Blog Archives
Flash Movie Review: Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania
LIKE MANY, THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS I wish I had more of. I would like more closet space, more hair on my head, more freezer space, more money and more time, just to name a few. None of these seem outrageous to me. Being a bargain shopper, I would love to have a larger sized freezer to store extra frozen food items when they go on sale. I miss my full head of thick curly hair, but I do not miss the work it took to keep it neat and tidy. As for money, I am not looking to become a millionaire per se; I just want to get to a comfortable place where I no longer need to worry whether I can afford to spend the money to buy a certain item. Out of the things I listed above, the most important one to me is time. You can take that to mean anything you want, from more time in a day to get things done to more time on this earth to discover and experience new things. There just does not seem to be enough time for me to get all the things I want to get done. So, you see there are some advantages to getting more of something. ON THE FLIPSIDE OF THAT, THERE are some things I would not want to have more of. More body weight, more debt, more bad teeth; I can go on. It is funny, I have been thinking about how it appears to me society is striving to acquire more stuff. One of my newspaper subscriptions has a weekly supplement section that shows several private listings of super mansions. I am talking about places that have 5-6 bathrooms, 2 kitchens, several bedrooms. I just look at all the photos and ask myself why a person would need so many rooms?!?! Or recently, I was at a restaurant and at the table next to us, a man had ordered one of the restaurant’s known specialty burgers. It came to the table on a platter; I could not help staring at it because it had two hamburger patties, grilled onions, a fried egg, a layer of macaroni and cheese, lettuce, tomato and a layer of some kind of funky spicy sauce. It looked obscene! How I wanted to ask the guy, why would he want to eat that much food; besides asking him how he was planning to eat it. What is this fascination or desire to have more stuff? Even a beloved chocolate sandwich cookie, I see being advertised, now comes in a most stuffed version where the white crème center is huge. It is too much for me and I am sad to say this action, superhero movie suffers from the same syndrome. WHEN AN EXPERIMENT GOES AWRY, THE Lang and Van Dyne families get pulled into the Quantum Realm, where they discover a new reality, and it is a dangerous one. With Paul Rudd (Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Ideal Home) as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit franchise, South of Heaven) as Hope Van Dyne/The Wasp, Michael Douglas (Animal World, The Kominsky Method-TV) as Dr. Hank Van Dyne, Michelle Pfeiffer (Murder on the Orient Express, The First Lady-TV) as Janet Van Dyne and Jonathan Majors (Devotion, The Harder They Fall) as Kang the Conqueror; this science fiction, adventure comedy was a good example of overindulgence. It was all too much for me; the CGI, the different issues facing the characters and the overabundance of different characters. With a poorly thought out script with a weak story, I was periodically bored. This film lacked the smart humor and tight action drama that many of the previous Marvel Studio movies incorporated into their scripts. Gratefully, Paul Rudd and Michelle Pfeiffer took the brunt of the action/drama in the scenes, and they did a wonderful job. As for Jonathan Majors, who I think is a stellar actor, he was cheated out of showing his full potential until the end. This sequel was a letdown for me. There were two extra scenes in the middle and end of the final credits.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Ghostbusters: Afterlife
I CANNOT SAY I TOTALLY BELIEVE or disbelieve; I simply believe anything is possible and that is why I am fascinated to hear people’s experiences with unexplainable events. A friend was telling me about a recent encounter her daughter experienced. While driving to a family function, the daughter looked in her rearview mirror and saw her grandparents, who were deceased, sitting in the back seat. They just sat there and smiled at her for the entire trip. When they arrived and she turned off the car, the daughter turned around in her seat, but the grandparents had disappeared. She went into the house to join other family members but during her time there she felt the presence of her grandparents for most of the night. The daughter was not surprised since her grandparents had visited her multiple times before. Her mother started believing her daughter ever since her first encounter because at that occurrence the grandparents said something in their native language which the daughter would not have known. When the daughter repeated what she heard to her mother, my friend knew something unexplainable had taken place around her daughter. I enjoyed listening about the event and asked my friend if her daughter ever had an encounter that scared her. She said as far as she knew, no. IN MY EXPERIENCES, THINGS HAVE TRANSPIRED that I could not easily explain. I used to workout at home on a cable exercise machine for several years. One day while working on it I felt like my eyes were mildly hurting me. When I clenched my eyes shut