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Flash Movie Review: Deadpool & Wolverine
DESPITE NOT SEEING ANY WHALES, THE trip was still amazing. My absence from publishing movie reviews was due to an extended trip, accomplished by land and sea, through Alaska. I have not seen so much massive untouched land in my life; the scenery was breathtaking. The tour group started in Fairbanks, and we made our way down via rail and bus. I did not realize I was going to be with the same group of people each day, but it was all fine. There was a wide mix of personalities, from a licensed Santa Claus actor to an auto mechanic to a lawyer. Normally, I prefer being anonymous on my trips, where I can come and go as I please. However, since this was part of the cruise package, I fell into the rhythm of greeting and bantering with my fellow passengers every day. Also, something I noticed in my fitness classes was taking place with the land portion of the cruise. Most everyone has a preferred spot where they want to sit; it did not matter if it was a bus or train, everyone tried sitting in the same place each day. This was not unusual for me and truthfully, I tend to act the same way regarding where I like to sit. There was a loud, boisterous family that sat in the back and a more reserved family of four that preferred the middle. AS THE DAYS PASSED, I NOTICED the reserved family started altering their seating arrangement. One day they would be in the back, the next day in front. It may not have been noticeable to many, but I found it curious. As it turned out, I sat with the boisterous family for lunch one day in the train’s dining car. During our conversation, they mentioned the reserved family did not like them. I asked them how they would know such a thing and they told me the reserved family complained to the cruise director that they were too noisy. I did not think they were noisy; they were just laughing and enjoying themselves on our travels. One of the family members told me to watch the facial expressions of the reserved family whenever the two families were near each other; the reserved family members always had a scowl on their faces, and they tried not to interact with them. I could not believe it. We were going to be together every day for over one week; why would someone want to make their true feelings known and create tension? The only time we were in a limited space was for transport that lasted at the most two to three hours on any given day. Gratefully, none of this affected me and I was especially glad the two family groups did not take their issues/dislikes to the level that the main characters did in this action, adventure comedy. WITH HIS UNIVERSE FACING EXTINCTION, ACTION hero Deadpool/Wade Wilson, played by Ryan Reynolds (Free Guy, If), believes the one person who can help him is Logan/Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman (Bad Education, X-Men franchise). The problem would be convincing Logan. With Emma Corrin (Lady Chatterly’s Lover, The Crown-TV) as Cassandra Nova, Natthew Macfadyen (Operation Mincemeat, Succession-TV) as Mr. Paradox and Dafne Keen (Logan, His Dark Materials-TV) as Laura; this film is filled with non-stop “R” rated language. It was getting to the point where I was on overload with all the sexual references and such. Granted, the two main characters have these roles down perfectly and Ryan has a certain flair in delivering snarky remarks. What surprised me was the underwhelming special effects and script. I thought the script hardly made any sense and was simply used as a vehicle to feed more fertilizer into the cussing sessions. This is still a Marvel film, with its two extra scenes during the ending credits; but overall, I was disappointed with the whole production.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Death at a Funeral
PRIOR TO GOING TO THE FUNERAL, I always thought everyone in attendance was there to pay their respects. I must tell you, it startled me when I heard the man sitting next to me tell his companion he was glad the man was dead. You do not often hear those words coming out of someone’s mouth. Out of the corner of my eye, I tried to get a better look at this man’s face to see if I knew him. I was there because I was an employee of the company, doing customer service work for them. The man looked familiar to me, but I could not recall ever talking to him. He was telling the person next to him that the dead man was an awful human being. I wondered if anyone else around us was hearing what this man was saying about the deceased. It was such a weird juxtaposition with family members sniffling and crying near the casket and this man bad mouthing their relative. It was not easy to hear everything he was saying, but I was increasingly curious to hear why this man so disliked the dearly departed that he would actually verbalize his feelings without a filter. SINCE THAT FUNERAL, I HAVE BEEN a witness to two other funerals where some of the people in attendance had other reasons for being there. This one funeral had so many mourners coming into the funeral home, that several of them had to lean up against the walls because there were no seats left. During the eulogy, something that was said triggered a couple of mourners to stand up and shout at the grieving family members. I was frozen in my seat; it was such a surreal scene playing out in front of me. One of the deceased’s daughters stood up, turned around to face the yelling mourners, and