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Flash Movie Review: Woman of the Hour
IT IS NOT LIKE I STUDIED FOR it or practiced it over and over again; it is just some feeling that directs my interactions with the world. Let me give you an example. I had an indoor gym set that essentially consisted of one weight stack, one bench, and various attachments to work the different muscle groups. One of my exercises on it was a lat pulldown, pulling a bar suspended above my head down until my arms formed a 90-degree angle. One day, I started to close my eyes and turn my face away from the weight stack in front of me as I pulled down the bar. I cannot tell you why, though it was odd, but it was something I started doing every time I did this exercise. After one week of doing this, the next time I went to start the routine by standing to reach the bar and bringing it down, the cable snapped. I was stunned. Because t had just grabbed the bar, there was little force, and the frayed cable end flopped down onto the bench that was between my legs. It suddenly occurred to me that if I had been sitting down exerting force by pulling down on the bar, that cable would have snapped right into my face. The crazy part was after I replaced the broken cable and sat to do the pulldowns, I was not aware at first that I did not close my eyes or turn my face away. I have no explanation. THIS SAME, LET ME CALL IT, phenomenon of feeling or sense happens with people. A friend of mine introduced her boyfriend to me after they had been dating for a few months. When I shook his hand in greeting them, I got a bad feeling. It was not something physical per se, more like a sense of dread, ache or ickiness. Every time we got together, I always had this bad feeling around him. I did not want to upset my friend while she was dating this man. However, as they started to settle into being a couple, some things started coming out. It turned out he was controlling and preferred having things his way. Whenever he did not get his way, he would pout and stew about it. Gratefully, my friend did not put up with such behavior for too long, though she went longer than I would have gone. So, you see, there is just something inside of me that protects me and helps me make decisions so I can avoid getting into a bad/uncomfortable situation. I know other people have this ability and you can see for yourself how it helps the main character in this crime mystery drama. TRYING TO BREAK INTO SHOW BUSINESS, an aspiring actress agrees to go on a televised dating show. She does not realize that her instincts just might save her life. With Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect franchise, Up in the Air) as Sheryl, Daniel Zovatto (Don’t Breathe, The Pope’s Exorcist) as Rodney, Tony Hale (Quiz Lady, Arrested Developments-TV) as Ed, Nicolette Robinson (One Night in Miami, Day of the Fight) as Laura, and Pete Holmes (Home Sweet Home Alone, Crashing-TV) as Terry; this film based on a true story was Anna’s directorial debut. She did an excellent job for her first time, building up tension while not showing graphic violence. Because of the script, I did not get a strong connection to the characters, and maybe that was done on purpose to focus more on the women, for the period of time the story was set in. The fact this was based on a true story made me sit and wonder what things must have been like back then; it was such a sad and crazy story. By the time the movie ended, I had the feeling that Anna could easily make a career out of being a film director.
2 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Killer Heat
MY FIRST EXPOSURE TO TWIN SIBLINGS was a movie where teenage twin sisters swap places and scheme to reunite their divorced parents. Seeing the two sisters together looking identical fascinated me. I was too young to realize that it was one actress playing both sisters. The next time I encountered twins was watching a television show called Family Affair. The twins were Buffy and Jody, a brother and sister, but they were not identical. Except for these two experiences, I had no contact with any sets of twins until I was in high school. And then, it was like an explosion because there were several sets during my four years in school. A couple of them were identical twins; one in particular was always difficult to figure out who was who, until you talked to them for a little while. One brother was into sports, and I thought was mean; the other one was more into the social clubs like film and debate team which suited his friendlier personality. I remember one time when they swapped their classes for one period. I had the nicer brother in my classroom, and I knew within a matter of minutes that the other