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Flash Movie Review: My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3
THE FOOD WAS GOOD BUT THE conversation took a slight detour while we were eating. I had been invited over to a friend’s house for dinner. Of course, I brought a dessert with me, and it was a good thing since their kids had come over to join us. During the meal, I commented on one of the platters that had been placed on the dining room table. It looked like a platter my family used when company came over. I asked about its origins and was told it was part of a dinner set that was handed down from my friend’s great grandmother. I was immediately impressed that something so “old” had been carefully taken care of for all these years, since it looked so good. Plus, I loved that my friend had an appreciation for family heirlooms. I have in my possession a silver wine cup that came from my great, great grandfather who only used it on holidays. During the conversation, my friend turned to their two children and asked if either of them would like it. Both did not even pause to think about it before saying no. I did not say a word but thought it would be sad if the platter wound up in the trash heap or found its way to a garage sale or resale shop. I could see the disappointment on my friend’s face, so much for family history. I DO NOT REMEMBER WHEN MY interest in family history, heirlooms and such took on a level of importance; I enjoy learning about my ancestors and appreciate whatever small things they may have left behind for future generations to house and protect. For example, I have a framed photo hanging on a wall of my great, great, great grandmother who was alive when Napoleon invaded Russia. When guests are over and I explain the image to them, they each cannot get over the idea that this old frail woman dressed in a dark, floor length drab dress with a plain scarf tied around her head witnessed such history as a small child and that I am related to her. I ask you; how many people know what their great, great, great grandmother looks like? I feel if we can get some understanding about those who came before us, it will help us on our life’s path forward. Presently, I am debating how best I can distribute old photos I have of my relatives when they and their families were quite young. It is this idea of passing down a person’s history that I found so charming in this dramatic, comedy romance. WANTING TO FULFILL THEIR DECEASED FATHER’S wish to pass down his personal journal to his childhood friends, his children plan a trip to their father’s homeland, that will correspond with a family reunion. The problem will be how to track down these friends from a long, long time ago. With Nia Vardalos (I Hate Valentine’s Day, The Curse of Bridge Hollow) as Toula, John Corbett (The Messengers, The Silence) as Ian, Louis Mandylor (The Debt Collector, As Good as Dead) as Nick, Elena Kampouris (Before I Fall, Summer Night) as Paris and Andrea Martin (Black Christmas, The Good Fight-TV) as Aunt Voula; this sequel did not offer much to maintain my interest. The only two highlights were Andrea Martin’s performance and the beautiful scenery filmed in Greece. I did not find anything funny and thought there was zero-character development for most of the cast. The direction was poor because it felt like I was watching a series of vignettes. For the most part everything being done was predictable to the point where I was bored. I am afraid this movie would be something one does not want to hand down to a younger generation.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Pope’s Exorcist
WHEN I ENCOUNTERED A BULLY DURING my school years, I would always wonder how their parents could allow such behavior in their child. I did not understand those individuals who abused others until I got older and discovered many abusers were abused themselves. Maybe I was naïve; but any act of meanness I saw on display, I attributed it to poor parenting. Or to be more exact, having mean parents. In some cases, I was correct; however, there were some instances where the level of meanness was so intense that I could not comprehend parents being at such a level. There was a student in one of my classes in elementary school who took pleasure in torturing animals. I still remember when he set fire to a cat’s tail and watched the cat scamper around before it was consumed completely by the flames. It was after school hours, and I only came upon him when I was cutting through the alley to get to a food market. Having seen how much pleasure he took in watching the cat suffer, I never went near him throughout the rest of the school year. Because I was so young, I could not comprehend how two adults could create such an evil child. It was because of that act that I started believing some people were just born evil. IT WAS NOT UNTIL HIGH SCHOOL, when I came to the belief that everyone was born with good and evil in them; they had the free will to decide which they wanted to become. Some students maintained an optimistic attitude about certain individuals, giving them the benefit of the doubt. High school killed that process for me; the things I saw were nothing more than pure meanness. There were a couple of boys who had gym class with me, and they were just awful. They took such pleasure in picking