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Flash Movie Review: Novocaine
THOSE IN MY SPHERE OF FRIENDS and relatives would not use the word “risky” to describe me. Yet, though it would not be the first, third, or tenth thing down the list; I would say I am a calculated risk type of individual. This is especially true when it comes to relationships. I remember this person I had only gone out with twice before they invited me to their New Year’s Eve party, no less. I was hesitant with my reply because I had to go over all the information I had acquired from our two dates. To my advantage, they were an afternoon coffee date and dinner date; so, there was a lot of talking done in those two events. When I replied I mentioned I had another party to go to but I would stop by. This was true, though the other party was a yearly get together at a friend’s house for whoever wanted to stop by. The reason I mentioned the other party was in case I was not comfortable being at a party filled with strangers, except for the host who I had only known for a couple of weeks. It was a risk for me and at the party I was quite aware I was the topic of conversation amongst their closer friends. Gratefully, I had a pleasant time despite feeling like I was on display; I did catch the host telling a friend that I was the one who they had been “dating” the past couple of weeks. I AM NOT MAKING ANY JUDGEMENTS regarding that New Year’s Eve party because I have taken the same type of risk myself. When I first meet a potential date, I tend to steer the conversation into deeper waters because I have never been good at small talk. If I find my mind is engaged with theirs, I can quickly find myself being attracted to them; I want to learn and explore more with them. And for some reason, if a situation comes up where it appears they are taking a risk, that can be quite informative. The last time when I was available and dating, I had met someone for coffee one evening after work. The conversation went well and I felt we had a variety of things in common. It was towards the end of our third date when I decided to take a risk and see if they would accept it. I mentioned I was going to an outdoor music festival in a couple of weeks and asked if they cared to join me. A good part of me thought they would decline because I was pretty sure the artists were not the type of musicians they were interested in. Imagine going on a date and spending the entire time not enjoying the venue; it certainly could be a test. To my surprise, they accepted my offer; I was actually stunned but pleased. The reason being is that this showed me the interest was mutual, which allowed my defenses to recede and let my heart expand. We had a wonderful time and from that moment on, the relationship got stronger and stronger. So, I absolutely understood what the main character had to do in this action, crime, comedy, thriller. WHEN ONE OF HIS EMPLOYEES IS taken as a hostage, who he believes might be the girl of his dreams, the assistant bank manager sets out to rescue her, using his unique physical trait to assist him. With Jack Quaid (Companion, The Boys-TV) as Nate, Amber Midthunder (Prey, The Ice Road) as Sherry, Ray Nicholson (Smile 2, Borderline) as Simon, Jacob Batalon (Spider-Man franchise, Tarot) as Roscoe, and Betty Gabriel (Get Out, It Lives Inside) as Mincy; this movie had a novel story line that I found attractive. Granted, there were scenes filled with blood and violence; but I enjoyed the acting, especially coming from Jack and Amber. Some of the scenes were creative but at some point they started reaching to the level of far-fetched. A layer of disbelief formed in my head that lasted through the last half of the film. Also, the same type of gag repeating itself made the last half of the story a bit tiresome. However, with the novel approach, good acting, and creativity involved; I still enjoyed watching this picture, though I had to turn my head away a couple of times. There were scenes of blood and violence.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Prey
I DID NOT THINK IT WAS an extraordinary feat; one of the fastest runners in our class was a girl. Her speed was impressive but the fact she was a girl was not a big deal to me. Maybe because I grew up with strong females, I did not put much stock in comparing the differences between boys and girls. The way I looked at it was this: someone is going to be the smartest, fastest, friendliest, most creative, and best musician in class; none of these attributes are aligned with one sex over the other. I just remember I never wanted to play tag with that speedy girl because she could quickly tag out most of us. It is funny, it was not until I started delving into science and physiology classes where I learned between the sexes, men tend to have more upper body strength, and women usually have more lower body strength. There was a girl in one of my classes who was one of the toughest students in our class; she had no trouble with her upper body strength. In fact, I do not recall any boys getting in a fight with her because they were all afraid, they could lose their status if the student body witnessed them being beaten up by a girl. THE REASON I AM MENTIONING THIS is because it seems to me every announcement I read or hear about these days tends to include, “she is the first woman” or “he is the first ethnic man” and so on. Do not get me wrong, I understand many positions/companies did not have progressive policies in place to promote various minorities into the bigger roles. It is a great