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Flash Movie Review: Peace, Love and Misunderstanding
The bond between a mother and daughter can be a beautiful and loving connection. That was not the case in this comedy. After her husband declared he was divorcing her; high strung Diane, played by Catherine Keener (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Into the Wild), left with the children and reluctantly went to visit her aged, hippie of a mother. It had been 20 years since mother and daughter had last seen each other. Jane Fonda (Monster-in-Law, Agnes of God) was the pot smoking, laid back, free loving mother Grace–a total opposite from her tightly wound, uptight daughter. All staying under one roof; Grace, Diane and the grandchildren needed time not only to adjust to each other, but to heal issues from the past before they could go forward. The bright spot for me in this clunker of a movie was Elizabeth Olsen (Martha Marcy May Marlene, The Silent House) playing the granddaughter Zoe. I have been so impressed with Elizabeth’s brief career in acting so far; she really has a gift for it. There were parts of the story that interested me; however, what turned me off was Jane Fonda’s character. It was so over the top stereotypical, I was annoyed by it. I would be curious to know why Jane took this role. With no surprises in this movie, it was not long before I started glancing down at my watch–never a good sign. Though Elizabeth and Catherine were good, it was not enough to save this lame movie.
1 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Safety Not Guaranteed
What would you do if you could travel back in time? Would you change anything from your past? I think I would have altered my eating habits at an earlier age. Or at least buy some Apple stock when it was only $10.00 a share. The question of time travel was quickly addressed in this charming, funny movie. At a local magazine’s staff meeting, one of the writers read a classified ad that was seeking an individual to be a companion in time traveling. Curious to find the writer of the ad, three staff members were sent out on an assignment to get to the bottom of this mysterious story. In a brilliant deadpan performance, Aubrey Plaza (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Damsels in Distress) played Darius, the reporter who was to make 1st contact with the author of the classified ad, aka the time traveler. A total surprise for me was seeing Mark Duplass (Your Sister’s Sister, Hannah Takes the Stairs) as the secretive Kenneth, inventor of the time machine. The reason for my surprise was seeing Mark again after just reviewing his other new picture this week, My Sister’s Sister. I have never seen the same actor debut in two movies that came out on the same day. As in my previous review of his other movie, Mark was just as excellent in this role. There was more to this engaging movie than just the possibility of time traveling. The interesting characters were also dealing with loss, longing, hope and the challenges associated with taking a leap of faith.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Cold Souls
Imagine the possibilities if you were able to swap out your soul for another or just have it removed to avoid some type of distress in your life. For example, maybe you are a lawyer about to go to trial and you want to have the soul of one of the top lawyers in the country. It is an intriguing concept and this dark comedy chose the perfect actor for the role: Paul Giamatti (The Illusionist, Win Win). Playing himself, Paul was struggling in rehearsals for a production of Anton Chekov’s Uncle Vanya. Seeing a magazine article about a storage facility for souls, Paul made an appointment to see Dr. Flintstein, played by David Strathairn (Heavens Fall, The Whistleblower). Mr Giamatti has a gift for quickly changing emotions, going from a humorous point to an intense frantic state with the simple use of his expressive face. The movie with its science fiction vibe had several funny bits throughout it. Paul went from being a soulless actor, much to the director’s chagrin, to a brillant actor with the aid of his temporary soul. I wish the writers would have stayed with this story line instead of bringing in the secondary story involving the Russians. It would have made for a stronger film. Fans of Paul Giamatti will certainly enjoy this movie. For those of you not familiar with his work, this DVD would be one to rent to see his excellent acting skills on display.
