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Flash Movie Review: The Gallows
Legend had it that one of the students who had worked on the auditorium’s fire curtain still haunted the theater. The story I heard was when the fire curtain was installed the students from the school’s art department were allowed to decorate the drab black colored curtain. As they were working on it something went wrong and the curtain came crashing down and crushed a boy to death. Ever since that time there had been unexplained things that took place around the theater, like lights turning on by themselves or hanging counterweights swinging back and forth in the still air. Every freshman in the school knew about this story by the time they first walked into the school building if not before. I have no idea how some of these stories started. During my time at the school, I never heard about odd events taking place. In fact, the only story that went around one year was about a teacher who had a prosthetic arm. She would always wear long sleeved blouses or jackets along with a white glove covering up the hand portion. Mean spirited students or one who may have failed her class, I am guessing, started telling a story about how her arm was attacked by a couple of birds who had flown through the open window of her classroom. The story evolved into the birds being a flock of woodpeckers who zeroed in on her wooden arm, trying to make a nesting place in it as she wildly swung her fake arm around her head. I am sure every school has a story; just look at this one. TWENTY years after a tragic accident took place during a staged performance; the theater department thought it was time to re-stage that fateful production. Not all ideas are good; maybe some things should be left alone. This horror suspense thriller used the found footage format as the story followed actors and friends Reese, Pfeifer, Ryan and Cassidy; played by relative newcomers Reese Mishler and Pfeifer Brown, Ryan Shoos (As Night Comes) and Cassidy Gifford (Adventures of Serial Buddies, God’s Not Dead). Not only was this a low budget production but it was somewhat of a lame idea for a story. I say this because I cannot imagine any school agreeing to relaunch a play that had such a tragic event take place during it. The script was filled with every horror film cliche, besides not being at all sophisticated since it was so predictable. On the plus side there were no gory or bloody scenes, the writers tried using suspense as the main vehicle to drive this picture. Too bad it failed for I could tell you stories about my high school experiences that were a lot scarier than this movie.
1 2/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: True Story
They were the perfect guests for dinner. Always on time, trustworthy and filled with noteworthy stories each time they appeared; many of us had the same nightly guests for supper. They were the newscasters who showed up every day at the dinner hour when our televisions were turned on. I am referring to those TV news anchors when I was growing up. Back then they were sometimes considered family members; they would explain current issues in a way that was unbiased and unfettered. There was no hidden agenda or slanted placement to the presentation of the stories. The same could be said about reporters for the newspapers. That was the beauty of the news during those times; one could get the same story whether it was done verbally or visually. I remember the newspapers being so much thicker than they are now, besides fewer ads then. There were some reporters who had their own weekly or daily columns where they would take a topic, cut it up and spoon feed it to us, the readers. I still hold on to those feelings I had years ago every time I hold a newspaper in my hands. However things are not the same; I do not have the same level of trust anymore. It seems to me the news is based now on getting ratings; the more sensational the story, the higher draw of viewers. In addition, with a majority of media outlets now owned by large corporations I get the feeling there is a hidden agenda to their actions. It is harder to figure out what is really true these days. BEING released from the New York Times due to a falsified story reporter Michael Finkel, played by Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street, The Sitter), became an untouchable in the news world. Finding a job seemed like an impossible task until murder suspect Christian Longo, played by James Franco (The Interview, Palo Alto), was taken into custody claiming he was Michael Finkel. Based on actual events this dramatic mystery seemed to have all the elements for making a thrilling picture. I liked the cast which included Felicity Jones (The Invisible Woman, The Theory of Everything) as Jill Barker; however, I only found James to be the most believable. The script was overdone, plodding along to the point where I was bored through portions of the movie. It was too bad because I rather enjoyed the camera work with its variety of close-ups and uncluttered scenes. The beginning of the film was stronger; I kept losing interest as time went on. Though the story had an interesting base, I just could not get into it. I felt the same way about this film as I do about the news; I did not buy into everything I was being shown.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Loft
