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Flash Movie Review: Before We Go
As I was listening to them I wondered if they said any of this to their spouse. From my years of teaching I was not only people’s fitness/yoga instructor; I was their sounding board, their confidant. Not that I sought this position out; it just happened since part of my job includes aspects of being a customer service and member retention representative. The other thing I noticed that creates this type of environment is the comfort some people feel with talking to strangers. Not that I consider any of the members in my classes strangers; but I can see where I would be a non-judgemental sympathetic 3rd party. I remember one class where a member lingered behind as I was cleaning up the room. We had only had a couple of minutes making small talk when all of a sudden the member burst into tears, wrapping their arms around me sobbing as they told me their spouse was cheating on them. Whether it is right or wrong all employees had training instructing us that the only acceptable contact outside of hands-on instruction during class was a handshake, a fist bump, a high five, CPR or a sideways hug. Front to front hugging was not allowed in the current politically correct times. In my case I did not have time to shift my body; I stood there with my arms stretched out to the sides until the member backed away. I consoled them until they calmed down, just listening as my early college psychology courses training kicked in. This was only one example, through the years I have become a sympathetic ear that can be trusted and I believe that is what all of this comes down to, one has to have trust. STRANDED in Manhattan after her purse was stolen Brooke Dalton, played by Alice Eve (She’s Out of My League, The Raven), was leery of the stranger Nick Vaughan, played by Chris Evans (Captain America franchise, Snowpiercer), who was offering to help get her back home. This comedic drama was Chris’ first foray into directing. He did an admirable job with the material; unfortunately, the script was for the most part generic. What worked in this movie’s favor was Chris and Alice; they did their best with the characters they portrayed, showing some real chemistry between each other. It was obvious to me where the story was going to the point where it felt like the writers were going down a list of things to check off to include in each scene. I cannot say I was bored by this romantic dramedy; in fact, I sat there several times wondering what I would have done in that particular situation. Then again I believe trust is something that has to be earned, not given out freely.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Wolfpack
When I want to take a break and check out of reality I allow myself a little time to dream about what my retirement (if I ever can) life might look like. I imagine I would still be involved in some type of physical activity such as yoga, cycling or running. The thing I like to focus on is the idea I would be able to spread out my movie watching time throughout the week, instead of doing multiple movies on the same day. The other item that plays a part in my retirement fantasy is the ability to travel more, without being limited by time constraints. I am convinced I would never be bored in retirement. Now the reason I am talking about this today has to do with turning dreams into reality. Now granted I do not know what the future holds for me, but it is important for me to maintain my dreams because they get me out of bed each day. I am a creature of habit so it is easy for me to sustain a daily routine. However, I know there will be times where I lose sight and feel I am stuck in my life. Fantasizing about the future is a stress reliever for me; it presents a world to me that looks familiar but has not opened its doors yet to me. I honestly do not know how someone can function being in the same place, doing the same thing every single day. After watching this picture, I am still having a hard time processing what I saw about this family from the lower east side of Manhattan. FROM their apartment the Anguro children could look out their window and see a world they were not part of because they were not allowed to go outside. Their days were spent watching then acting out scenes from the movies they watched on their small television. This film festival winning documentary was one of the more surreal movie watching experiences I have had in quite some time. As I said earlier I am still processing what essentially was a dramatic biography. With a mixture of the family’s home movies, on camera interviews and what I assumed was current filming; I sat in my seat in disbelief. I will say the brothers did an amazing job in recreating scenes from some classic films. This movie really made me think about dreams and hopes; because here I am able to talk about my conceived future, yet I sat and wondered what dreams or fantasies did these boys have growing up in their apartment or should I say prison cell. Though this was one of the most unusual stories I have ever seen, I had to admire the resiliency in these siblings.
3 1/2 stars
moviejoltz 