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Flash Movie Review: It’s What’s Life
GROWING UP, I NEVER HEARD OF destination weddings or bachelor/bachelorette parties. Most weddings I attended were held in a church, temple, or banquet hall. Though, there was one wedding that was held outdoors in a park down in the city. Back when everyone started to get married among my peers, there was the standard meal of chicken, some form of potatoes and a vegetable. In fact, if memory serves me correctly, there was not an option for a vegetarian meal back then. I do remember the weddings that took place in a hotel’s ballroom were considered fancy. There was one I attended at a downtown hotel that was extravagant by any standard. The room where the ceremony was to take place was filled with vases and urns overflowing with colorful flowers and strands of rhinestones. The walls of the room were covered in a white silky fabric that hid floor lights shining upwards to form these “light pillars” around the room. After the ceremony, we were all directed into an adjacent room for the cocktail hour, where every hors d’oeuvre one could imagine was being offered by waitstaff dressed in tuxedoes. As for the reception, the meal was outrageous with lobster and filet mignon as the main course, neither are something I would eat. For entertainment there was a twenty-piece band with three singers; I felt like I was sitting at a concert when they were playing. Except for this wedding, all the others were more typical of what one would expect at a wedding. RECENTLY, A FRIEND’S DAUGHTER WAS TELLING me about her upcoming bachelorette party. She and five other girls were going to Las Vegas for a three-day weekend. As she spoke to me, I was calculating an estimate of how much the trip would cost her friends. With the high-end hotel they chose and the two places she mentioned they had dinner reservations, I thought her friends must be well off financially. What happened to going to a nightclub or nice dinner in your hometown? One bachelor party I attended was held at a bowling alley that provided food and then back to a motel room where everyone except me got drunk while watching X-rated movies. Several others were held in nightclubs and bars, nothing fancy, and nothing like what I hear people are doing now. One bachelor party I heard about was traveling to South Beach Miami, then renting a luxury type big boat to go deep sea fishing. I do not understand how people can afford, what I think, such extravagant things. This is why I thought this dark comedy, mystery drama had a simple premise that was going to harken back to a simpler time. Soon as I got into it, I realized I was mistaken. A GROUP OF FRIENDS GATHER AT a mansion for a pre-wedding party celebration. The partying changes direction after a past friend showed up with a new game device. With Brittany O’Grady (Sometimes I Think About Dying, Star-TV) as Shelby, James Morosini (I Love My Dad, Foursome-TV) as Cyrus, Gavin Leatherwood (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina-TV, When Today Ends) as Dennis, Nina Bloomgarden (Sugar Baby, Jane) as Maya, and Alycia Debnam-Carey (Friend Request, Fear the Walking Dead-TV) as Nikki; this thriller had a smart edge to the story line. I enjoyed the way the script seemed to follow the characters around more than the characters following the script if that makes sense. The issue I had, though, was the script flip-flopping between comedy, horror, drama and mystery; it felt like it was not sure what it wanted to be. I thought the idea was interesting and enjoyed the soundtrack adding flavor to the scenes. The cast was good, managing body language and lingo for their age group. I only wished the story would have probed deeper into each of their characters. However, I must give credit for the writers trying to create a fresh take on a mystery/horror/thriller movie.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Black Christmas
I USED TO HAVE A FEAR OF dachshund dogs when I was young. It started when one chased me down the street. I was riding my bicycle over by a relative’s house. The streets were familiar to me, but I did not know many of the neighbors; only the ones that were close to my relative’s house. I remember it was before lunchtime and I was riding my bike on the sidewalk of a main thoroughfare. Because the dog was short, I did not see it at first; it was not until I heard it barking as it ran up alongside of me. I started to pedal faster as the dog kept up its barking between snapping at my ankles. I could not believe someone would let such a mean dog out without being on a leash. The dog continued chasing me down the block, only stopping after I veered off the sidewalk and rode over the curb into the street. I was so scared I did not look for traffic beforehand. Luckily, a car wasn’t driving by at that moment. The dog stood at the edge of the curb while it kept barking. I rode back to my relative’s house as I could feel the sweat dripping down my face and back. AFTER THAT INCIDENT ANY TIME I saw a dachshund I stayed away from it, even if the dog was on lease. if I saw someone walking towards me with one, I would cross the street. In fact, I stopped riding my bicycle around my relative’s house because I did not want to take a chance, I would encounter that demon dog. My relative noticed the change and asked me about it. I told her what happened, and she told me not to judge all dachshunds based on one encounter. She suggested, since I loved riding my bike, to ride in the other direction because she could not imagine the dog crossing any streets if it did not follow me into the street. What she said made sense and I did start riding my bike around her place; however, I still hated that breed of dog. It was not until I got older when a close friend of mine got a dachshund. At first, I was hesitant going to his house; but he begged me to come over. Once I saw how docile and cute the puppy was, my dislike for the breed waned. The more we hung out together, the more I started liking the puppy; I had confronted and overcame my fear. This is something the main characters in this mystery, horror thriller needed to do. OVER THE HOLIDAY BREAK A GROUP of sorority sisters staying on campus make plans to celebrate Christmas. However, when a couple of sisters go missing the remaining ones must band together to find out what was happening on campus. This movie starred Imogen Poots (Green Room, The Art of Self-Defense) as Riley, Aleyse Shannon (Charmed-TV, Instinct-TV) as Kris, Lily Donoghue (The Goldbergs-TV, Jane the Virgin-TV) as Marty, Brittany O’Grady (Star-TV, Above Suspicion) as Jesse and Caleb Eberhardt (The Post, Love Beats Rhymes) as Landon. The idea behind this story was a valid one; I could see what the writers were trying to accomplish with female empowerment. However, it seemed that was their only focus because this movie was a disaster. There was nothing that was scary enough to make me react to it. The beginning of the story was okay but then it took a wrong turn and became a silly mess. I thought the acting was below average. At one point it seemed as if everything was going wrong with this picture. I must tell you the scariest part about this movie was me having to sit and watch it. There was a brief extra scene during the credits.
1 ½ stars
moviejoltz 