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Flash Movie Review: Predestination
Have you ever wondered if you were able to get one superpower what would you pick? And what would you do with it; use it to make your neighborhood a better place or do something that would bring you some type of personal gain? I was part of a conversation where we were discussing this very thing. When I was very young I wished I had the ability to fly. There was something about flying that always intrigued me. Little did I know how handy this would be in my adult life when commuting to work, especially when stuck in rush hour traffic. As I grew up the flying wish was replaced with the desire to become invisible. My reason for this had little to do with being naturally curious about things and more about protection. The idea that I could have walked through school hallways or out along the streets of the city undetected fascinated me to no end. These days the desire to be invisible has greatly diminished and I fluctuate between a couple of other superpowers. One of them was used in this unique science fiction film. ETHAN Hawke (Boyhood, Training Day) played a barkeep who secretly was a time traveling agent for an organization that tried to prevent crimes before they happened. His last assignment would be his hardest because of who he had to track down and find before a horrific event took place. This film festival winning action thriller did not have the usual trappings of a science fiction movie. The entire look of the film was so cool in a film noir type of way. I thought Sarah Snook (Jessebelle, Not Suitable for Children) was outstanding as the unmarried mother; she played a captivating character. Including Noah Taylor (Almost Famous, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as Mr. Robertson and Christopher Kirby (Daybreakers, The Matrix franchise) as Mr. Miles, I thought all the actors worked well together. The idea of traveling back in time to prevent a crime was nothing new to me; however, the way this story unfolded was so different and absorbing to me. Maybe I am not a deep thinker regarding the figuring out of my movies; but the ending left me completely perplexed. I am sure there must be many ways to interpret this story, but I still do not have a clue on what took place. Does this bother me? Yes, I like my endings to be closer to neat and tidy. However, someone else may be able to explain it to me; I am all ears. Normally I do not go back and watch a movie over again, but I might do it for this one.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Inherent Vice
I sure wish they would hurry up and create those human transporter devices I have seen in science fiction films. You may know the type where your body turns into a swirling mass of small, colored bubbles of light that disperse and reassemble you in a different location. This would be so useful during those awkward moments where you feel out of place among a group of individuals. The moments I am referring to would be similar to situations like attending a party where you were not told it was a masquerade event and costumes were mandatory. Last year I signed up for a training workshop regarding a new body fitness sculpting format; it was a three day event. The first day I walked into the training facility and was met with a group of people who were easily half my age. There I was dressed in baggy workout shorts and a loose T-shirt as everyone else either had skin tight or skimpy, color co-ordianted outfits. Now it was not a big deal to me what they wore or their age; however, a majority of them were personal trainers and I was not. As we went through the training I realized there was no way my body could do what everyone else was doing in class. I could have used that transporter then since I felt out of place. Those same feelings started to come over me during this comedic crime drama. WHEN Los Angeles detective Larry “Doc” Sortello, played by Joaquin Phoenix (The Immigrant, Her), agreed to help his ex-girlfriend he had no idea where the case would lead him, but as long as he had drugs available he was good to go. Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will be Blood, The Master) that was based on Thomas Pynchon’s (Gravity’s Rainbow, Mason & Dixon) novel, I did not get this film festival winning movie that ran for 148 long minutes. Viewers will either love or hate this picture, I believe. The cast was good, including Josh Brolin (Labor Day, W.) as Lt. Detective Christian F. “Bigfoot”Bjornesen and Katherine Waterston (Michael Clayton, Robot & Frank) as Shasta Fay Hepworth, along with the variety of other actors who had small roles. However, for a movie watching experience I did not have a good time sitting through this showing. The mix of scenes seemed random and scattered, as if little vignettes were first created then pieced together. Since I was getting bored in the theater I did glance around at the crowd. This may sound weird but I actually felt a little out of place because the crowd seemed to be all cut from the same mold and I was not. I do not know if it was a generational thing; all I wanted was to be transported out of the theater.