on a mentally challenged classmate, it was horrific to see. One of the things they liked to do was throw a basketball at the boy to try and knock him down or at least into a wall. The students who witnessed this would always laugh along with these two boys. I always wondered if they found such a horrible act funny or were afraid not to laugh because it could have set them up to be the next target. There were many days I dreaded having to go to gym class. From my past experiences and the knowledge, I have acquired, I am open to other suggestions on the origin of a person’s evilness. This horror thriller film does present a possible reason. UNDER THE DIRECT AUTHORITY OF THE pope, Father Gabriel Amorth’s, played by Russell Crowe (A Beautiful Mind, Boy Erased), position is to investigate incidents of demonic possession. His latest case would unearth a deep dark secret that he might never come back from. With Daniel Zovatta (Don’t Breathe, Station Eleven-TV) as Father Esquibel, Alex Essoe (Doctor Sleep, The Edge of Sleep-TV) as Julia, Franco Nero (Django Unchained, John Wick: Chapter 2) as The Pope and newcomer Peter DeSouza-Feighoney as Henry; this story inspired by the files of Father Amorth earned a passing grade because of Russell Crowe. He was excellent in the role, trying to keep the story from falling into a generic typical exorcist plot. The pacing was a bit uneven; I felt there could have been a tighter focus on creating a more terrifying scene. At one point, it felt like the writers and director went on automatic because scenes seemed to be like previous ones. If it was not for Russell’s performance, I would have gotten bored, despite me enjoying the wonderful sets and props. Having no knowledge about Father Amorth and having now seen this film, I am curious to hear about some of his other cases.
2 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Asteroid City
IT WAS THE CLOSEST I HAD ever been to another planet and I did not want it to end. After seeing Jupiter and Saturn, I quickly lost my amazement over the moon and Mars. I even got to see a shooting star; there was always talk about one, but I had never seen it before. No pun intended, but my mind expanded in a new way while I leaned back in one of the cushy chairs there in the dark auditorium of the planetarium. It was my first time and seeing the solar system come “alive” above my head was exciting. The only reference I had to the other planets in our solar system had been movies and children’s books. I do not think we had studied the system yet in elementary school. So, you can see how stunned I was to see crystal clear images of the planets floating in the air, or at least it certainly seemed that way. One of my favorite television shows was Flash Gordon; at one point, I wondered if during the show I would get to see the planet, Mongo. Alas, it was never shown. I left the planetarium with a stronger fascination about outer space and the possibilities that were out there. THIS FEELING WAS SUCH A STRONG contrast to what took place in school. When I tell you what took place, there might be a chance you will not believe me. The reason I say this is because recently I was talking with a group of people, some of them educators, who shared their school’s protocols for safety. I was stunned when they said they must perform “active shooter” training with their classes. We discussed the horrors that are attached to it. For example, one teacher said they have a couple of students who were traumatized by a shooting in their town, and they must be excused because the training was too intense for them. I expressed my horror that we now live in a time where “active shooter” training is the norm. When I was in first grade, we periodically would have air raid drills. I surprised the educators because they had never heard of such a thing. I told them an alarm would sound and we would all have to leave our classrooms and go into the hallway, to sit down with our backs up to our locker, then cross our legs and try to get our heads down to our laps. I always wondered who would harm us in an air raid in the Midwest. It was a similar wonder to what happened to the junior stargazers in this dramatic comedy romance. COMING TO A SMALL SPOT IN the desert, a group of strangers encounter something unworldly that changes their perceptions of the world. With Jason Schwartzman (The French Dispatch, Big Eyes) as Augie Steenbeck, Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow, JoJo Rabbit) as Midge Campbell, Tom Hanks (A Man Called Otto, Elvis) as Stanley Zak, Jeffrey Wright (The Batman, The French Dispatch) as General Gibson and Bryan Cranston (The One and Only Ivan, Jerry and Marge Go Large) as the Host; this Wes Anderson film had all of the same trappings as his previous films. It had a great and diverse cast, quirky and colorful sets, multiple story lines and odd characters in the story. What was missing for me was the fun factor, along with a better cohesive script. Things felt forced to me. It seemed various scenes were tossed in to keep the audience entertained, but they did not offer much. I found myself being bored at times and not really getting a sense of where the story wanted to go. There was an element of humor and silliness, but it did not help to get me into an excited mood to sit and enjoy the rest of the film.