brother was sitting next to me instead; he did not say hello, which the nicer one always did when coming in and sitting down at his desk. Surprisingly, the teacher did not know the difference. THERE WAS ANOTHER SET OF TWIN brothers in the school that were both bullies, one was worse, however. They would pick on students all the time; in the classroom, lunchroom and outside on the school grounds. I learned quickly to stay away from them as best as I could. It was not until the end of our sophomore year that some of us found out the two brothers were not twins. The meaner one was held back a year; in other words, he flunked a grade. The two brothers decided to tell everyone they were twins so the older one would not be embarrassed. The thing I found interesting about the sets of twins in school was when there were two girls or a girl and a boy set, they were never competitive with each other. Sure, they may have had some form of sibling rivalry, but I never saw one trying to beat out the other. It was only the sets that had two boys that were competitive at our school. Even if the personalities were different, they still had a strong streak of competitiveness. Granted, none of them could match the competitiveness of the twins in this romantic, crime mystery drama, and I am grateful for it. AFTER A YOUNG ROCK CLIMBER FALLS from a cliff to his death, one of the family members secretly hires a detective to investigate all the clues to see if things match up. As the detective delves deeper into the case, his own issues begin to come out. With Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Trial of the Chicago 7, Flora and Son) as Nick Bali, Shailene Woodley (Dumb Money, To Catch a Killer) as Penelope Vardakis, Richard Madden (Eternals, Game of Thrones-TV) as Elias ‘Leonidas,’ Clare Holman (Let Him Have It, Inspector Lewis-TV) as Audrey, and Babou Ceesay (Eye in the Sky, We Hunt Together-TV) as Georges Mensah; this film was shot in the beautiful island of Crete. The outdoor scenes were stunning. I enjoyed the performances from the cast, but the script did not offer them much to work their craft. The characters were one-dimensional, which turned many scenes into standard fare. I liked the idea of the story, and I thought Joseph and Shailene could have turned into characters with depth and emotion; though no fault of their own, I was disappointed. Well, at least I enjoyed the scenery.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Officer Black Belt
BESIDES WANTING TO BE A TOUR guide, dancer, and a window washer when I was a little boy, I also wanted to be a ninja. I remember the first time I saw Brue Lee as Kato in the Green Hornet, with his quick moves and high kicks; I was mesmerized. By the time his movie, Fist of Fury, came out, I was convinced if I learned his moves a/k/a martial arts, I would no longer have to be afraid of anyone. A period of time took place where I was constantly seeing martial arts moves in television shows and films. I became obsessed with those metal star weapons that both villains and heroes would throw during fight scenes. The points were razor sharp and would lodge into anything from flesh to walls. One of my comic books had an advertisement in back for a martial arts handbook; I sent away for it. When the book arrived, I would hole up in my bedroom and study the various poses and moves over and over. My problem was I never knew if I was getting good because I did not have someone to practice with. I could kick a pillow across the room, but there were times I would lose my balance and fall on top of my bed. I needed to find an actual class. ONE SUMMER VACATION FROM SCHOOL, OUR community center offered a martial arts class. I was so excited and pleaded to be signed up for it. On the day of the first class there were fourteen of us signed up. I guess I was not the only one with the idea of becoming a ninja. We spent the entire class learning how to tumble and fall; I hated it. Though the mats we practiced on were cushy and thick, I still did not like the feeling of falling. I was always hesitant with my movements. Eventually, I got good enough to the point where I was not being corrected all the time by the instructor. It was after our third lesson that we saw demonstrations of trips and stances. One boy in our class thought he was better than the rest of us. He would walk up and surprise the less agile or weak students with a foot trip or headlock. I thought he was just a mean bully. No one wanted to tattle on him for fear he would do something worse to them. He was the opposite of why I wanted to take martial arts class. I did not want to use it to show off or tease anyone. I was thinking more on the lines like the main character in this