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Flash Movie Review: Waitress
Even with me not being a pie guy when it comes to desserts, this delectable movie made me hungry. The scrumptious looking baked pies added an extra richness to the wonderful story. Jenna Hunterson, played by Keri Russell (August Rush, Felicity-TV), was in a loveless marriage with her controlling husband Earl, played by Jeremy Sisto (Clueless, Into Temptation). Added to her misery was discovering she was pregnant with his child, extending or possibly cementing what she felt was her prison sentence. Only familiar with her work in August Rush, I was impressed with Keri’s acting. She was excellent in the role, beautifully displaying a full range of emotions. When she met new resident, Dr. Jim Pomatter, played by Nathan Fillion (Serenity, Castle-TV); little did she know how her life would change. Dreaming of having enough money to become independent and free of her husband, Jenna planned on entering one of her creations into the pie contest, with the hope of winning the 1st place cash prize. I was truly moved by this lovely, sentimental film. It was a shame Adrienne Shelly, the writer and director, did not live to see the finished movie about the strength of a sweet southern woman’s heart and her ability to pour it into her pies.
3 1/4 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Greenberg
At every social gathering there usually is one person who is the know it all, has an opinion about everything. At least that has been my experience and the reason why I enjoyed this movie. Ben Stiller (Tower Heist, Tropic Thunder) as Roger Greenberg was one of those annoying individuals. He was quite good in this character, that was not a typical role for him. Without the stereotypical sight gags and humor from Ben, his Roger was someone you could hate. Recovering from a nervous breakdown, Roger agreed to fly out and house-sit while his brother and family went out of town. Available to help Roger was Florence Marr the family’s personal assistant, played by Greta Gerwig (no Strings Attached, Arthur). It didn’t take long before she became a target for Greenberg’s mood swings. As Roger tried to navigate the responsibilities needed, he attempted to reconnect with old friends who’s memories were different from his own. Since there was not much action in the story, this film will not appeal to everyone. The acting, however, was what moved the minimal plot; for every actor was strong in their character. If nothing else, my poor opinion of Ben Stiller after seeing his Tower Heist movie has improved after seeing this DVD.
2 2/3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Girl in Progress
One could assume from the title we would be watching a female who still had some work to do; let us say, in her personal growth. However, the title could just as well been called movie in progress. This film was a perfect example of taking a decent idea and ruining it with poor execution. Eva Mendes (Hitch, The Other Guys) as Grace was a single mother, trying to make ends meet, while carrying on an affair with a married man. Her daughter Ansiedad, played by relative newcomer Cierra Ramierz, believed she could speed up her transformation from an angst ridden adolescent to adult woman by following a list of experiences. Think of it as a “bucket list” for teens. Eva who I have liked in the past, I only found annoying in this movie. I thought Cierra did an okay job of acting with the horrible script. Several of the scenes in this boring movie were not believable to me. It really was a mess, where I suspected the movie studio used focus groups to determine what should be added or deleted from the story line. Bouncing between moments of drama to scenes of attempted humor, the film makers really had no idea what teenagers were all about. If I were to use the pass/fail grading system, this poor movie would receive a fail grade.
1 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Stuck
Poor Thomas Bardo, played by Stephen Rea (V for Vendetta, The Crying Game) was jobless. Recently evicted and living in the streets, he was hit by a car driven by Brandi Boski, played by Mena Suvari (American Pie franchise, American Beauty). She had been drinking and was afraid to report the accident; so, she continued driving home with the bleeding Mr. Bardo hanging through her broken windshield. Imagine my surprise to find out that this part of the movie was based on a true story. What followed were a series of events that were part funny, part tragic in this unusual film. Stephen Rea was a perfect choice for the role, with his incredibly sad face and eyes. I was not totally convinced with Mena’s character as the caring nursing assistant who appeared to be heartless when it came to her poor, captive accident victim. Or maybe that was exactly the point the director intended–every good person had some bad in them. This was one of those odd films where one continued to watch it just to see what crazy thing would happen next. A curious movie that may not sit well with the average viewer. Several gross and bloody scenes.
