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Flash Movie Trailer: Lonely Planet
Posted by moviejoltz
THERE WERE A COUPLE OF REASONS why I agreed to join my friend in volunteering at a charity event. The charity was setting up a two-week pop-up resale store, where all the items had been donated and the money made would go to the charity. The first reason for doing it was because I was familiar with the charity’s work and felt it was a great idea. Usually, charities do some type of silent auction with their donated items, but this was something different that appealed to me. The second reason was because I was curious to see what my friend does that drives people away or stops any spark of a connection. That may sound harsher than intended; but you see, my friend has complained to me how they try to meet someone for dating purposes, to put it bluntly, but nothing happens. They are sweet and loving, but when it comes to dating, something transpires that turns individuals off is how I see it. My friend has done various social group activities and quickly volunteers for a variety of places; yet from all these activities they never make a connection, even if it is for a friendship. I had to see for myself what is taking place to cause this predicament for them. WE GOT OUR ASSIGNMENT THE MOMENT we walked into the shop and gave our names to the coordinator. Our job was to work and maintain all the displays; so, when an item got sold, we had to put another item in its place. We were given free reign on how to display the items; both of us thought this was going to be a fun assignment. To save time, we divided the store in half; I would get everything I could out on display on my side, they would do the same on their side. Afterwards we would both walk around and make any suggestions or adjustments. When the store opened, we would simply walk around keeping an eye on everything. But I was also watching my friend when they interacted with customers. By lunchtime and having seen my friend interact with a variety of individuals, I now understood what was happening with them. They were trying too hard. Instead of making light conversation, they would ask too many questions, some close to being a little too personal. The image that was coming across was someone desperate and not being comfortable with themselves. I have always believed that when you are comfortable with yourself and you avoid having a hidden agenda, people notice your vibe and get comfortable around you. That is when people find themselves able to connect to other people. If you do not believe me then you should watch how the main characters get comfortable in this dramatic romance. AN AUTHOR TRAVELING TO A WRITER’S retreat hopes to spend her time working on her next book. She would prefer to be alone, but there are guests who are familiar with her work. With Laura Dern (The Son, Little Women) as Katherine Loewe, Liam Hemsworth (Poker Face, The Hunger Games franchise) as Owen Brophy, Diana Silvers (The Killer, Birds of Paradise) as Lily Kemp, Adriano Giannini (Swept Away, The Consequences of Love) as Ugo Jaconelli, and Rachida Brakni (Chaos, Skate of Die) as Fatema Benzakour; this story had a good idea and the luck to have Laura and Liam starring in it. Unfortunately, there was so little chemistry between the two of them that the plain script stood out more for being bland. I liked the idea of the story and was hoping there would be depth for the characters, but everything felt like it was on one level. Honestly, if it were not for Laura’s performance and the interesting outdoor scenes I would have been bored. In this case, the writers did not make a connection with me.
2 stars
Posted in Drama
Tags: 2 stars, adriano giannini, author, diana silvers, drama, laura dern, liam hemsworth, morocco, rachida brakni, romancr, writer
Flash Movie Review: A Family Affair
Posted by moviejoltz
I HAVE SEEN BOTH THE GOOD and bad sides of working with fellow employees who are in a love relationship with each other. In my experience, it does not matter if they are boyfriends, girlfriends or married; there still is a different dynamic when a couple are working together. The obvious difference would be like the time when a couple had an argument outside of work but brought the fight into the office. The girlfriend worked in my department and one day she walked in with disheveled hair and wrinkled clothing. She did not talk to any of us the entire day as she made multiple trips to the bathroom where I believed she would cry. I say this because she always came back with the makeup around her eyes always being different. Her boyfriend worked in customer service and from what fellow employees told me, the boyfriend was curt talking with the customers. It was not a good situation. The two did not last long at the company, nor did their relationship. On the other hand, I worked at a place where two employees had fallen in love and got married. After their honeymoon they returned to work and not only did they excel in their respective positions, but they were quickly promoted up the ladder to positions with even more responsibilities. During the day you would not necessarily know they were married to each other; they always maintained a professional demeanor. ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE, I WORKED at a company where a married couple were both employed. My job entailed me interacting with each of them from time to time, but not on a consistent basis. So, part of my narrative comes from bits of news I heard from other employees at the company. This couple were both friendly and helpful towards me. However, other employees did not experience such behavior, and in turn would be cautious about what they said around each of them. She was older than her husband, I would guess by at least 10-15 years; not that it mattered. However, she worked on the switchboard and according to one of the husband’s co-workers in the sales department, she would direct new sales leads to her husband. I cannot vouch for the truth of this, but for my job I was aware he always had many new customers being set up on our computer system. There were other comments employees made to me about this couple, but I had no way to prove they were accurate. All I knew was I never felt awkward around them, unlike other employees. I hope this explains why I was tentative about seeing this dramatic, comedy romance. NO CHILD WANTS TO EVER SEE their parents in a compromising situation. Imagine what it must have been like for Zara Ford, played by Joey King (The Kissing Booth, Bullet Train), to walk in unexpectedly on her boss and mother. Some things you cannot erase from your memory. With Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos, Bombshell) as Brooke Harwood, Zac Efron (The Iron Claw, Ricky Stanicky) as Chris Cole, Kathy Bates (The Miracle Club, Summer Camp) as Leila Ford and Liza Koshy (Players, Work It) as Eugenie; I thought with such a great cast, they would make movie magic. However, though they did their best the script was so poorly done that many scenes were not even believable. The story line was like many other prior films which I would not have had an issue with at the start, but there was nothing new being offered. It was predictable and though everyone did a respectable job of acting, there was not much chemistry going on within the cast. There was no deep emotional connection that would have added depth to the story, which was a shame because I wanted to like all the characters. With a sharper focus on the subject and a couple of rewrites, this could have been a better picture.
1 ¾ stars
Posted in Comedy
Tags: 1 3/4 stars, actor, author, comedy, drama, joey king, kathy bates, liza koshy, nicole kidman, rom-com, romance, zac efron
Flash Movie Review: Origin
Posted by moviejoltz
NO MATTER WHAT RACE, ETHNICITY, OR GENDER a person may be, I feel they were either born with the capacity for good or evil. This is my belief system. As far as I am concerned every group, no matter the nationality, the class, the religion; each group is made up of individuals who are good or bad. The issue I have is when one group thinks they are better than the other one. Though I did not understand completely what was taking place, I remember during elementary school there was a place of worship near us who had a group of students who formed a gang. Whenever they were off for one of their holidays, they would come to our school to try and start a fight with us. They would call us “bad” names. I was so young that I did not fully understand the meaning of the words they were shouting. It was later when I came to the realization, they were trying to put us down as if we were inferior to them. This was my first taste of discrimination. All my mind could comprehend back then was to assume that all the people of that place of worship were mean and liked to start fights. Honestly, I carried this misconception with me for a few years; no matter who I would meet or be introduced to, if they belonged to that place then I did not want to have anything to do with them. AS I WAS GROWING UP AND continuing with school, I learned my reaction was not an uncommon thing. In our studies, we learned about many events that took place because of one group of people “hating” another group. Wars across the world happened because one group felt superior to another and wished to dominate them; so many examples after examples we studied. I could not believe the amount of effort, time and money that was poured into such hatred. Later in my studies, I was fortunate to work part-time at a company where I continued working after closing time. It was there that a met an elderly employee who finished his day by cleaning up the workspaces. Because we were usually the only two there, we struck up several conversations. It was not right away, but later after we got comfortable with each other, I asked about his family and if he had been born in the city. From that question he opened to me about his family’s history; he came from generations of slaves. I was speechless. Up until this time, I had never met someone whose past relatives were slaves. We shared stories we were told; I talked about the relatives I had who were killed in the war. I do not want this to sound dramatic, but it was a profound experience for me, having met and talked with him. Hearing about such cruelty and hatred was heartbreaking; yet confirmed my beliefs about good and bad human beings. From my teachings and life experiences, it should not be a surprise that I loved this film festival winning history drama. RESEARCHING A NEW BOOK, AN AUTHOR is convinced that there is a connection between the hateful acts done by humans to humans, no matter where they lived in the world. The only problem now was to prove it. With Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Ray, The Color Purple) as Isabel Wilkerson, Jon Bernthal (The Accountant, The Wolf of Wall Street) as Brett Hamilton, Niecy Nash (Beauty, Reno 911!-TV) as Marion Wilkerson, Emily Yancy (Nine Months, Cotton Comes to Harlem) as Ruby Wilkerson and Finn Wittrock (Luckiest Girl Alive, American Horror Story-TV) as August Landmesser; this film inspired by true events, was powerful and moving. I thought the acting was wonderful and I thought the directing was outstanding as the story interwove itself into another story. Both were equally interesting in their own way, and I did not have an issue with the stories playing out in segments. The script was well done, even if it could have taken more chances with the subject matter. The way the subject matter must have been presented in book form would be difficult for anyone to transfer to the big screen, yet I felt it was accomplished in this thought-provoking movie. Following my beliefs about good and evil, it was quite apparent to me that Isabel was a member of the good side.
