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Flash Movie Review: Presence
I WAS CONVINCED THE OUIJA BOARD had all the right answers. My friends and I went through a period when we were using the board every week. I admit I was naïve, but I thought the pointer was moving of its own volition. When we first started using it, I took the pointer and looked for some telltale sign that it used magnets or had some hidden device that moved it across the board but found nothing. Where some friends were asking elaborate questions, I kept my questions to a simple yes or no answer. I wanted to know if I would lose weight during the summer, or whether I would be a writer, or become rich. Out of those three questions I got a YES to all of them except the rich question. It still thrilled me. For several weeks, we enjoyed quizzing the Ouija board. However, it was a Saturday night, where we all got together at one of the friends’ houses for a pizza night, we were in the basement consulting the board when suddenly all the lights went out. It was right when a friend made a snide comment about the board because he did not get an answer he liked. It freaked us all out and we huddled together until our friend’s parents came down the stairs with flashlights. After that episode, we started avoiding the Ouija board. IT WAS NOT UNTIL COLLEGE, WHEN one of my wishes came true. I had lost enough weight to go down a couple of pants sizes. The university allowed first-year students to live off campus in designated apartments and I was lucky enough to have gotten one. The building was more than a few decades old, but I did not mind. I had a studio apartment that shared a communal kitchen with the other apartments on the floor. Saturday nights tended to be quiet since most of the students were out partying. I preferred to stay inside and catch up on my assignments since I was carrying a full load of classes. At first, during those times, I did not pay much attention to the creaks and sounds of the building. But, when a closet or bathroom door in my place slowly creaked with movement, I would get freaked out. There was no logical reason I could produce for the sudden movement of my doors; I would quietly sit still and try to listen to any sound that could help justify the occurrence. It started to feel to me as if there was some type of force that was making the doors move. I do not know if I would call it a presence, but I decided to move at the end of the school year. Having seen this psychological thriller made me wonder if something had happened years ago in my college apartment. HAVING MOVED INTO A NEW HOUSE, a couple of family members began to feel like they were not alone. It would not take long to convince the other family members. With Lucy Liu (Stage Mother, Charlie’s Angels franchise) as Rebekah, Chris Sullivan (Agnes, This is Us-TV) as Chris, Callina Liang (Bad Genius, Tell Me Everything-TV) as Chloe, newcomer Eddy Maday, and West Mulholland (A Great Divide, Dark Harvest) as Ryan; this horror movie directed by Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Let Them All Talk) was not really a horror film in my opinion. However, there was suspense, and I enjoyed the buildup of it. The cast was good, but I did not care for the camera work, where it looked like the camera was following everyone around, with all that comes with it like shakiness and close-ups. It was a shame because I felt those who are sensitive to motion sickness might get uncomfortable watching this picture. The idea of the story was interesting, but the buildup went on too long. I felt there could have been more tension and bigger scares, even though there were a couple of good moments. This was a no-frills movie, no silly or scary creatures or space aliens. I just wished it would have lived up to its hype.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Red One
IT NEVER OCCURRED TO ME BEFORE, but I believe everything you want to learn about humanity can be found in a store and its parking lot. Before you decide I must have gone off the deep end, please hear me out. I will start with the parking lot or any large busy parking lot. Humans can be competitive when looking for a parking spot. There have been so many times I have seen people waiting for a spot when suddenly another driver swings around them and grabs the space that was being vacated. Sadly, humans are selfish, and you can see it when an able-bodied person parks in a handicapped parking spot. I have seen people getting out of their cars to physically fight over a parking place. Now one of the two worst things I have experienced in a parking lot happened on New Year’s Eve Day. I pulled into a parking spot, shut my car off and sat there looking at my grocery list. Suddenly, my car took a lurch forward. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw the back end of a car up against me. Getting out of the car, I quickly glanced at the car’s license plate as I walked up to the driver. She offered her insurance information; I took it and got back into my car to call my insurance company. Long story short, I filed a claim and her insurance company, I assumed with her prompting, accused me of backing up into her. After explaining my car was turned off and providing the photo I snapped as I was walking away from her at the time of the accident, they finally agreed to pay for the damage done to my car. THE OTHER WORST EVENT I WITNESSED in a parking lot was at a grocery store’s parking lot. I was walking down the row of parked cars towards the store’s entrance when a driver ahead backed out of their space and hit the back of a parked car across the lane, breaking its rear lights. The driver did not even get out to look at the damage they caused when I saw their car’s reverse lights go off. I got up to their driver’s door as they started to pull away. Rapping on the window, they stopped and looked up at me as their window rolled down. I told them about the damage they caused, and they needed to go inside the store to find the owner of the car. Their response stunned me; they said they should not have to because there have been times it has happened to them. I told them that it does not make them right and they need to park and inform the owner. Reluctantly they pulled back into their spot, got out of the car and walked into the store. As I said before, one can see all aspects of humanity in a crowded parking lot. And none of the events I wrote about except for New Year’s Eve took place during a holiday. So, imagine what people might do when they are under stress during their holiday shopping. It would not surprise me if someone tried to act like the villain in this action fantasy, adventure holiday comedy. WHEN SANTA CLAUS IS KIDNAPPED JUST before the start of Christmas, it is up to the North Pole’s Chief of Security to track him down and save the holiday. The first thing he will have to do is work with an infamous computer hacker. With Dwayne Johnson (Black Adam, Red Notice) as Callum Drift, Chris Evans (Pain Hustlers, The Gray Man) as Jack O’Malley, Lucy Liu (Carlie’s Angels franchise, Kill Bill: Vol. 1) as Zoe, J.K. Simmons (Saturday Night, Whiplash) as Nick, and Bonnie Hunt (Jumanji, The Green Mile) as Mrs. Claus; this film had a story that did not know what it wanted to be. It was part superhero, part drama, part satire, part fantasy, and part comedy. Truthfully because I like superhero movies, I did not mind this as much as others in this genre. For me, it has to do with Dwayne Johson. He is such a bankable screen presence, though this role was one of his typical ones. It was obvious the cast was having fun with the silly script, playing off each other well. As for the special effects, they were a hit and miss; some were good, and others were not. Overall, this film was like watching a beautiful Christmas tree that had several strands of its lights out. If one focuses on the good parts and ignores the others, then this can be an agreeable viewing experience for the holidays.
