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Flash Movie Review: Extraction 2
BLOOD MAY BE THICKER THAN WATER, but it might be the wrong type that could kill you, metaphorically speaking. I have seen and been exposed to such a variety of families, that it would be hard to shock me with what you might think is something crazy about your family. I have spent holidays with a family where one sibling spent the night throwing passive aggressive digs at their other sibling. By the time dessert was served, the tension was thick and ready to break at any moment; I wanted to get out before it did. Sadly, I did not get out in time before a verbal fight broke out between the siblings. On the other hand, I have been with a family that takes so much joy in being together that it is refreshing. Whether it is just to share a meal or to play a card game, they love spending time together. It would be nothing for them to call each other on a whim and plan an impromptu game night. I envy that ability because I would have to sit and analyze it, worrying about what food to have on hand, check to see if I had enough seating and other things before, I could agree to be a host for it. But they always pull it together without ever having an issue. ONE THING THAT I HAVE CONSISTENTLY found among families is their inability to dislike a family member when they are being ignorant. A piece of advice that I still remember is give yourself permission to dislike a person you love. It doesn’t have to be an either/or situation. I have found myself in situations where I did not like being around a relative because of something they were doing or saying. It did not stop me from loving them since we had a good history together with many happy memories. However, they were displaying a behavior that made me uncomfortable. I recall an event where we were seated at a restaurant table and a friend of mine happened to be at the same restaurant with her husband. They came over to say hello and I introduced them to everyone at the table. One relative started a conversation with them that was inappropriate; the relative had unbeknownst to us mixed alcohol with drugs. I was embarrassed and could see my friend looking at me for guidance. Before things got uglier, I stood and walked over to thank them for stopping by and promised I would catch up with them later in the week. My relative was being a jerk; but they paled in comparison to the intensity of the family members in this action thriller. AFTER SURVIVING A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE, a mercenary accepts another job because this one was on a personal level. With Chris Hemsworth (Thor franchise, Bad Times at the El Royale) as Tayler Rake, Golshifteh Farahani (Body of Lies, Arab Blues) as Nik Khan, Adam Bessa (The Blessed, Of Sound Mind) as Yaz Khan, Tornike Gogrichiani (Adam & Eve, Artificial Breathing-TV) as Zurab Radiano and Tornike Bziaua (A Fold in My Blanket, Brighton 4th) as Davit Radiani; this sequel amped up the violence and action scenes to such a high level that I was exhausted by the end of the movie. There was something like a non-stop 20-minute fight scene that was unbelievable. As for the drama aspect, it was kept at a more subdued level where the actors appeared stiff at times. I feel if you go into viewing this film knowing its focus is on fights and battles, you might have an easier time digesting it. Ultimately, the picture does what it said it would do; provide a fast violent, bloody, visual experience for the viewer. Though I will say, if one could pick who they would like for a relative, I would certainly pick Chris Hemsworth.
2 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Chevalier
ONE OF THE FITNESS CLASSES I taught had a weird dynamic. Well, at least it was weird to me. It was one of my larger classes where the members filled the entire studio. Things have changed but some time ago, aerobic classes were filled predominantly with women; most men felt self-conscious, based on my own personal survey. I would try to coax them in when I was working out on the fitness floor, but they had this unwarranted fear that they would look “stupid” and be looked down upon by the class. The reason why I said this class had a weird dynamic was because it had several men in it. One man was six feet five inches tall, with a massive build; there was no way he could blend into class. I remember the first time he walked into the classroom. Like I did with any new person, I went up to talk to him. The reason he came in was because his wife was a participant in my class and told him he would be surprised by it. What I noticed most when he found a place to stand in class was how the members around him were looking and making eyes at each other. I knew that look; it was because of his size. I was sure they assumed he would not be able to do any of the exercises or moves. Unbeknownst to any of us, his wife gave him some pointers and he did fantastic. At