2 1/2 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: We Have a Pope
Have you ever wondered what took place when the conclave of cardinals met behind closed doors, to elect the next pope? I bet it was not a howling scream followed by running out of the room. That was exactly the reaction of Cardinal Melville, upon learning he was chosen to become Il Papa. The performance by Michel Piccoli (Boxes, Restless) was worthy of the role in this satire. With the dumbfounded cardinals at a loss on how to proceed, pressure was being added by the eager spectators waiting outside to see the newly elected pope. Just to be clear, the movie really did not focus on the Catholic church as much as it delved into Cardinal Melville’s fears about the responsibilities being placed on him. Though the scene of the cardinals playing volleyball to pass the time was amusing to me. But I think that was the problem with this film; it did not know whether to be a comedy or more of a drama. I felt the scenes were dragged out and found myself being bored more than a few times. The concept was a good idea; however, it was not executed well. As anxious as the mass of onlookers were to see the new pope, I was just as anxious waiting for the end of this film. Italian with English subtitles.
2 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Priceless
A funny movie that captured the screwball comedy genre of the 1930’s and 40’s, I got a big kick from watching this DVD. The setting was the French Riviera where seated at the hotel bar was Irene, played by Audrey Tautou (The Da Vinci Code, Coco Before Chanel), celebrating her birthday. Her companion, a much older wealthy gentleman, had fallen asleep in their hotel room. You see, beautiful Irene was a gold digger. Spotting the well groomed Jean, played by Gad Elmaleh (Midnight in Paris, The Round Up), she believed she found a younger replacement for her aging boyfriend. Plus it did not hurt that Jean, a bartender at the hotel, brought her up to one of the swanky suites, pretending it was his place. From this point on, the movie took off on a madcap game with Irene and Jean as the contestants. I thought the chemistry between the two stars was flawless, along with Gad’s impressive comedic timing. There was something about his demeanor and facial expressions that reminded me of Buster Keaton. The film kept a steady level of zaniness and the reading of the subtitles was not an issue for me. It was a wonderful surprise to experience that old time Hollywood fun via France. French with English subtitles.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Being met by a plethora of colors and a sea of people, a group of British retirees had landed in Jaipur, India to begin the next chapter of their lives at the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Well, the brochure they received stated it was the “Best.” However, the hotel looked like it was way past its bloom. As for me, the movie felt like it was cut off before fully blossoming, with characters not fully developed, to make for a better story. There were some parts of the film that were quite enjoyable. These usually involved stellar acting from Judi Dench (J. Edgar, Ladies in Lavender) as the widowed Evelyn Greenslade, Bill Nighy (Wrath of the Titans, Pirate Radio) as retired civil servant Douglas Ainslie, Maggie Smith (Harry Potter franchise, Ladies in Lavender) as the wheelchair bound Muriel Donnelly and Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton, The Debt) as former judge Graham Dashwood. These four characters were more believable to me as we saw their characters grow throughout the movie. I have always been fascinated seeing other cultures and appreciated the way the director used the city and its citizens to propel the story forward. However, there were other parts of the movie I found slow and not totally believable. I have to say, it was a pleasure sitting in the company of all adult viewers–no one was texting or talking on their cell phones during the movie.
2 2/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Pirates! Band of Misfits
With some hesitation, I went to the early showing of this animated movie. As I suspected, the theater was packed with parents and their children. Don’t get me wrong, I knew this movie time would attract more children then a late night showing. The talking, eating, fighting and crying of various kids did not wipe the smile off of my face, though. Granted the father seated behind me who left with his crying child within the first 30 minutes, was enough reason to smile as far as I was concerned. However, this humorous movie had enough jokes, sight gags and fun claymation to keep me entertained. I thought the comedy had a bit more sophistication to it, geared towards the adults in the audience. Possibly the wonderful visuals would be enough to entertain the younger ones. The Pirate Captain, voiced by Hugh Grant (Music and Lyrics, Love Actually), was determined to finally win the Pirate of the Year award. Setting sail to plunder unsuspecting sailing vessels, the Pirate Captain knew the competition was stiff with Cutlass Liz, voiced by Salma Hayek (Frida, Once Upon a Time in Mexico) as one of the competitors. Both actors did an admirable job in their roles. For me, the stand out performance was from Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake, Harry Potter franchise) voicing Queen Victoria. The story, I felt, dragged out too long; but, I enjoyed just sitting and watching the beautiful art of claymation.
2 3/4 stars
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