the pain subsided. I had no idea what was going on and even inspected them in the mirror to make sure I had not broken a blood vessel or something. For a week every time I did this one particular exercise on the machine, I would just close my eyes through it. However, after a week I started turning my face to the side while keeping my eyes shut. I knew this did not make any sense, but I kept doing it. After a few days when I went to exercise, the cable snapped as I grabbed the pull-down bar before sitting down on the bench. I was shocked but immediately realized that if the cable had held up a few seconds longer until I was seated and pulling up the weights attached to the cable, it would have snapped right into my eyes. To say I was stunned would be an understatement. I felt there had to be something else that I could not explain that made me start to clench my eyes and turn my face away from the cable. Once I replaced the cable my eyes stopped hurting. It is things like this which have kept my mind open to any possibility and that is the way I went when I decided to go see this movie. AFTER MOVING TO A SMALL TOWN to take possession of a rundown house she inherited from her father, a single mom and her two children were unaware there was something special about the house and land around it. With Carrie Coon (The Post, Gone Girl) as Callie, Paul Rudd (Ant-Man franchise, Our Idiot Brother) as Grooberson, Finn Wolfhard (It franchise, Stranger Things-TV) as Trevor, McKenna Grace (Gifted, Annabelle Comes Home) as Phoebe and newcomer Logan Kim as Podcast; this long-awaited adventure, comedy fantasy in the franchise did not fully materialize for me. The acting was good; I especially admired the performances of McKenna and Finn. However, I thought the script was weak. There could have been more excitement, humor and suspense; everything seemed like a light version of what it was intended to be. Of course, there also was the nostalgic aspect which made things more bearable, especially the last part of the movie. I went into this film with no expectations and came out with just an okay feeling that I saw it, but no wow factor. There were a couple of extra scenes during the ending credits.
2 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Overnight Delivery
ANGER THAT WAS WHITE HOT CAME bursting out of my mouth. I had no filter set up to try and temper the words that were meant to strike hard and fast. The reservoir of anger stored in me was being tapped to intensify my reaction to the news that my trust had been broken. When I heard what they did, a wall of numbness briefly tried to take up residence around me; but that break in trust after our years together destroyed the numbness, which allowed my anger to come out with no restrictions. I could tell my words were striking with accuracy because the responses I was hearing from my statements were feeble and their posture was in the process of hunkering down. To give you an idea of how much force my anger had, imagine walking on a city street lined with commercial buildings on a frigid wintery day. As you turn the corner of the block, you get hit with such a force of icy wind that it makes you lose your footing on the snow-covered sidewalk; that is how strong my anger was coming out. I thought the two of us had a committed relationship; but evidently, I was wrong. There was nothing to stop me until I completely unleashed all the anger I had inside of me. IT WAS SEVERAL HOURS LATER, AS I replayed all the events of the day, before I admitted I had said some hurtful and hateful things to them. I do not know about you; but when I am in the heat of anger, all my senses are focused on unleashing everything stored inside of me. I have very little awareness of sounds around me. All I feel is heat rising off my skin and my radar for sensing any presence around me goes offline. In my head, my words sounded evil to the point I started to cringe when I envisioned how they were reacting to my statements. It is such a primal reaction, this anger inside of me, that I tap into to enhance the energy inside of me to keep up with the intensity. When I finished taking inventory of all the things that I had said to them, I did not know if and how to either rectify or explain it. There was still the breaking of trust and the feelings of hurt and betrayal I was experiencing; I could not come up with a plan that would achieve positive results like the main character was hoping for in this romantic comedy. AFTER SENDING OUT A HATEFUL PACKAGE TO his girlfriend who he thought was cheating on him, the regret he was experiencing forced Wyatt Trips, played by Paul Rudd (Ant-Man franchise, Role Models), to find a way he could intercept the package before it reached its destination. He would have to outsmart the delivery driver somehow. With Christine Taylor (The Craft, The Wedding Singer) as Kimberly Jasney, Reese Witherspoon (Home Again, Water for Elephants) as Ivy Miller, Sarah Silverman (Battle of the Sexes, The Book of Henry) as Turran and Richard Cody (Ivory Tower, Smiling Fish & Goat on Fire) as Raditch; this film was lucky to have Paul and Reese as main characters. Their acting skills helped the weak script limp along to its predictable conclusion. With such a competent cast, this movie would have been better if the writers had played to the actor’s strengths, besides providing scenes that would have surprised the viewer. Instead, there were many scenes that were easy to figure out before their conclusion. The only thing I can say about this picture is it probably will not produce a strong reaction, either way, for the person who is willing to watch it all the way to the end.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp
THERE WAS A REASON WHY I was lingering by the drinking fountain. Next to it was the cycling studio and the door was open during a class. I was a guest at my friend’s health club; we were working out together. Since the door was open I was curious to see how the cycle instructor was instructing her class. In the short time I could stay within earshot, by drinking from the fountain and perusing the bulletin board, all I heard were instructions being given out in a somewhat monotone voice. Now you would think this was the proper thing to do and you would be correct. However, I have a slightly different philosophy when it comes to teaching a fitness class. Just as this instructor gave instructions I do the same thing, giving reminders throughout class about posture and placement of body parts. But then I also keep up a dialog of a variety of topics to, for lack of a better word, entertain the participants. For me, if I have to listen to an instructor who only gives instructions, I could get a similar workout by watching a DVD. I prefer my mind being distracted from the task at hand; so in turn, I share with my classes a variety of news stories and surveys I have read to make the class fun. SPEAKING OF FUN DON’T YOU think life is more enjoyable when you can experience it in a fun way? I certainly feel I have traversed most of life’s pitfalls with the assistance of fun. If I think about it, I cannot off the top of my head think of anytime where having a fun or humorous element does not help soften a situation. One could say a funeral would not be an appropriate place to interject humor; however, I have attended funerals where humor provided a brief oasis of relief from the sadness. Thinking about both college and business lectures I have attended, the ones where I retained more information were the ones where the professor or lecturer made the session fun. The idea of going to an office every day and not hearing or experiencing at least a moment of laughter or joy sounds like torture to me. In my opinion a person would be less productive when there is the absence of a fun element in their daily work day. Think about those people you know who are miserable at work; they are the product of a day void of fun. Humor and fun can be found almost anywhere no matter what task we are performing; even a superhero can find something fun while saving someone. The proof can be found in this action, adventure film. DESPITE THE CHALLENGES OF FATHERHOOD and his court enforced ankle monitor’s restrictions Scott Lang, played by Paul Rudd (This is 40, Our Idiot Brother), was determined to help Dr. Hank Pym, played by Michael Douglas (Wonder Boys, Last Vegas), find his long-lost wife. Paul would discover a fun element in Dr. Pym’s daughter Hope Van Dyne, played by Evangeline Lilly (The Hobbit franchise, The Hurt Locker). This science fiction film was stocked with an abundance of witty humor. It gave this superhero picture a light vibe compared to the other superhero films that have recently come out. Paul was the perfect choice to portray Ant-Man, though I suspect his stunt double did most of the action scenes in this film. With Michael Pena (End of Watch, 12 Strong) as Luis and Walton Goggins (The Hateful Eight, Tomb Raider) as Sonny Burch; the script was a bit hokey for me. Though I thought the special effects were outstanding, I felt the story was weak. I understood humor was the focus for this film, especially with Paul receiving part of the writing credits; but I would have preferred a more pronounced villainous element. Despite this I had a fun time watching the action taking place and as I stated earlier, it was all about the fun. There were two extra scenes in the middle and at the end of the credits.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Prince Avalanche
“I AM GOING TO SPEND TIME in my playroom,” she said to me. More than likely you are assuming a child made that statement, but you would be wrong. It is a friend of mine who has one room in her house set up for just herself, to spend time on her hobbies. There is a television and music player in the room that she will turn on once in a while as she works on a project. The idea of the playroom came to her when she realized her activities were cluttering up parts of the house, leading to confusion when she was looking for a particular item. Having everything in one room made sense and she discovered a major bonus by having her own room; she could decompress and check out from reality as she got lost in her thoughts, doing stuff that gave her enormous pleasure. Her time spent in her playroom allowed her to take a mental break; something that served her well in life. THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT ways people spend their time to take a break from their daily grind, not that every day is a grind for some. I utilize a few methods such as watching movies and working out, though with movies I am focused on the story instead of myself. However with working out on a cycle bike or treadmill I can get into a mental zone that allows me to contemplate and reflect on any issues or concerns that