the end of class, drenched in sweat, he came up and thanked me. FROM THAT EXPERIENCE, I REMAINED ATTUNED to watching how participants reacted to new people in class. There was another man who started coming to the same class. From introducing myself to him, I discovered he purposely chose my class to attend because it incorporated more dance moves than other classes. Being thin and trim already, I soon realized some of the female members were always trying to stand close to him. It was amusing to me. His moves were smooth and always on the beat; I knew he had to have had some dance training, even if it was just going out to clubs at night. Where some of the members avoided the large man, others were striving to get close to this other man because of his looks. The reason I know this to be a fact is because he told me at some point a member was asking if he was single. This is the weird dynamic I was speaking of. Because I always focused on internal qualities like brains, humor, and empathy with dating prospects; I get fascinated when people express their desires for external things like height, hair and weight. Now here is the kicker; several months later this thin man disappeared from class and the fitness center. Then one day all the newspapers came out with a photograph of him on the front pages. He was arrested and charged with killing his roommate. One of my first thoughts was how ironic all of this became. As they say, “Never judge a book by its cover,” nor should one judge this historical drama by its cover. WITH HIS MOTHER TAKEN AWAY AND his father abandoning him, a young boy soon realizes he would need to be the best he can be if he wanted to survive in a world, he was not meant to be in. With Kelvin Harrison Jr. (Monsters and Men, It Comes at Night) as Joseph, Samara Weaving (Ready or Not, Snake Eyes) as Marie-Josephine, Lucy Boynton (Murder on the Orient Express, Bohemian Rhapsody) as Marie Antoinette, Ronke Adekoluejo (Been So Long, Christopher Robin) as Nanon and Marton Csokas (The Last Dual, The Equalizer) as Marquis De Montalembert; this film based on a factual story intrigued me deeply. Having been raised early on with classical music, I was stunned to find out there was truth to this story. The acting was right in synch with the character representation, especially from Kelvin. I will say I enjoyed the first half of the film more than the last half, simply because towards the end the script started becoming a generic version of itself and turning predictable. The script could have used more punch to keep things exciting as they were in the beginning. This was such a fascinating story, and I appreciated the extra knowledge offered before the ending credits.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Flamin’ Hot
MY ONLY THOUGHT WAS THE GENTLEMAN sitting across from me was given something different to eat than me. The way he carried on with the potato chips, you would have thought they were the best thing the planet had ever seen. I thought he was nuts or had lost all sense of taste, because that was nowhere near my reaction to taste testing the chips. I was chosen for a study group that was doing a blind tasting of various potato chips. Truthfully, I would have rather been picked to taste test desserts, but I was grateful nonetheless because the stipend was a good amount of money, and I was eating a carbohydrate. There were twelve of us sitting around a conference table. Placed in front of each seat were three plastic containers that each contained potato chips. They looked the same to me, but I could tell there was a slight difference in color and texture between them. We were trying the second container and I thought they were horrible, having a medicinal processed taste. They also had a weak crunch which was a big minus for me. When we then had to go around and tell the group our reaction, the man across from me was raving about them. Honestly, they turned out to be the worst ones in my opinion. Many of the participants thought the same thing as I did. I WAS AWARE THAT PEOPLE’S TASTE buds were different. Each of us can taste bitter, sweet and sour; but the number of receptors we have is different. I remember New Coke debuted with big fanfare. I did not like it at all; and as it turned out, there were many other people who disliked it as well. Because of that misstep, I have become more curious about the reasoning behind the introduction of new flavors. The first thing that comes to mind is the explosion of pumpkin spice during the Halloween season. This flavor has been attached to so many different food items, that just sound ghastly to me. There is cereal, cookies, coffee, which I can wrap my head around. However, sauces, cheese or soft drinks sounds disgusting. I just want to know how that idea came out of a marketing group or department. It seems to me some food items are better left untouched. I do not want potato chips tasting like pizza or macaroni and cheese. Regarding