1 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Selma
I may have seen a few sides to the face of hate, but I am well aware there are many more to it. The word hate, depending on how it is used, can be such an evil term. Sure I use the word when I am stating my feelings about a certain food or about the cold weather conditions; however, it would take on a whole different level of meaning if I were to direct the word towards a fellow human being. While participating in a peaceful march I saw how ugly hate could be from the small group of protesters yelling at us. Hate was the fuel that motivated the high school students who tried to lock me in a locker. While walking down the street a couple of guys used their hate to shove me into a store’s plate glass window. I have always said no one is born with hate; it is something that has to be taught to them. Ugly and insidious, hate thrives on conflict as it continually attempts to plant roots into communities, towns, cities, nations; anywhere on the planet to build dividers within mankind. THIS biographical film festival winner’s story depicted the events that lead to a historical moment in time; a peaceful march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama that led to the securing of equal voting rights for all citizens of the United States. David Oyelowo (Interstellar, Red Tails) had the task of portraying Dr. Martin Luther King in this drama and he did a masterful job of acting. Carmen Ejogo (Pride and Glory, The Purge: Anarchy) played his wife Coretta Scott King. Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) was an interesting choice to play President Lyndon B. Johnson. Honestly it took me a moment to figure out which president he was playing because he did not have the looks or mannerisms I expected. This movie was beautifully filmed; I thought the use of darkness with its small palette of colors added strength to the emotions of the scenes. I thought the directing was well done, even though there were a couple of brief parts that seemed out of place to me. As a movie watching experience this picture was powerful; however, there were several scenes filled with ugliness that were hard to watch. Even if you are fortunate enough that you have never been a victim of discrimination or hatred, I cannot imagine anyone not being moved by this well done film. It has been said that history is a tool that teaches the younger generation. With that being the case, I feel it would be beneficial to see this movie and remember what hatred has and still does to us.
3 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Oxford Murders
It started in high school, where there were a couple of teachers who had an edge to them. In other words their teaching styles were not the norm. Students, me being one of them, gravitated to these teachers’ classes because we felt they understood us, treating us more like adults than high school students. However, when I went to college I really started to understand the power an instructor could have over their students. My European history professor was an expert in his field; our textbook was written by him. He was German with a heavy accent whose field of expertise was World War II. His classes were filled with these incredible tales of high drama and intense personal insight to what was actually taking place in the areas he travelled. I do not know if it was due to his intensity or passion, but he was the only instructor I had who used a healthy dose of profanity. And pity the student who was not paying attention and asked him to repeat himself. The teacher would say stuff where these days he would have been written up by his supervisor. His outrageous behavior would not only draw students to him, it would turn some of them into groupies; or worse yet, into these tail wagging pets who would do anything to get his praise. MARTIN’S, played by Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings franchise, Green Street Hooligans), sole purpose for doing his graduate work at Oxford University was to get Professor Arthur Seldom, played by John Hurt (The Elephant Man, V for Vendetta). He was willing to try anything, even solving a murder, to get Arthur’s attention. John Hurt was the draw for me in watching this crime thriller. I have to say he gave a good effort to bring his character to life. The beginning of the story held my attention as the cast, which also included Julie Cox (Second in Command, Almost Heaven) as Beth and Leonor Watling (Talk to Her, My Life Without Me) as Lorna, were introduced. It appeared this film festival winner was going to be a traditional mystery like an Agatha Christie story. However, it was quickly apparent the writers did not know what they wanted to be; an Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, Jessica Fletcher type of sleuth mystery. I started not believing in the scenes as the script spiraled out of control. Everything started to feel like one big visual version of the board game Clue. Watching this DVD on a do nothing type of day would be ok I guess, but I cannot recommend signing up for class.