action, comedy crime film. ALWAYS ONE TO HELP SOMEONE IN need, a young martial artist decides to enlist to become a martial arts officer, to help fight crime. He soon discovers it will take more than his fists to help a victim. With Kim Woo-bin (Master, Our Blues-TV) as Lee Jung-do, Ren Hanami (Goodbye Earth-TV, Queen of Tears-TV) as Yu-Jin in the English version, Kim Seong-gyoon (The Neighbors, Target) as Kim Seon-min, and Lee Hae-young (The Matchmakers-TV, Kill Boksoon) as Lee Sang-woo; I liked the idea of the story but felt the script was poorly written. The fact the story took the viewers to a deep dark side of crime on the streets, I thought the element of humor was not a good fit. Kim Woo-bin had the stance, looks and capabilities for the role, but the script predominantly kept his character on one level. The fight scenes were exciting and well-choregraphed, and several scenes had blood and violence. Overall, the story followed a generic template, not offering anything new for the viewer. Because this was a Korean made film, I wonder if the goal was to try and emulate a Hollywood blockbuster. Sadly, it never hit its mark. Korean was spoken with English subtitles; I saw the English version.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Rebel Ridge
HE WAS A SHORT, SLIGHT MAN with a close-cropped beard and straight brown hair that always looked feathery. This was my first impression of my yoga instructor, who would remain mine through the first year of my training to become an instructor. There was gentleness and kindness about him; he always took the time to work one on one with each of us in class. Whenever he would demonstrate a pose, he moved into it like a cat, slow and determined. Because I was so focused on taking notes and looking at the poses he did, I did not notice him as much if that makes sense. I was looking to see where hands and feet needed to be rather than focusing on the way his body would move into the pose. Around halfway through the year we had a celebratory event where multiple classes would come together. It was part doing yoga and part mingling. I met some of the upper-class students and watched them during our yoga session. They were so smooth as they moved into the various poses. During the break, I went up and talked with them, asking about their experience at the school. At some point, one of them asked me who was my instructor. When I told him, he said I had the best teacher in the school. I was thrilled to hear it. WHAT HE SAID NEXT THREW ME for a loop. He asked if I knew about my instructor’s background. I said no. He told me something that stunned me. My instructor was involved with the military until a tragic event shattered his leg. The story this upper-class student told me was after the event my teacher was sent home for multiple surgeries and a lengthy rehabilitation. This student told me to look at the instructor’s body when he moves into a pose. Since he was ahead of me in school, I thought I would see what he was talking about and look at my instructor’s body when he was doing poses. It turned out I had to look more than once because what I saw was fascinating. The fact his leg was shattered, I would never have known. Each time his body moved into a pose I would see his smooth, pliable limbs turn into sculpted, solid muscle. Not like a heavy weightlifter’s muscles, more like a Michelangelo statue. They would rise from his skin and form this rock-solid landscape across his body. I would have been most curious to hear what he used to do in the military because he was nothing what I pictured a military person to be. I was reminded of him because of the main character in this action, crime thriller. MAKING HIS WAY TO POST BAIL for his cousin, a former Marine finds himself in a town that could make better use of his bail money. With Aaron Pierre (Brother, Old) as Terry Richmond, Don Johnson (Knives Out, Book Club: The Next Chapter) as Chief Sandy Burnne, AnnaSophia Robb (Soul Surfer, Bridge to Terabithia) as Summer McBride, David Denman (The Equalizer 3, The Office-TV) as Officer Evan Marston, and Emory Cohen (Brooklyn, Lords of Chaos) as Officer Steve Lann; this drama was slick and to the point, taking me by surprise. I thought the cast, especially Aaron, was excellent. The story is a no-frills good against evil type of story and I fell right into it. The action was intense, and the fight scenes were well done. In a way, it was refreshing to watch an action film without the special effects or wild camera work or a multitude of dead bodies; I felt I was following a simple, story that could have been based in truth. On some level, this movie reminded me of an old-fashioned western film besides reminding me of my past yoga instructor.
