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Flash Movie Review: The Killer’s Game
I KNEW TWO INDIVIDUALS, A FRIEND and an acquaintance, who chose to ignore their mortality. It was some time after they had received the news about their medical test results that I met them; so, if they acted differently prior to the news, I had no knowledge. My friend and I met at a party we were both attending. We had a similar sense of humor which made our conversation easy, which led us to hang out together. The acquaintance was a friend of a friend despite my friend wishing she could have more than just a platonic relationship with this guy. Both guys were extreme extroverts. My friend told me about his health status early in our relationship; the other guy never divulged his health status until it became obvious something was seriously wrong with him based on the physical changes taking place with his body. Over several months, my friend was acting more extreme and outrageous. If everyone was having a couple of cocktails at a party, he was having several until he was numb in the throes of drunkenness. I noticed the same behavior with the acquaintance. If there were drugs at a party, he was taking the most until he was either bouncing off the walls or falling asleep in mid-sentence. Both became heavy risk-takers. The friend’s friend got sicker and sicker until they died while walking down the street one night. My friend took a job offer out of state and no one ever heard from him again. So, I do not know if they are dead or alive. A DIFFERENT EXAMPLE OF A PERSON dealing with their own mortality was a relative of mine. After receiving their dire medical results, they chose not to do any treatments because they were known to have bad side effects. Instead, my relative chose to have a decent quality of life for as long as they could last. Being around them, one would never know something was wrong; they chose to enjoy every second of living, from meeting friends for dinner, to going to concerts, to hosting family events. Instead of ignoring their condition, they would acknowledge it whenever anyone asked how they were doing. I was in awe of her strength and commitment to enjoy everything they could while they were alive. A common phrase they would say is. “Don’t leave with any regrets.” If I were in a similar situation, where I was to receive negative health results, I would like to think that I would be strong and fight it. However, until one is in that situation, I honestly do not know if I have that inner strength to fight it to the best of my abilities. I for sure know I would not choose the option the main character did in this action, comedy, thriller. AFTER RECEIVING THE RESULTS OF HIS medical tests, a hired assassin decides to hire a hit on himself. When the assassins started going after his girlfriend, he had only one option, to protect her. With Dave Bautista (My Spy franchise, Glass Onion) as Joe Flood, Raffaello Degruttola (Rush, Unlocked) as Dr. Kagen, Sofia Boutella (Star Trek Beyond, Kingsman: The Secret Service) as Maize Arnaud, Ben Kingsley (Night Hunter, Sexy Beast) as Zvi Rabinowitz, and Antonia Desplat (Witchboard, Shantaram-TV) as Aimee; this film based on the book felt like a John Wick wannabe. However, I was pleasantly surprised that Dave’s character had a love interest because his imposing presence normally would not lead him to such roles. The action scenes were intense and there were multiple scenes with blood and violence. There really was nothing new about the story/script, but I still enjoyed watching it. There were a couple of times where I chuckled and other times where I cringed from the violence. The main draw for me was watching Dave and I was entertained by his and Sofia’s acting. There were multiple scenes of blood and violence throughout this film.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Killer
I SPOTTED SOMETHING DARK, BURIED UNDERNEATH a pile of blankets that were on the top shelf of a closet. I was using a stepstool to reach the blankets and spotted something that was barely peeking out from underneath. Sliding my hand under the blankets, I felt a stiff leathery cover; I thought it might be a book, except it felt bigger. Having to use both hands, one to hold the blankets back and the other to drag the item out from underneath, I pulled it to the edge of the shelf and had to use both hands to lift it up, so I could finally see it. To my surprise, it was a large, leather covered album or binder. There was gold tooling on the cover that had cracks and wrinkles. I carefully stepped down off the stepstool with the album and sat down in a chair so I could place it on my lap to see what was inside. From underneath the cover as I was opening it, fell out fragments of yellowed paper. There was writing on them, but it was so faded I could not make out any full words. Turning over the cover page which was just a sheet of tissue or wax paper, there sealed onto the stiff page was a handwritten recipe. The handwriting was not familiar to me, nor was there any type of date written to give me an idea of how old the album