3 ½ stars
Posted in Drama
Tags: 3 1/2 stars, aunjanue ellis-taylor, author, caste, drama, emily yancy, film festival winner, finn wittrock, history, jon bernthal, niecy nash, racial, slavery, true events
Flash Movie Review: Freud’s Last Session
Posted by moviejoltz
THE ONLY WAY I SAW DEBATES end, when I was growing up, was when the opposing sides started name-calling. It was common to hear “You are stupid” or You are such an idiot.” I did not know any better until, believe it or not, I was in high school and even then, I still saw examples of bickering and yelling at the end of a debate, if you really want to even call it a debate. The person with the loudest voice or the best putdown usually became the winner. Since I was more of an introvert back then, I had no desire to ever find myself in a situation where I would have to debate someone. My high school may have had a debate team, but I have no memory of them, not even an announcement or assembly or match with another school. It was not until I was in college that I was able to witness a debate where the participants did not yell or call each other names. I found the experience exhilarating and pictured it as if the two participants were fencers playing a match. THIS DEBATE TOOK PLACE IN A lecture hall for my European history course. The professor had emigrated from Germany after World War II. He was lecturing us about the country’s environment prior to Hitler’s rise to power. During his talk, a student raised their hand to ask a question; the professor acknowledged the student and told him to stand up. The student did and asked the professor to clarify a remark he made about the citizens of his hometown. The professor added more of his insight and when he was done asked the student if he understood. The student said yes, paused a moment, then added that one word that I knew when begin to start a conflict or contest of wits. The word was “but.” It turned out the student’s family emigrated from Europe before he was born, however, the family history was something that fascinated the student all his life. This set up a point, counterpoint situation where the instructor would challenge the student on his beliefs and the student would do the same to the professor. It was a spirited debate, and it appeared the professor was relishing the moment. He would wildly wave his hand in the air to prove a point, using humor and sometimes tragic family tales to drive home his points. The rest of the class sat back in their seats and marveled at what could only be defined as a “spectacle.” This memory came back to me as I found myself watching this interesting drama. FROM TWO DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS AND COMPLETELY opposite mindsets about the existence of God, Sigmund Freud invited the author C.S. Lewis to his house to question and debate their differing stands on the subject. It would be a night both would remember. With Anthony Hopkins (The Father, The Two Popes) as Sigmund Freud, Matthew Goode (The Duke, The Imitation Game) as C.S. Lewis, Liv Lisa Fries (Babylon Berlin-TV, Zurich) as Anna Freud, Jodi Balfour (For All Mankind, The Rest of Us) as Dorothy Burlingham and Jeremy Northam (Gosford Park, Official Secrets) as Ernest Jones; this film was all about the acting. Anthony and Matthew were exceptional in their roles. I thought the story might have come from Broadway because it gave off the appearance of being a play, except for the writers throwing in flashback scenes which at times took away from the drama of the story. I did feel much of the conversations were stuck on one level as the two iconic figureheads went back and forth with each other. For the most part, I was entertained by this story despite feeling the script needed more depth and intensity to it. Gratefully, Anthony and Matthew did not disappoint me in this fanciful story.
