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Flash Movie Review: Challengers
I WANTED TO LEARN HOW TO play tennis. Neither of my schools offered it as a sport. So, during a summer break, I signed up for tennis lessons through The Learning Annex. Classes were to meet at a tennis facility not too far from the downtown area. I was excited because the facility was home to a couple of tennis tournaments; I was hoping I would see someone “famous.” On the first day of class, there was a total of twelve students; we were split into two groups. It turned out I was the only left-handed person in my group. The first thing the instructor taught us was how to hold the tennis racket. He went up to each of us to check on our grip and make any needed adjustments. I thought things were going well, but when it came time to teach us how to serve, I could not get the hang of it as quickly as the others. It should not have been so difficult because all I had to do was switch his usage of right and left; but for some reason, I could not make it work. He tried working with me, but I could see he was not a patient person. The same thing happened when he was teaching us the ground strokes. While everyone’s ball was going to one side of the court, mine was going to the other side. I was getting self-conscious, uncomfortable, and started to feel like I was being left out. Gratefully, there were only two classes left. FROM THAT EXPERIENCE, I DECIDED I would practice on my own and pay closer attention to televised matches. I used the side of my elementary school’s building to hit the ball against. When I got to college, I had a friend who taught me how to put spin on the ball. Up until that point, I was hitting flat straight balls. On the weekends, we would go down to the sports facility and get a court for us to hit the ball back and forth. Pretty soon I was able to add a little spin to my hits. We eventually started to play games and keep score. I never won but that was okay with me because I was not the type of person who was competitive. He was, however. I just wanted to have fun hitting the ball and trying to make the shots. This was something I never understood: if one was not having fun doing whatever sport then why do it. My friend never looked like he was having fun; it was all about the winning. Except in the earlier scenes of this film festival winner, I felt the same way about the main characters in this dramatic, sport romance. They did not look like they were having fun. TWO FRIENDS VIE FOR THE ATTENTION of a tennis prodigy. There could only be one winner, so what would it take. With Mike Faist (West Side Story, The Bikeriders) as Art Donaldson, Josh O’Connor (God’s Own Country, The Crown-TV) as Patrick Zweig, Zendaya (Dune franchise, Spider-Man franchise) as Tashi Donaldson, newcomer Bryan Doo, and A.J. Lister (Birth/Rebirth) as Lily; this film was fortunate to have this cast in the roles. They were all good, helping to keep the intensity and drama up in this film. What I did not care for was the jumping back and forth in time; I quickly found it annoying. The action and editing cuts were so fast that I soon got tired watching them. It was a shame because I thought the story had merit, but I wonder how I would have felt if they stuck closer to a linear timeline. There were some scenes that did not seem believable to me, which may have added to my losing interest in the characters. With that being said, I still enjoyed the tennis matches and the few extremely dramatic scenes; but at the end, this was not a love match for me.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Bikeriders
MY FRIEND KNEW HOW MUCH I enjoy looking at photo albums which is why she asked me over to her place one day. After I arrived and showed me her latest art project, she led us into the dining room. I thought it was odd since most other times we spend time together in her studio or den. When we entered the room, I immediately understood her reasons; there placed in the middle of the dining room table was an old-fashioned photo album. I am not talking about the kind that has that sticky heavy stock paperboard, where you simply press the photo anywhere on it and it will stick; though as time goes on the photos can become permanently attached. I could tell this was an incredibly old album, even if it did not have its cracked and worn cover, along with a couple of loose pages sticking out. This album had black construction type paper pages where the photos were held in place by four little corners that were glued onto the pages. She must have seen the expression on my face because she said she thought it would be better lighting in the dining room, with the light fixture hanging above the table and the amount of sunlight coming through the windows, to look at the photos. I agreed with her. WE SAT DOWN AND SHE MOVED the album towards me. I did not even ask if she was sure about it, that maybe she wanted to turn the pages. Opening the cover, the first page had eight black and white photographs attached in a grid pattern. Most of the photos were standard size, but there were a couple of wallet sized ones as well. They were all people; one of a little boy bundled up in what looked like a wool and fur lined coat, with a fur hat. I asked where it was taken and who he was, but she had no idea. There were not any labels anywhere on the page. She added she looked on the back and nothing had been written