3 stars
MoviePass, MovieCrash
AS I WALKED INTO THE LUNCHROOM, two fellow employees were sitting and talking at a table. When they saw me, one of them asked me if I had ever heard of MoviePass; they knew I was an avid movie goer. I told him no and both employees immediately uttered, “What!?!?” From the look on their faces, you would have thought I had just revealed my secret identity as a superhero or told them I was a former gold medal winning Olympian. I asked them what was MoviePass and they both started talking in unison, telling me about paying a monthly fee and being able to see any movie, anywhere, at any time. I listened intently, but part of me was waiting for some kind of catch or joke to be played on me. They described what they had to do to see the movie and I was still skeptical. It sounded too good to be true and frankly, it sounded strange. At the time they were telling me about this, I was working two jobs which took up most of my time. I did not know if this thing they were talking about would be worth it to me. I also could not understand how the company was making money off this idea. MY PREFERRED METHOD OF PAYING FOR movie tickets was using gift certificates, I would get for my birthday and holiday, and discount certificates I would purchase at the warehouse club where I belonged. Buying a ten pack of certificates would average out to a little less than $8.00 a movie ticket. During the holidays, when the certificates would go on sale, I would buy up to a dozen packs and use them throughout the year, sometimes into the next year even. After listening to the employees’ pitch about this new movie service, I went home after work and did some investigating online. Granted it sounded like a great idea, but there was something inside of me that said something was not right about the company. I had read a multitude of customer comments; they ran the gamut from glowing reviews to irritating ones. Some people complained the screen would freeze up on their phone when they were trying to pick a film; others commented how much they hated trying to reach the customer service department. Honestly, I was surprised by the amount of people taking the time to write down their grievances and their praises. After spending a couple of weeks researching the company and its offerings, the pessimistic side of me prevailed and I chose not to get involved. Having now seen this documentary movie, I am glad I made that decision. FROM TWO MEN’S REVOLUTIONARY IDEA ABOUT a new way to see a movie at the theater, a phenomenon was born. If only they had stuck with their original plan. Directed by Muta’ali (Cassius X: Becoming Ali, Life’s Essentials with Roby Dee), this comedic crime drama was an easy watch. I was fascinated with how the story was unfolding; despite the obvious inequity that filtered through the company. I appreciated the way the director wove news clips, videos, and an array of personal interviews from employees, media, and investors. It created a well-rounded take on the various events and stages that were happening at the company. The thing I found the most interesting about this movie is the way it allows the viewer to expand their thinking to other public companies. After finishing my viewing, I found it ironic that I wound up signing up for a service like MoviePass’ operation except mine is through a movie chain.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Trigger Warning
IT HAD BEEN A LONG TIME since I had been back in my old neighborhood. A friend wanted to see where I had grown up, so we took a drive to the north side of the city, where I was born. Our first stop was the apartment building where my family had lived. As I drove up to it, the building looked cleaner than I had remembered it. The windows were new with brown vinyl molding around them. How I remembered the old windows, where we would have to slide the screens off before winter and replace them with a storm winter window to keep the frigid cold out of our apartment. I noticed the front doors had metal boxes with the doorbells on them. When I lived there the doorbells were inside the lobby. On one of the front doors there was a for sale sign. I was stunned to the point I had to pull over and run out to see what was for sale. It turned out the apartments were converted to condominiums. And the price was a bigger surprise. I had to drive around the alley to see the back of the building and was confronted with another major surprise. What used to be the basement where we had storage lockers, washers and dryers was now indoor parking spots. The third surprise was seeing the back porches and stairways were all enclosed now. Wow, no more talking to the neighbors sitting out on their porches. AFTER I GOT OVER THE INITIAL shock of seeing the changes in my childhood home, I drove us around the neighborhood to show my friend places that held special memories for me. Passing first my high school, it looked close to the same except all the doors were now metal security doors and every classroom had a window unit air conditioner. There still was the asphalt baseball diamond with blades of grass spearing out of its cracks. As we continued to drive around, with me pointing out various places that had meaning to me, we wound up at the commercial street where we did most of our shopping. The area was unrecognizable to me. Gone was our grocery store, pharmacy, my favorite fast-food restaurant, and