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Flash Movie Review: Twisters
FOR ALL THE YEARS I WAS TEACHING fitness and yoga, I had only one accident take place in my classes. It was a cycle class and a new couple who were husband and wife came to participate. I had gone up to introduce myself and asked if they had ever been to a cycle class before. They said yes and I saw they knew how to set up their bikes properly. I wished them success and a good ride before going back to the front of the class. It was fifteen minutes into our ride when the wife got off her bike and went over to her husband’s to adjust the handlebars higher. Things were going along until I moved the class into a standing climb. He moved into position, got off his seat, and suddenly the handlebars came off and he tumbled with them over the front of his bike. I jumped off and ran over to him, asking if he was okay. He kept reassuring me as I did a visual scan over his body, noticing a couple of cuts and all the limbs moving like they were supposed to do. I offered to walk them to the front desk to fill out an incident report, but he declined, telling me he was a doctor, and he was fine. During our short conversation he did say he wanted the handlebars higher, so he asked his wife to adjust them for him. I looked at her and she said she must have gone too high with them; I added that she probably did not lock them into place. With that they left the studio, and I went back to instructing the class. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED EARLY IN MY career, I might have quit. It took me a few years to finally feel comfortable teaching a room filled with members; this is what takes place when you have little self-confidence. Luckily, I had established myself as a competent instructor who diligently looked out for the members in his classes. I have seen it happen where someone changes the course of their career due to a single event. There was a research scientist in one of my classes who chose that field because of their sister’s disease; they wanted to help find a cure. Another example would be a co-worker from a previous job who used to be a firefighter until he got burned during a call, trying to put out a fire in an apartment building. It just goes to show you, the choices we make sometimes get influenced by certain events in our lives. This is why I could understand the main character’s hesitancy in this action, adventure thriller. HAVING LEFT HER DREAMS AND HOPES behind, and now working behind a computer screen, a former storm chaser returns to Oklahoma after an old friend convinces her that his innovative technology will make things safer. With Daisy Edgar-Jones (Where the Crawdads Sing, Cold Feet-TV) as Kate, Glen Powell (Hit Man, Anyone But You) as Tyler, Anthony Ramos (In the Heights, Dumb Money) as Javi, Brandon Perea (Nope, The OA-TV) as Boone, and Maura Tierney (The Iron Claw, Beautiful Boy) as Cathy; this movie was filled with scattered showers. It was so predictable that I pretty knew everything that was going to take place later in the story. Sure, there were a couple of twists, but I felt the writers did an injustice to the characters, making them one-dimensional, borderline cartoonish. Despite this flaw, I thought Glenn still had great screen presence that elevated Daisy as well. The special effects were also a mixture of good and poor. Some scenes were exciting, while others were just okay. I think if the writers had added layers to the characters and opened them up to a deeper level, this film would have had more substance. Instead, this is one of those movies that will just die down to a gentle breeze.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Iron Claw
IF I HAD BEEN THE REFEREE and had seen the parent yelling at his son after the game, I would have banned him from all future games. I have been to enough sports games to watch the children of friends and family, and there is always at least one parent who is the aggressive one close to the action. This one father was yelling at his kid throughout the game but did throw out a couple of barbs at the umpires. For me, it simply makes the experience of watching the game uncomfortable. I do not know about you, but I do not want to hear parents reprimanding their children during a game. Even after the game, what could their child have done that warranted such ugly behavior. It is only a game and if the kid is trying their best then that is all that matters, at least to me. It is not like there are scouts in the audience or television deals waiting to bestow riches upon the young child. The dad was tugging at the boy’s jersey while telling him what he did wrong; I found it disgusting. I mean really, talk about an embarrassing moment in one’s life. That father should be ashamed of himself. As you would imagine, it looked like tears were rolling down the boy’s face. I USED TO WORK WITH A woman who pushed her daughter into theater, because it was something she started to do when she was young but could not sustain it. It always made me wonder if there are many parents who try to live their lives through their children. Was that father yelling at his child during and after the game, wanting his son to be just like him; or even better? The person I worked with was constantly driving her daughter to various auditions, photo shoots, and a multitude of stores