No matter what age, it is safe to say everyone wants to have some space they can call their own. A place important to them; where one could be surrounded by things that meant something only to them. As children some were lucky to have a treehouse, fort or maybe a swing set. Do you remember going from a crib to a bed? I actually remember how excited I was when the time came when I was finally getting a bed like everyone else. If in college you had to share a dorm room with another student, it was important for the roomies to stake out and acknowledge each other’s space. I lived in off campus housing where I had my own room but shared a kitchen with 6 other students. We were all respectful of each others’ food except for one guy who would “borrow” things and never replace them. It is funny when people co-habitate due to marriage or wanting to live in an expensive apartment they cannot afford by themselves, they still need a spot they can call their own. I am sure you have heard the term “man’s cave” referring to a place where a guy can do as they please; it may be something like a spare bedroom or a garage. It is a place where one can do what they want without infringing on someone else’s sensibilities. I have seen a variety of such places but nothing ever happened in them like what took place in this movie. KEEPING a high-rise penthouse secret from everyone else was paramount if this group of friends wanted to be able to use their place for whatever they so desired. That all changed however when one of the friends entered the loft and found a dead woman handcuffed to the bed. This dramatic thriller had as part of its cast Karl Urban (Star Trek franchise, Dredd) as Vincent Stevens, James Marsden (Enchanted, The Best of Me) as Chris Vanowen, Wentworth Miller (The Human Stain, Prison Break-TV) as Luke Seacord and Eric Stonestreet (Identity Thief, Modern Family-TV) as Marty Landry. Gratefully the acting was good overall by the cast. I liked the look of the film and thought the film’s beginning was a good start for this mystery. By the way it would be perfectly understandable if viewers were offended with the premise to this story; I had a bit of a challenge accepting it. Unfortunately the story quickly spiraled out of control with too many twists and turns, trying to keep everyone guessing on why there was a dead woman in the loft. I found parts of the story to be ridiculous, growing to dislike the characters. Maybe the movie studio should have kept this film a secret from us.
1 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Oxford Murders
It started in high school, where there were a couple of teachers who had an edge to them. In other words their teaching styles were not the norm. Students, me being one of them, gravitated to these teachers’ classes because we felt they understood us, treating us more like adults than high school students. However, when I went to college I really started to understand the power an instructor could have over their students. My European history professor was an expert in his field; our textbook was written by him. He was German with a heavy accent whose field of expertise was World War II. His classes were filled with these incredible tales of high drama and intense personal insight to what was actually taking place in the areas he travelled. I do not know if it was due to his intensity or passion, but he was the only instructor I had who used a healthy dose of profanity. And pity the student who was not paying attention and asked him to repeat himself. The teacher would say stuff where these days he would have been written up by his supervisor. His outrageous behavior would not only draw students to him, it would turn some of them into groupies; or worse yet, into these tail wagging pets who would do anything to get his praise. MARTIN’S, played by Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings franchise, Green Street Hooligans), sole purpose for doing his graduate work at Oxford University was to get Professor Arthur Seldom, played by John Hurt (The Elephant Man, V for Vendetta). He was willing to try anything, even solving a murder, to get Arthur’s attention. John Hurt was the draw for me in watching this crime thriller. I have to say he gave a good effort to bring his character to life. The beginning of the story held my attention as the cast, which also included Julie Cox (Second in Command, Almost Heaven) as Beth and Leonor Watling (Talk to Her, My Life Without Me) as Lorna, were introduced. It appeared this film festival winner was going to be a traditional mystery like an Agatha Christie story. However, it was quickly apparent the writers did not know what they wanted to be; an Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, Jessica Fletcher type of sleuth mystery. I started not believing in the scenes as the script spiraled out of control. Everything started to feel like one big visual version of the board game Clue. Watching this DVD on a do nothing type of day would be ok I guess, but I cannot recommend signing up for class.