2 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Haunted Mansion
WHEN THE CARNIVAL OPENED IN SPRING, it gave us the opportunity to see a second haunted house in our neighborhood. The first one sat at the end of a block that had lightly colored painted houses. The color of this haunted house was dark brown with patches where it had peeled away from what looked like rotten wood. It was a scary looking place, even the windows looked dark. I do not recall ever seeing them open. There was dense foliage all around the perimeter of the place; so thick that I was sure a child could go missing in it. The front walk that led to several dilapidated steps was barely visible unless you used your arms to move the overhanging branches that were sturdy and gnarled. All the kids in the neighborhood would avoid this house at Halloween. No one, even if they were with a group of other trick-or-treaters, had the courage to make their way to the opposing door that looked like an animal’s mouth about to let out a growl. Even after living in the neighborhood for decades, I never saw anyone coming out or going into that dark, spooky house. MY IMAGINATION ABOUT WHAT COULD TAKE place in that house on the corner was fueled by what I experienced at different amusement parks’ haunted houses. The one from the carnival was a cheap version of what was in my mind, but I still thought of the various scare tactics and transposed them into a deadlier version. There was a man dressed up as an evil ogre who would jump out from a dark corner and scare all that entered his realm. He really was not that scary to me because I saw one of his costume’s big floppy ears had fallen off, revealing his human ear; it took the scare out of the costume. Through the house there were various mechanical objects dropping down from the ceiling or popping out of the walls. There was a mist like fog that slowly swirled about but the air circulation and venting were almost stagnant, so depending on where you were, it was hard to see stuff at times. I remember one room had paintings hanging on the walls. One of them was a portrait of a man with the eyes cut out so someone, who was standing behind it, could press their face against the canvas and have their eyes fill out the holes. However, it must have been irritating them because periodically you could see a finger pushing across to rub the eye. It was not a very scary haunted house, just like the one that was in this comedy, horror film. WHEN A MOTHER AND HER SON discover their new home is filled with ghouls and ghosts, she turns to some local folk to help her in the removal of them. However, they are not ready to leave. With LaKeith Stanfield (The Harder They Fall, Sorry to Bother You) as Ben Matthias, Rosario Dawson (Unstoppable, The Water Man) as Gabbie, Owen Wilson (Marry Me, Father Figures) as Father Kent, Tiffany Haddish (Like a Boss, Night School) as Harriet and Danny DeVito (Batman Returns, The War of the Roses) as Bruce David; this dramatic family movie, based on the amusement park ride, Haunted Mansion, needed help. The story was never scary enough to draw a gasp or yelp from the audience; at least not what one hears when doing the actual park ride. I did not find much to laugh about either. I did appreciate the cast’s efforts to levitate the story and make it exciting, but it never materialized. For those of you who have ridden the amusement park’s ride, you will sense a familiarity with the sets and characters. However, there was not enough here to make this a memorable experience. Better to save up your money for the actual ride; you will have a better time.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game
I WAS THE ONLY KID WHO was too afraid to dive off from the high diving board. On a large family trip, several cars of relatives drove to a resort area in a neighboring state. When we arrived at the hotel, all of us were assigned rooms on the same floor. Since it was still early in the afternoon, it was decided we would all meet at the swimming pool. I was a decent swimmer but had only recently ventured into deeper waters. The pool had two diving boards, one low and the other high, but the low one was being repaired. All my cousins were excited to go off the high dive, lining up single file to climb the metal ladder to the top. I tried doing it but when I got to the top and saw how far down it was to the water, I started to cry. Though relatives were encouraging me to jump, some even treading in the water below, I could not do it. I still remember how humiliated I felt as I climbed back down the ladder and walked past the line of cousins who were too excited to focus on my failure. After that I did not want to spend any more time by the swimming pool. ACROSS FROM THE SWIMMING POOL AREA, I had not noticed a small non-descript wooden structure that looked like a miniature house without windows. The relative who was taking me back to the hotel room, stopped at the front of this structure and asked me if I wanted to peek inside. It was such a curious building that I said yes. There was only an entryway, no door, so we walked in. What was