flight on an airplane many years ago, I studied a map of the United States. Once we were airborne I was expecting to see the same outline of each state that was on my map. Though I was disappointed they were not there, it did not last long since I was already falling in love with flying. From that momentary push back into my seat during takeoff, to rising above patches of white puffy clouds that looked like huge vanilla ice cream sundaes; I would forever be hooked into traveling by airplane. As you might imagine, I was looking forward to seeing this animated movie about planes. Crop dusting plane Dusty Crophopper, voiced by Dane Cook (Employee of the Month), had a dream to enter a prestigious international aerial race. There was only one problem; he was afraid of heights. How would he reach his dream if he could not fly the race’s flight pattern? The first thing to note about this film was the excellent computer animation. There was a good assortment of voices used for various characters; such as Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond-TV) as Chug, Stacy Keach (American History X, The Bourne Legacy) as Skipper and Terri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives-TV) as Dottie. The next thing I noticed was the audience sitting around me. The first time I heard children laughing at a scene was 40 minutes into the movie. As for myself, I did not find anything funny. The story was not only generic, but it looked like one long advertisement for toys to be sold to kids. Ironically the day I viewed this film was the same day the sale papers came out, where I found pages of toys and games based on characters in this film. From the movie studio that brought us such wonderful animated movies, this one was a major disappointment. There was nothing fun or exciting as far as I could tell. For a film about airplanes, this one never took off the ground. No need to stay through the credits; at the very end it just told us a sequel would be coming. Thanks for the warning.
1 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Wolverine
Longing for a lost love can be akin to waiting for an end of season plant to bloom again. It can no longer give you what you need. The memories of their scent that would linger after they left the room; the brilliance of their smile, that would burst upon their face; even the way they could calm you with just a look; all of these things can prevent one from moving on. At the time it is hard to realize those petals of memories, which return to the earth, will be the nourishment needed to make a new relationship grow. That sense of loss was apparent throughout this adventure film as movie viewers witnessed the internal struggles that plagued Logan/Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman (The Prestige, Les Miserables). Flying to Japan to visit an old friend, Logan found himself thrown into the middle of a plot to wrestle control of the family fortune away from his friend. For someone not familiar with the character Wolverine, they may find themselves somewhat confused with several scenes in this action film. I will say Hugh poured himself into this role. The amount of time and work he put in to transform himself into his character was impressive. Because of his presence, I felt the director took more time filming the fight scenes; they stood out from the other parts of the movie. There was a flair to them that briefly reminded me of the classic Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone sword fight in The Adventures of Robin Hood. The issue I had with this movie was the uneven story. I felt the love interest angle rang false and unnecessary. Newcomer Rila Fukushima as Yukio was an interesting character as Logan’s guide. I did not understand the role of Viper, played by Sventlana Khodchenkova (Tinker Tailer Soldier Spy, Mala Moskwa); her motivations were not clear to me. The main focus of this film was placed on the action and I will say it carried my interest through the parts of the movie I found confusing. A valiant effort was made to make this film the seed for a blooming sequel. Make sure you stay through the first set of credits. Several brief scenes contained blood in them.