2 2/3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Your Sister’s Sister
How many incidents can trace their root cause to the consumption of alcohol? I may not be an expert on the subject, but I certainly have had my share of over served people around me–I was always the designated driver. In this wonderful film Jack, played by Mark Duplass (Safety Not Guaranteed, Humpday), was still struggling with the death of his brother. Iris, played by Emily Blunt (The Five Year Engagement, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen) was not only the brother’s girlfriend but also Jack’s best friend. She offered him the use of her family’s remote getaway home, hoping it would help Jack come to terms with his loss. Upon his arrival, he discovered Iris’ sister Hannah, played by Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married, How I Got Lost), was staying at the home, having just gotten out of a 7 year relationship. With both people suffering; it did not take long for the two to sleep together after a night of drinking. What followed was a story filled with raw emotions, humor, incredible performances and convincing characters. Some of you already know how much I enjoy Emily Blunt and you will understand why after she showed up to surprise Jack. This film had no special effects, no hidden twists, just a realistic story about flawed individuals who were honest enough to recognize their flaws and simply work through them.
3 1/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
What a flashback I got while watching this animated movie. No, not that type of flashback; I am talking about when I went to see the circus with my aunt and cousins when I was a little boy. This film was just as fun but without the animal smells. As the third installment of this franchise, this one was the best one. The assortment of vibrant colors reaching across the screen was just beautiful. Starting where the 2nd movie left off, the furry friends were still in Africa. Feeling homesick for New York City, the group of animals hatched up a plan to get back home. Among the usual cast there was Alex the lion, voiced by Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder, Tower Heist); Marty the zebra, voiced by Chris Rock (Head of State, Down to Earth) and Melman the giraffe, voiced by David Schwimmer (Friends-TV, Six Days Seven Nights). Once the group arrived in Monte Carlo, the action went into high gear. New character Captain Chantel DuBois, voiced by Frances McDormand (Moonrise Kingdom, Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day), was determined to capture Alex so she could mount his head on her trophy wall. I enjoyed the humor that was appropriate for young children, along with having fun lines written with the adult in mind. A madcap chase ensued as the animals traveled across Europe with Captain DuBois hot on their tails. Filled with excitement, laughs and thrills; this wonderful movie had everything to please a young child and a grown-up who was a kid at heart.
3 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: High School
I thought I had seen everything one could at a movie theater. From the first time where we were being told “don’t go into the water,” to a father in the audience tossing his infant baby in the air during the movie; there was very little left to surprise me. Walking into the showing of this so called comedy, I was stunned to see the theater totally empty. This did not bode well as I was the only one who sat and watched what was to become an abysmal film. Matt Bush (Piranha 3DD, Halloween II) played valedictorian Matt Bush who schemed to get the whole student body stoned before a drug test was to be administered. He wanted to invalidate the results, since he had just gotten stoned for the very first time and did not want to jeopardize his school ranking and face expulsion. I found the story dopey, void of anything humorous. A bigger shock to me than being the only one in the theater was seeing Adrien Brody (The Pianist, Midnight in Paris) and Michael Chiklis ( The Shield-TV, Fantastic Four franchise) in this crappy film. Either they are being blackmailed for some career ruining dastardly deed or their managers wanted to get out with an early retirement. I think a petition should be started to revoke Adrien’s Oscar, shame on him. Not that I am promoting drinking or drugs, but maybe that was the target audience the producers were going after. I nominate this stink bomb of a movie for worst movie of the year at the Razzie awards.
1 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Moonrise Kingdom
Do you remember your first love or infatuation? I remember my first love or should I say what I thought was love when I was in the 5th grade. For my very first date, my mother took Diane and me to an afternoon movie–natch. This quirky film was about first love. It took me a short time before I could get into the rhythm of this funny movie. Set in the 1960’s; Sam and Suzy, played by newcomers Jaren Gilman and Kara Hayward, were the young couple in love. They decided to run away which brought the citizens of their small, New England town to come out and search for them. The director Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums, Fantastic Mr. Fox) assembled an eclectic group of fine actors for this film. For example, there was Edward Norton (The Illusionist, Fight Club) as the Scout Master, Bill Murray (Lost in Translation, Groundhog Day) as Walt Bishop and Bruce Willis (Die Hard franchise, The Sixth Sense) as Captain Sharp were among the ensemble of notable actors. Each character had a different view about the fleeing 12 year old kids, who wanted to get married. The way Mr. Anderson filmed the scenes, my eyes were constantly treated to novel shots filled with nostalgic trappings. I almost felt as if I needed to see this movie again because I may have missed something. From an innocent time long ago, with a cast of characters, everything was set into motion with the onset of first love.