inside was something I had never seen before. There was this machine with flashing lights. Its body had a glass top that covered an array of bumpers, buttons and holes. It fascinated me with its colorful graphics that stretched across both inside and out. My relative must have been familiar with the machine because they placed a chair they had taken from a corner, by the side of the machine and told me to stand on it, so I could watch them play. Once I was on it, my relative pulled back a metal rod and let go. I saw a silver ball whip up to the top of the course, bounce back and forth a couple of times, then descend into the array of bumpers and buttons. It was amazing, watching the ball bounce from one side to the other; and whenever the ball got near to the bottom, my relative would press these two red buttons on each side of the machine to smack the ball back up towards the top. This was my first encounter with a pinball machine, but it was not going to be my last. A STRUGGLING WRITER IN NEW YORK CITY finds escape in a pinball machine he found in an unlikely place. When the machine gets confiscated due to the ban on them, he puts his frustration into his writings. With Mike Faist (West Side Story, Wildling) as Roger (young), Crystal Reed (Incident in a Ghostland, Gotham-TV) as Ellen, Dennis Boutsikaris (Batteries not Included, Better Call Saul-TV) as Mr. Shapiro, Christopher Convery (The Girl in the Spider’s Web, Prisoner’s Daughter) as Seth and Connor Ratliff (Search Party-TV, The George Lucas Talk Show-TV) as Jimmy; this comedic drama hooked me in quickly after a short time figuring out if I was watching a documentary or not. I thought the way the writers told the story in this biography made it more interesting. As a lover of pinball machines, I appreciated the history lesson being told in such an entertaining way. Set in the 1970s, the sets and costumes were perfect. Maybe other viewers will feel the same way as I did to find out there was a time when pinball machines, of all things, used to be illegal. For me, it sounded so absurd, and it was another reason I wanted to see this movie. This film is certainly worth keeping in play.
3 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Happiness for Beginners
MANY REVIEWS AGO, I TALKED ABOUT changing up one’s routines after a breakup. Part of the reason was to create a diversion from any sadness and another part was to explore new avenues of growth. I remember an early breakup where I spent an entire weekend watching movies. If I recall, I believe I saw twelve movies in three days. In that review I focused more on the diversion instead of the growth that could take place. When in a love relationship, it can be easy to fall into a routine to the point where things become automatic, very little thought is needed. Sure, there is a comfort being in that state, but is it beneficial to the growth of the relationship? Honestly, I fluctuate between the comfort of routines with the adventures of exploring something new. I think that might be one of the reasons I love to travel; it nourishes me in a certain way that reading a book about the place cannot provide. But traveling is not always an easy project. I remember being in a relationship and the two of us taking a trip to Las Vegas for an extended weekend. Withing 24 hours, I realized this was not a good fit because our ideas of a vacation were so opposite of each other. By the time we were flying home, we barely talked to each other. Lesson learned: make sure the person you are going with on a trip is compatible with your expectations. SEEING HOW THAT RELATIONSHIP DETERIORATED WHILE on vacation gave me a thought that stuck with me for the next time, I found myself in a similar situation. It was a year or two after where I found myself at the end of another relationship. Remembering my Vegas trip, I decided I would take a trip by myself; it was a foreign concept I must tell you. I planned out everything from the location to the hotel to the activities. It was weird at first to be alone on a plane. I kept myself busy by reading a stack of magazines I had bought at one of the terminal’s newsstands. Once I arrived, it was a little unsettling to navigate by myself through the airport and to the rental car location; but I did it. I remember asking the clerk at the rental place for directions to my hotel and was grateful when he pulled out a map and drew a route for me. After I arrived mid-morning and checked into my hotel room, I ventured out to the first tourist attraction I had on my to do list. By the end of the day, I had walked eight miles and had seen several places I had on my list. I discovered I was resourceful and enjoyed planning out and executing a route to cover as much ground as I could to explore the city. Discovering this in myself was one of the reasons I was attracted to the main character in this romantic rom-com. AFTER THE BREAKUP OF HER MARRIAGE, a woman decides she needs to make some changes in herself. What came to mind was to sign up for a wilderness survival trek with a group of strangers. The trip would test her in ways she had not expected. With Ellie Kemper (The Stand In, Bridesmaids) as Helen, Luke Grimes (Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, The Magnificent Seven) as Jake, Nico Santos (Crazy Rich Asians, Superstore-TV) as Hugh, Blythe Danner (I’ll See You in my Dreams, The Last Kiss) as Gigi and Ben Cook (West Side Story, Paterno) as Beckett; this movie did everything by the book. In other words, pretty much everything was predictable. I enjoyed Ellie’s and Luke’s performances; however, the script was too generic to the point it did not provide any surprises. In fact, at times it would telegraph what was going to happen later in the film. For a story based on taking risks, the writers should have listened and done the same.