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Flash Movie Review: Take This Waltz
When the emotional aspect is gone, love tends to turn bittersweet. I have seen and been a part of it; where it felt I had newly empty space around my deflated heart. There are some people who can survive in their relationship without the emotional attachment. I am not one of those people. Margot, played by Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine, Wendy and Lucy) and her husband Lou, played by Seth Rogan (Superbad, Funny People); jokingly say torturous things as terms of endearment to each other. On the surface they appear to be a playful couple with varied interests. Their daily lives idly move along, avoiding the highs and lows of emotions. Not until Margot meets the new neighbor, does she acknowledge the empty spaces in her life. I thought Michelle’s role was the better one; I did not quite understand Seth’s character. Also, I find his dramatic roles can only go so far. There were several loose parts to this film, such as the lack of character development. As the film dragged on, I became less interested in the characters. Missing from the roles were assertiveness and drive to the characters’ actions. It seemed as if Margot and Lou were waiting for someone to tell them what to do. Maybe that was the point of this film, but I found it boring. In my experiences, affairs of the heart are rarely sedate. In this bland movie what was needed was more heart.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Ice Age: Continental Drift
With massive seismic activity, land masses splitting apart, deep chasms forming, homes being lost; you would think there would be enough excitement to last through this entire animated film. Unfortunately that was not the case in this latest installment of the movie franchise. When the ground splits open, ripping their homeland to pieces; Manny and his gang take off on a wild sea adventure. Voiced again by Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond-TV, The Lost Words), Manny captains an iceberg as he desperately tries to find his family. I found myself starting to doze off from the predictable and bland story. The jokes were less sophisticated, geared more towards kids. For a CGI movie it did not have the same visual impact that Madagascar 3 or Brave had on me. I will say this movie did have great character voices with Wanda Sykes (Evan Almighty, My Super Ex-Girlfriend) as Granny and John Leguizamo (Moulin Rouge, Righteous Kill) as Sid. A new character was Captain Gutt, voiced by Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones-TV, Death at a Funeral), who with his fellow pirates was determined to prevent Manny from returning to his family. If you have children and they want to see this film, then it would be appropriate for them. But as for the rest of us, maybe it is time this franchise became extinct.
1 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: To Rome with Love
There have been so many wonderful movies made in Italy. Having been there, I understand why a movie studio would want to film there, to use the beautiful country for a backdrop. Just with the title of this movie, I figured I could not lose; at the worst I would get to see gorgeous scenery. Well, that was all I really got out of this redundant movie. I think Woody Allen (Scoop, Annie Hall) over extended himself by doing the writing, directing and starring in this film. There were concurrent multiple stories and I felt none of them were solid enough to stand on their own. The humor was stale and to a degree cheap, as if Woody mined his previous movies and old monologues for jokes. There was an ensemble of actors such as Alec Baldwin (The Departed, It’s Complicated), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Adventureland) and Greta Gerwig (Lola Versus, Arthur). I did not find any of their roles enjoyable; they were either looney or boring. This film was a let down for me since I loved Woody’s last film, Midnight in Paris. I assumed this comedy would be another winner with the cast and location; I was wrong. After the movie I came back home, opened up a carton of ice cream (imagining it was gelato) and went through my photos of Italy. I had a better time then I did at the movie theater.
1 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Little Voice
I think most people have something they can do or use when they want to escape from reality. Some people get lost into their knitting, while others may disappear into their work shop for hours. For me it was playing piano when I was younger. These days I escape by watching movies. In this film I could certainly appreciate how the character LV (Little Voice) removed herself from her oppressive reality. After her father had died, LV played by Jane Horrocks (Brother of the Head, Absolutely Fabulous-TV) would hole up into her room, singing along to her father’s old vinyl records. When she would sing, LV was no longer the quiet, shy girl of her loud and abusive mother Mari Hoff, played by Brenda Blethyn (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice). Little Voice was able to shine just like the popular singers from the records she played. When one of Mari’s sleazy boyfriends, Ray Say played by Michael Caine (The Dark Knight, Inception), heard LV’s incredible singing; he thought he had a chance to make a profit–if only he could convince her to sing at a nightclub. Everyone’s performance in this movie was wonderful, especially the knock out singing from Ms. Horrocks. I, also, loved the way the writers subtley moved the characters out of their comfort zones into new territory. Not only was this emotional movie a perfect escape for me, it was a great movie to watch.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Ted
If Kathy Griffin and Fozzie Bear had a child together, with Sarah Silverman and Andrew Dice Clay as the godparents, it would be Ted. Get ready to meet the most foul mouthed, funniest, furry teddy bear you have ever seen. The one liners came quickly and cut deeply; I could not help but laugh out loud. From a childhood wish that came true; John Bennett, played by Mark Wahlberg (Contraband, Date Night), and his talking teddy bear Ted were the best of friends. Even when John grew up, he and Ted were always there for each other. But as many of you know, when one of those two best friends falls in love, the dynamics of the friendship change. What would John do when his girlfriend Lori Collins, played by Mila Kunis (Black Swan, The Book of Eli), suggested it was time for Ted to move out? I won’t tell you, but what I will say is writer and director Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy-TV, American Dad-TV) created a gold mine of hilarious opportunities for laughter. In addition, he included a couple of themes for the viewers to mull over and possibly see if they could relate to them. Not only was Mila excellent in this movie; but Mark, who I have not been crazy about for some time, did a good job with his character. The goal of this comedy was to make the audience laugh and it succeeded. Just remember this bear is for adults only.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Magic Mike
I just experienced my first bachelorette party and I have to say some of you ladies are just nasty! Going to this movie I knew I would be in the minority of men; the audience was approximately 80% female. From the opening scene, the women in the audience were hooting and hollering at the movie screen. It was more fun for me to watch the audience than the movie. The story was about Magic Mike, played by Channing Tatum (The Vow, 21 Jump Street), a male stripper who had aspirations of owning his own business, doing one of a kind furniture pieces. Unfortunately the story splintered into several parallel stories that never grew in depth. Getting real here, most people are not going to see this titillating movie for the character development or life’s lessons. They are going because they want to see bouncing booties and sweaty, chiseled chests. As a fitness instructor I will tell you Channing’s dancing was way beyond anyone else in the cast. I was not surprised since the idea for this story came from him. Before hitting the big time, Channing briefly did a stint as a stripper. He did an admirable job with what he had to work with in this movie. The other stand out in the film was Matthew McConaughey (The Lincoln Lawyer, Bernie) who played Dallas, the owner of the club. It looked like he really enjoyed playing his character. In conclusion, the movie was weak with its narrative; but, on the flipside or should I say backside, you may want to bring dollar bills for the dancers.