2 ¾ stars
Posted in Drama
Tags: 2 3/4 stars, anthony hopkins, author, drama, freud, jeremy northam, jodi balfour, liv lisa fries, matthew goode
Flash Movie Review: Argylle
Posted by moviejoltz
I BELIEVE EVERYONE FROM TIME-TO-time experiences events that seem as if they had just come out of a book or movie. Many years ago, I was visiting a friend who lived on the west coast. One day we planned to go for a hike in the mountains. Neither of us had any experience, we assumed there would be a trail where we walk up to the top and visit a gift shop and have a bite to eat before making our way down. It turned out none of that was reality based. There were paths we were able to follow, but some parts were steep where we had to use our hands to steady ourselves. Because of the thick growth and trees, we wound up losing our bearings. The sun was beginning to set, and I knew the temperature was starting to drop. We started to head down, but somewhere we must have taken a wrong turn and we got lost. Not able to see the sun or shadows at times, we found ourselves wandering, revisiting some spots unexpectedly and soon after there was not even the sun to help guide us. Enveloped in darkness, an array of sounds and noises became noticeable. I was not happy, wondering who or what was making the sounds. We remained on the mountain for hours to the point where my teeth were chattering, and my body was shaking from the cold. Just by sheer luck, we passed a spot that was familiar which then led us to finding our way down to level ground and our car. By the time we made it back to his place, we could only sleep a couple of hours before driving in to be in the studio audience for a taping of a television game show. ONE OF THE BEST EXAMPLES OF life imitating art was the way a friend of mine met her husband. Perfect strangers who were in the right place at the right time. My friend worked in a downtown office building. At lunchtime, she ran out to grab and bring back something for lunch. She was the only one who was in the elevator to take her back up to her floor. As the doors started closing a hand thrust in to block the doors and they retreated. He had an appointment at one of the companies that had offices in the building. The elevator finally began its ascent, but halfway suddenly stopped with a jerk. They were stuck in the elevator for only one hour before it continued moving up. In that hour, the two of them sat and talked and she even offered part of her lunch to him. Before one of them exited the elevator, they agreed to meet for a dinner date. And as they say, the rest was history. It was like a scene out of a movie. Experiencing something that could easily be found in a book or movie seems highly likely for any one of us; it certainly was for the main character in this action thriller. WHEN THE CHARACTERS FROM HER RECENT espionage novel come to life, the author suddenly becomes the focus of a secret spy organization, who want to know her secrets and will stop at nothing to get them. With Henry Cavill (Enola Holmes franchise, The Witcher-TV) as Argyle, Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World franchise, Gold) as Elly Conway, Sam Rockwell (Jojo Rabbit, Seven Psychopaths) as Aidan Wilde, Bryan Cranston (Asteroid City, Your Honor-TV) as Director Ritter, and Ariana DeBose (West Side Story, The Prom) as Keira; this movie had a great cast of characters. I thought all of them did a wonderful job of selling the script to the audience. Sadly, that script did not contain a cohesive story line that was easy to follow. I found myself floundering through the second half of the picture. With so many action scenes, with twists and turns in the story line, I found myself getting bored. I believe some scenes were supposed to be funny, but I did not think so. I almost felt like the writers were trying to produce a hit in the same vein as the film Knives Out, but they failed. By the end, I felt I had read the story but with some pages missing in it.
