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Flash Movie Review: Centurion
Recently I was playing with a friend’s dog who loved being chased around the house. Though he was a small sized dog he would outrun me. It was so funny to watch him when he moved out of eyesight from me; he would stop and wait until I entered the room before taking off again. It reminded me when we were kids how we loved being chased by older relatives Actually I cannot recall any child not enjoying a game of tag or having someone playfully chase them. However once we start arriving at adulthood, being chased takes on a whole different, scary dimension. For those who have never experienced being chased let me describe it for you. The brain opens the floodgates of hormones for the body to take flight. As the heart is pounding in your chest, hearing it all the way up to your ears, your vision narrows into a tight focus as the eyes are constantly seeking out safe passage for you. Despite hearing your body in overdrive, the ears suddenly take on animalistic sharpness; you are able to single out the sounds stretching to you from your pursuers. And finally, time becomes distorted where seconds feel like minutes and minutes feel like milliseconds. DEEP inside enemy land a small group of Roman soldiers was trying to make their way back after a devastating battle. However, revenge would sustain those assigned to hunt them down, no matter how long it would take. This film festival nominated movie’s story was set in Britain during the 2nd century, starring Michael Fassbender (X-Men franchise, Shame) playing Centurion Quintus Dias and Dominic West (Chicago, 300) as General Titus Flavius Virilus. It was these actors that attracted me to this DVD since I was not familiar with the writer/director Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, Doomsday). I have to tell you right at the start this action drama had a large amount of blood being spilled throught it; I mean a lot. The acting was good and I especially liked the character of Etain, played by Olga Kurylenko (Quantum of Solace, The November Man). Except for all of the blood, I enjoyed the way this picture was filmed; some of the outdoor scenes had a great look to them. Regarding the battle scenes, they were a bit intense at times even though they verged on becoming cartoonish. What basically caused me to lose interest was the story; it essentially became one long chase scene that seemed to be repeating itself. I also did not think the scripted dialog did it any favors. There would be no reason to go out of your way to see this film; but if you had time to kill with nothing to do, you may be okay pursuing this one. Many scenes had blood and violence in them.
2 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: X-Men: Days of Future Past
The words had just passed my lips when I realized these were not the correct ones to utter at the moment. I inhaled with the same force I use with a straw in a chocolate peanut butter milkshake, but it was to no avail; the words were out in the open for everyone to hear. If only I had the opportunity to do it all over; but then again, there are so many times I wish for that chance. Almost every checkout line I choose winds up with a customer ahead of me who has some type of issue that will require a price check or swapping out a product. Recently I was running late for work. I had just missed the green light at an intersection that has an unusually long wait period between signals. It was a split second decision and I veered off into a restaurant’s parking lot to avoid the wait. As I was about to exit on the opposite side a police car was sitting there waiting for me to leave the lot. If only I could have turned time back, I would have saved myself from a moving violation ticket. I would have a better understanding of time travel if it personally affected me. In movies I get lost by the explanations or logistics of it. However, in this action adventure film I had no problem. Due to a particular event in history, both humans and mutants (individuals with special abilities) were being targeted for elimination. A plan was developed to send Logan/Wolverine, played by Hugh Jackman (Prisoners, Australia), back in time in an attempt to alter the outcome of the specific incident, change the course of history and hopefully save mutants in the future. What drove this fantasy film to excellence was the well thought out script and amazing special effects. I especially liked the way humor was injected into scenes without taking away from the building tension. The other main force that made this movie special was the cast. I thought Jennifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook, The Hunger Games franchise) as Raven/Mystique, Michael Fassbender (The Counselor, Shame) as Erik Lehnsherr and James McAvoy (Trance, The Last Station) as Charles Xavier were outstanding. One of my few and minor complaints was not seeing enough of Patrick Stewart (Safe House, Star Trek franchise) as Professor X and Ian McKellen (The Hobbit franchise, Emile) as Magneto. Though there were a couple of things where I did not understand the logic, it really did not matter; this fantasy film delivered a high dose of exciting entertainment and suspense. In fact, I would not need the ability to turn back time because I would willingly go see this movie again. There was an extra scene at the end of the credits.
3 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: 12 Years a Slave
I first learned about prejudice in elementary school, but it was not from school books. My first exposure had to do with religious differences. After answering a classmate’s question on what was my religion, he told me I was dirty. At the time I was confused by his comment, remembering I looked down at my hands to see if they were unclean. Shortly after I discovered other classmates were treated to the same encounter. If you were not the same religion as this boy, he believed something was wrong with you. The next form of prejudice I witnessed occurred later when a new student was enrolled into my class who was African American. There was no overt actions taken against her; however, she was shunned by several students. I did not understand why classmates would react in such a way, let alone try to figure out the reasoning behind it. My elementary school years were only a prelude to the horrors I would encounter when I entered into high school. One of the reasons I started this review by writing about the prejudices and discriminations I saw at such a young age was to prepare you for what were the most realistic depictions of them that I have ever seen in a movie. Based on Solomon Northup’s memoir, this movie should be required viewing in every school. Chiwetel Ejiofor (Children of Men, American Gangster) was unbelievable playing Solomon; a free black man with a wife and two children, living in upper state New York who was kidnapped, shipped to Louisiana and sold into slavery. Directed by Steve McQueen (Shame, Hunger), I have never experienced the range of intensity and hatred portrayed in a film about slavery like it was done in this film festival winner. Relative newcomer Lupita Nyong’o was outstanding in her role as Patsey, the slave of cotton plantation owner Edwin Epps, played by Michael Fassbender (A Dangerous Method, Prometheus). The story was amazing to watch on film; I can only imagine what Solomon Northup’s book must be like to read. Even with some actors such as Paul Dano (Prisoners, Ruby Sparks) as Tibeats and Benedict Cumberbatch (Atonement,War Horse) as Ford having brief screen time, they still made every minute count with their characters. This is a movie that needs to be seen by everyone. Now I certainly would not be considered an optimist, but forgive me if my hope is the human race would be better by witnessing the ugliness of prejudice and slavery shown in this magnificent film. There were several scenes that showed blood and violence.