1 3/4 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: White Bird in a Blizzard
Here is a little secret I will share with you on staying young: let the little child inside of you come out to play. There is no reason to suppress the joy and freedom we felt as children; it is therapeutic to find time to do something fun and it will keep you young. In our adult life we will encounter challenges, tests and a variety of events that harden us to be stoic and strong; I totally understand it. However, I do not know who decided the age of 18 or 21 is the dividing line between being a child or an adult. I have met a lot of adults who acted more like children than some children I have seen. The term “old soul” comes to mind when I recall some of the conversations I have had with younger people. Now I know reaching that magic age where you are suddenly transformed into an adult is a big deal; heck, I could not wait to vote for the first time in a presidential election. However, if a person is not responsible can they really be considered an adult? JUST before her 18th birthday Kat Connor, played by Shailene Woodley (The Fault in our Stars, Divergent), was faced with a terrible loss. Her mother Eve, played by Eva Green (Casino Royale, 300: Rise of an Empire); just picked up and left one day, leaving Kat and her father Brock, played by Christopher Meloni (Man of Steel, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit-TV), to fend for themselves. Pushed into being and adult, Kat slowly began to realize something was not right as she began to have dreams about her mother. The big draw for me to watch this dramatic mystery was Shailene. After her last couple of films I was looking forward to seeing her in this thriller. She did not disappoint; I really think she is becoming a well-rounded actress. Writer and director Greg Araki (Mysterious Skin, Kaboom) must have been thinking the same thing because he really dropped the ball on the script. It felt like he did not need to make a good script because he knew Shailene would squeeze the emotions out of his words. She did her best but sadly it was not enough to make this a good film. The story was slow and lifeless; I did not feel any passion coming out of the cast. And it was not their fault; I felt the responsibility fell squarely on Greg. Despite the group of actors assembled and the twists to the story, I did not experience much fun or enjoyment watching this movie.
2 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Horns
Just imagine if everyone would express exactly what they felt or thought. I would be more comfortable hearing the truth instead of some flimsy throwaway type of phrase. How would you react to the 2 following comments: “Why did you cut your hair to look like that?” or “I miss the way your hair outlines your face now that you cut your hair.” I have to admit I do find amusement in people’s comments sometimes; especially those folks who are passive aggressive. An example would be someone I had not seen in a long time coming up to me to say they haven’t heard from me, they missed me. When they say that to me I ask them why then didn’t they just pickup the phone and call me. Let me ask you, how many times have you gone on a date when the person tells you what a good time they had meeting you and will call you later in the week to set up another date? You do not hear from them so you call and leave them a message. And guess what, they still do not call. I do not get it; I wish they would just say they are not interested or they don’t think we make a good fit. Heck, they can say they don’t like my looks; I am not going to take it personally because they barely know me. People can be so funny at times. WITH everyone believing he murdered his girlfriend Merrin Williams, played by Juno Temple (Killer Joe, Afternoon Delight); Ig Perrish, played by Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter franchise, Kill Your Darlings), would now have to face the townsfolk with the unusual horns that had mysteriously sprouted up on his head. He soon discovered the horns had a strange effect on people. Based on the best-selling book, this dramatic fantasy had a bizarre premiss as a story line. However, I was game since I have been intrigued with Daniel’s movie role choices recently. He did not disappoint me in this picture, carrying it off quite nicely as a matter of fact. Actually I thought the whole cast worked well together including Max Minghella (The Ides of March, The Social Network) as Lee Tourneau. Where this film lost me was the script; it tried to do too much, not sure if it wanted to be a drama, fantasy, mystery or horror film. There were some scenes that worked well thanks to the actors; but then other times things would just go flat. One other thing to mention, I believe the idea for this story had been done a couple of times before. Just as I like my conversations to state the bottom line, so do I wish my movies would do the same thing in what they are trying to tell me.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Before I Go to Sleep