the clothing store where I got my very first suit. I could not get over the difference; there were various small, independent shops with handmade signs in various languages. I remembered a pristine-looking street but what I saw now was loose newspaper pages, empty cans and wrappers scattered about. I found it sad and tired looking, nothing that I remembered from when I was growing up. My memories painted a prettier picture, which led me to believe the main character in this action, crime thriller was experiencing the same thing when she returned home. RETURNING HOME AFTER HER FATHER HAD died in a tragic accident, a special forces commando riles up a violent gang when she starts looking for answers to the questions, she has about the circumstances involved around her father’s death. With Jessica Alba (Fantastic Four franchise, Sin City) as Parker, Mark Webber (Flesh and Blood, The End of Love) as Jesse, Anthony Michael Hall (War Machine, Live by Night) as Ezekiel, Alejandro De Hoyos (The Contractor, The Man from Toronto) as Harry and Tone Bell (Sylvie’s Love, The Weekend) as Spider; this film served my purpose. After being on vacation for a few weeks, I was looking for a short mindless diversion to all the built-up work that accumulated while I was away. That is the only positive thing I can say about this movie. Both the story and script were a cheap knock-off of other films from this genre that were done better. Nothing felt connected to me; the acting, the characters and scenes all seemed as if the cast and crew just wanted to get the picture done quickly. Plus, it was predictable. The only reason to see this film is if you have time to waste with nothing else to do.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Bikeriders
MY FRIEND KNEW HOW MUCH I enjoy looking at photo albums which is why she asked me over to her place one day. After I arrived and showed me her latest art project, she led us into the dining room. I thought it was odd since most other times we spend time together in her studio or den. When we entered the room, I immediately understood her reasons; there placed in the middle of the dining room table was an old-fashioned photo album. I am not talking about the kind that has that sticky heavy stock paperboard, where you simply press the photo anywhere on it and it will stick; though as time goes on the photos can become permanently attached. I could tell this was an incredibly old album, even if it did not have its cracked and worn cover, along with a couple of loose pages sticking out. This album had black construction type paper pages where the photos were held in place by four little corners that were glued onto the pages. She must have seen the expression on my face because she said she thought it would be better lighting in the dining room, with the light fixture hanging above the table and the amount of sunlight coming through the windows, to look at the photos. I agreed with her. WE SAT DOWN AND SHE MOVED the album towards me. I did not even ask if she was sure about it, that maybe she wanted to turn the pages. Opening the cover, the first page had eight black and white photographs attached in a grid pattern. Most of the photos were standard size, but there were a couple of wallet sized ones as well. They were all people; one of a little boy bundled up in what looked like a wool and fur lined coat, with a fur hat. I asked where it was taken and who he was, but she had no idea. There were not any labels anywhere on the page. She added she looked on the back and nothing had been written there. I continued looking at the photos and turning the pages. The variety of photographs impressed me; there were outdoor activity shots mixed in with portraits and candid shots. Anytime I asked her about a photo, she could not provide any sort of details; she did not know anyone in the book. By the end of the book, I was disappointed because though the photos had the potential to tell a historical story I could not connect to any of them. As a result, I was a little bored just looking at random photos. I felt the same way while watching this crime drama. AFTER SEEING EACH OTHER AT A local bar, the soon-to-be couple see a change taking place around them and the motorcycle club where her boyfriend is a member. It could go either way on where the boy’s loyalty ends up. With Jodie Comer (The Last Dual, Free Guy) as Kathy, Austin Butler (Elvis, Dune: Part Two) as Benny, Tom Hardy (Venom franchise, The Dark Knight Rises) as Johnny, Michael Shannon (The Flash, A Little White Lie) as Zipco and Mike Faist (West Side Story, Challengers) as Danny; this film festival winning movie had a nearly perfect cast to tell the writers’ story. However, the script given to them had lifeless passages in it. There were times where I felt I was watching a short vignette or someone’s home movies without any sound or explanation. It left me feeling bored. I did like the sets and the filming of this picture and thought the actors did as good of a job with their acting as they could. I wanted to know more about the characters and what motivated them to be part of their motorcycle club. Without knowing it, the scenes felt lifeless at times. The mix of good and bad parts to this film never added up for me; I felt I was watching someone’s home movies.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Hit Man