1 3/4 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Force Majeure
It is easier to proclaim what you would do in a particular situation than participate in it. I am guilty of doing this; though in my defense, I believe I would carry through with what I said. This is because if I did not do it I would be acting out one of my biggest pet peeves: saying I would do something then not doing it. That and someone grabbing food off my plate without asking first are two of my top pet peeves. Now there have been times where I have listened to someone say what they would do in a certain scenario, but I knew they would never follow through if the experience actually happened to them. I would rather a person just be honest and say they could not do such a thing, instead of pretending to be something they were not. I admit I become annoyed when someone spouts off what they would do if they were in a dangerous situation, such as someone trying to steal something off of them in the middle of a crowded train car. It is hard to say what one would do in another person’s situation without having walked in their shoes first, is a motto I periodically say to myself. WHILE on holiday skiing in the French Alps Ebba and Tomas, played by Lisa Loven Kongsli (305, Fatso) and Johannes Kuhnke (The Inheritance, Real Humans-TV), and their two children Vera and Harry, played by newcomers Clara Wettergren and Vincent Wettergren, were enjoying a leisurely lunch out on the veranda of their hotel. Suddenly an explosive controlled avalanche of snow veered off its course and headed straight towards the hotel. Fear took over the family and changed everything about their time together. This film festival winning drama really stayed with me after I was done viewing it. Such an intense, emotional story; I was still going over the story later in the day. I thought the acting was so well done, even by the newcomers. Whoever casted the film picked a group that was able to convey so much emotion with simply a facial expression; I was glued to my seat while watching this wonderful film. Besides the glorious scenery that was beautifully captured by the camerawork, I thought the soundtrack added an extra dimension to the story. Speaking of the story, it really presented the dilemma in such a way for the viewers to react with an immediate emotional response. I cannot imagine anyone watching this picture and not having some type of reaction to it. Swedish and French language was spoken with English subtitles.
3 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Mr. Turner
Each and every person has the capabilities to display both beautiful and ugly traits that are buried inside. I believe the environment one grows up with can influence the way these traits come out. It seems to me as we age the percentages between them varies more. I find it so perplexing when the newscasts televise a segment on someone who was convicted of a crime and they make a point of reciting the perpetrator’s good qualities. For example, the individual was a good father though he was convicted of a hate crime. It is such a wide contrast to me; I have a hard time making sense of it. Some of you may remember that my family and I will not watch certain actors’ films because of certain things they believe or have done in their personal lives. The idea that these artists may be good actors on screen but nasty people in real life does not compute in my brain. Look throughout history and you can easily find historical individuals who made a significant contribution to society but they had ugliness inside of them. SUCH a character but he did extraordinary things with a paintbrush. This film festival winning biographical drama was about the life of 18th century English painter J.M.W. Turner, played by Timothy Spall (Harry Potter franchise, Ginger & Rosa). From a visual aspect this film was at times lush and bright as it was soft and dark. I really got a sense of life during that time. It was interesting to me because I have seen other movies that depicted the same time period, yet this one was more convincing. Though I did not quite understand the character he played early into the picture, Timothy’s acting on a whole slowly grew on me; he had wonderful depth. The character Hannah Danby, played beautifully by Dorothy Atkinson (All of Nothing, Topsy-Turvy) was a fascinating study. In her silence she still was a powerful force on the big screen. Written and directed by Mike Leigh (Happy-Go-Lucky, Secret & Lies), this historical film may not be an easy watch for many viewers. I found it very slow in parts, besides very long with a running time of 2 hours and 30 minutes. At times there was very little action in the scenes; however, when I thought more about it afterwards it made a bit more sense to me. I chalked it up to the time period and place, finding it more artful then entertaining. One aspect I appreciated was the fact I actually saw a few of his paintings in museums but had no knowledge of him at the time. I would be curious for those who see this film, what percentages of beautiful and ugly did you think Mr. Turner showed us?