It is not given out freely, nor should it be taken lightly. To be treated with respect, trust is something that is to be earned; at least that is what I think. The dictionary defines trust as a belief that someone or something is reliable, good or honest. Imagine if everyone believed everything they were being told was true, how hurt they would become when they found out that was not the case. How many of us make a large purchase, let us say a car or house, without depending on a realtor or salesperson? If we do not build trust with the individual we are not going to buy the item. I have never been one to give out trust easily; it has to develop over time. However, once someone has my trust they have it completely. I never question their actions or what they tell me because I believe them. Now I have to tell you being this way has a downside. If someone who has my trust breaks or bruises it, I feel the sting much deeper. Depending on the severity my trust could go from just needing a bandage to totally crumbling around me. No matter which way, my trust never comes back all the way. TO love a person is to trust them, but what if you could not remember them? Nicole Kidman (The Others, The Hours) played Christine, a married woman who was so savagely beaten that it affected her memory. Not able to recall anything from her past, she could only retain memories that occurred while she stayed awake; for once she fell asleep her memories would vanish by the next morning. Each day she woke up to find a stranger in her bed who was really her husband Mike, played by Colin Firth (The Railway Man, The King’s Speech). When she received a call from a Dr. Nasch, played by Mark Strong (Body of Lies, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), who claimed he was treating her, she would not know who to trust as she tried to find some way to retrieve her lost memories. Based on the novel, this mystery thriller could not have asked for a better cast. Having been paired previously for a film, Nicole and Colin were excellent and convincing with their acting. There is something about Nicole on screen that makes one focus their attention solely on her. Because the two actors were so good it only pointed out how poorly written the script was for this movie. I found it irritating because there were odd moments throughout along with a certain staleness to several scenes. Despite a couple of twists in the story, overall I was disappointed. I wonder if Nicole and Colin will lose their memory of this film as quickly as I have started to do. There were a few scenes that had blood in them.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Gone Girl
It began with a glance across the room as locked eyes pushed the other guests to the side. An easy bantering that produced chuckles and laughter that cropped up like hot, bursting popcorn soon led to a steaming up of the room. The two of you held a second conversation with your eyes; each of you feeling you found that special person who would stand shoulder to shoulder with you. Effortless and effervescent, each time the two of you were together you both shed the remaining layers of your defensive protection, revealing souls quite similar to each other. Agreeing and wanting to spend the rest of your lives together, both of you settled into joyful and playful lovingness. The first couple of years flew by as the two of you easily rode the waves of daily life, your love always ready to throw you a life preserver to keep you afloat. As the next couple of years rolled on by, a veneer of automatic expectations dulled the shine of your love. It was not an intentional action, just the strength of familiar routines dulling your heart’s love. Sadly, during these times one may not recognize what they have until it is gone. COMING home to discover his wife Amy, played by Rosamund Pike (Surrogates, The Devil You Know), missing with only a piece of broken furniture left behind; Nick Dunne’s, played by Ben Affleck (Runner Runner, The Town), only thought was finding her. However, once the authorities were involved some of the evidence they turned up placed Nick in a suspicious light, no thanks to the growing media frenzy that was surrounding him. Director David Fincher (The Social Network, Fight Club) created a suspenseful thriller that was filled with intense, dramatic scenes. I especially found the camera work ideal in keeping the intensity level of this movie high. In my opinion this was Rosamund’s best role to date; she was unbelievable which says something since Ben and Neil Patrick Harris (A MIllion Ways to Die in the West, The Smurfs franchise) as Desi Collings were excellent. Since I had not read Gillian Flynn’s novel that this film was based on, I was surprised by the different changes in direction. If one read the book first, I believe the movie may have less of an impact. Having a running time of nearly 2 1/2 hours and its slow start, I felt the movie could have been cut down a bit. With that being said, I did not forget the film after I left the theater; it still gave me much to remember. There were a couple of scenes that had blood and violence in them.