BEFORE I COMMIT TO A NEW job, I must first see myself in that position. I cannot imagine I am the only person who acts this way. When I decided to become certified to be a fitness instructor, I used to imagine myself teaching classes during my own workouts. I would be a participant in an aerobics class and replace the instructor with myself in my mind. Maybe this helped build my confidence, or maybe it got me comfortable with the idea of being an instructor; I do not know. However, I will say by seeing myself doing something it did make my first day at the job easier. A long time ago, a furniture company hired me to set up store displays of their home accessories. When I went to the interview, I arrived earlier than the agreed time so I could walk around and look at all the items out on the floor. While I waited to hear back from them after my interview, I did different settings in my head of their products. For example, I would group the vases by color then by size; the terra cotta statuary, I would break out into small groups throughout the store. There were various combinations I would see in my mind, so after I was hired, I was able to quickly adapt and create interesting displays of the store’s products. NOT EVERY JOB I HAD WAS great, which may have attributed to me fantasizing about other professions. During my stint as a salesclerk, I started imagining me being a go-go dancer. From all the clothes on display, the dance music playing, and the clientele; I used to picture myself dancing on platforms and tables while placing clothes items in shopping bags for the customers. There was a brief period where I fantasized me doing surveillance for a government agency. I would trail people I conjured up in my brain and follow them around town, hoping to catch them “red-handed” as they say. From surveillance, I saw myself as a Ninja and from there I saw myself as a long-distance cyclist; the opportunities were endless, and the amusement was abundant. In a way, I think I chose exotic jobs as a way to break up the monotony of the workday; it was fun to pretend to be a superhero for the day. Sure, there were some things that were not realistic; however, there were others I wanted to do but for whatever reason, I never pushed or got pushed to try out for it. I cannot be the only one who has daydreamed of such things, and the proof can be found in this comedy, crime romance. A MILD-MANNERED PROFESSOR WORKING A SIDE job helping the New Orleans police department, discovers he enjoys getting into character until he finds himself attracted to one of his victims. With Glen Powell (Anyone But You, Devotion) as Gary Johnson, Adria Arjona (Morbius, Father of the Bride) as Madison Figueroa Masters, Austin Amelio (No Future, The Walking Dead-TV) as Jasper, Retta (The Greatest Hits, Parks and Recreations-TV) as Claudette and Sanjay Rao (Bad Romance, The One You’re With) as Phil, this film directed by Richard Linklater (Boyhood, Before Midnight) was a big surprise for me. First off, I thought Glen easily managed helming this picture. Secondly, the chemistry between him and Adria was right on target; they were totally believable. The script had its fun and exciting moments, though I have to say I had an issue with the moral dilemma presented. Granted these are my feelings on the subject of “actions beget consequences.” But outside of that, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The directing was sharp with a few twists in the story, and it was fun to watch. And after seeing this film, I feel fine continuing to fantasize about various exciting occupations.
3 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Drive-Away Dolls
I WANTED TO KILL MY FRIEND. It was bad enough he enjoyed pushing my boundaries, but this time he went too far. He was outgoing and I was more of an introvert. There were times we would get together to hang out and in the middle of a conversation he would tell me he signed both of us up for an event. Sure, I could have said no; but most of the events were affiliated with some type of charitable organization and I did not want look like this uncaring, self-centered guy. I say this because my friend would mostly tell me about these things with other friends around. For one occasion, he put my name down to be a raffle ticket seller at this gala event that was being held in one of the old, grand downtown hotel’s ballrooms. The idea I would have to circulate through the entire ballroom, go up to strangers, and ask them to buy raffle tickets for the silent auction frightened me. I had experiences like this with my very first job, when I was thirteen years old, which was going door to door selling household goods that my friends and I were told were assembled by visually impaired people. At that age we believed the person who hired us; however, a few years later when we were no longer working for them, we found out on the news the whole thing was a fraud. The man who hired us was jailed. THE EVENT MY FRIEND SIGNED ME UP for was an auction, where I would be one of twelve men being auctioned off for charity. The charity that was having this auction bought small multi-family residences throughout the city to house those too ill to take care of themselves. It was a highly regarded organization which made my decision tougher. I did not talk to him for the rest of the day after I heard the news. The next day, I called the organization to see exactly what would be required of me. For the next three