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Trailer: Till
WHEN I WAS A SMALL BOY, I hated a bunch of things. Granted, most of them were food based. I hated tuna, broccoli, peas, grapefruit, and the school crossing guard who used to make fun of me. Back then the word “hate” was my go-to word; I did not fully comprehend how strong of a word was “hate.” It was nothing for two friends or neighborhood kids to tell the other they hated them for something they did or did not do. Whenever in a conversation with my friends about students in our classes or in school, it was not unusual for me to share my hatred of the students who wronged me in some way. My method of dealing with kids who I hated was to maintain my distance from them. I figured the less they saw of me the better off I would be. To be invisible, I had to make sure I never drew attention to myself; whether laughing or talking too loudly or spending too much time at my locker talking to a friend. The key was to keep moving with the flow of kids as much as possible. And the most important thing I had to make sure I was doing was to go right home from school, to never linger outside of the school’s exits in case a bully or antagonist was leaving the same time as me. THANKFULLY, THE SCHOOLS I ATTENDED DID an excellent job of teaching me all the aspects of “hate” and how strong of a word it could be. We saw and read examples of hatred, with the books we read, the movies we watched and the archived newspaper articles we viewed on microfilm. Seeing what humans did to other humans was frightening. Whether it was during a war or from a group or individual, I found all of it so disturbing and appalling that I realized I was using the word “hate” incorrectly. It became my goal to never or rarely use the word “hate” when I was saying or describing something to someone. To be honest with you, this promise was a challenge because I experienced forms of hatred early on in my schooling. Encountering people who hate you without even knowing or talking to you was so confusing to me. The trend continued when I finished school and found myself marching for causes that were important to me and witnessed hatred that was near flammable, it was so vile. Some of it was in the same vein as what was shown in this biographical crime drama. THOUGH THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI IS not that far from Chicago, Illinois; back in 1955 they were a world apart. Visiting his cousins in Mississippi required knowing how to act by Mississippi’s standards, something Emmett Till’s, played by Jalyn Hall (Bruiser, The App that Stole Christmas), mother knew all too well which explained her hesitation on letting him go. His trip would facilitate a change throughout the country. With Danielle Deadwyler (The Harder They Fall, The Devil to Pay) as Mamie Till-Mobley, Frankie Faison (Do the Right Thing, I’m Your Woman) as John Carthan, Haley Bennett (The Magnificent Seven, The Girl on the Train) as Carolyn Bryant and Whoopi Goldberg (Sister Act franchise, King of the Dancehall) as Alma Carthan; this film had a strong affect on me. Maybe because we are coming up to the anniversary date of Emmett’s date of death and the government just recently designating a national monument honoring him, I was glued to the story being depicted. Also, Danielle Deadwyler’s acting was outstanding and tragic at the same time, absolutely amazing. It was not easy watching several scenes in this movie; the amount of hate on display was startling and tragic. Everything came together, such as the sets, costumes, and direction to create a beautiful, sad movie about a mother’s worst nightmare.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Oppenheimer