could be. EACH BLACK CARDBOARD PAGE HAD ANYWHERE from one to several recipes. Because I had been teaching myself how to cook and bake, I was fascinated with this find. Maybe it was a book of family recipes; I needed to find out. Page by page I scanned each recipe until suddenly, one recipe stuck out from all the rest. The name written on top spelled out a word I had not heard since I was a little boy. Was it possible this desert bread recipe was for the one we used to have when I was a small child? I was determined to make it and find out; however, the recipe listed only the ingredients, not the amounts, oven temperature or time for baking. From the ingredients, I only needed one item that I ran to the store to buy. Keeping a piece of paper nearby, I listed what amounts I was guessing, while judging how the batter looked. My first attempt was dry with no taste. My second attempt only filled up the loaf pan halfway, but it came out hard with still no taste. In four weekends, my seventh attempt was a success; the dessert loaf was in fact the one I used to eat when I was a kid. I was ecstatic with the results. From this experience, I must wonder if writer and director John Woo felt the same about doing this updated version from the original one, he did thirty-five years ago. ON ASSIGNMENT TO KILL HER TARGET at a nightclub, along with any witnesses, a feared assassin backs off from killing a blinded woman at the scene of the massacre. The assassin’s “good deed” would not go unpunished. With Nathalie Emmanuel (The Invitation, Game of Thrones-TV) as Zee, Omar Sy (The Book of Clarence, Jurassic World franchise) as Sey, Sam Worthington (Avatar franchise, The Exorcism) as Finn, Diana Silvers (Booksmart, Space Force-TV) as Jenn and Said Taghmaoul (Wonder Woman, Three Kings) as Prince Majeb Bin Faheem; this current version still had John Woo’s trademark bloody violence. The action/fight scenes were beautifully choreographed as well as edited. I enjoyed Nathalie’s and Omar’s performances to the point I would not mind if they starred in a sequel. With so much action and chase scenes, I thought the script was shallow; I did not feel connected to the characters. There were times, I felt I was watching a video game instead of a movie. Despite what I have said and because I was in the mood for a steady action film, I still enjoyed watching this remake. Once again, there were multiple scenes with blood and violence.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Killer
THROUGH THE YEARS, THE TALENT I saw in employees went from one extreme to the other, from crazy to amazing and everything in between. I recently told you about the switchboard operator who dropped acid. Believe me, she was just one of many characters I used to work with at my various jobs. At one place, I sat across a fellow employee who was obsessed with keeping their workspace perfectly clean. I mean to the point they would spray half a can of sanitizer all over their desk after removing everything off it. This meant they were disconnecting their phone and computer every day for this deep cleaning. The amount of sanitizer that they sprayed was so thick that you could see a cloud of it forming above them as they began to wipe everything down. Another employee at the same company threw off our supply budget because of the amount of paper towels she went through each day, washing her hands, face, and meal utensils that she kept individually wrapped in a plastic storage bag. It was obvious to me that both these individuals had OCD issues. I could at least understand where they came from with their daily rituals. But what can you say about the new employee who on their first day of work, kept leaving their training to ask a fellow employee if they could go out for lunch sometime. It was a form of harassment that the person had the power to correct but chose not to do so. The Human Resources department terminated their position. ONE OF MY MAIN GOALS AT my various jobs was to avoid conflict. I cannot manage drama, both at home and at the office. From the different companies I have worked at, I usually will study those employees who display vast knowledge and skills in their line of work. Though it is a cliché, I want to learn from the best. There was an employee at one company who not only had the knowledge for what their job required, but they also had the temperament. It was fascinating watching this person in a meeting because when asked to explain something, they would be able to communicate it in easy terms for the rest of us to understand. Their knowledge of the inner workings of the company was vast; they were like the resource center for the employees. I have to say it was impressive to see someone so skilled at their job. If my occupation were in the same field (gratefully not) as the main character in this action, crime film he would be someone I would watch and study. WHEN AN ASSASSIN MISSES HIS INTENDED target, not only was his reputation put in jeopardy but his life as well. With Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs, The Light Between Oceans) as The Killer, Tilda Swinton (Michael Clayton, Three Thousand Years of Longing) as The Expert, Charles Parnell (A Million Little Pieces, The Last Ship-TV) as The Lawyer-Hodges, Arliss Howard (The Time Traveler’s Wife, Full Metal Jacket) as The Client-Claybourne and Kerry O’Malley (Cowboy Drifter, 1923-TV) as Dolores; this adventure movie was an interesting study. I thought Michael was perfect in the role. At first, I felt lost watching this picture; I was not sure where it was going. However, as the scenes unfolded, I started to appreciate the work being done in creating a sense of tension, dread, drama, along with an unbelievable, intense fight scene. If only the writers could have started adding these things in earlier, it would have made this a better viewing experience. Though this film will not win any awards, it was an interesting inside look at the mind of an assassin.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Equalizer 3
LAST WEEK WE WENT TO ONE of our favorite restaurants for dinner. Anyone we have taken there has agreed with us on how good everything is from food to service. After we were settled at our table, a family with two small children came in and were seated next to us. One child was in a highchair and the other one in a regular seat, though the table’s edge almost came up to his chest. I did not pay much attention to them except when the little boy was fussing and whining. Our waitress also handled their table and took their order right after ours. As a result, both of us received our dinner close together. I point this out because once the food arrived, I did not pay any mind to what was going on at their table, except to notice for two adults and two children they seemed to have ordered a lot of food. Views of the two kids were blocked by the people at our table and it was a good thing. They had finished and left before we did; I noticed the waitress was standing near their table and looking down at the floor. I leaned over just enough to see the unbelievable mess that the family left on the table and floor. It was disgusting and more so because I did not recall them moving over to try cleaning up the scraps of food strewn everywhere. It was disrespectful in my opinion; I get annoyed when people do not pick up after themselves in a public place. I ENCOUNTERED SOMETHING SIMILAR ON my recent vacation. Here I was at a significant, iconic religious building and on the side of it someone had spraypainted graffiti. If that was not bad enough, after climbing up inside to the top of the building’s dome and walking out into the open, there was graffiti and people’s initials written along the walls. It was beyond disrespectful, simply appalling. Sadly, many places I visited in this international city had some type of markings and/or graffiti on its buildings. It felt like the city was being hijacked by these perpetrators. I was there to soak in the beauty and history of the place, and it seemed everywhere I was looking, I would find some type of markings or tags sprawled somewhere around a structure. I found all of it nearly incomprehensible; if I lived there and was in a position of authority, I would want to arrest the offenders and make them clean up their work. Because of this experience, I absolutely understood where the main character was coming from when he saw what was happening to the lovely town, he was residing in. AFTER RECEIVING THE KINDNESS OF STRANGERS and settling into the idyllic town he found himself in, a former government assassin decided he must do something about the changes that were being forced on the townspeople. With Denzel Washington (The Book of Eli, The Tragedy of Macbeth) as Robert McCall, Dakota Fanning (The Secret Life of Bees, Man on Fire) as Emma Collins, Eugenio Mastrandrea (From Scratch-TV, La fuggitiva-TV) as Gio Bonucci, David Denman (13 Hours, Brightburn) as Frank Conroy and Gaia Scodellaro (Watch Them Fall; You, Me and the Apocalypse-TV) as Aminah; this latest installment in the action, crime thriller franchise had the perfect mix of drama and action. It did start out a little slow, but as the story unfolded it drew me in. I also have to say because I was just recently in the same areas on vacation; I absolutely loved the outdoor scenes of Italy. It seemed as if the action in this latest installment was boosted because there were many scenes of blood and violence. It was in a similar vein to the John Wick franchises’ type of violence. But because I loved the scenery and thought both Denzel and Dakota did such a good job, the violence did not distract from the competent and engaging script.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Bullet Train