there. I continued looking at the photos and turning the pages. The variety of photographs impressed me; there were outdoor activity shots mixed in with portraits and candid shots. Anytime I asked her about a photo, she could not provide any sort of details; she did not know anyone in the book. By the end of the book, I was disappointed because though the photos had the potential to tell a historical story I could not connect to any of them. As a result, I was a little bored just looking at random photos. I felt the same way while watching this crime drama. AFTER SEEING EACH OTHER AT A local bar, the soon-to-be couple see a change taking place around them and the motorcycle club where her boyfriend is a member. It could go either way on where the boy’s loyalty ends up. With Jodie Comer (The Last Dual, Free Guy) as Kathy, Austin Butler (Elvis, Dune: Part Two) as Benny, Tom Hardy (Venom franchise, The Dark Knight Rises) as Johnny, Michael Shannon (The Flash, A Little White Lie) as Zipco and Mike Faist (West Side Story, Challengers) as Danny; this film festival winning movie had a nearly perfect cast to tell the writers’ story. However, the script given to them had lifeless passages in it. There were times where I felt I was watching a short vignette or someone’s home movies without any sound or explanation. It left me feeling bored. I did like the sets and the filming of this picture and thought the actors did as good of a job with their acting as they could. I wanted to know more about the characters and what motivated them to be part of their motorcycle club. Without knowing it, the scenes felt lifeless at times. The mix of good and bad parts to this film never added up for me; I felt I was watching someone’s home movies.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game
I WAS THE ONLY KID WHO was too afraid to dive off from the high diving board. On a large family trip, several cars of relatives drove to a resort area in a neighboring state. When we arrived at the hotel, all of us were assigned rooms on the same floor. Since it was still early in the afternoon, it was decided we would all meet at the swimming pool. I was a decent swimmer but had only recently ventured into deeper waters. The pool had two diving boards, one low and the other high, but the low one was being repaired. All my cousins were excited to go off the high dive, lining up single file to climb the metal ladder to the top. I tried doing it but when I got to the top and saw how far down it was to the water, I started to cry. Though relatives were encouraging me to jump, some even treading in the water below, I could not do it. I still remember how humiliated I felt as I climbed back down the ladder and walked past the line of cousins who were too excited to focus on my failure. After that I did not want to spend any more time by the swimming pool. ACROSS FROM THE SWIMMING POOL AREA, I had not noticed a small non-descript wooden structure that looked like a miniature house without windows. The relative who was taking me back to the hotel room, stopped at the front of this structure and asked me if I wanted to peek inside. It was such a curious building that I said yes. There was only an entryway, no door, so we walked in. What was inside was something I had never seen before. There was this machine with flashing lights. Its body had a glass top that covered an array of bumpers, buttons and holes. It fascinated me with its colorful graphics that stretched across both inside and out. My relative must have been familiar with the machine because they placed a chair they had taken from a corner, by the side of the machine and told me to stand on it, so I could watch them play. Once I was on it, my relative pulled back a metal rod and let go. I saw a silver ball whip up to the top of the course, bounce back and forth a couple of times, then descend into the array of bumpers and buttons. It was amazing, watching the ball bounce from one side to the other; and whenever the ball got near to the bottom, my relative would press these two red buttons on each side of the machine to smack the ball back up towards the top. This was my first encounter with a pinball machine, but it was not going to be my last. A STRUGGLING WRITER IN NEW YORK CITY finds escape in a pinball machine he found in an unlikely place. When the machine gets confiscated due to the ban on them, he puts his frustration into his writings. With Mike Faist (West Side Story, Wildling) as Roger (young), Crystal Reed (Incident in a Ghostland, Gotham-TV) as Ellen, Dennis Boutsikaris (Batteries not Included, Better Call Saul-TV) as Mr. Shapiro, Christopher Convery (The Girl in the Spider’s Web, Prisoner’s Daughter) as Seth and Connor Ratliff (Search Party-TV, The George Lucas Talk Show-TV) as Jimmy; this comedic drama hooked me in quickly after a short time figuring out if I was watching a documentary or not. I thought the way the writers told the story in this biography made it more interesting. As a lover of pinball machines, I appreciated the history lesson being told in such an entertaining way. Set in the 1970s, the sets and costumes were perfect. Maybe other viewers will feel the same way as I did to find out there was a time when pinball machines, of all things, used to be illegal. For me, it sounded so absurd, and it was another reason I wanted to see this movie. This film is certainly worth keeping in play.
3 ¼ stars
moviejoltz 