I BARELY UNDERSTOOD WHAT HER BOOK report was about, but I still enjoyed hearing her speak it. She was talking about cross-pollination and plants; I looked at the classmates within my field of vision to see if any of them looked like they understood what she was talking about. It was hard to tell. Some students were looking down at their desks, others were playing with their pens, twirling, or fidgeting with them. When she finished her report, the teacher commended her and said it was highly informative. I wondered, “For who?” I found it funny; because when talking to her, you would not necessarily know how smart she really was. I was friends with her and never felt like she was talking down to me or about topics and things that were complex and mystifying. She was like any of the other students in class. I knew she was a straight “A” student; I could not imagine her getting a lesser grade. Anytime we were together with our group of friends and there was a disagreement between a couple of them, she was the voice of reason. More times than not she was able to negotiate a compromise that both parties agreed to without feeling like they were getting cheated out of something. It was a skill I wished I could do. IT WAS NOT UNTIL I ENTERED the workforce that I discovered some super smart individuals were not nice people. At one of my first jobs, there was a man who claimed he was highly intelligent. I did not know, because he rarely talked to me; but I was able to hear him talking when he was near my area of the warehouse. To tell you the truth, I was glad he rarely spoke to me because he was arrogant with a mix of disdain. The way he would talk to employees was nauseating; talking to some like they were infants in this cloying, sadistic baby voice. If his claim of being so smart was true, then I could never understand why he wound up in sales. Not to say there was anything wrong with sales; but I would have thought he would have done something different for a profession. He may have been the first I encountered in my work history, but he was not the last. I met several people who possessed a high intellect. A few appeared to be on the spectrum; others had no sense of humor. There was a wide variety of individuals and characteristics. I appreciated the ones who could talk about something that I was not familiar with but said it in such a way that made it easier to comprehend. From watching this dramatic biography, I would have been fascinated to listen to what the main character had to say. And it turns out it was a good thing people listened. DURING WORLD WAR II AN AMERICAN scientist was drawn into a secret project that could change the world forever. It was a huge responsibility. With Cillian Murphy (The Delinquent Season, Peaky Blinders-TV) as J. Robert Oppenheimer, Emily Blunt (Jungle Cruise, Mary Poppins Returns) as Kitty Oppenheimer, Matt Damon (Air, Ford v Ferrari) as Leslie Groves, Robert Downey Jr. (Dolittle, Iron Man franchise) as Lewis Strauss and Aiden Ehrenreich (Cocaine Bear, Solo: A Star Wars Story) as Senate Aide; this history driven film started out rough for me. Not being a fan of jumping back and forth in time, the first 30 minutes made me wonder what all the talk was about for this picture. But then, the script kicked into gear and the actors took their characters and soared with them. The acting, the filming, the direction and soundtrack were all outstanding. Knowing nothing about the story except for the main character’s name, I was fascinated with what was being depicted on the big screen. While I sat in the theater, the thought came across me that I was watching a great film. What a monumental moment in history and the director Christopher Nolan captured it perfectly.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: 65
THERE WERE NO MORE THAN A dozen small cages, but they were my fantasyland. In our neighborhood was a park that had a children’s zoo in the middle of it. I knew all the animals before I was even enrolled in kindergarten. Among the animals there was one bear, one llama, one peacock and one monkey. Since this was my first exposure to a zoo, I was enthralled with the variety of animals. I could spend hours sitting and watching them, though there was not much they could do. The bear would pace from side to side in its cage and the monkey could only climb on the front bars of its cage or the tire that was suspended from the ceiling of its enclosure. At that early age, it never occurred to me how awful their lives must have been. There was only one animal per cage; they had nothing to stimulate them. No playmates, toys, or suitable landscapes to help them pass the time. One of the things I remember distinctly was throwing shelled peanuts into the bear’s cage. At some point the bear must have realized I was the one who was throwing the peanuts because they walked to the side of the cage where I was standing and stood up with its front paws on the bars. I would try to toss the peanuts directly into its mouth. It was one of the biggest highlights of all the times I spent at the park and zoo. IT WAS NOT UNTIL I WAS older that I realized how horrific the conditions were for those animals at that neighborhood zoo. By the time I graduated elementary school, I had seen enough zoos to know which excelled in their treatment of their animals. I know there is some controversy about even having zoos, but I will not go into it here. In the city where I lived, there were two zoos; one was in the heart of the city and the other was situated in a western suburb. These zoos were the first that I experienced that did away with metal bars. Instead, the animals lived in habitats that were recognizable to the animals. They had landscaped outside areas with entryways that led to indoor glass enclosed pens. The animals looked