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Flash Movie Review: Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom
THERE WERE SO MANY ADVERTISMENTS AND hype about the exhibit that was coming to our city, that I fell into its marketing push. I was interested in seeing the recently discovered artifacts, since they were part of our folklore for over a century. The television commercials showed glistening gold random objects, such as a plate charger, faucet handle and tie pin. I was fascinated with the print ads because they showed the event in numerous ways. Some had schematic drawings along with the print; others had old photographs and others had meticulously made sketches. The other thing that got me was the tagline, “Not seen for over 100 years.” I could easily get swept up into the idea that I would be part of a group that were the first people to see such items that were lost for so many years. I rounded up a couple of friends to join me in this pursuit, who I thought would appreciate the significance of being a part of this traveling exhibition. The ticketing process was not too painful, and I was able to purchase four tickets for a reasonable time slot. My friends and I agreed to meet in the lobby of the museum, where I would hand out the tickets, then we could go through the security line to see the exhibit. ON THE DAY WE WERE TO meet, I arrived early at the museum. I was surprised to see such a lengthy line for same day ticket purchases and wondered how big the exhibition was to accommodate so many people. At our designated time all the friends were accounted for, and we went through security, gratefully without any hassle. The exhibit was on the second floor, spread out through three galleries. Hanging on the barrier walls to help with the flow of traffic, there were reproductions of the old posters that would have been used to advertise the company back a century ago. As we walked through, there were freestanding glass cases placed throughout that had the artifacts. I walked up to the first display and enclosed I saw a rusty pen, a broken dinner plate, and a tarnished fork. None of these items were shown in any of the advertisements. On to the second case and there I saw a tarnished flask, a piece of glass with an emblem etched on it, and what I assumed was an envelope opener. Again, nothing special or spectacular. The four of us made our way to a dark room where there would be a visual presentation; it was a film clip from a famous movie showing the disaster where these items were lost. Throughout the exhibit, there were a couple of highlights that made the trip worthwhile; but overall, the entire experience was a bust; which is how I felt about this action, adventure fantasy. WHEN A VENGEFUL BEING BEGINS A campaign of destroying everything Arther, played by Jason Momoa (Dune, Slumberland) holds dear, there is no choice for Arthur but to reach out to the last person he wanted to contact for help. With Patrick Wilson (The Nun franchise, The Phantom of the Opera) as Ora, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Ambulance, The Trial of the Chicago 7) as Black Manta, Amber Heard (The Rum Diary, 3 Days to Kill) as Mera and Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos, The Goldfinch) as Atlanna; this sequel left much to be desired. On the plus side, Jason and Patrick did their best with what was handed to them. The script was basic, following a set pattern for a superhero movie. There was little drama or character development as the story unfolded. The special effects were decent, and the battle scenes were imaginative and hectic. However, I was bored through most of the film; even, the humor was basic and only worthy of one or two chuckles. Based on this picture, I felt this film franchise should consider hanging it up because it had the trappings of being all washed up.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Aquaman
THE WORLD HAS A DIFFERENT FEELING for those who walk through life with a strong sense of confidence. To believe in one’s own capabilities has an immediate, positive affect on a person’s persona. I have seen what confidence or the lack of can do to an individual. What fascinates me the most is how does a person become confident? At first, I thought it was something that you were born with, as if it was based on genetics. However, the more examples I encountered the more my thinking changed to the idea that outside influences play a large part in molding a person’s confidence. Parents and other family members, I believe, play a major role in whether a child grows into becoming a confident individual or not. I have come across a multitude of parents whose actions prevent their child from feeling confident. There are some parents who have no idea how their words can send their child reeling into a cavern of uncertainty; simply saying “Why did you do that?” can be taken one of two ways. It could be asked to see a child’s thought process, or it can be said with a harsher tone, so it immediately comes out in a negative way. ALONG WITH FAMILY MEMBERS THERE ARE other forces that come into play regarding a child’s perceptions about his or her own abilities. It can be a teacher, cashier; pretty much anyone who provides a positive reinforcement to the child. There was a family I used to know who had three children. For whatever reason the oldest child seemed, at least to me, to get most of the parents’ attention. They would do more things for this eldest child, such as signing them up for multiple classes and sports. The middle child became quiet despite trying to find ways to please his parents, hoping to gain their attention aka affection. Sadly, by living in the shadow of the older sibling, the parents did not realize what they were doing. As the children grew up the middle child excelled in science with the encouragement of a couple of teachers. Experiments were entered into science fairs and winning most of the time. This middle child never informed the parents; instead took the ribbons and certificates and placed them in a three-ring binder that he kept up on a shelf. Not until his achievements in science became newsworthy did the parents know about their gifted middle child. The oldest sibling grew up resenting his parents for pushing him into things he did not have the skills to handle