2 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Pacific Rim
I never understood why monsters would constantly attack Japan. The poor citizens were caught on film as they screamed and ran away from creatures, who had names like Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra. At the age where I would soon realize those horrible monsters were actually humans dressed in costumes; I could be found sitting on the floor in front of our console television, mesmerized by those massive creatures of destruction. Even today I can still hear Godzilla’s roar just before flames would shoot out of his mouth. Writer and director Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Devil’s Backbone) has created a beautiful tribute to those old classic movies with this science fiction film. In the fine tradition of Japanese director Ishiro Honda (Godzilla, All Monsters Attack) and American visual effects creator Ray Harryhausen (Jason and the Argonauts, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad), Guillermo honored these 2 men with this visual masterpiece. Earth had been fighting a war against alien beings called the Kaiju (Japanese for strange creature). To combat the massive beings, the government created colossal robots called Jaegers (German for hunters), that were each synched with 2 pilots that were mentally connected. Under the command of Stacker Pentecost, played by Idris Elba (Prometheus, Thor), it appeared the Kaiju were learning to adapt with each battle. Cast in the starring role of Raleigh Becket was Charlie Hunnam (Children of Men, Sons of Anarchy-TV). This was not the best choice because he lacked screen presence. Compare him to Idris or Rinko Kikuchi (Norwegian Wood, The Brothers Bloom) as Mako Mori and you will see what I mean. Details were spent on the special effects and the fight scenes. The monsters were certainly imaginative; but I found myself drawn more to the robots. What was weak for me was the story, particularly some of the cheesy dialog. It did not help having the overly dramatic music accompanying several scenes. I hope they will make a sequel because there were parts to this film that verged on greatness. It just came up a little short in becoming one heck of an exciting thrill ride movie for me. Move over Godzilla, there is a new beast in town. Stay through the first set of credits at least.
2 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Monsters University
An evil presence lived in my bedroom closet. I would only hear it at night when I was a little boy. It would make a creaking sound as if a giant’s foot was stepping out of the closet to eat me. One of my defenses was to hide under my blanket and be very still. The other was to make pretend spiders out of black construction paper and place them on the floor, in front of the closet door. They used to do a good job; so good, that I accidentally scared one of my brothers, when I left one of the spiders on the floor. As I grew up it dawned on me that what I was really afraid of was the unknown. It would have been a big help if this animated comedy had been around back then. A film that showed monsters going to school to learn how to scare humans was a wonderful idea. For those of us who saw Monsters, Inc this was the opportunity to visit with a younger Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan, voiced by Billy Crystal (Parental Guidance, Analyze This) and John Goodman (Argo, Flight). If you are not familiar with their story, it will not be a major factor in watching this film. A few sly references would be missed. However, the charm and originality of the previous movie was also missing. The story took a little part from the movies Carrie and The Hunger Games, minus the frightening parts. I believe young children will still enjoy this movie; though, I did notice the kids were noisier here than at other animated family films I have seen. Billy and John were perfect voicing their characters again, as was Steve Buscemi (Rampart, Broadwalk Empire-TV) as Randy. The addition of Helen Mirren (Red, Hitchcock) as Dean Hardscrabble was my favorite character. Though there was a little less magic and a little less fun in it for me, I still enjoyed finding out how monsters learned to be scary. Stay through the end of the credits.
2 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: This is the End
This may come as a surprise but it turns out celebrities do not walk on water, even though some of them think they do. Part of the problem is the public’s fascination with these bigger than life characters. I do not understand why people will buy merchandise simply because their favorite celebrity endorsed it. Now I know some of you must be thinking who am I to talk with me contributing to actors’ bank accounts by going to see their movies. All I can say is I watch movies for medicinal reasons; they are therapeutic for me. This does not mean I approve of celebrities acting out in public. As far as I am concerned; there is no difference between them and the rest of us, they have the same body functions as we do. If a celebrity should fall on hard times, there are some people who get a sense of satisfaction in seeing these stars brought down to human level. Now if you want to laugh at a celebrity’s predicament and not feel guilty about it, this is the movie to watch. Essentially playing themselves I admired all the actors who took part in this wickedly funny comedy. Even those who only had cameo roles helped to knock down this facade or fascination we might have about their public personas. During a party at James Franco’s (Oz the Great and Powerful, Spring Breakers) house, what was originally thought of as an earth tremor turned into something of catastrophic proportions. I was taken by surprise by how good the writing was for this part parody, part satire, crazy fantasy film. Too many stars to list, the major players were Seth Rogen (The Green Hornet, Pineapple Express), Jonah Hill (21 Jump Street, Superbad), Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder, Knocked Up), Craig Robinson (Peeples, The Office-TV) and Danny McBride (Up in the Air, Your Highness). I have to give a shout out to Michael Cera (Juno, Youth in Revolt) and Emma Watson (Harry Potter franchise, My Week with Marilyn) for their small hilarious roles. Though some of the jokes got tiresome, who knew the end could be so funny. Warning: Strong and crude language used throughout the film.
