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Flash Movie Review: The Miracle Season
MAYBE IT IS PAYBACK OR simply karma from all those years doing nothing when we had a substitute teacher. Not that I did anything disrespectful, but allegedly I instigated a couple of disruptions. My thing back then was to shoot “spitballs” out of a hollow pen. I know that was not right; however, compared to some of the other stunts students did when we had a substitute teacher, my act was almost benign. There was one student who glued the teacher’s handbook to the desk. When the substitute came in and tried to lift the book up the back cover would not budge. The teacher had to spend time slowly trying to scrap the cover off the desk without ripping it too much. Another time we had a substitute who went to write something on the chalkboard but all the chalk and erasers were hidden by a couple of students. It was not easy for a substitute teacher to come in and take over the class for a day or two. For us students a sub meant it was going to be an easy day, at least in theory. FAST FORWARD TO WHEN I BECAME a fitness instructor full time. In the beginning I had my schedule of classes but also would help the other instructors by being a substitute for their classes. Because I am one, I totally get members who want the same thing they are used to with an instructor. Here I walk in and have my own style of teaching; you should have seen some of the faces the members would make to show their displeasure with me. I subbed for a yoga instructor and as I began my introduction a member asked if I could turn off the lights. When I explained I could do it later in the class, after I see how everyone moves in the poses; the member harrumphed, rolled up her mat and stormed out of the room. This was before I even did one pose. It is challenging to fill in for a teacher who is popular with a strong following. When members find someone they enjoy they only want to work out with that particular instructor. If a substitute comes in they must perform at their best and try to win the participants over or at least not lose them 5 minutes into the class. Therefore, I understood and felt bad for the main character in this dramatic sports film. AFTER A TRAGIC ACCIDENT THAT LEFT their volleyball team without a captain it was decided to move Kelley Fliehler, played by Erin Moriarty (Captain Fantastic, The Kings of Summer), into that position. She would not only have to win points but even harder, win over her teammates. This film based on a true story also starred Helen Hunt (The Sessions, As Good as it Gets) as Kathy Bresnahan, Tiera Skovbye (Midnight Sun, Supernatural-TV) as Brie, William Hurt (A History of Violence, Days and Nights) as Ernie Found and Danika Yarosh (Heroes Reborn-TV, Shameless-TV) as Caroline “Line” Found. The story in this picture was inspiring; however, I felt it was not executed to its best advantage. Pretty much this was a straightforward telling of the events and here is where I think the script does not do the story justice. There was nothing different about this film compared to others I have seen with this type of story. Without delving much into the characters, I never felt fully connected to any of them. The parts I enjoyed were the actual volleyball matches. Outside of that there was nothing horrible or great about this movie, which in sports talk I guess would translate it to not being a win or loss but only a tie.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Kings
IF THE ADULTS DO NOT ACT RESPONSIBLY how in the world will their children be able to act it? I have seen some bizarre things take place between a parent and a child. First off, I still remember being at a park and watching a woman fill up a baby bottle with soda pop to give to her toddler. One of my favorite contradictions is when a parent scolds a child for bad language, you know a swear word; though the son or daughter was only copying the foul mouth of their mother or father. What I imagine to be more traumatic is when the adult in the family is either drunk or high while taking care of their offspring. We had here recently a news report about a family that was driving in a car that drove off the road into a lake. It turns out the parent was drunk. I have a friend who lost a nephew due to this same type of scenario except it was a car collision instead of a lake. Childrearing of itself is already a challenging experience and then some children having to deal with these added types of circumstances is just horrifying. LUCKILY NOT EVERYTHING IS A DOOM or gloom situation; there are things I have seen between family members that were amazing. Listening to a parent explain discrimination gives me hope that the next generation will be better than the one before it. I firmly believe education is fundamental to the healthy growth of a child. Just think about it; if a child sees their parent acting afraid around a certain race or ethnic group of people, the child will instinctively become cautious around the same group. If the adult’s issues had been addressed before they manifested into fear, that adult could have stopped the cycle from being handed down to their offspring. I remember exactly where a very young me was, in a museum down in the city, when I asked about a person I saw who did not look anything like me or the people around me. Part of the explanation given to me was about countries and continents; there was no fearfulness or negative feelings put into the talk I was given. So, you see there are adults in this world who can be good examples for responsibility, thoughtfulness and compassion. The main character in this drama tries her best in the middle