months, I would need to be available to go to several spots within the city for meet and greets, where potential bidders could get to know me and the rest of the “bachelors.” I would also need to have a couple of outfit changes during the auction. The scary part for me was the meet and greets instead of the actual auction, though I would be upset if I could not at least reach the opening bid. It turned out my fears and anticipation were worse than the actual events; I had an enjoyable time after I got over the first couple of meet and greets. Deep down I knew my friend meant well and was just trying to get me out of my shell. And this is why I understood what the friend was trying to do in this action, comedy, thriller. WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A fun road trip for a couple of friends turned dangerous when, due to accidental circumstances, they got on the radar of a criminal gang that had only one thing on their mind. With Margaret Qualley (Sanctuary, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood) as Jamie, Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers, The Beanie Bubble) as Marian, Beanie Feldstein (The Humans, Lady Bird) as Sukie, Joey Slotnick (Twister, Hollow Man) as The Goon and Coleman Domingo (The Color Purple, Rustin) as The Chief; this movie written and directed by Ethan Coen was too much of one thing for me. I found the script dull at times, where the same scenario was being repeated over and over. On the other hand, there were several humorous moments and I especially enjoyed Geraldine’s acting. Most of this picture felt like a rehash of previous films I had seen before; I was periodically bored at times. I will also add there were many scenes of a sexual nature and with harsh language. The only way one should see this movie is if a friend asks you to go with them; but it better be a good friend.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Anatomy of a Fall
I HEARD THEM TALKING LOW, LIKE they were sharing a secret, so I stayed just outside of the room, listening to them. We were at a relative’s house, where I had been playing in the basement with my cousins. Getting thirsty, I came up the stairs to get a glass of water from the kitchen. This is where they decided to come and talk among themselves. What made me hesitate from walking in on them was hearing someone say something about the land they had all purchased together. My ears perked up, but my mind sparked into excitement. Did they get enough land to have all our homes near each other? Or did they buy enough land to put up a rental apartment; these were a couple of things that first came to mind. I stayed by the doorway for a couple of more minutes, but curiosity finally pushed me into the kitchen. Everyone in the room turned to me and I excitedly asked if we were moving. When I was told no, I mentioned I heard something about land, not caring if they realized I was spying on them. The answer they told me was literally one I could not comprehend at first. The look on my face must have been enough for them to figure it out, so a relative motioned me over and pointed to a pamphlet she had in front of her on the kitchen table. It was from a cemetery. My relatives had pooled their money together and bought cemetery plots for that whole generation. I was mortified. I WAS A SMALL KID AND had never had the thought that my relatives would be dying. And that was the reason I asked if someone was sick. After several chuckles, I was told no one was sick; that they decided to buy these plots now, so they would have them paid off before they got too old. I was also told not to worry about it. After a few more questions and answers, I was satisfied enough to go back downstairs and of course, tell my cousins. There are certain things a child does not want to hear. The first one is death of a loved one. At that early age, a child thinks their parents will live forever. Another thing no child wants to hear or think about is their parents being intimate with each other. How many of you remember when you were taught where babies came from? There are certain things a child would rather not have to hear or think about, which is why seeing what the young boy had to endure in this dramatic, crime thriller was tough to watch. LIVING IN A SECLUDED AREA IN the French Alps, tragedy strikes a family when the father is found dead outside their home. With no tracks in the snow, the prime witness looked like it was his wife. With Sandra Huller (The Zone of Interest, Requiem) as Sandra Voyter, Swann Arlaud (By the Grace of God, Romantics Anonymous) as Maitre Vincent Renzi, Milo Machado-Graner (Stuck Together, Waiting for Bojangles) as Daniel, Antoine Reinartz (School Life, 120 BPM) as Avocat general and Samuel Theis (Party Girl, Softie) as Samuel Maleski; this was one of the best films I have seen this year. The acting by Sandra and Milo was wonderful; they were able to wring out so much emotion from the script without any effort. There were multiple courtroom scenes that seemed so real and authentic that I felt as if I were sitting in the galley. This movie was created with thought, emotions and heart that left the viewer open to make their own decisions as the story unfolded. If I had seen this Oscar nominated film before the Oscars telecast, it would have made my job harder to choose what I thought would be mine and the academy’s best picks.
3 ½ stars
moviejoltz 