3 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: After Earth
Since the National Spelling Bee was held last week, I thought we could do a word of the day. Today’s word is “dynasty.” The dictionary defines dynasty as a succession of people from the same family who play a prominent role in business, politics or in this case entertainment. I do not have an issue with actors bringing their children into the business. The only thing that matters to me is whether they are good actors or not. As for their personal lives I am not interested in the news that comes out of the tabloids. At one point while watching this science fiction movie, I felt a psychiatrist’s office would have been a better venue for Will Smith (Hancock, Seven Pounds) and his son Jaden Smith (The Karate Kid, The Day the Earth Stood Still). Playing father and son Cypher Raige and Kitai Raige, the two seemed out of synch. Based on Will’s story, if I had known M. Night Shyamalan (The Last Airbender, The Village) was the director; I would have seriously considered waiting to watch this movie on DVD and not waste my money. The story had nothing special to offer. Encouraged by his wife Faia, played by Sophie Okoedo (The Secret Life of Bees, Skin), Cypher brought his son along on his last space mission. The idea was for them to have some father and son bonding time; but when their spacecraft crash landed on a hostile planet, the inexperienced Kitai had to venture out alone to find the ship’s emergency beacon. The first thing that struck me about this film was the cheap looking props and poor CGI effects. Some of the items looked as if they were purchased from a home and bath decor discount store. After being mesmerized by the tiger in the film LIfe of Pi, all the animals in this movie looked phony. For a science fiction movie there was little science fiction in it. The nearly two hours were filled with stiff performances and corny lines. The problem with this film I believe is when someone is trying to build a dynasty; they do not want anyone around to question them or their motives. If Will wanted to have quality time with his son he should have taken him camping or on a road trip to check out potential colleges. Throw Mr. Shyamalan into the mix and you wind up with a science fiction movie this is stranger than fiction. A couple of brief scenes that showed blood.
1 2/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Tangled
Never stop being curious, because you never know what you may find. I consider myself an inquisitive type. When traveling to a new place, I can spend the entire day seeking out and learning as much as I can about the area. Finding that little off the beaten path surprise can still give me a thrill to this day. Now speaking of surprises, some of you already know I do not believe in accidents; there is a reason for everything. In my previous review I wrote about a room where I kept my memories in balloons. As I watched this film, there was a scene that had glowing lanterns rising up into the sky. Not only did they remind me of my memory balloons, but I loved what they represented in this animated comedy. Putting a new spin on the fairy tale Rapunzel; the writers created an assertive and curious Rapunzel, voiced by Mandy Moore (A Walk to Remember, The Princess Diaries). Kidnapped as a baby, she was raised in solitude by the woman she believed to be her mother Gothel, voiced by Donna Murphy (Higher Ground, Center Stage). However, her mother never could explain what were the glowing lights in the distance that only came out on Rapunzel’s birthday. Something about those floating lights kept Rapunzel’s resolve strong; she was determined to find out their meaning. There was some of the old Disney magic in this family film. Funny characters, crazy chases and of course several positive messages filled out the movie. Zachary Levi (Stunt Men, Chuck-TV) did a super job as Flynn Rider. I did not find the music especially memorable which surprised me. Usually one can always find at least one standout song in a Disney film. It was good to see the movie studio updated their female lead into a strong, positive role model for girls; instead of the innocent, frail, always needing to be saved by a man type of girl from years past. An imaginative, adventuresome film; I am glad it piqued my curiosity enough to make me see it.
3 stars — DVD
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