to find unique items for her to wear so she would stand out. I can still remember the day she told me her daughter decided she did not want to act anymore; this woman was despondent. She walked around the office with such a sad face and as if she had nothing left to live for (my own observation). There was a time afterward where her daughter was in the neighborhood and wanted to take her mother out to lunch. I was hoping in a way that there would have been a moment I could ask the daughter if she had grown up wanting to be an actress, but I decided it was not my place to ask her. I am afraid I do not understand this desire or need for parents to live out their dreams/fantasies through their children. And this dramatic sports biography certainly proves my point. HAVING A SET OF SONS WAS all former wrestler Fritz Von Erich, played by Holt McCallany (Fight Club, Nightmare Alley), needed to finally reach his wish of building a legacy. His desires, unbeknownst to him, also set up a separate more emotional legacy. With Zac Efron (Ricky Stanicky, The Greatest Showman) as Kevin Von Erich, Jeremy Allen White (Fingernails, The Bear-TV) as Kerry Von Erich, Harris Dickinson (Beach Rats, Where the Crawdads Sing) as David Von Erich and Maura Tierney (Beautiful Boy, ER-TV) as Doris Von Erich; this film based on a true story was riveting to me. I had never heard about this family until I saw this movie. I thought the acting was excellent and felt this was one of Zac’s best roles. I still do not know if his body was real, or CGI enhanced; it was so bulked up. The story was an emotional one; I, at times, could not believe some of the scenes I was watching because they had that same air of uncomfortableness I was talking about earlier in this review. After seeing this picture, I am curious to find clips of the actual wrestling family that made a name for themselves in the early 1980’s.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Beautiful Boy
THOUGH THE CLERGYMAN TOLD ME HIS tragic story years ago, it all came back to me as I was watching this emotional film. I was friends with this clergyman, not a person who attended his church. I do not recall how we wound up talking about this individual, but our conversation was about relationships. Let me first say I have not had much exposure to individuals with addictions. Sure, I have some friends who drink in excess from time to time, but they tend to only get that way at a celebration event or weekend party and not on a consistent basis. The clergyman started telling me about a couple he knew, never divulging how or where he knew them. They were together for something like 15+ years, both employed with no children. At some point in time the husband started experiencing mood swings. At first, they were not so dramatic; but as time went on, they became more intense. The husband was losing weight and he was away from home for longer periods of time. I am not sure if the wife tried to find out what was going on, but the outcome was so sad. It turned out the husband was addicted to drugs. Not only did he wipe out their savings account, he lost their house. WHEN THE CLERGYMAN TOLD ME THIS story I could not believe such a thing could happen. On the one hand I wondered how the wife did not know bills and past due notices were being ignored; but then on the other hand, if his responsibilities were the financial dealings, how could the husband let things get so out of hand. You see, I did not know addictions could be that debilitating. I did not, nor do I still know, how dangerous addictions can be. Granted, my exposure to this type of disease pretty much revolves seeing it on the big screen, but still I do have an inkling. Since it has not touched me personally, I feel I have this buffer zone around me that isolates me from experiencing the horrors of addiction. For me, I have always looked at addiction as being a tool to fill a void in one’s life. Something is lacking so the person focuses on trying to fill an emotional need. Drugs and alcohol are the first 2 things that come to mind, but I guess almost anything done in excess can be considered an addiction. This dramatic movie based on a true story allows you to experience the tragedy caused by addiction without being a part of it. NEVER IN HIS WILDEST DREAMS DID David Sheff, played by Steve Carell (Battle of the Sexes, The Big Short), ever think the beautiful boy he raised would wind up being someone he no longer understood. This dramatic biographical film also starred Timothee Chalamet (Call Me by Your Name, Lady Bird) as Nic Sheff, Maura Tierney (Insomnia, Forces of Nature) as Karen Barbour, Amy Ryan (Escape Plan, Gone Baby Gone) as Vicki Sheff and Jack Dylan Grazer (It; Me, Myself and I-TV) as young Nic Sheff. The best part of this picture was the acting, hands down. Steve and Timothee were exquisite together as father and son. Timothee’s acting in particular is something special to watch. His transformation throughout this story was mesmerizing. Not that any of the other actors were slouches; they all did a fine job here. My only complaint was I felt for the topic the emotions on display could have been rawer. There was a slight repetitiveness to the script that came across without much variance. Still I could not look away at what I was seeing on the big screen. Truly a command performance of a brutal addiction.
3 stars
moviejoltz 