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Flash Movie Review: Supergirl
ONE OF THE TOUGHEST FEELINGS TO experience is the one where you feel you are alone, the only one like you on the planet. The feeling can be all consuming, coloring your other emotions and feelings. In my case, it made me withdraw further from interactions to the point I wished I was simply wallpaper on the wall that no one would notice. A friend of mine went in the opposite direction; they tried to fit in by joining different groups in elementary and high school. I used to keep my distance when they were undertaking a new experience, preferring to be an observer. Maybe there was a part of me hoping I could learn something that would break this hold on me of being different; but in truth, I became a witness to the same results happening to my friend over and over. Since they were just joining things to become part of a group, they did not realize that to others it would soon become apparent that they were not interested in the activity and not having a good time. It has challenging to pretend you enjoy something when you really did not, and my friend did not have the acting skills to put on a “good” front. HAVING ENDURED THOSE PAINFUL TIMES SEEING my friend experience hope and rejection, let alone my own experiences, set me on a course to try and figure out why I felt like I was on a different planet from everyone else. Gratefully, during those times where I would get more depressed about my situation, I never had the desire to numb myself with drugs or alcohol; food became my addiction. Yes, I ballooned up in weight for a time, before I realized I was only adding (no pun intended) another negative layer for feeling alone. My first inklings of possibly not being the only one who felt this way was seeing a classmate chewing their nails down until their fingers bled and seeing someone with cuts down their arm. At the time, I had no idea why the person had multiple cuts on their arms. It wasn’t until I saw a television show where one of the characters had the same marks I had seen on that student’s arms, that I began to understand the thought process behind the cutting. In my case, there wasn’t a TV show that could explain my circumstances; it was my feelings I had for a graduate student who lived on my floor during freshman year. I did not realize I had fallen in love with them until they mentioned they went out on a date. It seemed as everything in my life came crashing down around me hearing they had feelings for someone else, despite not even knowing I was in love with them. That is when I sought out professional help and put myself into therapy. It was the best decision of my life. I wish the main character in this superhero action movie would have done the same thing. ONLY WHEN SOMEBODY CLOSE TO HER took ill, did a reluctant superhero find herself traveling the galaxy to find a remedy and ultimately bring justice to those who were wronged. With Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon-TV, Upright-TV) as Supergirl, Eve Ridley (The Witcher-TV, 3 Body Problem-TV) as Ruthye, Matthias Schoenaerts (Amsterdam, Rust and Bone) as Krem, David Corenswet (Superman, Twisters) as Superman, and Jason Momoa (A Minecraft Movie, Aquaman franchise) as Lobo; this adventure science fiction drama had a lot riding on it. The second film out of a revamped movie studio, there were high hopes for it being successful. There were some good elements in the movie, but they were overpowered with the poor choices by the writers and director. I found this film to be a messy bore. Storylines were underdeveloped, acting was dull except for Jason Momoa, and the action scenes had poor lighting and CGI effects. For over half the film, I felt I was seeing the same scenario being played repeatedly. It annoyed me to see a good idea in the script get trounced on by lackluster actions and absence of details. I think it would have been beneficial if all concerned in the production of this picture had a few sessions with a licensed therapist to get everyone on the same page.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Superman
A PILE OF HAND-ME-DOWN comic books was my first introduction to Superman. I read and reread them many times over until I started buying comic books at the local five and dime store in our neighborhood. Superman’s strength was what attracted me to him, along with his X-ray vision. Not being much of an athletic kid, I wished I had muscles like Superman. The reason I wanted his X-ray vision was so I could spot someone hiding to ambush me when I was walking home from school. From allowances and getting money for returning soda bottle for the deposit, I bought every issue that came out. Besides Superman, I had enough money to buy Batman comics which was my other obsession. The array of gadgets Batman had always fascinated me. I think my thrill for fast cars was due to the Batmobile. Though, it was a toss-up for which car I liked better: James Bond’s car or Batman’s, both were equipped with amazing inventive tricks like machines guns hidden behind headlights, smokescreens and rocket launchers. Whether it was Superman or Batman, I loved all the special abilities they utilized in fighting “bad guys.” One of my biggest regrets was selling my comic books from my summer lemonade stands; little did I know how much they would be worth today. DESPITE ALL THE READING I DID of Superman, I did not focus on his ability to fly until I saw the live action television show. Seeing an actual person flying, sparked my imagination and desires. As a little kid, I thought the actor was actually flying. Now, whenever I happen to see a clip of the old television show, it looks more like Superman is just lying on a flat surface and either strings or a fan is making his cape move, to look