IT IS AN UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATION FOR me whenever I am attending a dinner party, where I am not familiar to the host. It occurs when I am going as someone’s guest or attending a family function, where different people are contributing to the meal. I admit I am a fussy eater; add to that, I also am a visual and texture eater. If something does not look appealing to me then I am not interested in tasting it. I know these are my quirks; I do not pretend to hide or be embarrassed by them. However, I do not expect anyone to conform to my eating habits. This is why I get uncomfortable when going to dinner at someone’s house who is not familiar with me. My friends are thoughtful and usually will tell the host I do not eat onions or red meat; and I am appreciative of their actions. Many a times, the host will adjust their menu to accommodate me; but this is the part that makes me uncomfortable. I do not want them to change what they planned; I can eat around anything placed on a dinner table. There have been get togethers where the host has made two of the same dishes, one with onions and the other without. I do not want them to do such a thing; I can pick out the onions or just not put any of it on my dish, no big deal. MY NOT WISHING TO CHANGE SOMEONE to fit my needs is a belief that I had to grow into; it was not something that came organically. I used to be one of those individuals who readily told people what they should do. I would see or listen to a person dealing with a problem and I would immediately tell them what they needed to do, whether they asked for my advice or not, it did not matter. Through a time of self-discovery and awareness, I realized it was part of my control issues. If someone asked me for my advice, it was okay to offer it; but not to swoop in and take on their issues. My eyes were opened to the point I could recognize when others were trying to “take charge” or convince someone to do something differently. I know this is my opinion, but I find those individuals who preach and try to convert people are no different than me trying to change a friend’s mind to do something I like to do. Just because, let us say, I like to skydive does not mean you have to do it now. However, in this action, comedy thriller it was amusing to see how the main character tried convincing people to his way of thinking. HOPING THE JOB WOULD BE EASY and peaceful, an assassin has a tough time staying calm when he is stuck on a high-speed passenger train in Japan with other assassins. With Brad Pitt (The Lost City, By the Sea) as Ladybug, Joey King (The Conjuring, The In Between) as Prince, Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Nocturnal Animals, Kick-Ass franchise) as Tangerine, Brian Tyree Henry (Widows, Hotel Artemis) as Lemon and Andrew Koji (Snake Eyes, Warrior-TV) as Kimura; I felt the movie was made more for the cast than the viewer. It was obvious the cast was having fun with their characters. Joey stood out for me with her acting ability. There was a lot of violence and blood throughout the film; but at least the fight scenes were well done, and I enjoyed the witty dialog. The script was uneven, eventually losing steam as it headed towards the end, which was a jumble. There was no character development; and, in this case, I was okay with it. I felt the whole story was put together like a board game and the characters were just game pieces. Pretty much, this type of story has been done before and done better; however, it was still fun to watch the craziness that all took place on a bullet train.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Kate
THE PHOTO WAS FORWARDED TO ME and I immediately had memories flood my brain as soon as I saw it. I had not thought about that trip in years; no, actually decades, but remembered the who, what and where of the trip. I am always amazed at the workings of the mind. How these stored memories suddenly appear in full force, like a spotlight, into one’s consciousness; it is fascinating. From that one photo, I was able to remember the place I stayed at, the time of year and the various sights I visited while there. Truthfully, if I had not seen that one photo I do not know if I would have ever recalled that vacation. And that is the other aspect of stirred memories I enjoy experiencing; that random trigger that sets off the memory like a firecracker. For example, just recently I had a lunch date with a few family members. I had found this new food item at the store and thought the relatives would enjoy trying them. Buying a few different flavors, I put them out on the dining room table when the meal was ready. As the group of people inspected the items, I brought out drinking glasses for them to give the products a try. One family member kept taking a taste from their drink. When I asked what they thought of it, they said the taste is reminding them of a different time when they were back in college drinking a mixed alcoholic beverage out of a plastic cup. How random it was; I enjoyed hearing how a past memory got ignited from a new type of drink. JUST AS I AM FASCINATED WITH the way memories suddenly appear from random stimuli, I am also curious how some memories always stay close to the surface to steer the actions of an individual. Many of us might have experienced buying a car that turned out to be a complete lemon. I know I did. There was a car I had that would periodically just shut off while I was driving it. I remember one time it decided to turn off in the middle of a busy intersection. There was nothing I