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Flash Movie Review: Collide
IF there is something harder I do not know what it could be. To see a loved one not only suffering from a health issue but also totally aware of it is awful to witness. I have always said when a loved one dies suddenly it is harder for those who remain behind; when a loved one dies after a long illness it is harder for them. After seeing someone in pain and anguish for a long duration, for those who were witnessing it, there is a sense of relief at the time of the sufferer’s passing. This has been my experiences as well as the friends and family around me. I remember walking into the hospital room of a loved one and being stunned on how much their face had changed from their disease. The face looked like one of those death masks that one would see on display at a museum, except it was hollowed out at the cheeks and eye sockets; it was just awful. Standing there in the room I thought to myself there is no reason they need to stay alive and suffer so much. I understand there are some people who want to hang on to every extra minute they can get by keeping their dying loved ones alive longer. Please I do not want to upset anyone but I have seen people treat their pets better than their relatives and friends when it comes to ending the suffering. WITH that being said I know I would do everything I could to help a loved one get whatever treatment they needed to extend their life as long as they were not suffering. If it meant learning how to administer pain medicines or get the ill person to therapy sessions, whatever it took I would attempt it. But here is the thing that gets me, what about people who do not have any health insurance or worse they are not able to handle the out of pocket expense? Can you imagine what it must feel like to know there is a treatment out there to help your loved one but the cost was too great? How brutal would that be and here is an example of it in this dramatic action thriller. THE thought of losing his girlfriend Juliette, played by Felicity Jones, was too much to bear for Casey Stein, played by Nicholas Hoult (X-Men franchise, Mad Max: Fury Road). He was willing to do an illegal job to get the money he needed for his girlfriend’s operation. Unfortunately the job did not go as planned. This film had such a competent cast that also included Anthony Hopkins (The Elephant Man, Hitchcock) as Hagen Kahl and Ben Kingsley (Learning to Drive, Schindler’s List) as Geran. Why in the world did these actors sign up for such a mediocre film is beyond me? The story which we have heard before was okay, but the script was so poorly thought out that I sat in my seat and kept thinking how silly the scenes were becoming. At least the chase scenes were exciting, some across Germany’s autobahn, but even after a time I was getting tired seeing so many of them. This picture could have been better if they had written the parts in a more authentic way. In its present form I just wanted to get to a car crash to end everyone’s misery.
1 2/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Keys to the House
If the animal kingdom has several species like tiger sharks and hamsters that eat or discard their young, then does it not make sense there would be some humans who do the same thing? Maybe I should clarify what I mean since I am not saying there are parents who literally eat their children; I am referring more to the discarding or the total emotional and mental consumption aspect of the parent/child relationship. From stories I have heard to ones I have seen reported on the news I still react with a sense of shock to some of the stories. For example when the news reporter is interviewing the parents of a child accused of a killing spree or bombing a place I have to wonder if the parents really had no idea their child was capable of such an act. The parents tearfully express their sadness, telling the reporter their son or daughter was always a good child. I am curious about this; is it possible or are the parents so removed from their child’s life they have no clue what their children are capable of doing? I do not have an answer. Perhaps I mentioned this in an earlier review about my friend who was on a jury involved in a case about a mother who hung her 2 year old son off the fire escape of their apartment building. What would possess a parent to do such a thing? But then I think about the classes I attended in school where we had a discussion about the culture where parents would drown their new born babies if they were born female. Now I have such a hard time wrapping stuff like this around my brain because I feel children do not ask to come into this world; however, if a person is going to bring a child into this world then they need to do what is in the best interests for that child. I would be curious to hear what you think about what happened in this dramatic film. FIFTEEN years had passed before Gianni, played by Kim Rossi Stuart (Angel of Evil, Those Happy Years), decided to see his handicapped son Paolo, played by newcomer Andrea Rossi, for the first time. Gianni did not know what to expect. This film festival winning movie was fortunate to have Charlotte Rampling (45 Years, The Duchess) play the character Nicole because she was wonderful in the role. Along with Pierfrancesco Favino (World War Z, Angels & Demons) as Alberto the script tended to push the sentimental aspects of the story but to tell you the truth it did not bother me. I was grabbed early on into this picture, impressed by the acting and the story. If this had been done by a Hollywood studio I think this film would have been over done; instead, the direction and script provided a straight forward and honest portrayal of the events. There was a line that Charlotte’s character says that will prove my point. Do not be surprised if this foreign film gives you a new appreciation of what it means to be a parent. Italian and German were spoken with English subtitles.