of rising racial tensions. AS THE TRIAL IS TAKING PLACE about the police beating of a black man single mom Millie Dunbar, played by Halle Berry (Kidnap, Kingsman: The Golden Circle), is trying to keep her children safe from the tensions building in the neighborhood. With Daniel Craig (Logan Lucky, Skyfall) as Obie Hardison, Lamar Johnson (Home Again, The Next Step-TV) as Jesse Cooper, Rachel Hilson (The Good Wife-TV, Cass) as Nicole Patterson and Callan Farris (Brothered Up-TV movie, Square Roots-TV movie) as Ruben; this movie’s story revolved around the Rodney King trial back from the 1990s in California. I thought this was going to be an intense, thought provoking crime drama but the director and writers missed the mark—by a wide gap. The script was such a mess going from ill-placed humor to drama to action to sadness; there appeared to be no thought put behind doing a complete story. As for the filming I found it annoying that the director would continually cut to aerial shots of roof top houses. There were so many predictable scenes and I thought the sudden love angle was ridiculous; yes, that is right, in the middle of a riot let us kiss. This was a waste of actors and film. What a shame for such a newsworthy event to be told by a poorly written script.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Lean on Pete
SOME OF THE BEST CONVERSATIONS held are the ones between a pet and its owner. I am here to tell you there are a whole bunch of humans who could learn a lesson on communication, if they would watch and listen to owners talking to their pets. First off you would be hard pressed to find someone more compassionate and attentive than a dog or cat. I love both but I must say dogs have more facial expressions and possibly more empathy. Several years ago this happened but it is just as vivid in my mind now as it was when I saw it originally taking place. A friend of mine was going through a crisis; crying while curled up on their sofa. Into the room came their dog who took one look at its owner, came up to the edge of the sofa and jumped up onto a small open space by my friend’s feet. The dog walked behind my friend and plopped itself down between my friend and the back of the sofa, while putting a paw up on his shoulder. I was speechless as I saw the dog placing his head down on my friend’s back and its leg stretched out as far as possible into a hug. SO YOU CANNOT TELL ME OUR pets do not understand our feelings. Simply look into your pet’s eyes and you will find pure love and affection. It is an unconditional love that makes your pet greet you when you get home; even if you were gone for 2 minutes, to them it seems like it was hours. Maybe you have had conversations where you are sharing your feelings with your friend and everything you say elicits a response from them, telling you they experienced the same thing. They may feel they are being compassionate but that does not always produce such results. I know someone who no matter what you say to them they always respond with a story that is worse than the one you told them. It is like they are in competition with you to see who has the most serious ailment or hardship. Sometimes we just need someone to listen to us and that is where pets make the perfect attentive listeners. They never judge us; all they want to do is love us. Though I have been focusing on dogs and cats, this film festival winning drama will show you another pet that helps someone through a crisis. WITH HIS LIFE IN TURMOIL CHARLEY, played by Charlie Plummer (All the Money in the World, King Jack), finds comfort working at the rundown stables of owner Del, played by Steve Buscemi (The Death of Stalin, Norman). It is here he finds a true friend. Not since the movie My Friend Flicka have I seen such a beautiful connection being made between a boy and a horse. Charlie was nearly mesmerizing in his performance; one could feel his emotions and plight. With Chloe Sevigny (Love & Friendship, Big Love-TV) as Bonnie and Steve Zahn (A Perfect Getaway, Rescue Dawn) as Silver; I thought the cast did a wonderful job in bringing this story to life. The minimalist script created a slow and steady unfolding story; it felt like I was watching a novel come to life. I am a sucker for a movie with an animal in it; despite that, this was a worthy piece of work with believable characters who showed a true slice of life. Be prepared to experience your emotions as you watch Charley’s and Pete’s journey.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Traffik
THE PRICE ADVERTISED WAS THE deciding factor for my friends to book their trip. Having gone to Mexico multiple times they did not need the add-on excursions or upgrades to their tour package. With the low price they chose to extend their stay; but once they booked the hotel and agreed upon the dates, there wound up being additional costs. All of a sudden they were being charged extra for their suitcases and seats; never before were they ever billed such a charge when they booked through the travel agency. What really galled them was an extra charge from the hotel due to the extended stay; it brought them into the travel season pricing, whatever that meant. When I talked to one of my friends she expressed her anger at the travel agency. She said if they would have included all the extra fees into their advertised price she would not have gotten a bad attitude about them. The way they listed a super low price to entice travelers then hit them with added fees felt dishonest to her. I WOULD HAVE TO AGREE WITH her. The same thing has happened to me. Several years ago I saw an advertised price for a piece of furniture; it was something I had been waiting to