1 ¾ stars
Posted in Thriller
Tags: 1 3/4 stars, action, ariana debose, author, bryan cranston, bryce dallas howard, espionage, henry cavill, sam rockwell, thriller
Flash Movie Review: American Fiction
Posted by moviejoltz
IT WAS NOT UNTIL I STARTED dating, that I realized I was in a minority. It was not something that I immediately understood. Talking with friends and hearing stories through acquaintances, I realized most people find themselves attracted to a certain type of individual. For example, I knew someone who would not date anyone who was taller than himself. A female friend would not go out with any guy who had facial hair. These types of restrictions were foreign to me; what did height or facial hair have to do with what was inside a person’s heart and mind? My philosophy believed the body was a rented vessel, changing every day, so the surface stuff meant little to me. I dated a variety of diverse types of individuals because their religion, race, looks, etc. were not crucial factors to me. Some of my friends said I was weird, and others would not believe me, testing me by pointing out people we saw on the street and asking if I would date them. I would tell them to just remember the ones I dated in the past and they would see that weight, hair color and such were not important. What was important were things like clean teeth, nails, and hair to name a few of my dealbreakers. If I were fixed up on a blind date and the person came in with dirty fingernails or food stuck between their teeth, I would not seek out a second date. SOMETHING I STARTED TO NOTICE IN people was a shift in how they tried to form connections or find common ground with another person. I noticed on several dates from various websites the person, upon hearing my religious background would shift the conversation in a way to show they were “okay” with me. They would mention certain types of food they tried and liked that were associated with our holidays. Or they would tell me they always wanted to see the religious icons in a particular country that had connections to my religion. Honestly, I felt they were pandering and not really into knowing me, just using my religion to form a connection. It never worked because they never took the time to learn about me as a person, only focused on this one aspect that in the scheme of things did not teach them anything about my dreams, likes and dislikes. I came to find out I was not the only one who noticed this in the dating world; I could only assume it went beyond single people looking to date someone. For all I knew, some of these dates may have been acting in a false way to make it appear as if they understood what it was like to be a person of my faith. I see this increasingly in various social groups. Having had these experiences, I found myself loving the story in this comedic drama. FRUSTRATED THAT HE WAS NOT GETTING the recognition he felt he deserved, a novelist decided to draft a book under a pseudonym that was filled with stereotypes geared to what he saw the public wanted to read. Little did he expect it to become a tremendous success, which only made him angrier. With Jeffrey Wright (The French Dispatch, The Batman) as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, Tracee Ellis Ross (The Hight Note, Girlfriends-TV) as Lisa Ellison, John Ortiz (Silver Linings Playbook, The Fallout) as Arthur, Erika Alexander (Get Out, Déjà Vu) as Coraline and Leslie Uggams (Deadpool franchise, Dotty & Soul) as Agnes Ellison; this Oscar nominated film was a pure joy to watch. The acting by Jeffrey and Leslie was especially wonderful and I can see why Jeffrey was nominated in the best actor category. And I thought the writing and direction were right on target because it created this space for the viewer to settle in and see this fascinating mix of satire and family drama. I was surprised by the twist in the story and am not sure if I liked it or not. This picture came across in a fresh and original way that made it such an enjoyable viewing experience.
3 ½ stars
Posted in Drama
Tags: 3 1/2 stars, american-fiction, author, comedy, drama, dramedy, erika alexander, issa rae, jeffrey wright, john ortiz, leslie uggams, novelist, oscar nominee, sterling k brown, trace ellis ross
Flash Movie Review: Love Again
Posted by moviejoltz
I DO NOT WANT TO SAY it is creepy to hear the deceased’s voice on the phone, but it definitely is startling. When calling a friend who is unavailable, and the greeting on their phone is from one of their deceased family members, it can take one by surprise. The first time it happened, I found it disturbing to hear this voice that I remember from so many years of knowing them. I do not know the reason the deceased’s voice remains as the phone greeting, but I can appreciate the anxiety of letting go of a loved one. Maybe hearing the voice on the phone makes one feel like they are still part of us? I am not judging it; or at least I hope not. It is hard whenever one loses a loved one. I have seen a variety of ways people cope with loss. One person keeps their loved one’s coat and hat hanging on the coatrack; another has left the departed’s closet alone with all their clothes still hanging up. The toughest or let me say the hardest example I witnessed was a woman who lost their baby during the beginning of their eighth month. She had a nursery all set up; with all the necessities one needs for a newborn baby. She would sit and cry in the nursery every day for weeks; it was heartbreaking. I HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED THE DEATH of someone close to me like a spouse or sibling; but I have felt the sense of loss from the breakup of a love relationship. In a way, it is like experiencing a death, particularly if the two of you were living together. Once the relationship ended, there were a few things I