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Flash Movie Review: Wicked: For Good
OFFICIALLY IT WAS FORTY DAYS AND forty nights, but there was more involved. We had been planning this “trip of a lifetime” for more than a year. The weeks leading up to our departure were filled with hectic days of us running around to take care of the constant blooming of last minute items. There were doctor appointments and pharmacy runs to make sure we had everything we needed. I knew the flights to get there were going to be a grueling experience for me; I cannot sleep on airplanes, nor eat a meal at an odd time for my body clock. In my mind, for the fact we departed at eight pm, I was not about to eat the dinner that was offered after nine pm. However, this can sometimes present a problem for me when breakfast gets served closer to the time breakfasts would be served at the country of our destination. As the hours slowly slipped by, I was in the beginning stages of exhaustion. The total time we were traveling was over twenty-two hours if you included the times we sat at our gate during our layover stops. At some point, when my body realizes it is not able to go into a restive state, I simply become numb to everything and everyone around me. BY THE TIME WE REACHED OUR final destination, we were a day ahead from everyone we left back home. It was a bizarre feeling for me; however, after crashing onto the bed in our hotel room and sleeping for over eleven hours, we woke up and looked out the window and realized we were in a place we had only seen a glimpse of on television. There were groups of trees alongside the sidewalks, bursting with lavender flowers. The body of water in front of us was a deep blue, and on the edge perched one of the most unusual buildings I had ever seen; it looked like massive bird beaks sticking out of the ground. We showered and ate quickly, then packed our small knapsacks with the “essentials” for an entire day of sightseeing. Never in our lives had we ever seen such unfamiliar vegetation. There were bushes that looked as if all its branches with giant, hairy, green caterpillars. The tall buildings looked as if a toddler had drawn up the blueprints; they had sharp angles with sections that looked as if another section of a building was placed on top. The tours we signed up for took us to these magical places where one would expect supernatural beings to reside. A cave with its ceiling covered in fluorescent blue worms that made it seem as if we were staring up into a star filled sky; animals that were only native to this land and not found at any zoos I had visited back home; we felt as if we were living in a fantasy, just like we felt when watching this musical fantasy film. GROWING INTO THE ROLES LAYED OUT for them, two friends seem as if they are drifting further apart. What would become of them and the secrets they knew? With Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Bad Times at the El Royale) as Elphaba, Ariana Grande (Don’t Look Up, Wicked) as Glinda, Jeff Goldblum (The Fly, Jurassic Park franchise) as the Wizard of Oz, Michelle Yeoh (A Haunting in Venice, Everything Everywhere All at Once) as Madame Morrible, and Jonathan Bailey (Jurassic World: Rebirth, Bridgerton-TV) as Fiyero; part two of this story was still colorful and fantasy filled. However, just like I felt when I saw the staged version, this picture was somewhat of a letdown. It was darker and more political, I thought. The two additional songs were not memorable which did nothing to boost the smaller amount of musical numbers. Where Cynthia was the main focus in part one, Ariana was the focus in this one, and I have to say I was blown away with her acting. If you are not a fan of musicals, I think you would be bored watching this film. With everything I just said, the last part of this picture was worth the price of admission. I still enjoyed watching this movie and felt for a while I was placed in a different land.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Jurassic World Rebirth
THE WAY SHE SAID “HI” TO ME, told me she did not recognize me. Instead of saying my name, she said hers, as an introduction. I looked into her eyes and replied “hi” it is Jordan. Her face transformed from momentary confusion to shock to bubbling joy; she lunged and put her arms around me, saying over and over, she could not believe I was there.When she moved back from hugging me, I smiled and she said she now recognized me because of my dimples. We had not seen each other in close to forty years. However, in our early years when we were not even enrolled yet in elementary school, we lived and grew up in the same apartment building. We were related because my mother and her father were siblings. We spent so much time together, from holidays to weekends plus many times after school. I was over to their apartment for dinner just as much as they came over to our place. Our foundation was vast and strong, filled with so many memories, both happy and sad. We were at a celebration of life memorial, in a small banquet room that was off of the dining room of a well established restaurant. There were on the average thirty to forty people milling about at any given time. Despite the crowd, we managed to get a little history about each other including spouses and children. it was such a surreal experience for me. ALL THE WAY HOME AND THROUGH the rest of the week, I kept getting a variety of memories about her when we were children. Honestly, if she had not introduced herself, I would have had to take a second look at her before going up to her; the transformation from child to senior citizen was more dramatic since there were no reference points established through the decades between. It is funny what a child will remember. We were playing outside in front of our building when her grandmother from the other side of the family came out to give her some candy before she was going to go home. I was standing right next