go on sale. When I saw the item being advertised on sale I drove to the store to get it. Once there I sought out someone to help me which I have to tell you has become more of a challenge these days. Finally getting a salesperson, I went over the options of color and pattern. Would you believe the sale price was only for one specific color and wood finish?!?! For my color choices it would be more expensive. I was so ticked off I decided not to buy it and instead go look for something else. Things like this are irritating to me. Why can’t they just list the fine details (in large enough print) or state everything upfront? I feel the same way about passive aggressive behavior; just tell me what you want instead of hinting at it or trying to manipulate the conversation with me. It is annoying which is how I felt about this dramatic thriller inspired by true events. WHAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A romantic weekend for Brea and John, played by Paula Patton (Precious, Déjà Vu) and Omar Epps (Love & Basketball, House-TV), turned into a nightmare as they were being stalked by what they thought were just some prejudiced people. Actually they weren’t, they were looking for something specific. With Dawn Olivieri (American Hustle, Den of Thieves) as Cara, Missi Pyle (The Artist, Galaxy Quest) as Deputy Sally Marnes and Laz Alonso (Detroit, Jumping the Broom) as Darren Cole; this story had an identity crisis. If the writers would have only focused on one of the 2 stories taking place this would have been a better movie in my opinion. Unfortunately they missed an important opportunity to shine light on a dark aspect taking place around the world. I was so disappointed not only by this but the rudimentary script. Paula gave it a good try but as I have said before, a film loses points when the script makes the characters do unrealistic things. I am talking about, as an example, knocking unconscious your attacker but you do not take their gun with you or at least hide it before you run away. Stuff like this drives me crazy. So the bottom line here is this movie should have focused on being either a thriller or a startling revelation about human trafficking.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Chappaquiddick
IT IS SAFE TO SAY the majority of us has experienced the feeling of shock. Hopefully it was the type of shock that surprises or dumbfounds you; you know, like seeing a driver do something ignorant and illegal or seeing a parent pouring a soft drink into a baby bottle to feed their child. I used these two examples because I actually was a witness to them. For the driver they were impatient and did not want to continue creeping along until they got to their exit off the highway. So the driver drove off the road, down the gully running alongside then up the steep grassy hill. Their car looked like it was sliding down sideways but they just gunned the engine and eventually made it to the exit. So something like this would definitely be placed in the “shock” category in my book. NOW THERE IS A DIFFERENT FORM of shock; the only way I can describe it, is that it numbs one’s brain. As if your brain becomes paralyzed, all the synapses lose current and stop connecting with each other. For the most part I tend to see this type of shock only on television shows and in movies, which is a good thing. I hope it is the same for you. Only a couple of my friends that I have known for years can tell when I am experiencing something close to this kind of shock. Years ago my friends made a surprise birthday party for me; I was totally unaware of it. When I walked into the place a photo was taken of me so there is proof on my face that I was completely stunned by the surprise. At least the shock was for a good thing because on the flipside getting “bad” news can certainly stop someone dead in their tracks as they say. I do not remember (see I am already preparing you for the shock) if I told you about an incident that happened during my medical scare last year. One evening I received a phone call from a doctor that was unfamiliar to me. I was at the movie theater waiting for a film to start. The doctor began telling me about my recent tests and said there was something else he wanted me to have checked out. If these were the only words he had used I would not have freaked out, but when he said “you need to do it sooner than later” my brain immediately short-circuited. For that reason I could appreciate on some level what was going through the brain of the main character in this historic drama. THE FEAR OF DROWNING COULD have easily been a factor in Ted Kennedy’s, played by Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty, Everest), behavior after the car he was driving plunged off a bridge. That one car accident would alter the course of history. This film festival nominee also starred Ed Helms (Vacation, Love the Coopers) as Joseph Gargan, Jim Gaffigan (Away We Go, Going the Distance) as Markham and Bruce Dern (The Hateful Eight, Nebraska) as Joseph Kennedy. This movie played out like a docudrama; there were times where I believed what I was seeing but then other times I felt the story was being embellished upon to create some excitement. Jason was excellent in the role as was Bruce Dern; as for the rest of the cast they were more background players for me. I would have appreciated if the script delved more into the history of the characters, especially the relationship between Ted and his father, but I understood this film was focused on one major incident. Since I would have no idea if what I witnessed in this movie actually happened, I left the theater with mixed emotions. It certainly was a tragic event, but I did not feel invested in the story.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Paul, Apostle of Christ
I HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE TO experience a different religious service from mine, during one of the holidays. Entering into the cavernous building, I was immediately taken by the decorations that were hanging down every column and window. Golden gauze like fabric was gently swaying on the currents of air from the open windows. There was an elderly gentleman standing in the aisle that led to the seats. He was passing out ribbons that were attached to the top of wooden sticks, sort of like mini flags. Each of us were handed one; I asked my companion what we were supposed to do with these ribbons. They were to be used during certain passages of the service, where we are to wave them in the air. Okay that was different for me. But then there was another person standing behind the elderly man and she was handing out yellowish colored foam sticks, for lack of a better word; I swear they looked like large french fries! Each one was embossed with the word “HALLELUJAH.” Looking at my friend he was as perplexed as me. After everyone was seated a religious leader came out to explain what to do with the 2 items we were given. No disrespect but it felt like I was attending a sporting event; would we be doing the “wave” next? THE SERVICE BEGAN AFTER THE organ player, who was perched up in the balcony, finished their song. What struck me rather quickly was the amount of songs being performed throughout the service. I could not remember ever hearing so much music at any religious service I attended previously. Being a people watcher I periodically scanned the people around me. Some of them were really into the music, waving their ribbons back and forth in the air; others were jabbing their foam sticks up and down in the air. If everyone had been sitting in bleachers you would have thought they were at a football game; it was surreal for me. At one point in the service the leader walked out into the crowd dribbling a basketball; I knew it, this was a game! No seriously he gave a speech about inclusion, touching on some of the hot topics currently in the news. I have to tell you it felt genuine to me; this individual was asking us to look at something in a different light. Though this was not the religion I was raised with I learned something new. I can say the same for this historical drama. EACH TIME BEING FEARFUL FOR HIS life Luke, played by Jim Caviezel (The Thin Red Line, Frequency), persisted in visiting imprisoned apostle Paul, played by James Faulkner (Atomic Blonde, Game of Thrones-TV). Luke wanted to keep a journal of everything Paul was telling him. Set in Rome during the reign of Nero this film also starred Olivier Martinez (The Physician, Unfaithful) as Mauritius, Joanne Whalley (Willow, The Man Who Knew too Little) as Priscilla and John Lynch (The Secret Garden, Black Death) as Aquila. The first thing I appreciated about this movie was the script was written to tell a story. I do not know how much of it was true but I found it interesting since I have a general curiosity about different religions. However the script did not go far enough; it caused the actors to pale in their roles. I simply found them to be dull and wooden with their acting. Gratefully there was no heavy handed preaching to the viewers, but I would have preferred seeing more story and especially more historical background to the story.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: A Quiet Place
DESPITE WHAT HAS BECOME A torturous route, the thrill is still there whenever I fly through the clouds. From the time I was little, lying out in an open field near the airport, watching airplanes take flight; I have always been fascinated with the idea of flying. I can remember getting off an airplane and have relatives standing right at the gate for me. There was never a problem to carry baked goods from home on the plane to bring to distant family members. In fact the whole experience of traveling by air was easy compared to now. I know I bring it on to myself but traveling today causes me to be anxious and tense. There are more opportunities for something to delay or cancel my trip. Now granted I know all of the rules regarding flying are for the public’s safety; but for those who remember an earlier time, things are drastically different. At least that is my opinion. FROM THE MOMENT I ARRIVE at the airport, my body tenses up. If I have driven to the airport I am concerned the long term parking lot will be full; it happened to me once, but that was enough. Then when I am inside at one of the kiosks to retrieve my boarding pass, there is a sense of dread that comes over me that the flight is overbooked and I will not get a seat. Here again it happened to me before. Once I pass these obstacles the next one to come is where I am the tensest. Going through the security line always upsets me. It takes one simple thing to trigger either the metal detectors or X-ray machines and I try to avoid that happening like the plague. I never wear a belt or watch when I go through the security line. Ever since I was pulled out of line because my knapsack triggered an explosive sensor due to a candle I received as a gift, I have eliminated everything possible that could slow down my way to the departure gate. Having just returned from a relaxing vacation this week, as soon as I arrived at the airport for my return flight I went into my defense mode of nervous tension. Little did I know that tension would never leave when I got back home because I went directly to the theater to see this dramatic horror thriller. THE