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Where’d You Go, Bernadette
WHILE EMPLOYEES WERE COMPLIMENTING THE soon to be retired fellow employee, I kept my distance. Don’t get me wrong, there was no bad blood between us or anything like that; there just was something odd about him that kept me reserved but cordial around him. He had worked at the company for decades. Though he had built up getting 5 weeks of vacation a year, he only used 1 or 2 weeks; he evidently loved being at work. I hope I am not coming across as judgmental; but I am and have been always cautious around anyone I perceive as being extreme. Whether they are into a sport, an art or a belief; in my experiences, people who solely focus on one thing tend to lack skills in other areas of their life. Take this employee who retired; he was a bit deficient in social skills. He did not have much awareness of the world around him. From what I had heard, he had little or no outside interests. I assumed he was happy, but I really did not know. He lived to work. The funny thing is he reminded me of this couple I know. I once asked them what they do for fun and they could not provide me with an answer. Let me ask you, can one live a complete life without ever having some fun in it? I APPRECIATE THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE focused on a goal; for example, athletes who train hard to get picked for the Olympic games. The amount of money, time and dedication they put into their craft is admirable and incredible. From the things I have seen and read about Olympic athletes, there are some who take it to an extreme by sacrificing all other aspects of their life simply to try and become a gold medal winner. However, there are many others who still pursue outside interests. There have been many athletes who have gone to college while training for the Olympics. Whether they win a medal or not, they have taken steps to have a successful career after the games. I can think of a few ice skaters who became doctors once they retired from their sport. When you think about it, it all comes down to how deep does a person want to dive into their obsession. I am a perfect example; when I started this site, I was doing a movie review every single day of the week. Declining all social engagements, my life was out of balance because I had to always go to the movie theater and write a review. I still struggle with finding balance between writing reviews and living life. Being aware of this made it easier for me to see what was going on with the main character in this comedic drama mystery. RENOWNED ARCHITECT BERNADETTE FOX, PLAYED BY Cate Blanchett (The House with a Clock in its Walls, Carol), took a step away from her craft to focus on building a family. Surprisingly no one noticed the cracks in the family’s foundation. With Billy Crudup (After the Wedding, 20thCentury Women) as Elgie, Judy Greer (27 Dresses, Ant-Man franchise) as Dr. Kurtz, Kristen Wiig (The Skeleton Twins, Ghostbusters) as Audrey and newcomer Emma Nelson as Bee; this movie was written and directed by Richard Linklater (Boyhood, Last Flag Flying). I thought the acting was wonderful in this film. Cate and Kristen were utterly eye catching in each of their scenes. The story was interesting, but I found the movie dragged in the beginning. It was not until late in the picture where I realized I was more engaged with the story, even if some things seemed farfetched. However, I did feel as if the script was rushed to quickly and neatly tie everything up. The idea behind this story may have been intriguing; but I was disappointed I gave up a lunch date to go see this film.