the flavor being introduced in this biographical drama, I have a close friend who can live on them; I would have to be hospitalized, way too hot for me. A JANITOR AT A FRITO LAY plant in fear of layoffs, believes he found a way to save jobs and honor his Mexican heritage. However, none of the managers believed him because he was a janitor. With Jesse Garcia (Ambulance, The Starling) as Richard Montanez, Annie Gonzalez (East of the Mountains, The Edge of Her Mind Anthology) as Judy Montanez, Emilio Rivera (The Family Business-TV, Mayans M.C-TV) as Vacho Montanez, Vanessa Martinez (Go for Sisters, Dirty John-TV) as Concha Montanez and Dennis Haysbert (Far From Heaven, Playing with Fire) as Clarence C. Baker; this film based on a true story was simply a feel good movie. I do not know how much of the film was based on actual events; however, the direction was perfectly executed to provide doses of drama, humor and sadness. Because I know people who are addicted to this product, I felt more connected to the story. Easily, the script could have used more intensity and explained the depth of people’s motives more; however, the premise of the story was so charming and fascinating that I stayed fully engaged with it. And honestly, by the end of the movie I wanted to attempt to eat one Flamin’ Hot Cheeto.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Shooting Stars
I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO be a long day, but I needed the continuing education credits to renew my fitness certification. When I signed up, I could not believe we had to be ready to start at 7:30am. The end was set at 5pm, with forty-five minutes for lunch. The schedule started with a lecture, followed by a workshop, then another lecture before the lunchbreak. Gratefully, we were to have another lecture after lunch because I am not one who can eat and immediately afterwards exert myself physically. Trust me, it would not be a pretty sight. My hope was for the class to end early. When I walked into the hotel’s conference ballroom, I looked for an empty chair. As I was walking down the aisle, I heard my name being called out. Turning towards the sound I looked out and saw a friend of mine was waving me over to them. We taught at the same fitness center; but ironically, did not see much of each other during working hours because I taught night classes, and she did day ones. However, we still formed a bond because we started at the same time and hit it off immediately. Whenever we had a staff meeting, we would get together, just the two of us, before or after to catch up with one another. I was grateful and happy she was at this event. IT IS FUNNY HOW I WAS dreading the day, spending it cooped up in a hotel conference ballroom because now the time was flying by as the two of us kept each other company. During the workouts when the facilitator asked us to pair up, the two of us would do it together. Each of us had an easiness with the other, where nothing ever felt uncomfortable; even the “hands on” portions where we would either support a portion of the other’s body/limb or correct a position/alignment of muscle joints. Before I knew it, the lunch break arrived and the two of us found a secluded corner of the lobby where we could sit and eat in peace. With us talking and laughing the lunch break only seemed like it was a couple of minutes before we were due back in class. The lecture portion gave me the time to sit and digest my lunch; so, I was prepared for the final workout which was tough. We made it through to the end and hugged each other before we left. It was great seeing and participating with her; it made the day feel fun for me. And that is the reason I can see why the four friends in this biographical drama did not want to go it alone when it came to basketball. CHILDHOOD FRIENDS KNEW BY STICKING TOGETHER they could accomplish more on the court than if they went it alone. The truth was in the results. With newcomer Marquis Mookie Cook as LeBron James, Wood Harris (Creed franchise, Empire-TV) as Coach Dru Joyce II, Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding, Scream VI) as Keith Dambrot, Caleb McLaughlin (Concrete Cowboy, Stranger Things-TV) as Lil Dru Joyce III and Natalie Paul (Either Side of Midnight, The Prophecy-TV) as Gloria James; this story based on true events surprised me because I did not know LeBron’s history. I found the script was fun and the basketball playing scenes were exciting. Whether the events shown were true or not, I did not know; but my interest was kept throughout the movie. With that being said, there was not much variance in the drama, nor was there anything different compared to other films in this genre. I do not consider myself a basketball fan; however, I know how the game is played and have seen a few. This was an easy, nothing out of the ordinary sports film that wound up providing me with a back story to a man I have only seen snippets of on television.