properly and as an adult lived in the shadow of his middle brother. Family dynamics certainly can wreak havoc on its members; you can definitely see it here in this action, adventure fantasy. DESPITE HAVING BEEN PICKED ON AS A child Arthur, played by Jason Momoa (Conan the Barbarian, Game of Thrones-TV), grew up to be a strong and confident man. But when his mother Queen Atlanna’s, played by Nicole Kidman (Boy Erased, The Beguiled), people needed him to take his rightful place in the kingdom; Arthur felt he could never be their ruler. It would take a war for Arthur to try and fight his way to the throne. With Amber Heard (The Rum Diary, 3 Days to Kill) as Mera, Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project, The Grand Budapest Hotel) as Vulko and Patrick Wilson (The Commuter, The Conjuring franchise) as King Ora; this picture provided some good old-fashioned fun. The visuals were creative and colorful as this picture was heavy into CGI effects. Jason was perfect in the role and did as much as he could with the uneven script. He had a look and swagger that worked well for him in the story. I felt the script needed a rewrite with more focus on the main story line. There was plenty of action throughout the film; but at times, it was going too fast to really appreciate the fight scenes. All in all, this was quite an enjoyable and thrilling viewing experience. Besides Arthur being confident in the story, the writers had to be confident based on the extra scene they included in the middle of the ending credits.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: 3 Days to Kill
If one is not careful they will find their job has taken over their life. There are some people who define themselves by what they do for a living: I am not one of those individuals. I cannot tell you how many times people have assumed I adhere to a strict, proper diet because I teach fitness classes or that I must be a tough SOB since I am a credit manager. These are my professions, what I do for a living; however, they do not represent all of me. I am aware my multiple jobs have had an effect on my personal life; some relationships did not last due to my frequent unavailability. Now with the addition of movie reviewing, I have quite the hectic schedule. Here is one example from this past Saturday: I taught a cycle class from 8 to 9am; changed and ran out of the club to make a 10:15am movie; stopped for groceries afterwards then on to home for lunch; out the door for a 2:30pm matinee; came home to change clothes and make a banquet reception from 6 to 11pm; returned home and collapsed into bed. This is a day in my life but at least I do not have to kill people for a living like they did in this action film. Kevin Costner (Man of Steel, The Guardsman) played international spy Ethan Renner who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. Having stayed a safe distance away from his wife Christine and daughter Zoey, played by Connie Nielsen (One Hour Photo, Gladiator) and Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit, Romeo and Juliet), for their protection, Ethan wanted to reconnect with them before it was too late. There was only one problem; to receive an experimental drug that could extend his life expectancy, Ethan would have to take on one more job. How could he be a father and a spy at the same time? From an early start into the movie I did not find the story credible. The character of Vivi Delay, played by Amber Heard (Never Back Down, Drive Angry), made no sense to me. If she was a superior of Ethan’s, I did not understand the whole car and wardrobe look to her character. Kevin and Hailee did a decent job of acting but the script was dull and often times ridiculous. The fight and chase scenes were decent though. Maybe instead of taking 3 days to kill they could have done it in two. There were a few scenes that had blood shown.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Machete Kills
Tucked in the middle of the block between several small storefronts was a small independent movie theater. It was only 4 blocks away from where I grew up. I found my love of movies in this little theater with its freshly popped popcorn and assorted candies, that sat in a glass case that was partially held together with thick black tape. There was a period of time where I could be found every Saturday afternoon at the theater’s matinee showing. I had no understanding of what it meant to be a “B” movie back then, but I was exposed to all types of feature films. From killer robots to dogs saving their masters to family road trips in a long trailer; I loved every one of those movies. Looking back at those films, today they would be considered campy. They bring a nostalgic, fun flair from a different time to mind. In this action thriller sequel, writer and director Robert Rodriguez (Sin City, Once Upon a Time in Mexico) was looking to create the look and feel of a classic “B” movie. Danny Trejo (Heat, From Dusk till Dawn) reprised his role as the unstoppable Machete. In this installment the President of the United States enlisted the help of Machete to take down an arms dealer who was determined to destroy life on this planet as we knew it. With the help of Miss San Antonio, played by Amber Heard (Zombieland, Pineapple Express), Machete would first have to cut through an assortment of villains hell-bent on killing him. The fun part in watching this bloody crime film was seeing the variety of celebrities who agreed to take part in the cheesy story. For example there was Sofia Vergara (Four Brothers, Modern Family-TV) as machine gun packing Desdemona and musical artist Lady Gaga as the ever changing La Camaleon. Where I enjoyed the first film, even with all of its blood, violence and fresh campy quality; this movie took its uniqueness and beat you over the head with it. All it seemed to do was replay the same joke over and over, only with different characters. After a short while I did not find it funny anymore or very creative; I became bored with the nonsense. There is nothing wrong in making a parody of a genre of movies; but the idea needed to be expanded upon. In the case of this film trying to be a “B” movie, the “B” stood for bad. There was a flood of blood and violence throughout the film. If you see this movie, stay through the credits.
1 3/4 stars
moviejoltz 