2 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Into the Woods
You may have done it over a burning candle that was perched on top of a birthday cake. Maybe it was while you were peering into a shiny display window you came upon while walking down the street. No matter where it was done, I do not know anyone who has not wished something for themselves. The whole concept was presented to us at a young age when we were asked what we wanted for our birthday or holiday. As kids we mostly focused on toys and games; but as we grew up, our wish list spread further out to encompass things like trips and cars. In addition, some of the things we started to wish for came with a price. When I started attending aerobic classes I was amazed at how much I enjoyed them. I was lucky because there was a great instructor leading the class who played awesome music. It made me start thinking that maybe I could teach a class one day, so I took steps to make it happen. My love for teaching fitness is as strong today as it was when I first started out; however, I did not know at the time there was going to be as much work involved as there has been. THERE is no better place to see dreams come true than in a fairy tale which this film festival winning movie beautifully created. Taking familiar characters from several fairy tales such as Cinderella, played by Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect, Up in the Air) and Little Red Riding Hood, played by newcomer Lilla Crawford, this fantasy combined all of them into a story about making wishes. There were a variety of actors; I expected Meryl Streep (The Hours, The Giver) as the Witch and James Corden (Begin Again, The History Boys) as the Baker to be good. However, the standouts for me were Emily Blunt (Looper, The Devil Wears Prada) as the Baker’s wife and Chris Pine (Star Trek franchise, People Like Us) as the Prince. I had no idea either of them could even sing. If you are not a musical fan then more than likely you may not enjoy this film as much. Especially with a Stephen Sondheim (Sunday in the Park with George, Sweeney Todd) musical, I find his songs to be more complicated for the average movie/theater goer. Having seen the staged version of this musical, I actually enjoyed this movie production more because the way it unfolded made clearer sense to me. This picture had me thinking because there were several ways one could interpret its story. Also, it was not a kid’s movie; there were none in the movie theater. If you wish for good acting , solid singing and a cast of fairy tale characters, you will not be disappointed.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Unbroken
Appearing not so dissimilar from the uniqueness of an individual’s fingerprints is a person’s pain threshold. I am curious to know what determines someone’s tolerance to pain. Is it genetic, environmental or mind over matter; I have seen people’s reactions go from one extreme to the other. One friend of mine is hypersensitive to any type of discomfort; a pinprick will cause them to let out a loud wail. Another friend could be in pain but one would never know by looking at them. If anything they may not walk as fast as they normally do; but if you did not know, they would appear to be having an average day. Though I am not comfortable comparing one person’s reactions to pain to another, I can appreciate those individuals who overcome intense suffering. One of the places where I have witnessed a person’s courage on display has been at the health and fitness centers where I have classes. Seeing people battle back from serious health issues, some involving major surgery and/or artificial limb replacement, has been humbling. I have watched with awe as I have watched them struggling to walk a single lap around the indoor track or try to lift a 2 pound weight to their chest. Every single one of them is a hero to me. INCREDIBLE and heroic would not have been terms used to describe Louis Zamperini, played by Jack O’Connell (Starred Up, 300: Rise of an Empire), if he had not transformed himself from a wild hooligan into an Olympic athlete and U.S. Air Force bombardier. However, it was because of those earlier experiences that enabled him to survive not only the sea but a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp during World War II. This film festival winning biographical drama was directed by Angelina Jolie (Maleficent, Salt). Based on Louis’ life, his story was bigger than this movie. I felt Angelina had a good eye for blocking scenes and I understood she worked at getting a PG-13 rating for this film. However, I believe she was too reserved in bringing Louis’ story to life. For what he endured I thought there would have been more emotional intensity to the scenes. There were times where I felt things were dragged out longer than necessary; I was starting to get bored. This may have been part of the reason I did not connect with Jack or newcomer Takamasa Ishihara who played Watanabe a/k/a The Bird; they could have been pushed harder to deliver a stronger performance. I recently saw a television special about Louis and from it I knew his story would have been challenging for any director to do it justice. Angelina gave it a good try but I felt this movie needed more of everything.