changed to avoid seeing the memory attached to the various items through the house. Photos of us together were placed in a drawer that I use for storage. Mementos like souvenirs bought during a vacation also were hidden away. I have mentioned before the first thing I usually do is change the routine we shared. There never is a time limit on how long one needs to heal from a loss, but for me one day suddenly something clicks, and I can gaze at the old photos and trinkets we acquired/created together. From my experiences it was always easier to deal with loss by feeling anger; it burned the sadness and unhappiness flowing through me. But at some point, the anger dissipates and reality sets back in, letting the healing process begin. As I watched this dramatic romantic comedy, I was hoping the main character would be able to work through her grief like I did with mine. WITH THE SUDDEN LOSS OF HER fiancé, a children’s author continued to send texts to his cell phone, unaware the phone number was transferred to a new customer’s work phone. The texts were rather personal. With Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Baywatch, The White Tiger) as Mira Ray, Sam Heughan (The Spy Who Dumped Me, Outlander-TV) as Rob Burns, Celine Dion (Muppets Most Wanted) as herself, Sofia Barclay (Defending the Guilty-TV, NYPD Blue) as Suzy Ray and Russell Tovey (The Good Liar, Being Human-TV) as Billy Brooks; this film’s story was a bit hard to believe. The same goes for the chemistry between Priyanka’s and Sam’s characters; I was not completely in synch with them. Part of the groundwork in the script could have created a better story. I appreciated the sense of loss and the love aspects, but telling their story with Sam’s work life and throwing in Celine for another angle and it all was an odd mixture. If one just wants to give their brain a rest and see what people do for love, then this movie might stir something in your heart. There were extra scenes during the ending credits.
1 ¾ stars
Posted in Drama
Tags: 1 3/4 stars, author, celine dion, comedy, drama, priyanka chopra jonas, romance, russell tovey, sam heughan, sofia barclay
Flash Movie Review: The Silent Twins
Posted by moviejoltz
THE FIRST TIME I HEARD IT spoken was in elementary school, by two older boys. One of them said, “iyay illway eetmay ouyay atyay ott’sscay ousehay.” My interest was piqued by the strange words. I could not tell if the boys were related or from a different country. Since they were in an upper grade, I did not venture closer to ask them what they were speaking. For the next few days, I would think about that encounter and imagine they were spies or at least the sons of spies; my imagination was already active from a very early age. As luck would have it, I happened to be in the school library when the two boys were there, sitting together at a table. I pretended to look for a book at a bookcase that was nearest to them. After pulling out, looking at then pushing a couple of books back onto the shelf, one of the boys said something in that unusual language. I noticed every word ended in the “ay’ sound; there had to be some type of code going on. Suddenly an idea popped into my head. I grabbed one of the books I had looked at and brought it to the librarian who was sitting nearby. Leaning over, so I could whisper, I asked her if she knew what language the two boys had been speaking. Being kind, she in turn leaned closer to me and said they were speaking Pig Latin. She then pointed at the set of encyclopedias lined up along the window sill and told me to look it up, if I was interested. MY IMAGINATION CAUGHT FIRE AS I read about this code language of Pig Latin. I thought it would be so cool to teach my friends so we could talk freely without anyone knowing what we were talking about. The thought of passing notes in class, written in Pig Latin, would allow us to speak freely without anyone understanding what we were talking about if they grabbed the note away from one of us. I began practicing at home by translating books into Pig Latin. Once I felt confident I could easily hold a conversation in the language, I taught a couple of my friends. It did not take long before we started conversing in this new, secret code. The first time I spoke it to a friend in class, the student sitting in front of me turned around and answered the question I was asking my friend. I was devastated. How in the world did she know what I was saying? It never occurred to me that other students would be just as interested as me. The only way I could get around from letting students know what I was thinking and saying, would be to do what the set of twins did in this biographical drama. IDENTICAL TWINS WITH VIVID IMAGINATIONS CREATE an alternative world where they are the only residents. There was no longer a need to speak to anyone in the real world. With Letitia Wright (Black Panther franchise, Death on the Nile) as June Gibbons, Tamara Lawrence (Boxing Day, Kindred) as Jennifer Gibbons, Nadine Marshall (Paddington 2, The Smoking Room-TV) as Gloria, Treva Etienne (Black Hawk Down, Acts of Desperation) as Aubrey and Michael Smiley (Free Fire, Kill List) as Tim Thomas; this film based on a true story was fascinating to watch at first. However, while the story unfolded I had this gnawing feeling that something was missing—the backstory. I think the script would have been powerful if the writers had spent time showing the history prior to the girls’ introduction to the movie viewers. I thought the acting was excellent from the two leads and the story was certainly attention grabbing; but I always had the question in my mind, “How did this happen?” I felt like an outsider and speaking of being an outsider, for those of you who do not know Pig Latin, the older boy I heard in school was saying, “I will meet you at Scott’s house.”