2 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Year Between
I NEVER KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT whenever she was in my yoga class. When I first met her, she seemed to hide behind her large, round shaped eyeglasses. The reason I say this is because she appeared to be timid or nervous. I chalked it up to first time jitters, which I have seen in many individuals who were either new to me or new to the class format I was about to teach. She was inquisitive and had a few questions before the class was to start; I was hoping my answers would provide her a little calmness before we began. After answering her, she found an empty space on the floor and unrolled her yoga mat. It looked new to me which confirmed her telling me she had never done yoga before. As I started the class into a series of slow stretches, I noticed that woman’s flexibility. She was either born with it or was doing some other version of exercise that she did not share with me earlier. I was pleased to see she kept up with the other members in class and seemed to be enjoying herself. Occasionally she would look at one of the members close by to help her figure out what she was supposed to do with a limb or foot. Overall, for a first-time participant, she did a good job. AFTER A COUPLE OF WEEKS WITH her participating in class, she showed up one day without her glasses. I saw her talking to a few people who had chosen a spot near her. Usually before class, I would walk around and chat with members; my way of getting the members focused and ready to get into a yoga state of mind. As I passed that woman minus her glasses, she began telling me how much she enjoyed the class. It struck me that her tone and speech pattern were opposite of our initial conversations. She was quite animated and continued talking non-stop in this singsong way that added more levels of tone to her speech. It confused me because it was so unlike her based on the impression, I had built on her. From talking about yoga, she veered off onto other topics; some that had nothing to do with yoga or the class. It was as if I was encountering a completely different person. Some of the things she said were not appropriate for a classroom setting and honestly, not in mixed company. I wasn’t sure how to handle this since it had never happened to me in class before. Looking at my watch and saying it was about time to start class, I asked her to challenge herself with the poses we were about to do. It seemed to work, and she calmed down. After class I spoke to my supervisor and explained the situation that took place. I was informed this person was an employee who had a personality disorder. My exposure to it prepared me to watch this comedic drama. AFTER BEING DIAGNOSED WITH A MENTAL illness, a college student drops out and moves back home, where she encounters the aftermath of what she had left behind. With J. Smith Cameron (Man on a Ledge, Succession-TV) as Sherri, Steve Buscemi (The Death of Stalin, Miracle Workers-TV) as Don, David Brown (I Used to Go Here, Assistance-TV) as Mikael, Wyatt Oleff (Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, It franchise) as Neil and Emily Robinson (Eighth Grade, Dark was the Night) as Carlin; this psychological drama based on true events came across as authentic. The dark humor was just enough to keep the story going without getting tripped up into a deeper uncomfortable setting. I will say the main character does not come across as likable; but I think that was intentional from the writer. It is not an easy topic that lends itself to storytelling. There were a few slow parts with a couple of scenarios that seemed to be repetitive. However, the film and story as a hold were not a usual Hollywood production which made this an interesting piece of filmdom to view.
2 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: A Thousand and One
WHEN YOU ARE A SMALL CHILD, all parents seem bigger and more powerful. So, when the mother showed up to confront the bullies who were picking on her son, I could tell those boys were scared. I tried to avoid those kids because I knew they picked on other students; it seemed to me it was whoever was in their sights when they were all together, which usually was before school started, gym class or recess time. If it was only one of them by himself, then they did not always start trouble. I guess they needed an audience of their friends around to make it worthwhile to tease or abuse someone. When the mother walked up to them, the bullies moved closer to each other. She yelled at them as she jabbed her finger close to each one’s face. I did not hear everything being said but did catch the phrase, “How would you like it if I did to you what you are doing to my son?” By this time, the bullies could only look down and stay silent, but she was not having it; she demanded they look at her when she was talking to them. After a few more words, which she ended by saying, “Next time I will bring the police with me,” she made her way to the open school entrance. All of us knew she was going to seek out the principal. I never saw them pick on her son again. ANOTHER MOTHER WHO STOOD OUT TO me was one I met in high school. She was a real character. The first time I saw her she was wearing hot pink colored short shorts, a white tank top and sparkling rings on both hands. The word that best describes her would be, “jolly.” She was always joking with her daughter’s friends, saying things that