4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Fish Tank
There is a correlation between hopelessness and fantasy. The more I felt my reality was bleak, the more I turned inward. When I was picked on back in school, I turned to martial arts movies to fuel my imagination. In my mind I became a skilled practitioner of the ancient martial arts, able to defend myself with my lightning fast karate chops. Upon reaching the legal age to enter a bar, I would go to nightclubs that had dancing. I could spend hours watching everyone dance while I became more self-conscious of the extra weight I was carrying with me. It was then that I would imagine I was a slender, chiseled go-go dancer who would whip the crowd into a fever pitch; while the disco beats pounded up against the walls. These were the things I did to compensate for feeling hopeless and alone. That sense of bleakness struck me while watching this Cannes Film Festival winning movie. Newcomer Katie Jarvis played Mia, an angry fifteen year old teenager living with her mother Joanne, played by Kierston Wareing (It’s a Free World, Bonded by Blood) and little sister Tyler, played by newcomer Rebecca Griffiths, in the poor area of a British town. With a mother who showed little interest in her and having been kicked out of school; the days blended together for Mia. The only respite she experienced was when she was dancing to music. It was not until her mother brought home the curious stranger named Connor, played by Michael Fassbender (Prometheus, A Dangerous Method), that Mia got her first glimmer of hope. The story was made believable with its excellent directing and dialog. Besides Michael’s well done acting, I was amazed at how good Katie was in her role. It was my understanding the director found Katie by chance at a train station, where Katie was arguing with her boyfriend from across the train tracks. Though I was surprised by certain events, the movie stayed true to its gritty reality. Take if from someone who knows, a single positive remark can store an abundant amount of fuel to propel one’s dream. One brief scene with blood.
3 1/2 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Prometheus
Let me first state the obvious: This science fiction thriller is a prequel to the movie Alien, which starred Sigourney Weaver. The steady tension in this movie was similar to the previous one; it kept me captivated. Believing they found clues to the origin of mankind, a group of explorers traveled to a distant planet. Michael Fassbender (Shame, A Dangerous Method) was excellent as the android David, who had specific reasons for being part of the crew. Charlize Theron (Snow White and the Huntsman, The Italian Job) was steely good as Meredith Vickers, the crew’s captain. I was quite pleased Noomi Rapale (The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo Swedish franchise, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) did an excellent job as Elizabeth Shaw, the scientist who discovered the map that lead the explorers to their destination. Not only were the special effects excellent throughout this film; but I felt the visuals were works of art, they were beautiful. I only had wished the story was as good; parts of it made no sense to me. For example, the idea that one could get up and walk around right after having abdominal surgery with only staples closing the incision was ridiculous. To me it felt as if the special effects were thought of first, then the writers came up with the scenes to accompany them. Honestly, I left the movie theater a bit disappointed. It was like getting a beautifully wrapped birthday gift that you were excited to open, only to discover that you already had something just like it.
2 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Hunger
When under harsh conditions, I am always in awe of the mind’s strong power. To watch what some say was Michael Fassbender’s (A Dangerous Method, Shame) breakout role as Bobby Sands, was exceptional but painful. Based on true events, this beautiful yet brutal movie grabbed hold of me, forcing me to watch each and every frame. The year was 1981 in Belfast’s Maze prison and a group of Irish Republican prisoners’ demands, to be treated as political prisoners, were not being met. Instead, they were being abused by the guards, under inhumane conditions. A group of the inmates decided they would go on a hunger strike. When I tell you this was tough to watch, it really was and some of you may not be able to handle some of the scenes. However, this directorial debut by visual artist Steve McQueen stands out as a masterful visual experience. Fassbender was incredible in this movie; reminding me of the same physical transformation Christian Bale went through in The Machinist. I advise you to view the trailer, to get an idea of the intensity in this film.
3 1/4 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Haywire
There is a new addition to the tough, female action hero genre; joining the likes of Emma Peel, Xena, Honey West and Lara Croft. Her name is Gina Carano (Blood and Bone, American Gladiators-TV) and she is unbelievable to watch. It is worth seeing this film, simply to watch her fight Michael Fassbender (Shame, Jane Eyre); one of the best male/female fight scenes I have ever seen. Gina plays Mallory Kane, a covert operative, working for a private contractor. Her handler, Kenneth played by Ewan McGregor (Beginners, Amelia) has one more job for her, before she can take a well deserved break; however, Mallory discovers she was being set up. What follows is an international chase as she tries to stay alive, while finding out the reasons why she was double crossed. The story was a bit fuzzy and the acting is only okay. What I liked about this film, was having less gun battle scenes, usually found in a film of this nature. Instead, the focus was on Gina Carano’s considerable skills as a mixed martial arts fighter. For those who want to get a bit of aggression out of their system, this is the movie you want to see: fight scenes, even paced, with a steady dose of tension.
2 2/3 stars
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