could do because the car would not turn over. I go so fed up, I grabbed my stuff, got out, locked the car doors and walked over to the curb to call a tow service. For the next few weeks while I looked for a car, I rode a bicycle wherever I had to go. From that time, I have never bothered looking at that car manufacturer’s products when I needed to buy a car. Some memories just never fade away, like the one the main character kept having in this action, crime adventure. AFTER AN ASSIGNMENT GETS BOTCHED UP, a well-honed assassin discovers she has a short time to live before she dies. She only has one thing on her mind. With Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Birds of Prey, 10 Cloverfield Lane) as Kate, Woody Harrelson (The Hunger Games franchise, Out of the Furnace) as Varrick, relative newcomer Miku Patricia Martineau as Ani, Tadanobu Asano (Thor franchise, Battleship) as Renji and Jun Kunimura (Kill Bill franchise, The Naked Director-TV) as Kijima; this story was a mix of previous film stories I have seen. There seems to be a recent smattering of movies with female killers. I have enjoyed seeing them and in fact, this film reminded me of a cross between John Wick, Atomic Blonde and Crank. Kate did an admirable job of acting and fighting in this role; however, the script was generic, without much depth and character development. There was a stylized flair in the look of this picture, but it did not have that extra punch, so to speak, to make this a great movie. The bottom line here is I might remember Mary Elizabeth’s performance, but I doubt I will remember this movie after a short time.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Gunpowder Milkshake
THE TRAUMATIC EVENT CHANGED THE COURSE of his life. Up until that point he bounced around from one job to another. The thing that focused him on his work was a broken heart. I knew the minute my friend fell in love and it occurred when he told me he had gone over to his “friend’s” house to transplant some bushes; he had not yet defined her to me as his girlfriend. As long as I knew him, he only worked on his yard and one of his ancient relatives. When he told me about moving her bushes, I did not let on that I knew she had to be special to him; I figured he would tell me when he was good and ready. A few months went by before he expressed to me his feelings about her. He said he felt comfortable with her. That was major for him to say, because in the past he always had something negative to say about the people he dated. It was not until a few months afterwards when he finally told me he loved her and could see himself living with her. I was happy for my friend because; I knew it had been such a long time since he was able to be comfortable around a love interest. I really thought he had finally found the right person. THEY BECAME AND REMAINED A COUPLE for 3 more years before the relationship disintegrated. I did not know all the details, but she was the one who had broken it off. As an outsider, it was tragic to see him in so much pain and sadness. He became super depressed and lethargic. When he skipped cutting his lawn for the first time, I knew things were awful for him. He was not motivated, did not leave the house for long periods of time. I tried my best to help him through this period of loss and grief; I was quite familiar with it myself, so I had an idea how much pain he was in. Weeks went by before he agreed to just meet me at a restaurant for lunch. When we did, I heard for the first time about his job. This was something new because he rarely was interested in talking about his work. As he worked through his sadness, I got to hear more about what he was doing at his job and how his superiors were appreciative of the time he was putting into his work. From his sadness, essentially, he was becoming the hardest worker at the company. It was as if he took all that pain and drove it into his performance at work. I thought the same thing was taking place for the main character in this action, adventure thriller. KNOWN FOR HANDLING THE TOUGHEST ASSIGNMENTS, an assassin makes a quick decision that changes the course of her life. With Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, Not Another Happy Ending) as Sam, Lena Headey (The Flood, Game of Thrones-TV) as Scarlet, Carla Gugino (San Andreas, American Gangster) as Madeleine, Michelle Yeoh (Crazy Rich Asians, Last Christmas) as Florence and Joanna Bobin (Alice Through the Looking Glass, Bridgerton-TV) as Rose; the story to this film seemed like a cross between the John Wick films and Hotel Artemis. I enjoyed the female focused story and loved the cast. For the most part this picture is adrenalin driven; there is no depth or character development. It simply is a “shoot ‘em up” and beat them up thrill ride. There does not need to put much thought into the plot and story, just sit back for the outrageous and crazy fight scenes. My suggestion is not to go out of your way to see this movie; but if you have a couple of hours to kill and do not mind blood and violence, then you might experience some entertaining moments.