were on the verge of embarrassing; well, at least to her daughter who would just sit there and shake her head. But her mother volunteered for everything; it could be a field trip, a bake sale, a chaperone, whatever the school needed. I learned to respect and admire her because she was unapologetic. She was overweight and short, never letting it bother her. I was her daughter’s friend, so I probably had more interaction with her than other students. The thing I learned about her was though she had this fun cheerful side, she was very protective of her daughter. No one could even suggest something negative about the daughter without the mother confronting the person. She had no problem standing up for what she believed was best for her daughter and pity the person who was on the receiving end. Even having known these and many other mothers, I have to say I could not believe the perseverance and determination the mother displayed in this dramatic crime movie. REFUSING TO WATCH HER SON LANGUISH in the foster care system, a mother decides to kidnap him and find themselves a better life. With Teyana Taylor (White Men Can’t Jump, Miracles Across 125th Street) as Inez de la Paz, Aaron Kingsley Adetola (Rise, Superblocked) as Terry 6 years old, Aven Courtney (Strive, Aviva) as Terry 13 years old, Josiah Cross (King Richard) as Terry 17 years old and William Catlett (The Devil You Know, Charm City Kings) as Lucky; this story based in New York City was unbelievable. I was surprised how quickly I was captivated by Inez; the acting was close to perfection. I will say this was not an easy film to watch, simply because of the tough, emotionally intense scenes; but believe me, it is worth it to see such a well-done movie. The acting was superb by everyone because I had to keep reminding myself this was a made-up story not a documentary; that is how real it came across to me. I will say the ending was a bit of a letdown for me; it seemed to have lost some of its intensity. Despite that, I have a new appreciation for a mother’s strength.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Don’t Worry Darling
I CRINGE WHEN I HEAR A statement such as, “I hate it when he eats in bed.” The back story to this comment; a friend of mine married a man who enjoyed eating in bed. Personally, it would be a deal breaker for me, so I get where she is coming from. The thing is, she knew going into the relationship that this was something he did. I remember her telling me stories about waking up in the morning with crumbs strewn across the whole bed sheet. So, by the time they got married, she had been dealing with this situation for three years. For the next couple of years, I would periodically listen to her complain about her husband’s eating habits. I finally had to ask her why she thought things would be different after they were married. My friend felt once they were married, she could convince him to change his eating habits. I had to call it as I saw it by telling her if she went into the marriage with the idea she could change him, she would set herself up for disappointment. Love does not come with conditions; you either love unconditionally or the basis of the marriage will have this open wound that will not heal. I suggested some options she could try to find a happy medium, but explained at our ages change is hard to come by. She cannot change him, but she can change her reaction; because let us face it, no one is perfect. MAYBE IT WILL NOT SURPRISE YOU those two filed for divorce after a couple of more years. Heaven knows, I have been in relationships where I wished I could change some aspect about the person, but I always concluded that if I am not perfect, why would I expect them to be perfect. Going into a relationship, where you totally accept the person for who they are, is so much easier than struggling to mold each other into what you imagine they could be. I remember being in a relationship where they constantly told me I was never available for them, despite keeping every weekend open for us to be together. What they were saying to me was they wanted me to quit teaching so I could be available for them during the weekdays. They knew from day one that I worked a full-time job and at night I taught fitness and yoga classes. Nothing changed on my part; but they came into the committed relationship expecting me to change for them. It was never discussed or questioned. Knowing my schedule, if they were not happy with it, they could have chosen not to move forward with our dating status. As I have said before, life is not perfect; except maybe for the people living in the experimental town in this dramatic thriller. A HOUSEWIFE BEGINS TO WONDER IF something is wrong with her perfect life after she begins to recall some disturbing dreams. With Florence Pugh (Black Widow, The Wonder) as Alice, Harry Styles (Dunkirk, Eternals) as Jack, Chris Pine (All the Old Knives, The Contractor) as Frank, Olivia Wilde (Richard Jewell, Life Itself) as Bunny and Kiki Layne (The Old Guard, If Beale Street Could Talk) as Margaret; this movie kept my interest because of Florence. She has such a magnetic screen presence that made me want to find out what was happening to her character. There were some interesting parts to the story; however, the longer the movie dragged on the less I cared what was happening to the cast. There was a familiarity to the script, as if I saw some scenes in previous films. And I disliked the twist and the last part of the story; it made no sense to me and by this time I did not care, feeling I wasted my time. Now I don’t expect every movie I see to be perfect, but I certainly want them to be entertaining. This one was not perfect nor was it entertaining.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3
