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Flash Movie Review: Coyote vs. Acme
I SO WISH I COULD RECALL the first time I experienced the non-stop barrage of cartoon shows on Saturday morning television. It is funny; I can see myself sitting at the table and chair that was sized to accommodate my three or four year old size and make me feel like a grownup, without needing a booster seat or old telephone book. The only time I sat there on a Saturday morning was to eat my breakfast; otherwise, I would have taken the pillows off of my bed and placed them on the floor so I could lie closer to the television set to watch my shows. Whoever came up with the idea to air cartoon shows on Saturday morning was a genius as far as I was concerned. One of my favorite things to do on Saturdays was to get up earlier than anyone else, quietly tiptoe into the living room, turn the TV on, and dial the volume down so as not to wake anyone, then sit very close to the set to not only hear everything, but to make the cartoon characters seem bigger than they actually were in my mind’s eye. And with getting up so early, I discovered before all the cartoon shows started, there were a couple of live action series that aired that I became obsessed with, causing me to actively try and get up early every week to see them. THE TWO SHOWS WERE FLASH GORDON and Commander Cody: Sky Marshall of the Universe. I fell in love with these two shows, not knowing they were reruns. It would not have mattered, because I watched the series over and over to the point I knew within the opening scenes what would happen in the episode. And to show you the nerd in me, in my teens I discovered some of the music played in Flash Gordon was composed by Franz Lizst. I bought a record album of his compositions that included this music and began playing it every day for months on end. With these two shows as my warmup, once the cartoons started I remained in place in front of the television for three to four hours; I only left to go to the bathroom during the commercial breaks. My favorite shows were The Jetsons, The Flinstones, Mighty Mouse Playhouse, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends, and Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies. Not long after a new show was introduced that captured my attention, The Road Runner Show. Looking back, I do not know why I became so enthralled with it, but I have to tell you, seeing this adventure comedy brought back a flood of memories and warm feelings for me. AFTER SPENDING YEARS BUYING DEVICES FROM the Acme Company that never worked in capturing the Road Runner, Wily E. Coyote decided to sue the company. All he needed was a good lawyer. With Will Forte (Nebraska, The Last Man on Earth-TV) as Kevin Avery, Lana Condor (Moonshot, Patriots Day) as Paige Avery, John Cena (Heads of State, Ricky Stanicky) as Buddy Crane, Tone Bell (Survival of the Thickest, Trigger Warning) as Sal Maltese, and Luis Guzman (Boogie Nights, Keanu) as Judge Troppogrosso; this live action/part animated movie had a similar look to the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. I enjoyed the visuals, the story line, and especially the cameo appearances. The script was original, simple and quite clever. I do not know if very young children would appreciate this picture; I felt the writers wrote the script for adults as well as their children. Interestingly, there were only adults in the viewing I attended. To sit back and be in the moment as the action was taking place, plus remembering those times I sat and watched the show as a little boy, I had a wonderful viewing experience and left the theater in such a happy mood; you might too.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot
EVERYTHING THAT ONE IS BORN WITH works together to achieve a harmonious state throughout the body. This is part of my belief system, that we can achieve this harmonious state when we are in balance. I know when I am stressed I usually can figure out what is causing it. With the schedule I keep there are multiple opportunities for me to get stressed out. I find myself thinking about what I need to do instead of being present in the moment. When I am in this state of mind I am much more forgetful, which in turn causes me further stress. It feels like I am jogging in one of those hamster wheels that goes around and round without going anywhere; there is no down time for me. To get back in balance I would need to stop overbooking myself and take some “me” time. The body and mind are so connected; when one is lacking something the other tries to compensate. Well known examples of this would be Ludwig van Beethoven and Helen Keller. Though he lost his hearing his mind filled in the tones he was putting together for his musical pieces. Helen was blind and deaf but her mind and sense of touch for signing were extraordinary. RECENTLY I WAS OBSERVING A martial arts class. One of the participants had underdeveloped arms; they were small for their body size and looked as if they stopped growing at the elbows. I watched this member as the class was put through a variety of exercises. It was incredible to see how the lack of arm strength was made up by the amazing leg strength they incorporated into their one on one exercises. I know it is a cliché to say “when there is a will there is a way;” but in the case of this student, their mind and body found a way for them to be an active participant in the class. I am in awe when a person is denied one sense or body part and another one fills in the gap. People who are blind tend to have exceptional hearing capabilities. Or those confined to wheelchairs usually have powerful upper body strength. In the case of the main character in this biographical dramatic comedy, I started out not being sympathetic towards him; however, as the story unfolded I found myself going with him on his journey of discovery. A NIGHT OF PARTYING AND DRINKING led to a horrific accident that would change the life of John Callahan, played by Joaquin Phoenix (The Master, You Were Never Really Here), in unimaginable ways. Based on a true story this movie also starred Jonah Hill (War Dogs, True Story) as Donnie, Rooney Mara (Carol, Side Effects) as Annu, Jack Black (The D Train, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle) as Dexter and newcomer Tony Greenhand as Tim. The fact that I went from being an unsympathetic viewer to admiring Joaquin’s character tells you how impressed I was with his acting skills. He has an eclectic body of work already and each character he does always leaves me amazed at his acting abilities. The rest of the actors were not slouches by any means; they were wonderful. I felt the director handled not only them gracefully but did a beautiful job with the script. Nothing came across as preachy or inspirational; the director took what was a tragic event and found a way to mine the humor and sadness in equal portions. As for the story, the theme may have a familiar feeling to the viewer; however, the execution of it makes it worthwhile to watch. If for nothing else this story will show you not to give up hope because when you lose one thing, something else will take its place.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Katy Perry: Part of Me
The first woman in history to have five #1 singles off of one album is a major accomplishment. Even in this era of auto-tuning, the fact remains Katy moved records. With this documentary I was hoping to get a deeper glimpse into the life of this daughter of two pastors. Seated in the audience, I scanned the crowd, noticing the majority of people were 4 to 12 year old girls with their parents. It seemed odd that the younger kids would be into Katy Perry, but with her cartoon looks and sugar pop songs, I guess it made sense. For me, this film failed in providing anything meaningful; for the most part, it played out like an extended music video. To Katy’s credit, she is devoted to her fans and appears to put on the best concert each and every time. I looked for it, but I believe Katy sings live and for that I commend her. When it comes to concerts I am old school, expecting the artist to be singing live and I know that is not the case these days. Usually when the singer has complicated dance steps they are lip synching. As you will see, Katy kept her moves more basic and simple. There was nothing special in this movie. Scenes were snippets of places and times; I never felt Katy was letting her hair down, so to speak. So she was not wearing make-up, big deal. I found the entire movie experience bland and fluffy. And if it wasn’t enough having a noisy audience, this was the movie where I had the altercation with the father; who let his two daughters scream, cry, talk and whine. You have been warned.
1 2/3 stars
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