like the wind is blowing it. I had dreams about flying; most of the time I was flying to escape getting picked on or beaten up. Summer days, I would sit out on our back porch and study the height of the trees nearby, wondering what would be a safe height for me to practice flying. Of course, my imagination was fully engaged with ideas about building some type of apparatus to help me fly. I thought about the possibility of attaching fabric to wing shaped wooden frames that I could build, then strapping them on my arms with belts. Or, maybe having someone sew fabric directly to my jeans and shirt so that the wind could get in it and float me up like a kite. Gratefully, I never acted on any of these thoughts that I just realized got nudged in my brain after seeing this action, superhero adventure. CONFLICTED BETWEEN HIS HERITAGE AND HUMAN upbringing was not the only thing that was causing Superman/Clark Kent, played by David Corenswet (Twisters, The Greatest Hits) stress and grief. Encountering a being as strong as himself was something new. With Rachel Brosnahan (Patriots Day, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel-TV) as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult (Nosferatu, The Order) as Lex Luthor, Alan Tidy (The Trouble with Jessica, Resident Alien-TV) as Gary, and Bradley Cooper (Maestro, Nightmare Alley) as Jor-El; this reboot’s script was written for today’s current climate, with dashes of humor thrown in. The CGI dog was strictly there for comic relief. I was conflicted by this mix and wished there had been a stronger sense of doom in the plot. Though the actors did a good job, I felt their characters were a bit cartoonish and not fully fleshed out. At some point it seemed the scenes were jumping from one action fight to another. Maybe the intention was to make Superman more human, which I do not have an issue with, but I like my superhero characters to have a stronger foundation. Overall, I enjoyed watching this picture and felt everyone involved did a good job. Maybe I was hoping for a great job instead.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Greatest Hits
WHILE LISTENING TO THEM, I WAS getting excited. Having dinner with younger relatives, a couple were talking about their experiences recently at a popular arena concert that had stopped in the city. Every show had sold out in minutes, and they just happened to be lucky enough to get tickets. They told us what they wore then had to explain to the rest of us that it was proper concert attire. Back when I was going to concerts, my standard outfit was jeans and comfortable shoes because many times we would be standing through the entire show, and let me tell you, it is not easy wearing new cowboy boots while standing on a folding chair for over two and a half hours. The two relatives took public transportation down to the stadium. It seemed as if everyone on the train and bus was going to the concert because all the way down into the city the riders were singing the artist’s songs. I experienced the same thing with a couple of the shows I had seen in the past, so I could easily relate to what they were feeling. Inside the stadium, my relatives’ first line of business was to buy concert T-shirts. This was my thing at all the concerts I attended, getting a T-shirt was like getting a badge of honor; I loved wearing my T-shirts when I was out and about. AFTER LISTENING ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE AT the concert, I was recalling mine as I was driving home from the restaurant. The thing that moved me the most about concerts was feeling connected to so many people who were all there for the same thing. It was like an electric current that we all tapped into at the same time that kept us on a steady high through the performance. There was a sense of belonging that was nurturing to me. When I would tear up to a song, the people around me were doing the same thing; collectively we were all of one heart and I loved that feeling. Music has always had a special effect on me. The way a song plays and can immediately transport me to a different time and place; it is like magic. For every breakup I experienced I have a song, along with every loving relationship. Seeing myself sitting in the restaurant booth, with a fake stained-glass ceiling above us, listening to what became our favorite song over the speaker system and you telling me for the first time you loved me, is a memory that is always with me whenever I hear that song. Hearing how music had an affect on the main character in this romantic music drama intrigued me enough to sit down and watch this movie. AFTER A TRAGIC LOSS HARRIET GIBBONS, played by Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody, Murder on the Orient Express), hears a song, and gets transported back to the time of a memorable event where she had heard the song originally. When she meets a man who shows interest in her, how could she explain her situation. With Justin H. Min (Shortcomings, The Umbrella Academy-TV) as David Park, David Corenswet (Look Both Ways, The Politicians-TV) as Max Enders, Austin Crute (Booksmart, They/Them) as Morris Martin and Retta (To the Bone, Parks and Recreation-TV) as Dr. Evelyn Bartlett; I liked the idea behind the story. Unfortunately, I felt the script could have done a better job of offering something new and fresh in a theme that is familiar. Lucy did a respectable job and I enjoyed how she related to the other characters. With a great soundtrack, there were times I really enjoyed this film, but as I said, it kept close to a standard easy format without delving deeper into the characters and surprising the viewer more. For a lazy afternoon, where one is undecided whether to listen to music or watch a movie, this picture could fill both needs.
2 ¼ stars
moviejoltz 