SLIGHTEST SOUND WOULD BRING death to their family, so husband and wife Lee and Evelyn Abbott, played by John Krasinski (13 Hours, The Hollars) and Emily Blunt (The Girl on the Train, The Adjustment Bureau), did everything they could to keep their kids quiet; however, how does one train a young child not to make a sound? Directed and co-written by John Krasinski, this film also starred Millicent Simmonds (Wonderstruck) as Regan and Noah Jupe (Wonder, Suburbicon) as Marcus. Right from the start this story grabbed me; it was fresh and different. I thought I would have an issue with so little dialog; but it quickly disappeared due to the admirable effort of John’s directing and the deeply felt acting from Emily, who in real life are married to each other. This was a new type of horror film that kept me in a state of nervous tension; some of the scenes were so beautifully orchestrated. My only complaint had to do with the baby scenes and the way the story turned out towards the end; they were not believable to me. Outside of that this picture really was a thriller, so be prepared if you go see it.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Flower
IT SOUNDED LIKE A SOLID game plan. We were going to drive an 18 foot van filled with all of his furnishings from Arizona to relocate him to Colorado. Attached to the van would be a trailer to haul his car. Since he had more experience than me driving trucks it was decided he would do all the driving and I would be the navigator. We left on a hot sunny day; the air conditioning in the cab groaning as it tried to lower the temperature. I joked that I felt like we were starring in a remake of an old Lucille Ball movie where her and Desi played newlyweds that decided to drive a trailer across country. We christened the truck and trailer the “Beast” because it felt so massive to us. Neither of us realized with it being packed full, our ability to keep up with traffic made it feel as if the truck was lumbering like a grizzly bear looking for a place to hibernate. All things considered we could not complain; the weather stayed sunny, there was no construction or road blocks and our route would mostly be all highway driving. ONCE WE DROVE INTO COLORADO our drive would take a perilous turn. The Rockies stood ahead of us, as if they were daring us to try and get through them. It did not occur to either of us that the bogged down van would struggle through the mountain passes. Actually going uphill was not as scary as downhill. There were some cars that honked at us because we were not keeping up with the speed limit; like we had a choice, the poor van felt like it was trembling in fear. I wanted to ask about the sounds I was hearing out of the engine; but my friend was concentrating so hard on keeping the van steady, I did not want to distract him. We were halfway through the mountains and it was still light out gratefully; we did not want to be stuck there after sundown. It was not until we were finally going downhill before I felt any calmness. It did not last long because anytime we were going downhill the van wanted to go faster. It was like the Beast had woken up, ravenous for a meal. My friend had to ride the brakes which caused them to heat up and emit this burning smell that filled the cab. I was freaking out, afraid the brakes would give out and we would hurl down the road, knocking drivers out of the way. Never had I been so frightened and vowed I would never be part of such a plan again. Too bad there was no one among the young adults in this film festival nominated, dramatic comedy that had the same feelings as I did regarding their plan. WHEN HER MOTHER’S BOYFRIEND’S SON comes to live with them Erica, played by Zoey Deutch (Why Him? Everybody Wants Some!!), doesn’t want anything to do with him. That is until he tells her a secret about a man she has been crushing on. With Kathryn Hahn (Bad Moms franchise, Bad Words) as Laurie, Adam Scott (The Vicious Kind, Step Brothers) as Will and Eric Edelstein (Jurassic World, Green Room) as Dale; I felt the script was written to shock the viewer from the get go. The story had some similarities to others of this type but what pulled me in was Zoey’s amazing performance. She really took over the screen from everyone else; I honestly had no idea she could act this well. As a whole this movie watching experience was a mixed bag. There were scenes that felt fresh and new, but then others seemed redundant to me. Honestly I still am not sure I cared for the way the story ended. Maybe with more planning from the writers and director this film would have had a bigger impact on me.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Midnight Sun
WHEN IS IT THE RIGHT time to share something personal with the person you are dating? I have seen and heard a variety of reactions from my friends’ experiences. Some of them, in my opinion, share too much information too soon. I do not think it is necessary to dispense intimate details about oneself on the first couple of dates. At least for me it takes a few times of being together to see if both parties are starting to get comfortable with each other. Let me add I have never gone into a dating situation with a preconceived notion about the person or any type of expectations. I think that is where a person gets tripped up, when they have expectations. There were a couple of times where I went on a date and realized the person had planned out everything they wanted in a relationship. All they needed was to find someone to plug into their scenario; they really did not care to learn about the person, only if they could fit into what they had laid out for themselves. NOW I WILL SAY I do not have a problem