3 ¼ stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: The World is Big and Salvation Lurks Around the Corner
I heard what was being said but I could not comprehend it. What was being told to me was foreign to my experiences. I was listening to a story about a mother not wanting to take a road trip with her grandchildren because she did not want to be stuck in a car that long with her son-in-law. Whatever issues she had with her son-in-law did not matter to me; but the idea of missing out on her grandkids was something I found odd. Couldn’t she find another way to get to their destination I thought? I sat listening about this woman and all the traits I associate with being a grandmother did not apply to her. Here are a few things I learned about this person. If there was a television show on she wanted to watch, she would tell her grandchildren not to bother her for the duration of the show. When she was out with her grandchildren she rarely agreed to buy them something they asked for; even something small like an ice cream cone from the ice cream shop or a candy bar from the grocery store. The more I sat learning about this person the more I realized she was a narcissist. Everything was about her and everyone’s purpose according to her was to take care of her. This was so strange to me because my experiences showed me grandparents were kind and sweet. They would take delight in making any of their grandchildren laugh as well as praise them no matter how insignificant the child’s feat may be. Grandparents offered unconditional love and this dramatic movie will show you what I mean. PHYSICALLY surviving a near fatal accident Alexander “Sashko” Georgiev, played by Carlo Ljubek (Off Beat, Shahada), was left with no memories. He did not want the strange man named Bai Dan, played Predrag Manojlovic (Irina Palm, Underground), to keep visiting him in the hospital, even though the man kept saying he was Sashko’s grandfather. This film festival winning movie had a dual story line that was easy to follow; one was set in present time and the other was told via flashbacks. Also starring Hristo Mutafchiev (Hannibal, Undercover-TV) as Vasil “Vasko” Georgiev and Ana Papadopulu (Letter to America, Verso Nord) as Yana Georgiev, I thought the cast did a wonderful job of acting. Though the idea for the simple story initially sounded familiar, I enjoyed the direction it took because what it turned into was something much more. The soundtrack was melodic in a sparse way, but it added an extra layer of charming sweetness to the scenes. It would have been easy to film this picture in closer quarters; gratefully that did not happen because I found the outdoor scenes that included landscapes to be quite beautiful. Maybe some of the script was geared to being overly sentimental, but it did not matter to me. In fact, from the time I saw this movie to writing the review, any minor issues I might have had were now long forgotten. The character Bai Dan was a perfect example of a grandparent’s love. Bulgarian, German and Italian were spoken with English subtitles.
3 ¼ stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: The Edge of Heaven
There was no other option because we were hungry. A line of people standing outside the front door was how we determined the restaurant had to have good food. The problem was the way it served the food to the customers. Besides buffets, foraging in a trough or potluck meals; sitting at a table with strangers for family style feeding is not one of my approved methods of eating. I do not like passing a bowl around where people serve themselves. It is creepy when I see someone helping themselves to the food with their own silverware that was just in their mouth. Since there was nothing else around we had no other choice if we wanted to eat. Seated at a large round table with a dozen strangers, the opening conversation focused on where each of us came from then progressed to our reasons for being there. I was not comfortable at the table through the food was good; however, during the chitchat I heard about a part of the city that sounded like a real cool place to visit. No where did I see any mention of this area when I was searching for points of interest. We altered our travel plans to include this place and were quite surprised by it. I felt I had been rewarded for my uncomfortableness during lunch.The story in this dramatic movie had a similar swing of feelings for the main character. Nejat Aksu, played by Baki Davrak (Lola and Billy the Kid, Our Grand Despair), was displeased by his father Ali’s, played by Tuncel Kurtiz (Pains of Autumn, The Wall), choice for a live-in girlfriend; a prostitute named Yeter Ozturk, played by Nursel Kose (When We Leave, My Mother). Due to unexpected circumstances Nejat would have to travel to Turkey to search for Yeter’s daughter Ayten, played by Nurgul Yesilcay (Vicdan, 7 Husbands for Hurmuz). The journey would only be part of the change that began to affect different lives. This film festival winning movie started out with a strong script. I found the story similar to a jigsaw puzzle, where each scene was laid out like a puzzle piece. With chance and circumstance playing a large part in telling this story, the excellent acting only added deeper feelings in my interest to see how things would pan out. This gifted film transcended any language limitations or concerns with subtitles, for it told a complete story. I have to say this film was a great surprise because I had not heard any approving or disapproving remarks prior to receiving it. It now has my approval. There was German, Turkish and English languages used with subtitles.
3 1/4 stars — DVD
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