healthier and, in a way, appeared more alive if that makes sense. For the animals that were born to climb, there were artificial or real trees with vines hanging down. Some holding areas had water coursing through like a small stream or river. Recently on a trip, I went to a well known zoo that looked like I was on the live set of The Lion King; it was amazing. With the animals in this science fiction, adventure drama; I felt like I was at something closer to that little zoo from my neighborhood. ON AN ASSIGNMENT TO TRANSPORT PEOPLE to a different planet, a pilot crash lands on Earth. However, it was Earth during prehistoric times. He would have to navigate his way through the terrors of the land to find a way off the planet. With Adam Driver (Star Wars franchise, Marriage Story) as Mills, Ariana Greenblatt (Love and Monsters, The One and Only Ivan) as Koa, Chloe Coleman (My Spy, Marry Me) as Nevine and Nika King (Euphoria-TV, Greenleaf-TV) as Nevine’s Mom; this movie was a misfire. Though I appreciated the cast’s efforts, the story was predictable and pretty much a rehash of similar films that have been shown before. The drama and thrills were lower intensity instead of higher. There were times I felt I was watching a poor version of one of the Jurassic Park films; I was bored several times. It was too bad because I was initially intrigued by the story’s premise. The only reason I can think of watching this film is if you have any children fascinated with dinosaurs or if you cannot find anything else to watch.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Trailer: The Miracle Club
WE MET THEM THROUGH A MUTUAL friend. They were friendly and had been together for decades. It turned out we had much in common and that is what sparked our budding friendship. We got together for several dinners and lunches since all of us wanted to explore the unfamiliar restaurants between our homes. Our times together always came with a guarantee of laughter and sharing of similar childhood memories. It was uncanny how our lives followed a similar path. I had been overweight and was picked on because of it; the two of them experienced the same thing in their schools. Between the four of us, two were previously married and divorced; so, there never was a lull in conversation. At some point they wanted to have us over for dinner. They told us how much they loved cooking and based on what they told me, I was a bit envious because they rarely used a recipe. They cooked food from a mix of instinct, taste, and experience. There was no way I could achieve such a degree of cooking; I needed a recipe that exactly listed the steps and ingredients. With the dinner date set, they checked in with us to ask about dietary restrictions and any likes or dislikes. It was sweet of them to make such an effort for us; we were getting excited as the date neared. THE MORNING OF THE DINNER DATE, we ate a light breakfast since the menu sounded extensive. Mid-morning, I received a text that they would have to cancel, and they were so sorry about it. One of them came down with a stomach bug where they could not keep food in them. It sounded awful and we felt bad for them. Of course, we were sad we were not getting together and tasting their lavish dinner. That night we wound up ordering a pizza for dinner; a significant difference compared to what was planned for us. The following day I was on one of my social media sites. As I was scrolling through my feed, I saw the couple had posted something an hour earlier. What I saw stunned me. There was a photo of them standing at a bank of slot machines and the caption above it said, “Winners at the gambling boat last night!” They lied to us so they could go gamble?!?! We were done with them; trust had been broken. Since then, they have reached out, pretending nothing happened; but we simply decline. It is as if they have re-written history to suit their interests. I have experienced other people who have this ability to rewrite history to make their lives easier. You can see an example of this for yourself in this comedic drama. LONG TERM FRIENDS ENTER THE CHURCH’S talent show hoping to win a trip to Lourdes, France to experience a miracle. But when their deceased friend’s estranged daughter suddenly appears, the odds of winning suddenly change. With Laura Linney (You Can Count on Me, The Dinner) as Chrissie, Kathy Bates (Richard Jewell, On the Basis of Sex) as Eileen Dunne, Maggie Smith (The Lady in the Van, Downton Abbey franchise) as Lily Fox, Agnes O’Casey (Lies We Tell, Ridley Road-TV) as Dolly and Mark O’Halloran (Adam & Paul, The Sparrow) as Fr. Dermot Byrne; this movie was worth the price of admission simply to watch the formidable cast show their acting abilities. They were incredible and took the charming script and elevated it despite the spots of predictability. Maggie, Kathy, and Laura were like a well-oiled machine; they did not even have to speak to convey full emotions. I also enjoyed the outdoor scenes of Ireland and France. This was a touching story about friendship, heartache and how people navigate between the two.
3 stars
moviejoltz 