2 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Shazam: Fury of the Gods
HAVING RECENTLY RETURNED FROM MY FIRST cruise in decades, I was impressed with the diversity and camaraderie I saw on the ship. For two weeks, I observed families and chosen families support and help each other, in a display of genuine kindness. There was a group consisting of about a dozen or so people who were the best of friends. They had bonded and became a chosen family amongst themselves; I enjoyed listening to the travel adventures they had taken previously, along with their choice of excursions on this trip. I could see a real connection between many of them; it reminded me of my own gatherings where there was joking and laughing sprinkled among more serious discussions about various topics. One of the things that impressed me was how easygoing most of them were, considering there were so many options of things to do and eat while onboard; I would have assumed there would have been some disagreements, but I was never a witness to such things. Honestly, they were like a big happy family. One night was designated as a formal dinner event and each of them chose instead of wearing dinner jackets or evening attire, to dress up in clothing that was more aligned to a runway during fashion week in Paris; it was a sight to see. THERE WAS ANOTHER SMALL GROUP OF people I saw who might have been related, but I never had the chance to speak with them. One of the members of the group was in a wheelchair, which I must tell you was going to be hard to maneuver if they were taking similar onshore tours to the ones I was signed up to experience. As it turned out, they were on an excursion I was taking that involved walking up ancient stairs to a historical landmark. It was so touching to see members of the group take turns lifting the gentleman in his wheelchair up the steps. They would stop at each landing to swap out those individuals who got tired from the exertion of keeping the wheelchair in the air, while they themselves had to watch where they were stepping. It was a beautiful sight to see and when everyone in their group finally reached the summit, I saw the look on the wheel bound individual and it was priceless. These two examples reaffirmed my feelings that chosen family connections are just if not stronger than blood related families; however, one experiences love and support is all that matters, at least to me. This point stood out for me in this action, adventure comedy. WHEN AN ANCIENT ARTIFACT IS STOLEN from a museum, it becomes the focal point and the test to see how strong the family ties are for two opposite families. With Zachary Levi (Thor: Dark World, Chuck-TV) as Shazam, Asher Angel (Darby and the Dead, Andi Mack-TV) as Billy Batson, Lucy Liu (Charlie’s Angels, Elementary-TV) as Kalypso, Helen Mirren (The Duke, Hitchcock) as Hespera and Rachel Zegler (West Side Story) as Anthea; this sequel continued with the same type of humor found in the first installment. There was very little difference with this film compared to the previous and that was the issue I had with it. The characters did not display any growth in their lives, so the fun connection I had with them previously was strained in this one. Helen and Lucy stood out for me; they truly gave it their all despite the poorly conceived and written script. Even the special effects, I found, were underwhelming. If the film studio is planning to continue with this franchise, which is apparent with the two extra scenes during the ending credits, they will need to kick up the intensity, drama, comedy and special effects to better compete with the other superhero films that have been released.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Man with the Iron Fists
Ladies and gentlemen for tonight’s main attraction; oh wait, that is not right. There were very few women in the audience for this blood fest. For the couple of women seated near me I am guessing they lost a bet; one seemed more interested in her fingernails than what was on the screen. I haven’t seen so much slicing and dicing since I had to wait in line at the neighborhood delicatessen during their cold cuts holiday sale. With Quentin Tarantino as a producer, one has to know there is going to be a spirited blood bath. It was 19th century China and Jungle Village was the home to several rival clans. When word got out that a shipment of gold was to be transported through the village; mysterious individuals, mobs and assassins plotted a way to steal the gold and seize power. Rza (Repo Men, American Gangster) wrote the screenplay, directed the movie and starred as the blacksmith who was forced to make elaborate weapons for rival gangs. Russell Crowe (Robin Hood, A Beautiful Mind) was the curious Jack Knife, a man who was as comfortable with his knife as he was with his opium. And to interject a shot of estrogen into this dominant men’s club, Lucy Liu (Kill Bill Vol. 1, Charlie’s Angels) was the lethal Madam Blossom, with her bevy of poisonous beauties. The action drove the majority of this story and that was a good thing. With only Russell and Lucy doing any acting worth noting, the other characters were left portraying poor caricatures. There was a comic book flavor to this kung fu film with unsophisticated humor and sight gags. I will say some of the fight scenes were decent, but it lacked the finesse of a true martial arts master. If one is looking to see people getting the crap beat out of them in a somewhat creative way, this would be a cheap choice. Scenes with graphic violence and blood, including the movie trailer.
2 1/4 stars
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