ALL I COULD DO WAS STARE at my dinner plate while everyone around me was yelling at each other. I was a dinner guest at a friend’s house, and I was familiar with the family’s outspokenness. What started out as a pleasant meal turned into a screaming match all because some of the family members started talking about politics. This is something I always avoid in mixed company for these exact reasons. I was enjoying the food and wanted to continue to eat during the arguments, but it felt weird to do so for some reason. The combatants were at the stage of their argument where they were calling each other names. Other family members were taking sides to defend their relative; it was either going to be a short evening or tension filled long night. By the time the arguing died down, with people storming out of the room then coming back in, the food was cold. It did not stop anyone from eating since we were all starving. When dessert finally came out, the conversation had shifted to a lighter mood as members talked about their children and/or trips they were planning. The rest of the evening was filled with jokes, laughter and teasing; you would never have known, only a couple of hours earlier, that family members were close to fisticuffs. I chalked it up to believing this was the way relatives related and expressed themselves to each other in this family. SEVERAL WEEKS LATER, I WAS OUT with a group of friends for dinner and a play. Seated around the table, I looked at them with the thought of how many years we had known each other. When one friend had a medical issue that required hospitalization, each friend found time to visit them in the hospital; some even snuck in food treats that were okay for them to eat. All the friends attended the funeral of a friend when their parents had passed away. Over our meal at the restaurant, we touched on a variety of topics, from the personal to absurd. There was laughter, comfort, advice and joy throughout our meal and into the evening. Each of us were so close to one another that it dawned on me, we were a family in many ways. Except for not sharing the same bloodline, we were no different than any other family. We would do anything for each other and knowing that was a comfort. Except for their superpowers, I can totally see similarities between what I have and what the main characters have in this action, adventure comedy. WHEN ONE OF THE GUARDIANS WAS fatally injured, the others would need to come together to find a way to save him while they were trying to save the universe. With Chris Pratt (The Tomorrow War, The Kid) as Peter Quill, Chukwudi Iwuji (John Wick: Chapter 2, The Split-TV) as The High Evolutionary, Bradley Cooper (A Star is Born, Nightmare Alley) voicing Rocket, Pom Klementieff (Oldboy, Uncut Gems) as Mantis and Dave Bautista (Knock at the Cabin, Glass Onion) as Drax; this sequel was jam packed with story lines and action. It was a little too much for me. I was touched by the personal story lines, but with so much going on, I felt some intensity and emotional connection was sacrificed. At times, it seemed as if part of the story was a retelling of the Wolverine origin story line. On the plus side, the soundtrack and the splashes of humor were great and added more punch to the fight scenes which were well choregraphed. I appreciated the emphasis on family and thought the writers correctly steered the script through to its conclusion. There were 2 extra scenes during the ending credits.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Sisu
I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT REVENGE UNTIL I was in elementary school and saw it for myself. At the time, I did not know any details, only saw the results. We had come back from recess and were going to our seats. A boy sat down at his desk and let out a yelp as he sprung back up from the seat. He was one row over and a few seats ahead of me. I looked up as everyone else did to see him move his hands over his backside. He was pulling something away from his pants, but they were too small for me to see. After he brought it up to his face to inspect it, he looked around the room and demanded to know who did this to him. None of us knew what he was talking about, so we sat there in silence, staring at him. That was not good enough for him; he said he would find out who did it and smash them into little pieces. After that statement, if someone in class had done it, there was no way they would admit it now. As he was pulling out the others that were stuck to him, the teacher walked back into the classroom. She asked him what he was doing, and he replied, “Nothing.” For the rest of the day, I could not stop thinking about what happened to him. IT WAS A FEW DAYS LATER before I found out what happened to that boy in my class. A friend of mine said he had heard the boy was picking on someone from a different class or grade; the person telling him the story was not sure. That boy decided to get back at the boy in my class; so, when we were all outside for recess, he snuck into our room and placed a few colored thumbtacks on that boy’s seat. I asked what would have happened if the boy had sat down and started to bleed (I was naïve)? After this incident, I never heard anything else about it; but I continued to be curious about the actions that took place. The sneakiness of it intrigued me since I was reading a lot of detective stories. The other thing that interested me the most was the fact that the boy who sat on the thumbtacks was a bully in my opinion; I always tried to stay clear of him. The idea that someone would willingly provoke him was a foreign concept to me. As I went from grade to grade, I soon understood the motivation; but I never had the courage to do something so blatant. And believe me, from what I experienced through my school years, there were times I wished I had courage like the main character in this action war film. TOWARDS THE END OF THE WAR, A band of retreating Nazis come upon a prospector who had just struck gold. Seeing the gold as an opportunity for them to safely get out, they felt it would be simple to take the prospector’s gold. They had no idea what they were about to start. With Jorma Tommila (Priest of Evil, Big Game) as Aatami, Aksel Hennie (The Martian, The Cloverfield Paradox) as Bruno, Jack Doolan (The Hatton Garden Job, Marcella-TV) as Wolf, Mimosa Willamo (Finders of the Lost Yacht, Deadwind-TV) as Aino and Onni Tommila (Big Game, Rare Exports) as Schute; this film festival English speaking winner from Finland was a steely intense experience. There were brutal, bloody violent scenes throughout the movie. As some of you know, I am not one for brutal violence; however, the way the story unfolded kept me glued to the big screen. The script was no-nonsense and direct, letting the action do all the talking. There was a Quentin Tarantino vibe through the whole picture, particularly because there was a splash of humor mixed into the violence. Jorma was a solid force throughout the story, despite him barely speaking a word. This was an over-the-top script that had one objective, to get revenge and it does that multiple times.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Champions
YOGA TAUGHT ME LIFE IS ABOUT balance. For every challenge one encounters, a moment is needed to compensate for it. When I was working three jobs, I felt I was losing myself until I set up specific times for me to experience enjoyment/good feelings. My full-time job was demanding during the work week; by the time Friday night came around, I was physically and mentally exhausted. I found enjoyment curling into the corner of the couch and watching one of my favorite television series. Being an observer of the characters’ dilemmas and me not feeling responsible to fix things for them was in a weird way relaxing for me. I was able to shut down parts of my brain which helped me let go of the weeks’ worth of tension that had built up in my body. Also, stating the obvious here; another way for me to quickly relax is to watch a movie. As long as I had these “rest stops” squeezed in through the week, I felt like I was staying level. Luckily, one of my jobs was teaching fitness and yoga; so, I would always have a good feeling after class due to the endorphins getting produced or the visualization process and poses in class. FROM THE PEOPLE IN MY LIFE, I have seen other forms used for creating balance in one’s life. A friend of mine enjoys an alcoholic beverage in the evening, which they slowly sip while looking at historical images on their phone. Another friend I know dances to let go of their daily responsibilities and allow their body to release that day’s tension/anxieties. The things we use to create balance are not always static; they can evolve as we go through the growing process. Recently, I have discovered cooking and baking allow me to forget whatever is troubling to me and focus on the art of creating meals. It is funny because if you saw me, I can easily get stressed in the process since it is relatively new to me. But putting together a meal and sharing it with loved ones is something I have found to be a peaceful, loving relaxed experience. I do not remember where I heard this but to paraphrase, there is much to be gained when “breaking bread” with others. It is true and definitely contributes to keeping balance and good feelings in my life. I felt the same way watching this comedic sports drama because it was such a feel-good movie to me. DUE TO ANGER ISSUES, A BASKETBALL coach was transferred to a small town, where he was ordered to coach a group of players with intellectual disabilities in the art of basketball. There was a big learning curve for both, player and coach. With Woody Harrelson (Triangle of Sadness, The Highwaymen) as Marcus, Kaitlin Olson (The Heat, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia-TV) as Alex, Matt Cook (Film Fest, Man with a Plan-TV) as Sonny, Ernie Hudson (Ghostbusters franchise, The Crow) as Coach Phil Perretti and Cheech Marin (Shotgun Wedding, The War with Grandpa) as Julio; this film’s story was predictable and basic. However, I still found it heartwarming and funny. Woody played one of his typical characters and I thought Kaitlin was a perfect match for him. It never seemed to me the writers were using the disadvantaged characters to get a laugh, making fun of them. They were respectful and shined a light on issues they experience on a daily basis with a touch of humor and compassion. This picture kept my interest throughout the story and as I mentioned before, it left me with such a feel-good moment that stayed for the rest of the day.
3 stars
moviejoltz 