2 ½ stars
Posted in Drama
Tags: 2 1/2 stars, author, biography, drama, letitia wright, michael smiley, nadine marshall, tamara lawrence, treva etienne, true story, twins
Flash Movie Review: Julia
Posted by moviejoltz
IT WAS NOT LIKE I WAS seeking her out; she just appeared, sounding out of breath. I was flipping through the television channels, stopping at anything that would keep my attention. As the television screen went from frame to frame like a slideshow, this large woman appeared on the screen with a modulated voice that spiraled and swooped in tones. She was behind a cooking island that was covered with different kitchen utensils and food items. I was curious because of the food, keeping in mind that my only interest in food was the eating of it. Her theatrics were something I had only seen on a comedy show. Here she was holding up a cooking chicken by its wings as if teaching it to stand for the very first time. Cooking was never part of my thought process, yet I was curious to see what she would do with that chicken after she was done playing with it. I used to watch my relatives cooking in the kitchen, but none of them acted like this woman on television. There was joyfulness, a happiness to her preparations of the food. Some of the kitchen utensils she was using, I had never seen before. I was being drawn into her world. FROM THAT FIRST VIEWING, I BEGAN watching her on TV consistently. Ironically, I still had no interest in cooking a meal; but I was fascinated with the whole process of it. What looked like these random dissimilar food items, that then got thrown together to be stirred, beaten, folded, whisked, mixed, poured, blended or pureed; that then got dumped into some type of vessel to bake, freeze, grill, boil, chill, fry or cook that turned it into a scrumptious looking plate of delicious food amazed me, each and every time I watched her. It was rare for her to make something that I was familiar with which you would think is odd, but it was not. If anything, it showed me a new world of possibilities. I cannot remember how many of her shows I watched but her flair for presentation has always stewed in the back of my mind. Fast forward a few decades and I am finally delving into the world of cooking. I have been active for years with baking but ventured very little into creating a meal that required more than a microwave oven. There is a new sense of satisfaction I have been experiencing when I see what I was able to do from start to finish with foods. I owe this to the first superstar of cooking I accidently found on television years ago. I had such a sense of joy as I got to visit with her again in this beautiful documentary. JULIA CHILD DID NOT SET OUT to change the world per se; she just wanted people to enjoy their food as much as she did. Directed by Julie Cohen (RBG, My Name is Pauli Murray) and Betsy West (RBG, My Name is Pauli Murray), what I loved about this movie was the fact that it presented multiple sides of Julia. Using archival footage and pieces of her and her husband’s correspondences, a charming and sweet story was presented to the viewer. When I thought about the variety of cooking shows and celebrity chef run restaurants we have presently, it amazed me how Julia for her times was a trendsetter, if not the very first celebrity chef. The layout of the scenes was done in such an easy thoughtful way that I felt were unbiased and direct, touching on many aspects of Julia’s life. Through the years, I have gleaned a variety of tidbits about Julia’s life to the point I felt I knew her quite well. Gratefully, this documentary provided me new insights and turned into a rich viewing experience without the calories.
3 ½ stars
Posted in Documentary
Tags: 3 1/2 stars, author, betsy west, cookbook, cooking, documentary, food, julia child, julie cohen
Flash Movie Review: The Tale
Posted by moviejoltz
3 ¼ stars
Posted in Uncategorized
Tags: 3 1/4 stars, author, common, drama, ellen burstyn, film festival winner, jason ritter, laura dern, mystery, thriller
moviejoltz 