2 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Kick-Ass
How could superheroes defeat the bad guys when they do not have any superpowers? There was a geek and a young home schooled girl; I had no idea what would drive this action movie to keep my interest. The simple answer is heart. I always root for the underdog and this movie had some great underdogs. There was comic book loving Dave Lizewski/Kick Ass, played by Aaron Johnson (Albert Nobbs, The Illusionist) who wanted to be someone different and to do something good. Home schooled Mindy Macready/Hit Girl, played by Chloe Grace Moretz (Hugo, 500 Days of Summer), was not only schooled in your typical subjects, but also martial arts and weaponry. This little girl packed some serious heat; I felt she was the star of this exciting film. She was like a miniature Jonah Hill as Seth from Superbad. I could easily sum up this movie’s story by telling you it is a story about good vs. evil. There were no hidden surprises like double agents or super high tech fancy machines; there was only solid directing and an easy to follow story. I loved the dichotomy of having average kids with typical growing up issues turning into tough superheroes. And this group had to deal with a lot of bloodshed. It surprised me on how much blood was being shown. As the title clearly states, this movie kicked ass. The trailer has foul language and fight scenes.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
If I knew the world was coming to an end, no carb would be safe near me. Having had to spend most of my years thinking about what I was eating, I would consume anything and everything I could get my hands on. It really would be a dream come true. Right at the beginning of this movie we found out the final attempt to destroy the asteroid Matilda had failed. It was still headed on a collision course with earth. Dodge, played by Steve Carell (Date Night, Evan Almighty), and his wife (real life wife Nancy) heard the news while they were in the car. She bolted from the car in a panic, never to be heard from again. Even with such a morose topic, the humor did not seem out of place to me. When back at his apartment, Dodge witnessed his neighbor Penny, played by Keira Knightley (A Dangerous Method, Pride & Prejudice), breaking up with her boyfriend. From this point on I felt the story began to break down. With chaos exploding around them, Penny and Dodge wound up taking a road trip; he to find the first love of his life and her to get back to her family. Keira did a good job with what she was given in the script. She certainly has that single tear rolling down the face thing that Demi Moore used to be known for. My problem with this film was how scattered it came across. Going from funny to sad, improbable to silly; I quickly lost interest. Another reason could have been Steve Carell; he was not strong enough to be the lead in this role. And here again, I blamed the script for most of it. Sitting in my seat I was more preoccupied with seeking relief at the movie ending than the world coming to an end.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Nines
I thought the surprise in this movie was seeing Octavia Spencer (The Help, Dinner for Schmucks), Elle Fanning (Super 8, We Bought a Zoo) and Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, Pretty Ugly People) at an earlier stage of their careers. It is a kick for me to see how actors started out or watch their earlier films before they hit the big time. The other surprise about this film was the outcome from three separate stories and discovering the connection. Without giving too much away, the stories could be broken down into a comedy, drama and a fantasy. This unusual film started with Ryan Reynolds (Safe House, The Proposal) as Gary, a troubled actor who burned his girlfriend’s house down. Under house arrest, he was supervised by sweetly tough publicist Margaret, played by Melissa McCarthy. As the days pass, Gary begins to hear voices, find mysterious notes he does not recall writing and thinks he is seeing glimpses of himself in the large house. By the end of the story I was confused, not sure where this movie on a whole was going to take me. The second segment started out providing me no help in my confusion. All I will tell you is to stick it out in watching this movie. There was some interesting points to the stories and I found myself being drawn in to discover the conclusion. Was it the best acting I have seen in a movie? Certainly not; however, I enjoyed the entertainment value this film provided me.
2 2/3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Lola Versus
Everyone has their own way of dealing with the heartache from a breakup. For me, I lose my appetite, fall into a depression and if you can believe it, watch more movies. It is a real challenge when I still need to be upbeat and motivate the members in my classes. Lola, played by Greta Gerwig (Greenberg, Damsels in Distress), was only a few days from being married when her fiance called off the wedding. The story followed Lola as she free fell into a chaotic life filled with eating, drinking and a whole lot of confusion. I have enjoyed Greta’s performances in the past and though I thought she was okay in this film, I felt she was directed poorly. Her character was not as sympathetic as it could have been; I lost interest within the first half of the movie. Interestingly, I thought her fiance Luke, played by Joel Kinnaman (Safe House, The Darkest Hour) did a sufficent job with his role. I am not comfortable with things that are extreme. With Lola, I felt she was acting out in such a drastic, negative way that it was not likable to me. By the end of the movie I felt ambivalent, just grateful I did not have friends like that around me.
1 3/4 stars
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