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Flash Movie Review: Spider-Man: Brand New Day
OVER THE PAST SEVERAL WEEKS, HAVING conversations with various friends, I felt I was on an extended walk down memory lane. With one friend, we reminisced about the time when we were kids and went to a traveling carnival that arranged to setup in a park next to the beach. There were five of us friends who went together as a group on a sunny windy day. We had a blast trying the different games of chance, along with going on most of the rides multiple times. My friend and I remembered one ride in particular at the same time. It was like a ferris wheel except it rotated at an angle; imagine a clock dial, the top of the wheel was positioned at 11 o’clock and the bottom at 5 o’clock. Attached around the wheel were these metal parachute shapes that had a padded seat suspended underneath with a small back for support. They were rigid; however, the parachute was attached around a metal cylinder, giving the seated parachute freedom to swing. My friend and I sat together and after a couple of slow rotations around the wheel, the speed picked up. She was wearing a long pleated, printed skirt that I think was called a peasant or granny skirt. With the ride going fast, the wind swirling all around us, her skirt kept catching her skirt and blowing it up towards her face. She had to use one hand to try and keep it down but there was little success. When the ride ended and we rejoined our friends, she declared she would not go on any other rides; she was so embarrassed. TALKING WITH A COUPLE OF OTHER friends, they were trying to remember where we went on a road trip years ago. All they could retrieve about the trip was climbing up a wooden observation tower. The memory was triggered after they came across a couple of photos that was of them when they were much younger. I never forgot that trip because I wound up getting sick. We had driven across the state to the border that was separated by a large river from our western neighbor. The observation deck looked over rolling green hills to the west; and back to the east one could faintly see a few of our city’s tallest skyscrapers. Our destination was a quaint, little town that did not allow vehicles within the city limits. The only method of transportation was either on foot or bicycle. Fudge was the most popular item sold in this town. We had a pleasant time exploring and trying different flavored fudges. However, on our return trip home, I got hit with a migraine headache. We had to pull off to the side of the road at some point because I was getting nauseous. I got out of the car and ran into a patch of tall grass; my friends could hear me puking up everything I had eaten. The rest of the ride home I was in a deep sleep. Revisiting these different memories with my friends was thoroughly enjoyable; it is part of our history together. With a focus on friendship in this action, adventure, superhero drama; I felt a strong emotional connection to the story. LONG FORGOTTEN, PETER PARKER, PLAYED BY Tom Holland (The Odyssey, Uncharted), was living a solitary, lonesome life. Despite always returning to thoughts about the past, he had to stay in action mode when a new unseen threat began to wreak havoc in the city. With Zendaya (Challengers, The Drama) as MJ, Mark Ruffalo (Crime 101, Poor Things) as Bruce Banner, Jon Bernthal (The Odyssey, The Amateur) as Frank Castle, and Jacob Batalon (The Wrecking Crew, Novocaine) as Ned Leeds; this was for me a different type of superhero movie. It was more personal which is why I was drawn in emotionally. I thought the acting and chemistry between the actors was fully charged, which made the story more intense and human. The action scenes were wonderful as was the directing. What I found especially surprising was how the writers slipped in characters from other film franchises: I can only imagine where this franchise is headed next. After the showing, I heard some people saying they are not fans of superhero movies, but they absolutely loved this picture. And that reminds me, after the story ended and the credits began to roll, everyone in the theater started clapping. I have not experienced that in some time. There was one brief scene at the end of the credits that essentially said Spider-man will return.
3 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Novocaine
THOSE IN MY SPHERE OF FRIENDS and relatives would not use the word “risky” to describe me. Yet, though it would not be the first, third, or tenth thing down the list; I would say I am a calculated risk type of individual. This is especially true when it comes to relationships. I remember this person I had only gone out with twice before they invited me to their New Year’s Eve party, no less. I was hesitant with my reply because I had to go over all the information I had acquired from our two dates. To my advantage, they were an afternoon coffee date and dinner date; so, there was a lot of talking done in those two events. When I replied I mentioned I had another party to go to but I would stop by. This was true, though the other party was a yearly get together at a friend’s house for whoever wanted to stop by. The reason I mentioned the other party was in case I was not comfortable being at a party filled with strangers, except for the host who I had only known for a couple of weeks. It was a risk for me and at the party I was quite aware I was the topic of conversation amongst their closer friends. Gratefully, I had a pleasant time despite feeling like I was on display; I did catch the host telling a friend that I was the one who they had been “dating” the past couple of weeks. I AM NOT MAKING ANY JUDGEMENTS regarding that New Year’s Eve party because I have taken the same type of risk myself. When I first meet a potential date, I tend to steer the conversation into deeper waters because I have never been good at small talk. If I find my mind is engaged with theirs, I can quickly find myself being attracted to them; I want to learn and explore more with them. And for some reason, if a situation comes up where it appears they are taking a risk, that can be quite informative. The last time when I was available and dating, I had met someone for coffee one evening after work. The conversation went well and I felt we had a variety of things in common. It was towards the end of our third date when I decided to take a risk and see if they would accept it. I mentioned I was going to an outdoor music festival in a couple of weeks and asked if they cared to join me. A good part of me thought they would decline because I was pretty sure the artists were not the type of musicians they were interested in. Imagine going on a date and spending the entire time not enjoying the venue; it certainly could be a test. To my surprise, they accepted my offer; I was actually stunned but pleased. The reason being is that this showed me the interest was mutual, which allowed my defenses to recede and let my heart expand. We had a wonderful time and from that moment on, the relationship got stronger and stronger. So, I absolutely understood what the main character had to do in this action, crime, comedy, thriller. WHEN ONE OF HIS EMPLOYEES IS taken as a hostage, who he believes might be the girl of his dreams, the assistant bank manager sets out to rescue her, using his unique physical trait to assist him. With Jack Quaid (Companion, The Boys-TV) as Nate, Amber Midthunder (Prey, The Ice Road) as Sherry, Ray Nicholson (Smile 2, Borderline) as Simon, Jacob Batalon (Spider-Man franchise, Tarot) as Roscoe, and Betty Gabriel (Get Out, It Lives Inside) as Mincy; this movie had a novel story line that I found attractive. Granted, there were scenes filled with blood and violence; but I enjoyed the acting, especially coming from Jack and Amber. Some of the scenes were creative but at some point they started reaching to the level of far-fetched. A layer of disbelief formed in my head that lasted through the last half of the film. Also, the same type of gag repeating itself made the last half of the story a bit tiresome. However, with the novel approach, good acting, and creativity involved; I still enjoyed watching this picture, though I had to turn my head away a couple of times. There were scenes of blood and violence.
3 stars
moviejoltz 