to her but the grandmother never offered me any which hurt my feelings. Over the following years, I made a point of never being anywhere near the woman, having grown a strong dislike of her. Truth be told, a hatred of her for not giving me any candy. Luckily, there were so few times I saw her that eventually she slipped into the recesses of my mind. Plus, the good memories I had growing up far outweighed the negative ones. These reactions were so similar to the ones I was having as I viewed this latest installment of the action, adventure franchise. A SMALL EXPEDITION MADE UP OF individuals from different backgrounds, agreed to navigate isolated waters to extract DNA from forgotten creatures, to be used in what would hopefully be a revolutionary medical breakthrough. The crew, however, each had their own reasons for agreeing to undertake such a dangerous mission. With Scarlett Johansson ((Fly Me to the Moon, Black Widow) as Zora Bennett, Mahershala Ali (Leave the World Behind, Green Book) as Duncan Kincaid, Jonathan Bailey (Wicked, Bridgerton-TV) as Dr. Henry Loomis, Rupert Friend (The Young Victoria, Pride & Prejudice) as Martin Krebs, and Manuel Garcia-Rulfo (The Magnificent Seven, Widows) as Reuben Delgado; this science fiction film had excellent CGI effects working in its favor. The action scenes were exciting and thrilling, aided by a strong cast of actors. I enjoyed seeing the dinosaurs and felt the action scenes were well choreographed. On the negative side, the script was a letdown. Every character was transparent, making it easy to immediately know what the character would do in every scene. The dialog was basic, avoiding any kind of depth, both mentally and emotionally. Despite these flaws, I still had a good time watching this on the big screen.
2 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Wicked
I WAS BROWSING THROUGH THE BOOKSTORE, despite already having a couple of books in my hand. As I came up to one of the display tables that were scattered throughout the store, a book cover caught my eye. Believe it or not, it was the light-colored paper that attracted my eyes to it first, but then it was the illustration. It looked like one of those old-fashioned pencil drawn cartoons you would see in a magazine or newspaper. I was intrigued by this, so I decided to stop and pick up one of the book copies that were stacked on top of the table. I read the back cover first before opening the front cover to read the brief summary describing what the book was about. It was such a fascinating idea for a story and clicked into my childhood fantasies that had been fueled by movies I had seen when I was a small boy. I decided to purchase the book and began reading it as soon as I got home. The writing was imaginative and creative; I was able to see the characters and scenery perfectly in my mind as if I were right there with them. Going forward, I made sure I put time aside every day to read more of the book until I finished it. AFTER I HAD READ THE BOOK, I told all my friends about what a wonderful story it was to read. Because I do not like giving much away when people ask, “What is it about,” I produced the perfect answer: it is a prequel to the story of “The Wizard of Oz.” Some of the looks I would get from friends were amusing. Most of them said they did not know or hear there was such a thing. I explained the story was about the early life of some of the characters. My fondness for the book made me be on the lookout for any other books written by the same author. Several years later, I was surprised to hear about a new musical that was opening on Broadway, which was based on the book I had read back in 1995. I made a point of looking for theater reviews or news about the production, besides wishing I could go to New York to see it for myself. As it turned out, the musical was a big hit, and it won the Tony Award. I had to wait a couple of years before I was able to see it when a traveling company set up residence in my city; it went on to become one of the longest lasting running plays here. And now, years later, I witnessed another transformation of the novel I read decades ago, by watching this musical romantic dramatic fantasy. COMING FROM COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS, two first-year college students are forced to be roommates. These friendly enemies soon learn there was something more to each of them when they were together. With Cynthia Erivo (Harriet, Widows) as Elphaba, Ariana Grande (Don’t Look Up, Victorious-TV) as Galinda, Jeff Goldblum (Jurassic Park franchise, The Grand Budapest Hotel) as The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Michelle Yeoh (Tomorrow Never Dies, A Haunting in Venice) as Madame Morrible, and Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton-TV, Fellow Travelers) as Fiyero; this big production blockbuster did not spare a penny in creating a magical feast for the eyes. The scenery was amazing, colorful, and creative. The actors were perfectly cast and crafted for their roles. Jonathan Bailey was the biggest surprise for me with his singing and dancing. However, at the top of screen star power, I have to say it goes to Cynthia. Anyone in a scene with her faded slightly to the background because of Cynthia’s acting ability. She was able to emote such feelings simply through her facial expressions. Now, I will say the film, which is only part one, was too long. The middle section dragged at times for me; however, the last hour was worth the price of admission. For me, that was the exciting part of the film and kept me laser focused on what was taking place on screen. Luckily, no one in the audience felt the need to sing along with the actors. If one is not an enthusiastic fan of musical numbers, they will get bored at times because the musical numbers fill up a generous portion of the scenes. For everyone else, they will love this film. Part two will be released in November of 2025.
3 ½ stars
moviejoltz 