3 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: A Walk Among the Tombstones
It is important to have a comfortable setting. Location is a priority for some while comfort is a necessity for others. Once you are in your perfect place a calmness comes over you like an old comfy sweater; all that is left is for the movie to begin. The opening scene rolls onto the screen and there is a twinge of excitement as you are prepared to be taken on a journey by the film’s story. A short time passed and that hopeful, emotional expectation dimmed as it took its last breath of light and you realized something was not right. You were reacting to the film, there was something familiar about it. There was a moment where you quickly wondered if you had seen the film before and had spaced out about it. As it turned out you did not see the picture before, but the film studio just used the same formula that was successful for the main star in a prior movie. This left you feeling unsatisfied to the point of feeling cheated. It was like craving your favorite chocolate wafer sandwich cookie only to find the grocery store was out and only had a cheap knockoff–it was not the same. TOUGH, fearless, confident and tall; this seemed the niche Liam Neeson (A Million Ways to Die in the West, Non-Stop) was gravitating to as he played private investigator Matt Scudder. When drug trafficker Kenny Kristo, played by Dan Stevens (The Fifth Estate, Downton Abbey-TV), asked the private investigator to find the men who killed his wife, Matt initially refused. It wasn’t until he heard how the wife died that he agreed to take on the case. I found this crime drama to be for the most part standard fare. It came across as a formulaic vehicle for Liam to go through the motions, having done this type of role a few times already. There was the “bad guys” who in this case had a real ick factor; the young streetwise innocent TJ, played by Brian “Astro” Bradley (Earth to Echo, The X Factor-TV) and a script that tried to have Liam deliver lines that would become iconic sayings for the movie goer. At least I was not completely bored thanks to the several scenes that were well directed to deliver tense excitement. The first time Liam took on the role of a middle-aged tough guy it was different and fresh. The second time it lost some of it luster and was not as exciting to watch. By now all I wanted to say to Liam was, “It is enough already.” If this is the first time you are seeing a Liam Neeson film then you might enjoy this movie; if not, then you may feel as if you had seen this all before. There were scenes of violence and blood.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Maze Runner
One possible spoiler alert near the end of this review.
As infants most of us I believe asked that perpetual favorite question at any nearby adult, “Why?” I bet some of you thought I was going to say, “Are we there yet?” As young children, with a world of unexplained phenomenons taking place around us, our inquisitive minds questioned everything. When I was a kid I had a curious fascination with many of my toys; I always wanted to know how they worked. After playing with them for a short time I would try to take them apart to see what was inside that made the toys do what they did. The problem with this was I could never put the toys back together, so I quickly learned to suppress my curiosity if I wanted to keep playing with my toys. This may have been the very beginning where I slowly lost my inquisitive nature and began to take everything at face value. As an adult I tend to be more suspicious of things than curious; this possibly developed from my environment than my nature. But when I look at the people around me, the majority of them are similar in their lack of curiosity. I wonder if it has to do with that mindset of “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it?” CURIOSITY wasn’t the only thing missing from the boys who found themselves in the middle of a maze; they had no memory of their past except for their name. Things would begin to change once Thomas, played by Dylan O’Brien (The Internship, Teen Wolf-TV), showed up. Though he could not remember his past, he was not satisfied with the boys around him who did not question the things happening around them. Based on the novel by James Dashner, this action mystery had a gloomy dark dread to its story. I thought the actors were well cast for this film. Besides Dylan, I also admired Aml Ameen (Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Evidence) as Alby and Will Poulter (We’re the Millers) as Gally. I am not sure if it was intentional but I felt the story had a “Lord of the Flies” flavor to it. Surprisingly I found myself becoming anxious during the movie as the story became more intense. The special effects were good which helped make the action scenes even that more tightly wound up. Seeing this film without any knowledge of the book, I found the story had a bit of predictability to it. My major complaint had to do with the ending. For me it was unsatisfying; I prefer every movie being able to stand up on its own. In this case, a sequel is needed to figure out what had just happened. The big question is whether moviegoers are that curious.
2 2/3 stars
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