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Flash Movie Review: Uglies
GOING TO THE GROCERY STORE, I was not expecting it to be such a disturbing experience. I can remember it like it just happened, in aisle three; I bumped into a woman I had not seen for several years. She recognized me first; she had to because I did not recognize her at all. As we began conversing with each other, I tried studying her face without being too obvious. I was positive her face was the result of having plastic surgery. Trying to recall what she used to look like, I could not see anything that was wrong with her original face. She had wrinkles down her neck, an outburst of tiny ones that spread beyond her eyes and a few wrinkles across her forehead, just like so many other people of her age. I do remember how much she worshipped the sun to the point where her skin looked like tanned leather. Now, I was looking at a face that was utterly void of lines and creases. Her eyeballs looked like they had sunken further into her skull and more distressing than that, they were not symmetrical. I was so self-conscious about looking at her too intently. The lips on her face were nothing I remembered; these were overripe and stiff. Honestly, her face looked like all the emotions and expressions from it had been sucked off. I HOPE YOU DO NOT THINK I am judgmental; I feel a person can do whatever they want if it makes them feel good. I just do not understand the point of cosmetic surgery. If someone is born with a birthmark that they feel is distractive, then they have the right to eliminate it. My philosophy with my dermatologist is “if I was not born with it, then get rid of it.” As I am getting older, I have noticed moles popping up on my skin. I will have them checked out by the doctor then we will both decide whether they need to be removed or not, since skin cancer runs in my family. The part I do not understand are the individuals who want to take their features and accentuate them. Lips, for example, which are so out of proportion to the face look like two massive larvae resting below the nose. When the skin is pulled so tight across the face to the point it is barely flexible, I do not understand how that is considered pretty or better. Ultimately, I know it is the person’s decision to make and again, if it makes them feel better that is all that matters. Then again, I am the type of person that focuses more on what is inside the person, unlike what was happening to the inhabitants in this action, adventure fantasy. HAVING GROWN UP IN A WORLD where everyone is considered ugly until they get their mandatory extreme cosmetic surgery, a young girl is totally perplexed when her friend decides to escape the confines of the city. The girl chooses to find her friend before it is too late. With Joey King (A Family Affair, The In Between) as Tally, Brianne Tju (Gone in the Night, Three Months) as Shay, Keith Powers (The Tomorrow War, Before I Fall) as David, Chase Stokes (Between Waves, Outer Banks-TV) as Peris, and Laverne Cox (Promising Young Woman, Orange is the New Black-TV) as Dr. Cable; this drama followed a standard path for this genre of story. I enjoyed watching Joey’s character and liked the idea of the story. However, I felt the writers could have done so much more with the story instead of just keeping the drama level close to one level. Parts of the movie felt like they were trying to imitate The Hunger Games franchise, except not as well. At least there were a few exciting moments; but I was ticked off by the ending. It is obvious the movie studio is hoping to turn this into a long running franchise by leaving the viewer hanging. This picture was not a pretty sight.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: 47 Meters Down: Uncaged
THE NEWS REPORTER SHOWED NO REACTION to the mother’s comments. I sat in front of my television in total shock. Did I hear correctly, was she joking; I could not believe she said such a thing. More shocking to me was the fact that she would even think it. The reason the mother and her daughters were being interviewed was because one daughter had survived a shark attack. What had stunned me was when the mother said she did not tell her daughters that the city they were vacationing in was known as the shark attack capitol of the world; she did not want to scare her girls. She even chuckled when she said this to the news reporter. I simply could not fathom why a person would choose to vacation at a beach known for shark attacks and then not tell family members to be careful if they go in the water. This made no sense to me; and get this, the little girl had to show the reporter where the shark bit her on the leg. The cameraman panned down to show the bite that went nearly around the whole calf of her leg. There were large, bloody welts forming an oval shape across the skin. When asked, the little girl said she cannot wait to get back into the water. CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN TO ME THIS desire people have to court danger? Having seen that news report made me further question the sanity of some people. I remember when I was younger, I did stuff that I am sure others would think was dangerous. Playing in a condemned building or riding down a snow-covered hill on the cover of a trash can are a couple of things that come to mind. So, does danger all come down to one’s perception? During winter I change my driving style to accommodate for snow and icy conditions; but I see other drivers continuing to drive the same way they do on a dry road. And the result is some pass me by while others slide off the road. I notice now how I have changed regarding seeing ice on the ground. When I was young, I did not give the ice much thought as I walked on it. Now, I walk like a penguin on icy sidewalks because I have a fear of falling and breaking a limb. Is it an age thing then? I wonder; but I can tell you this, I would not have done in my younger days what the main characters did in this dramatic, horror adventure film. THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE A NEWLY discovered underwater cave was enticing enough to make four high school students disregard any kind of safety concerns. It could be a decision that kills them. With Sophie Nelisse (The Book Thief, Pawn Sacrifice) as Mia, newcomer Corrine Fox as Sasha, Brianne Tju (Make it or Break it-TV, Scream: The TV Series) as Alexa, newcomer Sistine Rose Stallone as Nicole and John Corbett (The Messengers, My Big Fat Greek Wedding franchise) as Grant; this movie’s story had a strictly paint by number formula. It was your typical man vs beast scenario, except this one was cheesy and generic. There was no real acting from the four women; though, the script gave them nothing to sink their teeth into, so to speak. Since most of the picture was filmed underwater, it was difficult at times to see what was going on. This type of story inherently comes with a level of dread and fear; it was a shame the writers could not have written a better script to play on those emotions. It did cross my mind if the dads of Corrine and Sistine provided anything to get this movie up on the big screen. As far as I am concerned, I wish I would have stayed out of the water and think you should do the same.
1 ¾ stars
moviejoltz 