revealing things about myself if a person asks me. I would think if you have been following my reviews you would notice they can be rather personal. When I meet someone new there is usually one thing I will mention early on because I have learned if I do not, the person tends to spend time trying to figure out what is wrong with me. I happen to be hypersensitive to the cold; pretty much anything from the weather to air conditioning to ice cubes. My body reacts to the cold by shunting the blood to the internal organs to protect them; everyone’s body does this by the way. Mine just does it more often because more things make me feel cold. So you see when I am on a date and I do not take my jacket off at the cinema or restaurant, it may look odd to everyone. The same thing happens to me grocery shopping, especially in the frozen food sections of the store. It is summertime and I am walking around in a jacket because of the store’s air conditioning. But do you know what I think? If someone is going to get turned off because of my sensitivity to the cold, do I really want to be with them anyway? It was a similar dilemma for the main character in this dramatic, romance movie. SEVENTEEN YEARS LIVING IN THE same neighborhood and Charlie, played by Patrick Schwarzenegger (Stuck in Love, Grown Ups 2), could not understand how he had never seen Katie, played by Bella Thorne (Blended, Scream: The TV Series) before or at least in school at some point. There was a reason he never saw her. With Rob Riggle (Dumb and Dumber To, 21 Jump Street franchise) as Jack, Quinn Shepherd (Unaccompanied Minors, Hostages-TV) as Morgan and Nicholas Coombe (Imaginary Mary-TV, Cinema Town-TV) as Garver; this film quickly fell into a generic pattern that has played out before. It was too bad because I enjoyed watching the interactions between Katie and Jack. However the biggest distraction for me was Patrick’s performance; his acting was more like sleepwalking. I could not get over how one dimensional he was in this picture; his face barely showed emotion and his eyes were dead looking. Combine this with the melodramatic, heavy handed story and all this film produced for me was boredom.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: 7 Days in Entebbe
THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT get better with age and there are others that get worse. I am a big fan of leftovers because I have found some foods taste better to me the next day. This may gross some of you out but I love cold pizza on the 2nd day as much as when I originally ordered it. Not being an alcohol drinker I have heard some wines and liquors taste better the longer they sit. When it comes to shoes I definitely feel they get better with age; my feet are much happier in an old pair of sneakers than a brand new, store bought pair. Having watched people around me go through the aging process I feel I can say some of them got softer with age. What I mean is they lost some of their intensity and rigidity. Things that used to annoy them do not have the same effect as they have grown older. On the other hand there are some folk who have become less accepting or maybe I should say less open to new experiences. They want things in a particular order with no deviation, becoming more argumentative if things are not to their liking. ALONG THESE SAME LINES I have noticed that the feelings of love and hate have altered through the years. Love for all intents and purposes has stayed steady through the years. Sure there are more ways to show one’s love these days, but overall it pretty much has stayed intact in its pureness. Hate to me has become more of a hungry beast that wants to devour things whole. Years ago when two people broke off their relationship they stopped seeing each other. Yes there may have been yelling and name calling; but eventually the participants moved on with their lives. Now we have people becoming stalkers and killers when their love goes unanswered. Hatred to me has become more volatile where groups of people form over a common hate towards some other group. The things I see on the news are hard to comprehend sometimes. People being poisoned as they walk down the street, vehicles exploding in highly populated areas, beheadings being recorded; there is only so much one can see before they get depressed by it all. You would think with the way technology has helped advance society there would be a way people could learn to embrace each other’s differences instead of using them to fuel their hatred. Though the story in this dramatic, crime thriller took place in the 1970s it could easily have taken place today. LOOKING FOR A WAY TO achieve their mutual goals a group of radicals hatch a creative plan involving an airplane. To the individuals who would be affected by their plan, it meant they would have to come up with something just as creative if they wanted to save lives. Inspired by true events this film starred Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl, A United Kingdom) as Brigitte Kuhlmann, Daniel Bruhl (The Zookeeper’s Wife, Rush) as Wilfried Bose, Eddie Marsan (Happy-Go-Lucky, 21 Grams) as Shimon Peres and Lior Ashkenazi (Footnote, Walk on Water) as Yitzhak Rabin. The story was an intense one and for it to succeed it needed a solid script, but that did not happen. The cast was certainly capable to handle it but I found the script uneven; there were some riveting scenes but then others fell flat. I actually did not like the way the movie ended with the 2 story lines. Maybe if there was more back story to the characters I would have gotten more into this film; however, what I watched only made me sad on many levels.
1 ¾ stars
moviejoltz 