shouted, “You will burn in hell!” I have never forgotten those words and can still picture myself sitting there when they were first uttered. Talk about drama fit for the big screen. The other funeral I attended that was outside the norm was one where family members got into a physical fight that caused them to bump into the casket. There was a huge gasp from the mourners in attendance, fearful that there was a chance the casket would fall off its pedestal. With the help of the funeral home’s employees, the fighting family members were pulled apart and taken out of the room. After having experienced these unusual funeral proceedings, I thought I had seen everything; that is until I watched this film festival winning, dark comedy. WHEN THE PATRIARCH OF THE FAMILY died, a variety of family members and friends thought the funeral service would be the perfect time to address their concerns. With Matthew Macfadyen (The Three Musketeers, Pride & Prejudice) as Daniel, Keeley Hawes (Line of Duty-TV, Upstairs Downstairs-TV) as Jane, Andy Nyman (Judy, The Commuter) as Howard, Ewen Bremner (Wonder Woman, Trainspotting franchise) as Justin and Peter Dinklage (The Station Agent, Game of Thrones-TV) as Peter; this movie took some time before kicking into gear. The humor was fun and there was an abundance of jokes, but I felt the writers could have tightened up the script more. There was an overall flavor to this film that reminded me of those old British comedy films. With such a large cast, one would have thought several actors would have faded into the background; but that was not the case here. Everyone did their part to carry the story forward, with Alan Tudyk and Andy Nyman as the standouts for me. All things considered, this was a fun film to watch and a better experience for me than the previous funerals I had attended.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Current War
THOSE MOMENTS WHEN I REALIZE I AM witnessing something historic are moments I never forget. My only wish is I want to see more positive events than the negative ones. I do not want to be a witness to the worst nightclub massacre or synagogue shooting or largest mass grave or biggest wildfire destruction. Instead, I want to see something that benefits the planet and its people. Think back to a time when something was introduced to the world that forever changed the way we were living. I still have a landline phone, but I remember when cellular phones were available to the public; it was an extraordinary experience. The idea of being able to talk to someone without being tethered to a wall was mind blowing. Right now, we are witnessing something becoming historic and that is driverless vehicles. Prior to seeing them in the news, my only experience was seeing them in science fiction movies and television shows. As a kid I had the toy car model of KITT; do you know what TV show KITT starred in? Something I just discovered is a wearable device that dials 911 if it detects the wearer has fallen. A fellow employee told me they had tripped and fell to the ground. They laid still for a moment to catch their breath and calm down. Within that time their watch alerted emergency assistance and paramedics were sent out to them. IF MEMORY SERVES ME CORRECTLY DIDN’T a well-known amusement park have to update their futuristic exhibit because it had become outdated? Having been created decades ago, some of the items depicted became products we are using presently. I look at the things in my house and I can tell you when and where I was when I acquired them. From hi-tech to mementoes, a memory is attached to each item. What I really would love to know is how the inventor/creator came up with the idea for it. Even hearing from the individual who created the pet rock or chia pet is someone I would enjoy talking with. I consider myself more creative than scientific and yet, the things I imagine have never produced tangible results. And that is okay because I know I will still experience new and exciting things in life. If you are like me, by looking at things we use in our daily lives and wonder what it must have been like when they first appeared, then you will enjoy watching this historical, dramatic biography based on a true story. A BATTLE OF WITS AND IDEAS reach an epic peak when three visionary men see what the future would be like if light could be accessible to all. With Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game, Star Trek into Darkness) as Thomas Edison, Tom Holland (Spider-Man franchise, In the Heart of the Sea) as Samuel Insull, Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water, Take Shelter) as George Westinghouse, Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies, X-Men franchise) as Nikola Tesla and Matthew Macfadyen (Pride & Prejudice, The Three Musketeers) as J.P. Morgan; I enjoyed the historical aspect of this story, whether it was accurate or not. Seeing these historical men brought to life by the fine acting of the cast was a treat for me. As the story unfolded, I realized something was missing; a spark, a shock, a connection. The script did not provide the drama I thought was needed for this story. It was as if the scenes were in stasis; there was no difference emotionally from one to the other. I did however enjoy the sets and cinematography. With the discovery of electricity as a focal point, I would have thought the movie studio would have demanded more work be done to make this film shine.
2 ½ stars
moviejoltz 