2 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Ava
I DO NOT REMEMBER HOW OLD I was at the time; but I do remember I ate the whole thing. It was the first time I had been to one of those ice cream shops where you serve yourself. They had my favorite type of ice cream, soft serve that comes out of a machine in a long tubular shape. As soon as I saw the machine, I grabbed one of the larger sized cups. Even in my thrilled state I did have the sense to realize that the cup I was holding was much larger than the average “large” cup; I stopped filling it up just past the halfway mark. From there I walked down to the toppings station. As I scanned the assortment of treats, I felt I was at a dessert sweet table at a wedding reception because there were so many choices. I think because I had control over the amount of toppings, I could put on my ice cream, my brain went a little haywire; please do not judge me. If memory serves me, I spooned on chocolate sprinkles, crushed cookies, chocolate and peanut butter chips, candy coated chocolate candies and for extra crunch, some granola. By the time I was done my cup was completely full. I walked up to the checkout counter where the employee took my cup and weighed it! This was new to me; I had never had my ice cream order weighed before. My creation costed me $21.36. MY SUGAR HIGH LASTED WELL INTO the night from my ice cream creation, or should I say massacre? When I finally crashed, I came down hard, feeling tired and lethargic. First of all, I had never spent that much on ice cream before and that included the gallon size containers from the grocery store. Everything was fresh and tasted good; however, when they were all mixed into the ice cream their individual flavors got lost. I was essentially eating crunchy chocolate with a hint of peanut butter. The sprinkles that remind me of my youth were lost within the meteor shower of sugary chunks. I learned a valuable lesson: less is more. If I would have focused on one or two toppings, I could have savored their individuality, for example chocolate sprinkles and peanut butter chips. It is true what they say, “Too many cooks spoil the broth.” Sure, I chose all my favorite toppings, but I could have been smarter about it. And I certainly know it would have been cheaper for me! This lesson is something the writers needed to learn before creating this action, crime drama film. COOL AND EFFICIENT IS HOW ONE would describe trained assassin Ava, played by Jessica Chasten (Miss Sloane, Molly’s Game). After one job went wrong, she got a new description, Wanted. Her survival would depend on her skills. With John Malkovich (Bird Box, RED franchise) as Duke, Common (Suicide Squad, The Hate U Give) as Michael, Geena Davis (Marjorie Prime, Thelma & Louise) as Bobbi and Jess Weixler (The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby franchise, The Good Wife-TV) as Judy; this story had the good fortune to have such a talented cast. However, the cast could not help with the piecemeal story lines which there were too many of. I felt pieces of other action films were put into the script and they did not play well together. The action scenes in this picture were decent but that only went so far before the heavy script slowed things down. There was nothing new or exciting in this story; as I was watching this movie, there were multiple scenes that reminded me of different films I had seen before. In its entirety, this was not a well thought out movie; there was way too much involved and not enough long-lasting excitement.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Gemini Man
IF I ONLY KNEW BACK THEN what I know now, I could have avoided so many troubling things. Oscar Wilde had a famous quote, “With age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone.” This is so true. I am reminded of a friend who would repeat the same pattern when it came to the men she dated. Each relationship ended the same way with the man breaking it off and her heart getting broken. Whatever my 2 cents of advice is worth, she never allowed her relationships to develop; she went from having a few initial dates to acting like they were in a full-blown relationship, as if they were a long time couple. It was odd and uncomfortable to see her place herself repeatedly in these situations; yet, she would do the same thing over and over with each person she started dating. Of course, it is easier for me to give advice to other people than it is for me to take my own advice. I was in several relationships that, I see now, were not healthy. If I had my current level of confidence and knowledge back then, I could have saved myself a whole lot of pain. Yet, I always want to believe we gain something from each person we encounter. I DO NOT KNOW IF I am wiser, but I certainly am aware how differently I react to certain situations these days. In the past, my younger self would always view any type of criticism as a threat, where I would immediately go on the attack. Most of my verbal confrontations with individuals was me yelling “You” statements at them. These are sentences that start with the word “You” followed by a descriptive adjective or action, like “You never said” or “You didn’t care.” My older self can see the difference between saying “you never said” and “I did not hear you” or “You didn’t care” and “I felt