Blog Archives
Flash Movie Review: Joy
WHEN I SEE A COUPLE WITH a new baby, I have no idea if the baby was conceived by them, adopted, birthed by a surrogate, or assisted by in vitro fertilization. It does not matter to me; I could not care in the least. The fact that a person wants to have and raise a child is a monumental commitment, a sacrifice in some way and comes with having an abundance of love. I do not know if it is odd or not, but growing up, I do not think anyone in my classes was anything but naturally conceived by their parents. Granted, I was not privy of any conversations and back then, people may have not wanted to share this information with outsiders. Regarding surrogates and IVF, I do not know if there were even options back then because I had never heard of such things. The only example I can recall was when I was six or seven years old, and I was told a family member was going to be a mother. The fact that I had recently seen her, I was stunned to hear the news and commented that she did not look any larger to me. Relatives had to explain to me what was adoption. After they felt like I understood what they were saying to me, I asked when the baby was arriving. THROUGH THE YEARS, I HAVE WITNESSED such a variety of different behaviors from adults when it came to either having children or their children having children; the actions run the gamut of sad to exuberant. One couple I know disowned their son because he was going to marry a woman who had diabetes. The couple was against it because they did not want their grandchild becoming a diabetic. I was flabbergasted. On the other hand, I knew a couple that desperately wanted to have a child but for whatever reason, they would not consider adoption since they could not conceive. They tried for years but to no avail. I am embarrassed to say this, but I felt it was a good thing, because they did not have the personality or internal makeup to be a parent, in my opinion. One of the reasons I say this is because I believe when one is selfish and a narcissist, they cannot be a good parent. However, I know none of this is my business; whatever a couple needs to do or not do regarding children is up to them, not me nor anyone else. When I was little, I remember hearing about baby Louise; but I had no idea so many people had an opinion about what it took for her to get born, since I have now seen what was taking place back then, in this biographical drama based on a true story. A YOUNG NURSE, SCIENTIST AND SURGEON agree to work tougher to help couples who wish to have a child. They were not prepared for the amount of resistance coming from so many different factions of society. With Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit, Lost Girls) as Jean Purdy, James Norton (Little Women, Mr. Jones) as Bob Edwards, Bill Nighy (The First Omen, The Beautiful Game) as Patrick Steptoe, Rish Shah (India Sweets and Spices, Sitting in Bars with Cake) as Arun, and Adrian Lukis (The Boys in the Boat, Judy) as Professor Mason; this movie succeeded due to the cast, especially Thomasin and Adrian, and the incredible true story. I thought the pacing worked well with the mix of scenes. There was drama, tension, excitement, and sadness all mixed within the script, though I do not know how much of it was true. But it did not matter, I felt the writers presented a heartfelt story that was captivating and touching. And the result was they and everyone else involved created a movie that provided the back story to a medical miracle that is now available to thousands today.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Bob Marley: One Love
THERE HAVE BEEN MANY EVENTS I have attended that had speakers/leaders I wanted to hear. I have been fortunate to have met state senators, mayors, authors, world champion athletes, musical artists, activists, and a variety of others. I have found each of them gives off a certain intensity unlike the levels of intensity I encounter in my daily life. When I shook the hand of the mayor, they felt like a tightly wound spring that was ready to explode; it was incredibly intense. On a previous trip, I was at an event where political speakers were giving talks. Not all of them were common household names, but one was a senior adviser to a president. Listening to them, I was struck by their compassion and commitment; it just came out of them like a steady breeze. What equally impressed me were some of the less familiar politicians because I could tell they had that same drive of compassion and care for what they were trying to do in government. I believe I became more sensitive to experiencing leaders/figureheads who were, for lack of a better adjective, false prophets. You might know the kind that only tells you what you want to hear, instead of telling you what is the better or right or effective way to do something. SADLY, IN THE FITNESS WORLD, I encountered many individuals who let their ego lead the way. At a fitness convention, the guest speaker at a workshop talked about themselves. They told us how they changed the culture at their fitness club and had the largest classes and how they flew cross-country giving talks and so on and so on. Their talk was all about me, me, me; I was bored out of my mind. The same thing happened, of all places, at a charity event where I was volunteering. The celebrity speaker was there to draw people into the event by purchasing tickets, besides buying tickets for the silent auction. The charity was for a worthy cause, and one would have thought the speaker would have acknowledged this during their speech. But no, they spoke about their new project in the works and how they got into the business; none of which helped sell the charity to get new donors. I found their behavior disgusting. Do not get me wrong; I am not trying to stop people from making a living. However, if a person is willing to be a speaker at an event, they should show the audience why there are people in the world who follow them. Offer advice, offer truth, offer your vision; just do not offer your ego. Not being familiar with the subject in this dramatic, music biography, I was hoping to find out who they were as a person and how did they achieve such a status in the world. GROWING UP IN A COUNTRY FILLED with conflict, a musician finds his way through the world using his revolutionary music. With Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami, Noelle) as Bob Marley, Lashana Lynch (No Time to Die, Captain Marvel) as Rita Marley, James Norton (Little Women, Mr. Jones) as Chris Blackwell, Tosin Cole (House Party, Doctor Who-TV) as Tyrone Downie and relative newcomer Umi Myers; I thought the acting was solid from Kingsley and Lashana, especially her. The musical soundtrack, as you would expect, was the main driver of this picture. Having little knowledge of his catalog of songs, I enjoyed the musical numbers. I thought the script did not do the subject justice because I really did not learn much about Bob Marley. At times, I felt I was watching a series of musical vignettes instead of getting an understanding of why and how Bob achieved his status in the musical world. The other thought I had running through my mind was the possibility I was watching a sanitized version of Bob and his family. Since his family was involved with this film, it certainly seemed feasible. By the end of the movie, I was glad I saw it, but not sure if indeed he was a man who led with his heart instead of his ego.
2 stars
moviejoltz 