statement to make; but one of my concerns is the chance companies are just using it as a marketing ploy. They put someone in an authoritarian position, who has been disadvantaged, and tout them to the world as if they are saying, “Look who we promote.” But then there are no others to follow in that person’s footsteps; the company policy or can I say prejudices, never change. I wish we lived in a world where we did not need to announce such things because it is not an unusual circumstance. Employees get promoted based on their abilities, end of story. Their skin color, religion, ethnic background has no bearing on them getting a better job. I really wish we could get to such a point, but I understand the world still needs some work to do. This is not a new phenomenon, but I was thrilled to see what took place in this action prequel. HER INSTINCTS SERVED HER WELL AND she was convinced there was something hunting her tribe. The only way she could prove it was to get evidence and show the villagers. With Amber Midthunder (Hell or High Water, Legion-TV) as Naru, newcomer Dakota Deavers as Taabe, Dane DiLiegro (American Horror Stories-TV, Sweet Home-TV) as Predator, relative newcomer Stormee Kipp as Wasape and Michelle Thrush (Pathfinder, Blackstone-TV) as Aruka; this dramatic adventure film took me off guard and surprised me. I thought the writers did a wonderful job of weaving the story within the Native American narrative. The scenery was beautiful, and I thought Amber was outstanding. Despite the several scenes with blood and violence, I loved this movie. For it being a prequel, it certainly can stand alone where I do not think the previous films need to be seen. Yes, they could be a reference for the viewer, but this film was so beautifully written and acted that I do not think it would be an issue. This picture had a solid story, great acting and in its own way showed what can get accomplished when one has the perfect individual for the task.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Ice Road
WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS JUST RIGHT and the packed snow begins to melt, I am left with a wading pool of water in my backyard. It is especially annoying because the melted snow pools mostly on the sidewalk because it is now lower than the grass. When it is frozen the ice can support my weight when I walk across it. However, when the temperature starts to rise, I feel like I am gambling each time I step on the ice. Sometimes I may be walking on it and all that happens is a few cracks form where I have stepped. But every now and then I may get halfway across the ice before my foot breaks through and cold melted snow fills the inside of my shoes. Ironically, I play that movie line in my head by asking myself how lucky I feel before I get on the ice. If I have the time I will use a shovel to toss some of the water back onto the lawn; however, by the time I get home afterwards the water has come back, waiting to capture and douse my shoes once again. If you are wondering why I don’t just walk on the lawn, I usually cannot because the grass is so wet that I am nearly stepping into a muddy mixture; or, there still plenty of snow that has not melted yet. DUE TO THIS WINTER WATER TORTURE I have dealt with, I cannot believe the people who tempt fate by walking onto frozen bodies of water. I am not talking about the ice one forms in their backyard with a water hose or frozen puddles in the street; I am referring to things like ponds, lakes and rivers. Living near a large lake, when we have experienced below freezing temperatures the lake portion that is closer to the shore can freeze over. I understand the fascination with being able to “walk on water” so to speak; but unless one is certain the ice will withstand their weight, I do not understand why they venture onto it. Even if I knew the depth of the water at the edges was minute, I have no desire to go walking on top of a frozen lake. Then again, I do not even like being outside in the cold. It always surprises me to see how many people want to experience walking on ice. I have seen them standing there taking selfies of themselves and all I can wonder is what they would do if they fell through the ice. The same can be said for the main characters in this action adventure drama; I cannot believe they willingly do what they do over frozen water. WITH MINERS TRAPPED IN A REMOTE CANADIAN mine, the only way to bring lifesaving equipment to them was by truck over a frozen body of water, just as the weather was getting warmer. With Liam Neeson (The Commuter, Run All Night) as Mike, Marcus Thomas (Kill the Irishman, Drowning Mona) as Gurty, Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix franchise, Contagion) as Goldenrod, Amber Midthunder (Hell or High Water, Legion-TV) as Tantoo and Benjamin Walker (In the Heart of the Sea, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter) as Varnay; this movie had to be made with Liam in mind. It was another typical Liam as the hero movie. Now that is fine; however, after seeing him in these same types of roles, it becomes easier to figure out how the story will play out. I will say I was surprised there were parts of this film that were thrilling to me. It overall was quite predictable and at one point it seemed to me it was getting too silly and I do not mean that in a funny way. If one is looking to find something where much thought is not needed, then this picture would be one to watch. I would say on a cold, snowy day when you do not want to leave your home.
1 ¾ stars
moviejoltz 