you were not interested.” It changes the whole flavor of the situation when one starts out saying I instead of You. When I look back at my younger years, I can honestly say I have few regrets. However, what I can tell you is my life would have been less stressful if my younger self had my current self-awareness. From time to time in fact, I will recall an experience from my past and replay it in my mind to see how things could have been different, if I acted more like my adult self. For me doing this is more of a mental exercise; for the main character in this dramatic, action science fiction film his past was more physical. REACHING A POINT IN HIS LIFE where he could finally retire; elite assassin Henry Brogan, played by Will Smith (Aladdin, Suicide Squad), did not understand why he suddenly became the target of an assassin who was able to anticipate his every move. With Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 Cloverfield Lane, Scott Pilgrim vs the World) as Danny Zakarweski, Clive Owen (Closer, Inside Man) as Clay Verris, Benedict Wong (The Martian, Doctor Strange) as Baron and Douglas Hodge (Red Sparrow, The Report) as Jack Willis; I was anticipating this film to be an exciting and visual piece of work because of the director, Ang Lee (Life of Pi, Brokeback Mountain). Visually there was a lot to look at; however, the action went to fast for me. I found Will was doing the same type of acting he has done before; so, I was not connecting at all with his character. The real shame here was the script; it was not only generic but gave the viewers clues to what was going to happen further in the story. Overall, there was nothing exciting or fresh about this picture. I hate to say it, but I believe this movie is an example of Oscar Wilde’s quote.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Anna
THE WORDS KEPT REVERBERATING INSIDE my head. I had never heard them before; wait, that is not exactly right. I had heard those words before, but they were never spoken to me. Now, I was the recipient of these words and was feeling as if my life was going to change forever. No more standing by myself; no more groans or dirty looks from others. Here right in the middle of the school gymnasium I was the first person the team captain asked to be on his team! This had never, never happened to me before. Usually whenever the PE instructor picked two students to be team captains, I was always the last one picked. To tell you the truth I did not blame them. I did not enjoy team sports, I was not good at playing them and I did not have a killer mentality. All of that changed however, when students saw me throw a ball. The only reason they witnessed it was because I was the last person on the team who had not been tagged out. Granted, I was hiding behind players to avoid getting hit with the ball. So, there I was left defending our side against three opposing team players. I tagged each of them out due to my precise, fast and hard throwing of the ball. The students were shocked. MY WORLD CHANGED FROM THAT POINT on or at least I thought so. Students in gym class who had never spoken a word to me or only uttered derogative words my way were acknowledging my presence. I was not as fearful of walking into the locker room and gymnasium expecting to get bullied or abused. It was a surreal time for me. In fact, there was talk about me trying out for the pitcher position on the baseball team. If you are wondering if this all sounds too good to be true, you are right. My time in the spotlight was short-lived. A transfer student arrived who excelled in sports. He could hit, throw, shoot and pass a ball; plus, he was fit and trim instead of fat and chunky. I was immediately discarded and returned to the back of the line, so to speak. No one wanted me on their team anymore. I could live with it; but, when the nasty comments and abusive contact started up again, I had a hard time coping. I desperately wanted to get out of that school. Watching the main character in this action thriller, I could relate to how she must have been feeling. UNDER HER STYLISH VENEER ANNA, PLAYED by Sasha Luss (Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets), had a lethal set of skills that people wanted to exploit. They were not interested in anything else, which was a mistake. With Helen Mirren (The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, Woman in Gold) as Olga, Luke Evans (Beauty and the Beast, High-Rise) as Alex Tchenkov, Cillian Murphy (The Party, In the Heart of the Sea) as Lenny Miller and newcomer Lera Abova as Maud; this movie had potential. I could have gotten into the story, but it stayed locked on the repeat button. There was nothing imaginative about the story. If Charlize Theron’s Atomic Blonde had not been made, maybe I would have been more forgiving with this picture. However, I was periodically getting bored. Now there were some fight scenes that were fun to watch, and I enjoyed some of the plot twists; but overall, there was not much creativity in the story or the script. For the life of me I could not understand why Helen took the role in the film, but I was glad she did; she did her best with what she was given. Given the choices out there, this movie is not one that need be chosen for your viewing pleasure.
1 ¾ stars
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