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Flash Movie Review: Ballerina
I WAS NOT GOING TO LISTEN to him badmouthing my friend any longer. The two of us had been friends for several years and though I knew him to be quick to judge others, I did not let that be a reason for not being friends. However, when his focus landed on another friend of mine, I could see the change in him. Though these two friends were from different circles of my friendships, there were a few occasions where they would find themselves at the same place/event, like a charity ball or concert. I do not think I am alone when I say I have different circles of friends because everyone’s personality does not always blend. There are friends from book club, the health club, the office, and from childhood. My friends from the health club enjoy physical activities like hiking or walking. The book club folks enjoy movies and discuss current events over a meal. It is not like I keep them pigeonholed into one category, but I know them well enough to know what they like and dislike. So, when my friend was making negative comments about my other friend, I told him I did not appreciate it. I explained I would do the same thing if someone was saying “bad” stuff about him. He was welcome to his opinion, but I was not experiencing the things he was saying regarding my other friend. My feelings are, if you do not want to be around someone then do not agree to join in. However, do not come and let your attitude disrupt everyone; we are all adults. SEVERAL YEARS AGO, I FOUND MYSELF in a similar situation, where I disliked a friend’s boyfriend. I thought the boyfriend was a user, taking advantage of my friend. I desperately wanted to tell her what I thought, but I was also aware of how happy she was with him. Maybe my impressions were wrong, I was not around them enough to get a better idea; but I was going to be there to support my friend. She was an adult and could take care of herself without me telling her what I thought, or what she should do. Trust me, if I saw something that indicated she was in a tough situation, I would absolutely tell her. I used to work with a woman who would have bruises, though she tried covering them up with makeup. I would talk and listen to her, making suggestions and offering advice on what she could do to seek help and get out of her situation. It took some time, but gratefully she found the strength to leave her boyfriend. She was more than a fellow employee, she was a friend and that is what friends do for each other; they watch out for each other. There is an unbelievable example of what a friend would do for their friend in this action thriller. FINDING A NOTE AFTER HER FRIEND’S premature death, her best friend sets out to fulfill her deceased friend’s request. She will find the person responsible and make them pay. With Jeon Long-seo (Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, Nothing Serious) as Okju, Kim Ji-hoon (The Age of Blood, Rich Family’s Son) as Choi Pro, Park Yu-rim (Drive My Car, Miraculous Brothers-TV) as Min-hee, Kim Mu-yeol (Space Sweepers, Forgotten) as Chief Jo, and Jang Yoon-ju (Veteran, Three Sisters) as Mun-yeong; this revenge film’s strength was in the fight scenes. They were well executed and intense. I enjoyed the story line and having a female in the lead role; however, the script did not provide anything new to this genre. There were many scenes with blood and intense violence, in a down and dirty visual way. My interest in seeing strong female leads in this type of movie was the only reason I continued to watch it. Plus, there is the added factor of the big guy vs the little one aspect. But for nothing else, I have to say the lead character would make someone a mighty best friend. Korean spoken with English subtitles.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Hitman’s Bodyguard
WE HAD BEEN friends for several years. Through that time we had gotten closer, each of us did not use a filter when talking about personal stuff. Our friendship was evolving, though it took a big adjustment when she started dating someone who quickly became her main focus. I was not the only one who noticed the shift; our mutual group of friends noticed her dating relationship was turning serious. As with any relationship time spent with friends took place with less frequency; it was understandable as we all knew time was needed to lay the groundwork to establish a strong bond between the couple. After a few years our friend became engaged and the two of them began laying out plans to begin their life together as a married couple. AFTER THEY WERE married they planted roots in a suburb not too far away from all of us; however, spending time together with them took place less and less often. As the years progressed I started to lose contact with a few of the friends since I moved to a different location. However I was still privy to news through the “grapevine.” I do not remember exactly how it came down, but at some point I heard derogatory remarks were made about me by this married friend. My feelings were hurt and I became angry to the point where I did not what to have any interaction with this couple. Now in hindsight I did not know if they actually meant what was told to me or if they really even said such a thing. Because I was angry I did not care; as far as I was concerned I did not want to have any part of them. This was the way I handled things in the past when I got angry. Long story short, this couple opened up a store that a couple of my friends told me was doing a thriving business. I did not care since I planned never to step foot into their place. After seeing this action comedy I did wonder if I made the right decision. AS A TOP bodyguard Michael Bryce, played by Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool, Woman in Gold), had to deal with all kinds of clients. Having fallen on hard times he never imagined he would have to protect the man who tried to kill him. Also starring Samuel L. Jackson (The Hateful Eight, Kong: Skull Island) as Darius Kincaid, Gary Oldman (The Space Between Us, The Dark Knight franchise) as Vladislav Dukhovich, Elodie Yung (Gods of Egypt, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) as Amelia Roussel and Salma Hayek (Beatriz at Dinner, Some Kind of Beautiful) as Sonia Kincaid; the story for this film was decent enough and the cast did a good job of handling the script. Ryan’s character was a light version of his Deadpool one in my opinion. As for Samuel L. Jackson this was one of his typical performances; however, for this character it worked. The highlight for me was Salma Hayek, she was the surprise with what the writers had given her to say. Truthfully there really was nothing special about this picture; there were many scenes with blood and violence. The story was not unique and for the most part it was predictable. At one point I felt like I was just watching a string of nonsensical scenes. I wondered at the end of the movie if I had made the right decision to use my free movie pass for this film. There was one outtake scene in the middle of the credits.
2 stars
moviejoltz 