2 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
It has been a long time; some people had relationships that were of a shorter duration. When we first met my eyes were dazzled by your beauty and my mind was tickled by your fanciful creativity. You showed me places I had only read about in books, never imagining I would see them come to life. I so enjoyed listening to your stories as the images you created appeared before my very eyes. You had this ability to sweep me away to a place where I could forget my problems and let the little boy inside of me come out to play. The years have been good to us. Like any relationship we settled into an easy comfort as we grew old together. Though my hearing and vision may not be as good as it used to be, I still looked forward to the tales you would tell me. After all this time I very much appreciated the fact you did not judge me if it looked like I was about to doze off during your storytelling; you know I never did. By the way, whenever I needed to take a bathroom break I always quickly ran there and back so I would not miss much. DIRECTOR Peter Jackson (King Kong, The Lovely Bones) and I started our journey back in 2001 at the release of his first film from his Lord of the Rings trilogy. Twenty-three years later we meet again for the last movie of his Hobbit franchise. This film festival winning adventure fantasy was just as spectacular visually as the previous ones. I particularly admired Peter’s eye for detail when it came to the scenes. Besides returning cast members Ian McKellen (X-Men franchise, Gods and Monsters) as Gandalf and Martin Freeman (Hot Fuzz, The World’s End) as Bilbo Baggins, there was newcomer Billy Connolly (The Boondock Saints, Quartet) adding a bit of life with his character Dain. Let me start by saying I enjoyed this film more than the previous one. Smaug the dragon, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imagination Game, Sherlock-TV), who ended the last movie began this one with a fiery blast. What it boiled down to for me (no pun intended) was the script could not match the visual technical achievements of the scenes. After all this time there was a tired feeling to the last couple of pictures. It seemed as if this final installment was repetitive, with added fillers. For me watching a nearly one hour long battle scene was a laborious undertaking; it lost intensity as it went on. There was a “let us throw everything at them” quality to it. I am, however, glad I saw this movie. Our relationship may not have been as fresh as it once was, but I could not stand Peter up.
2 2/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Vincere
I was an admirer of this charitable organization; they were doing good work in the community. There were friends who used its services and spoke highly about their visits. Despite my hectic schedule I found time to volunteer from time to time, always finding a friendly and helpful staff. Leading the organization was a powerful individual who could easily command a room. They were a dynamic public speaker, so passionate about the organization’s work. Their speeches would stir and motivate the employees and volunteers to such a high level, one could not help but want to be a part of the “team.” I, like the others, put my trust in this leader; believing everything we were doing was in the best interests of the end user. When news spread about the misappropriation of funds, I had a reaction similar to when someone I care about breaks my trust. It felt like a punch in the stomach that echoed with feeling sadly duped and foolish. Things like this can shake one’s confidence in their ability to detect an unscrupulous person. ENAMORED by his looks and strong presence Ida Dalser, played by Giovanna Mezzogiorno (Don’t Tell, Facing Windows) felt she could act on her strong attraction to this man named Benito Mussollini, played by Filippo Timi (The American, The Double Hour). It appeared he felt the same way about her as the two started a relationship that would reach historical proportions. First of all I do not know if I am in the minority or not, but I had never heard the name Ida Dalser mentioned in any of my past history classes. As you may have guessed I had no idea what this movie was about when I starting watching the DVD. This film festival winning biographical drama was a complete shock to me. Both Giovanna and Filippo were so intense in their characters, I was immediately drawn to them; their acting was incredible. Add in the historical significance of the story and I was glued to the television screen. I thought the directing, the sets and even the costumes all worked at making this a strong, emotionally wrought movie. For the most part the subtitles were easy to read, though I did notice I was getting concerned I would miss something in the scene while reading. I do not believe so since everything I saw made sense to me. After viewing this picture I had to look up further information on Ida. However, I cannot guarantee the authenticity of this picture’s story. If some of the scenes were untrue it did not matter because the story was unbelievable. There was Italian and German languages used with English subtitles.
3 1/2 stars — DVD
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