2 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Isn’t it Romantic
IT WASN’T UNTIL ONE OF MY first paying jobs where I finally felt I had a sense of hope. Up to then I was sure I was being judged more on my looks. At this job an older employee befriended me, helping me get accustomed to the work environment. One day towards the end of the work day he came over to my work area to fill out his paperwork. I have no idea how the subject came up but at some point, he was telling me the differences between two female employees, who I happened to be friends with each one. I thought maybe he was fishing for information, but I had nothing to offer him. He explained to me why he would not date one of the two women. I still had no idea why he was telling me this; but the thing that intrigued me was the fact he was talking about the female that many of the male employees felt was the more attractive one. This employee came to work everyday with her makeup just right and her hair always styled as if she was prepped for a photo shoot. She was skinny and wore what appeared to be very expensive clothing. This guy’s comments were so counter to anything I had heard before; by the way, most of the other male employees made sexist and rude remarks about this “prettier” employee. THE OTHER FEMALE EMPLOYEE WAS THE opposite. I would refer to her as being low maintenance. Her clothing was more comfortable looking than fashionable. She usually wore her hair in a ponytail and rarely wore makeup. You may be wondering what I found so fascinating about that male employee’s comments about not being interested in dating a woman like the other female employee. What surprised me was him saying he would prefer being with someone like the non-makeup employee because she was funny and witty, had a hearty laugh and wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty. I wasn’t sure how to process some of his comments; however, the fact he was not focusing on superficial things is what gave me hope in the dating world. Not looking like any of the men in advertisements, besides not being athletic; that someone would be more interested in a person’s qualities was something I had not seen among my peers. Most people I have listened to tend to comment about a person’s looks before they will mention anything with more substance. The main character in this comedic fantasy would certainly understand me. WAKING UP FROM A HEAD INJURY cynical Natalie, played by Rebel Wilson (How to be Single, Pitch Perfect franchise), found herself in a hellish position; she was in the middle of what appeared to be a romantic comedy. None of it was part of her real life. With Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games franchise, Love and Honor) as Blake, Adam Devine (Pitch Perfect franchise, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates) as Josh, Priyanka Chopra (Baywatch, A Kid Like Jake) as Isabella and Betty Gilpin (True Story, Glow-TV) as Whitney; this romantic comedy started with a solid idea for a story. The cast was fun to watch, especially Rebel flourishing in her element. There was nothing that warranted out loud laughing, but there were scenes that made me chuckle. This is a fantasy so one needs to let go with part of their reality to get something out of this picture. The message was right on and I enjoyed the satirical touches that were sprinkled into the script. Could this have been a better written film and allow Rebel to do more? Sure, but for a light stroll through an alternative reality, this movie was okay. Notice nothing was mentioned about the looks of this film.
2 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Disappointments Room
A life full of expectations will be a life filled with disappointments. I wish it wasn’t so but it is a fact; having those expectations can lead you down a sad path in life. This was a hard lesson I had to learn; I mean it took years for me to figure it out and even to this day I have to catch myself from placing expectations on things I have no control over. Now I am not really referring to the expectations we have when we are buying a product. For example if you are buying a vacuum cleaner you expect to plug it in and it works; though these days that may not be the case as much. Or how about the conversation I just had with a friend who went to a restaurant and ordered a particular dinner because of my recommendation. It turns out they did not like it; they were disappointed in the meal. Stuff happens, but where I had to learn to let go of my expectations was when I interact with people. I used to think when I was dating a person who had expressed the same traits and philosophies as me; they would act in a similar fashion as me. Because I reply quickly to a person’s email or text, I used to think the other person would do the same and when they didn’t I would think I did something wrong. It turns out that is not always the case. I learned I cannot place my values, morals or beliefs on someone else. What all of this has done for me is realize I can only be responsible for myself. I have to tell you, this really has helped me when it comes to seeing a movie. Without learning anything about it, I walk into a movie theater without any expectations. I have no idea if I will enjoy a movie or not; even one like this one. RELOCATING to a beautiful house they purchased out in the country Dana and David, played by Kate Beckinsale (Love & Friendship, Underworld franchise) and Mel Raido (Legend, The Informers), had no idea their house had an extra room that came with a secret. This dramatic horror thriller also starred Duncan Joiner (Some Kind of Beautiful, The Perfect Guy) as Lucas and Gerald McRaney (Focus, Major Dad-TV) as Judge Blacker. What I can tell you is the house and its grounds were beautiful. This was the best part of the movie. Wow, I could not believe people at the movie studio put their stamp of approval on green lighting this project. The script was horrible, void of anything exciting or spine tingling. Normally I have enjoyed Kate’s performances but this role was a waste. It was a bummer because the story was split into two trains of thought. If the writers would have only done a story about the house or one about the family dynamics I think this would have been a better picture. Instead what was offered was a silly, generic, plain movie that should have been locked up in the film studio’s disappointments room. I truly walked into this with no expectations despite the film’s title.
1 ½ stars
moviejoltz 