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Flash Movie Review: Thunderbolts
ONE OF THE MOST HUMILIATING EXPERIENCES during my elementary and high school years was when we would have to pick teams in physical ed classes. Usually the teacher would pick two of his favorites in the class to be team captains, and let them choose the students they wanted for their teams. This meant I would have to stand in line with the rest of the students and watch each one get picked before me; if I was not the last one picked, I was always close to last. I knew and everyone else knew right then and there the captain really did not want me on their team because I would not be an asset to the team. Heck, I knew I would not be because I did not like playing team sports. The best I could hope for was not to make a mistake that would cost the team not to win. Depending on the game, I would always stay in the back and just run from side to side with the other students around me, hoping the ball never came close to me. The most amazing thing that ever came out of those experiences was finding myself the last member standing for my team and having to try and make the winning play. The game, I can distinctly remember to this day, was bombardment. Each side would throw the ball to the other side and try to hit a member from the opposing team. If hit, they were then out of the game; the last person standing was the winner for the team. It was during this game that I discovered I could throw the ball fast and really hard. It was a revelation to me. FROM THAT MOMENT ON, THIS WAS the only game I ever wanted to play. And trust me, the other students noticed my “talent” quickly. Added to my new ability, I had a high accuracy rate; I could quickly knock off boy after boy on the opposing team. Sadly, once we graduated to high school, where I thought I could start with a clean slate and not have all the other boys think I was a loser except in this one game, none of the PE classes offered bombardment as a sport. So, I found myself back to being part of a small group of boys who were always picked last in any of the sporting events. If you were never in such a situation, it would be hard to tell you how truly awful the feeling was to stand while everyone around you was getting picked before you. It does a real number on one’s confidence and for many of us, the feelings leaked out into our other school activities. Imagine having to get up in front of the class to give an oral report and see your fellow students not paying attention to anything you were saying, or teaming up on a science project and your lab partner telling you he wants to do the experiment alone because he is in your PE class and knows about your poor performances. Due to these life experiences I have endured, my heart always quickly goes out to the underdog, no matter the venue or activity. This is way I found myself early on, rooting on the castoffs in this action, adventure, science fiction drama. FINDING THEMSELVES CALLED TO THE SAME place, only to discover it was a trap, a group of unconventional beings must form a tight knit group if they want to save themselves and save the world. With Florence Pugh (We Live in Time, Dune: Part Two) as Yelena Belva, Sebastian Stan (A Different Man, Dumb Money) as Bucky Barnes, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Tuesday, You Hurt my Feelings) as Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, Lewis Pullman (Water Rises, Bad Times at the El Royale) as Robert Reynolds, and David Harbour (A Working Man, Violent Night) as Alexei Shostakov; this superhero political drama was a refreshing twist to the superhero genre. The cast was perfectly suited to the script, especially Florence with her character. She has such a strong screen presence that demands one’s attention. Another surprise for me was seeing Julia do such a wonderful job with her character who was so unlike any of her other characters. I appreciated the lack, or at least the soft marketing influences to the script. There were humorous moments throughout the story as well as touching moments that were unexpected but helped balance out the script. Even though the story may not be a total original, I enjoyed watching this film and felt sympathy for this group of characters. I would not mind seeing them come together in a sequel. There were two extra scenes during the ending credits.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Strangers: Prey at Night
I WONDER HOW MANY TIMES in a week the average person has to do something they do not want to do. As I was thinking about today’s review I was wondering what things most of us would not want to take part in. The first one I thought of (no disrespect to the profession) was going to the dentist. I do not recall ever hearing someone say they were excited to go to their dentist. Something else I thought of was funerals; though I did know someone from a previous job who would say she was going to a funeral to make sure the person was dead. Just a guess, but they sounded like they had anger issues. There were so many possibilities I came up with this morning that I dwelled on the amount of time we must waste dreading our participation with a particular activity. I think about the annoying things I have to do, dividing them into 2 categories: required activities and activities of choice. There are some people who dislike doing laundry, yet at some point our clothes need to be cleaned. You would have a choice here, either do the wash yourself or pay someone to do it for you. WHEN I WAS YOUNGER I thought I had all the time in the world, but now I realize time is a precious commodity. I want to eliminate the negativity associated with some of the things I do on a weekly basis. My friends keep asking me why I remain seated at a theater watching a movie I totally dislike. They say I should just walk out; but I cannot do such a thing. If I am going to review a film I need to see it from the beginning to the end. And as you know, no matter how bad a picture may be, I never take out my phone and look at emails or texts while seated. Sure many others in the theater do it, but I stay focused on the job at hand. Now I realize I have a choice because it is not like I was hired and given a salary to review movies; I do it because I love to do it. So yes there are times I wish I was doing something else instead of sitting at the show; but I try to remain positive knowing if I can save someone from spending their time and money at a torturous film then I have done my job. With that being said, I leave it up to you on whether today’s review is a warning or invitation for you. ON THE WAY TO TAKING their daughter Kinsey, played by Bailee Madison (Brothers, Just Go with It); to boarding school Cindy and Mike, played by Christina Hendricks (Ginger & Rosa, Mad Men-TV) and Martin Henderson (Everest, Flyboys), make a stop at what looks like a deserted trailer park, where Cindy’s aunt and uncle live. The park was not necessarily deserted. With Lewis Pullman (Battle of the Sexes, Aftermath) as Luke and Emma Bellomy (Before the Dark-TV) as Dollface, this 2nd installment in the horror film franchise held very little interest for me. One thing that disturbs me is a script that does not take the time to think things out. All I will say is if you are confronted by someone who wants to kill you and you happen to knock them unconscious, why wouldn’t you take their gun away from them? There was nothing I enjoyed about this film. The story was weak to begin with and I truly felt the writers put no effort into the script. I would have more sympathy for livestock being killed than the individuals in this poorly done picture.
1 ½ stars
moviejoltz 