3 1 /4 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Intouchables
One of the best movies I have seen this year. I was taken by surprise with the amount of humor in this exceptional film from France. Who knew that putting a wealthy quadriplegic man and a poor individual from the projects together in one story would be so funny? In addition this was all based on a true story. What really captured me from the start was the affirmation of my belief that a person should be judged by what is inside of them, not on the outside. The story was about two men who discovered something about themselves through the eyes of the other. Philippe, played incredibly well by Francois Cluzet (Tell No One, French Kiss) was the rich man who got injured in a paragliding accident that left him a quadriplegic. Omar Sy (Micmacs, Those Happy Days) was outstanding as Driss; a poor man from the projects who was simply looking to get a signature for his unemployment form. To his surprise he was hired to be the caretaker for Philippe. This dramatic comedy was never slow to me and I had no issue reading the subtitles. Along with the audience I laughed out loud during multiple scenes. The message I got from this movie re-enforced my thinking that what was inside of a person truly made up one of the most important factors of what gives each of us our humanity. I had such a good time watching this movie that I left the theater feeling great. French with English subtitles.
3 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Incredible Mr. Limpet
Before there was Space Jam or Who Framed Roger Rabbit, there was The Incredible Mr. Limpet. What became the final animated movie out of the Warner Brothers Animation Studio, this was a fun movie to watch from a different era. I saw this film a long time ago and it has held up pretty well, even with its dated story. Don Knotts (Pleasantville, The Andy Griffith Show-TV) as Henry Limpet was a quiet, mild-mannered man who felt the most at ease when he was in the presence of his fish. The year was 1941 and the world was at war. Not qualified for the navy while his friend George Stickel, played by Jack Weston (Dirty Dancing, Wait Until Dark) was enlisted; Henry wished he could do something to help his country. There is that saying that starts out: Be careful what you wish for… well, Henry was in for a surprise. While at Coney Island he fell into the water and magically transformed into a fish. Little did we know what kind of contribution Henry Limpet would make to the United States’ success during World War II. This animated/live action movie was made before there was CGI and I have to tell you, I enjoyed the old fashioned pureness of it. I felt like a little kid again; all I needed was a box of Sno-Caps and Jujubeas candy.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Hysteria
Women, for all these years how have you been able to put up with us men? Inspired by true events, this romantic comedy’s main story was about the development of a device that would be used to cure women from the medical condition called hysteria. Set in Victorian England, the young physician Mortimer Granville, played by Hugh Dancy (Our Idiot Brother, Adam), came upon the idea by chance. While holding his friend, played by Rupert Everett (My Best Friend’s Wedding, Stardust), Edmund St. John-Smythe’s motorized feather duster; Mortimer came up with the device which was to become the forefather of the modern vibrator. With Dr. Robert Dalrymple, played by Jonathan Pryce (Tomorrow Never Dies, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise); the two men formed a successful partnership. However, one of Dr. Dalrymple’s daughters, Charlotte played by Maggie Gyllennaal (Crazy Heart, The Dark Knight), was skeptical of the whole concept. I thoroughly enjoyed Maggie’s character as she was a strong advocate for women’s rights. All the actors looked like they were enjoying themselves and came across the screen in a likable way. The majority of the audience was female who were hooting and laughing throughout the film. Make sure you stay for the credits, to see a timeline on the evolution of the vibrator. You may not walk out of the movie theater with the urge to light up a cigarette, but you easily will have a smile on your face.
2 3/4 stars
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