Blog Archives
Flash Movie Review: The Holdovers
ONE YEAR I WAS ENROLLED IN an overnight camp, and it turned out to be the only time I agreed to such a thing. It was fun to be with friends morning and night, though I was anxious about the bunkbeds. I was assigned to an upper bunk and desperately did not want it because of being overweight. Not that I was any type of extreme heaviness, but my little kid’s mind had blown it out of proportion. I remember slowly climbing the ladder one rung at a time, testing to make sure it would support me. The food served us was picked more for nourishment instead of taste, so I did not care for it. The thing that upset me the most were the organized activities like swimming and baseball. I knew how to play them, but I was never competitive; the counselors always turned them into a contest to see who was the “best.” I must tell you I was one of those “weird” kids who brought a book to read; there were not many others who did such a thing. Thinking about it and how today I live a very structured life; back then, it was the structure I was rebelling against. I did not like being told when I could eat or shower. By the end of the session, I could not wait to be back in my own home. OVERNIGHT/SUMMER CAMP WAS NOT THE only thing I disliked. I never cared for school field trips. It was not the destination so much, but the going and coming I truly could not stand. First, my good time was based on who was on my bus. If our bus had any troublemakers, then I knew for sure our ride to whatever place we were going would be hellish. It would always be worse if one of the troublemakers sat close to you because it was more than likely you would become one of their targets. Another reason I did not like the bus rides was because if someone happened, through the luck of the draw, to be sitting by themselves then the teacher or one of the chaperones would take up residency next to that lone student; or worse, have them join them at the front of the bus. It always stressed me out with kids shoving and pushing, singing ridiculous songs, the adults yelling and for what? Sometimes we did go to cool places but other times they were lame and boring. The way I feel about such things, if I found myself in a situation like the main characters in this comedic drama, I would have run away. STUCK WITH NOWHERE TO GO, A teacher, cook and student are stuck over the Christmas holiday break at their prep school. None of them want to be there. With Paul Giamatti (Jungle Cruise, Billions-TV) as Paul Hunham, Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Lost City, Rustin) as Mary Lamb, newcomer Dominic Sessa as Angus Tully, Carrie Preston (True Blood-TV, They/Them) as Miss Lydia Crane and Brady Hepner (The Black Phone, Resisting Roots) as Teddy Kountze; this film was a joy to watch. The acting was wonderful, and the script was intelligent with its mix of humor, sadness and drama that kept me engaged with the story early on. I also thought the characters were well developed. There were not necessarily laugh out loud moments, but there were humorous spots that were appropriate for the story. What really made this film stand out was its adult storytelling and script. It was refreshing to sit back and watch a good story unfold without the special effects or brand marketing. The other thing that set this film apart were its details. For example, there actually was one special effect, but a good many viewers may not even be aware of it taking place. This picture is an Oscar contender and rightfully so.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: They/Them
I WOULD LIKE YOU TO READ the following comments and tell me what they all have in common: “You would look better if you cut your hair.” “If you would lose some weight, you would look nicer.” “Why don’t you go into accounting; you are so good with numbers?” “I think you should play football; it will do you good.” Now that you have read them, what do you think is the answer? If you said, all the statements were offering unsolicited advice you would be correct. If you also said the statements were seeking to make a change in the individual, that would be a correct answer as well. For me, there is a difference between offering advice when asked compared to telling a person what you think they should do. No one has the right to try and change a person except for a psychiatrist and that is only if the person is seeking the means for a change in their life. One of the things I believe in is every person was put on this planet to experience or be happy. If they are not happy, then they need to find the means to experience happiness for themselves, whatever happiness means to them. When I first started to lose weight, I was doing it because I was not happy with my size. Clothes never fit correctly, were hard to find in my size and I tired quickly which made me unhappy. Despite the name calling and hearing the comments from “good intentioned” people; my weight loss only happened when I decided I wanted to make a change. I HAD A FRIEND IN SCHOOL who was the butt of jokes and nasty comments because he was perceived as different by several students. He was super smart, with interests that were different from the other students. Having no interest in sports, besides not being athletically inclined, he was fascinated with art and fashion. It was never a surprise for me to see him walking down the hallway in clothing one would find in a fashion magazine. Where I preferred plain home style cooking, he always wanted to try some exotic, foreign food. Despite the ridicule and taunting he received, he did not change what he did. I admired his determination not to change himself just so he could fit in. He would tell me if the bullies cannot appreciate his passion, then it is their issue not his. I thought of him and others who would not change themselves because someone wanted them to be different, as I watched this mystery, horror thriller. THE METHODS AND TECHNIQUES BEING USED at an LGBTQ+ conversion camp was becoming increasingly more uncomfortable for a group of teenage campers. And that was taking place before a dead body showed up. With Kevin Bacon (The Woodsman, My One and Only) as Owen, Theo Germaine (Work in Progress-TV, The Politician-TV) as Jordan, Anna Chlumsky (My Girl franchise, Veep-TV) as Molly, Carrie Preston (The Good Wife-TV, True Blood-TV) as Cora and Quei Tann (Dear White People-TV, Bruh-TV) as Alexandra; the idea behind this story intrigued me enough to decide to watch it. The cast was good, and the entire flavor of this film felt like a flashback to the stalker movies from the 70’s and 80’s. Unfortunately, the script was a poor patchwork of what felt like “woke” marketing topics. I was bored through parts of this picture; it lacked the suspense and horror one needs to make a story intense. At times, it felt like there were two story lines that could have gone their separate ways in their own movie. Credit must be given to the producers for approving this story to film; however, I do not feel the writing did it any justice. Characters were stereotypical and the scenes were predictable most of the time. Now, I am not telling the writers to make changes; however, maybe another rewrite would have helped this film. There were several scenes with blood and violence.
1 ½ stars
moviejoltz 