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Flash Movie Review: G20
LIKE THE FAMILY MEMBERS BEFORE ME, I can walk into a room and see everything all at once. From a painting hanging ever so slightly crooked on a wall, to a speck of glitter on the floor, I have this ability to see things that other people do not see. The reason I am telling you this is because what I am about to say is only meant as an observation, not a judgment or to be critical. We attended an out of state wedding, where the reception was being held in one of the town’s three hotels. The lobby looked like it had been the set for an old TV western; the dull black and white tiled floor, the chandelier that looked like it had three tiers of wagon wheels with hurricane lamps perched on them, dark wood paneling and a high front desk that i swore looked like it had originally been used as a bar. Once entering the room where the reception was being held, I noticed a couple of drapery panels covering the windows were crooked, with one pleat dangling off of its hook that was hanging from the curtain rod. I saw a spot on the wall that must have been patched to cover up a hole, but the paint used was not from the same color shade, so it looked like the wall had been bruised. The buffet table had four chafing dishes but the silver was dull and unpolished. One of the plates I grabbed was chipped, and for me the worst thing was the spoon I took from the silverware tray was not clean. For me these details take away from the fantasy one wants around their wedding. THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER THINGS I noticed, like the restroom running out of hand soap, that I found distracting. However, none of it mattered once the bride and groom entered the room. Both of them were dazzling; her in a white full length gown that bustled out from the waist, giving off a fairy princess vibe. The groom wore a dark gray tuxedo with a pink bowtie and cummerbund to match the bride’s bouquet. Everything in the room faded into the background; the brightness and love emanating from them was so strong I was sure everyone in the room could feel it. I forgot about all the little distractions because none of it meant anything, as it should. The main focus was the newly married couple and being a witness to the love they shared and to the joy they both felt. This is exactly the way I wound up looking at this action thriller. EXPECTING TO ONLY DEFEND HER AGENDA at the G20 summit, the President of the United States found herself defending her family and the attending world leaders when terrorists stormed the resort where the summit was being held. With Viola Davis (Air, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) as President Danielle Sutton, Anthony Anderson (The Departed, Black-ish-TV) as Derek Sutton, Ramon Rodriguez (The One and Only Ivan, Will Trent-TV) as Agent Manny Ruiz, Marsai Martin (Fantasy Football, Black-ish-TV) as Serena Sutton, and Anthony Starr (Guy Ritchie’s the Covenant, The Boys-TV) as Rutledge; the story line for this film was compelling and had a couple of good ideas within it. However, the script was all over the place with some far-fetched, crazy scenes that diminished the characters’ authenticity. Without a doubt if the movie studio had not cast EGOT winner Viola Davis this picture would have landed with a thud. However, with Viola in the lead role, she was magnetic, tough and perfect in every scene. She is the reason I wound up enjoying this film as much as I did. Call me crazy but I could easily see her becoming the female version of Liam Neeson, by being the tough”gal” character. Because of her, I believe the rest of the cast had to step up their game to try and match her level of acting. The fight scenes were well done, despite believing Viola’s stand-in was taking on the heavy lifting during the action scenes. This movie wound up being entertaining and i appreciated the effort that was put into the making of this picture. There were several scenes of blood and violence.
2 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Little
IT SIMPLY TAKES ONE EVENT, OCCURRENCE, meeting or altercation to change a person’s life. I fortunately and unfortunately had a profusion of them. Having seen the aftermath of a boy’s torture and killing of a cat steered me down a path to save and protect the animal population. Seeing a fellow student hoisted up to a locker room window, to be flung out, made me avoid the locker room the rest of the school year. After a couple of kids made fun of my religious beliefs, I avoided any talk about religion with anyone for years. Being on the receiving end of physical abuse made me untrusting and avoid any physical contact with another human being. I could go on, but I think you get the point; the things that happen to us when we are kids can have a lasting effect on what we become. Sadly, for some of these individuals they wind up living their entire life without realizing they have not reached their full potential; that there is more to their life besides fear, sadness and anger. For others, that single event led them on a road of exploration to discover their full capabilities. Can one consider all these scenarios a game of chance? I USED TO WONDER HOW DIFFERENT my life would have turned out if I knew then what I knew now. If I had been an active participant in my PE classes I might have been on one of the school’s sports teams. If I had not been sideswiped by the abuse, maybe I would have let my guard down a bit upon meeting new people and be open to new experiences. One never knows and cannot spend most of their time wondering about “if”. That word “if” can be truly debilitating to a person. “If I had only done…”, “If I went…”, “If I had taken…”; any of these types of musings will drive you crazy. Trust me, I know of what I speak. The most valuable thing I learned is not to sit and dwell on all the “ifs” in your life. I am a firm believer there are no accidents; there is a reason for everything. It is this belief that has allowed me to stop dwelling on the past and realize everything that happened to me led to who I am presently. Once I came to this realization I experienced a sense of freedom that allowed me to finally live my life. After all I have said you still wish you could go back and repeat your life, then you need to first take a look at this comedic fantasy. THERE WAS A REASON COMPANY OWNER Jordan Sanders, played by Regina Hall (Girls Trip, The Best Man Holiday), never let her guard down nor cared about her employees’ feelings. She was about to find out why. This romantic film also starred Issa Rae (The Hate U Give, A Bitter Lime) as April Williams, Marsai Martin (Blackish-TV, Goldie and Bear-TV) as little Jordan Sanders, Justin Hartley (This is Us-TV, A Bad Moms Christmas) as Mr. Marshall and Tone Bell (Dog Days, Whitney-TV) as Preston. The cast was well chosen for this story and did an admirable job of acting. There were a few humorous scenes and some funny lines; however, I did not get heavily involved in the story. The reason being this story had been done before and done a whole lot better. I found the script uneven as it jumped around from one emotional level to another, without any connections. It was a disservice to the actors where I did not see any chemistry being developed. I appreciated what the writers were trying to say, but something must have happened that made them veer off course.
2 stars