may have cropped up for me. Before I knew it the time had flown by and I was done with my workout; I consider this a double bonus. This is my usual method but there are some people who get lost in their kitchen by cooking or go shopping or knit; anything that is not self destructive and allows a person to calm down is an acceptable form for taking a mental holiday. When I was much younger my method was playing the piano or just listening to music. I really feel everyone needs to take time out for themselves and whether it is to work on a troubling issue or gain self-gratification, all of it is good therapy. The main character in this comedic drama has his own way of dealing with certain aspects of his life, if you are interested in seeing it. AFTER BEING RAVAGED BY FIRES it was up to Texas highway road worker Alvin, played by Paul Rudd (Ant-Man, The Perks of Being a Wallflower) to paint lines on the new roads. For his crew he agreed to take on his girlfriend’s brother Lance, played by Emile Hirsch (Lone Survivor, Into the Wild). Their summer together would make for an interesting journey. Written and directed by David Gordon Green (Pineapple Express, Stronger) this film festival winner also starred Lance LeGault (Stripes, Magnum P.I.-TV) as the truck driver. Because of the acting by Paul and Emile, my interest remained steady for the most part. The story started out a bit slow, but Paul’s character in particular made me curious to continue watching this DVD. Set in the 1980s there was a certain retro feeling to this story. Honestly I do not know how they put stripes on the roads these days, but I was interested in the way the two man crew had to keep up in such a repetitive lonely job. Overall there were several predictable scenes and I felt at times the story slowing down. Now that I think about it this DVD might be used in helping the viewer take a mental break from reality; you would not have to think much.
2 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Ant-Man
There is one kind of hero that resides in a make-believe world. They could have an extraordinary power because of the planet they came from or due to an earth shattering accident that changed them on the molecular level. I enjoy and look forward to seeing these types of superheroes on the big screen. However, there is a different type of hero that is just as strong and important; who was born here on earth, did not experience a life transforming accident and for the most part is unrecognizable. They do not have some special type of clothing that can block bullets or allow them to fly; instead they may be wearing a white apron and hairnet as they stand behind the counter of a school’s cafeteria. Or they may be on disability as a life threatening disease slowly spreads across their body. I see these type of heroes all around me. There is the single mother who has to pull double shifts so her child can afford school supplies and lunches. Another hero I have seen is the volunteer who devotes time everyday to bring food and check-in on a stranger who is housebound. For me these are some of the true heroes around us. I am so impressed by the individuals who do not wear their heroism like a badge of honor; they simply do what they do because they have to or want to do it. This is why I was impressed with the unlikely hero in this action film. WHAT started out as a way for con man Scott Lang, played by Paul Rudd (Role Models, This is 40), to see his daughter turned into a crisis that would have worldwide consequences. This science fiction adventure film did not fit into the typical superhero genre. Here was a human with no special powers who was not an ideal citizen; yet he overcame himself to become the Ant-Man. Paul was perfectly cast for this role and he even helped with the screenplay. Michael Douglas (Falling Down, Wonder Boys) as Dr. Hank Pym and Evangeline Lilly (Real Steal, The Hurt Locker) as his daughter Hope van Dyne were an excellent fit. Now I understood there was a change of directors and writers for this film and I am not sure if that is the reason why I found the 2nd half of the film to be stronger. I really had to give thought to the idea I was reacting to the movie having a long intro arc without many special effects. However, Paul along with the fun sight gags in the film made this a worthy picture, besides a mini history lesson (at least for me) into the Avengers World. Pulling off this type of movie was no small feat and the studio succeeded. Two extra scenes in the middle and end of the closing credits.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: They Came Together
The only thing I can say is love has to have magical powers. It has a way of changing one’s opinion of a person faster than a fine-tuned sports car. Love makes you carry your girlfriend’s purse through the store while she looks for a new outfit. Love makes you sit in the bleachers, outside in the cold, just so you can watch your boyfriend strike out at bat and still cheer him on. Love allows you to doze off at the airport, on your significant other’s shoulder, while they attempt to rebook your cancelled flight. Based on my and my friends’ experiences, one of the most intense powers I have seen love perform was the ability to not only alter but obliterate 1st impressions. You meet someone who appears to be a snob, unfriendly and condescending. Within a short time all memories get painted over with a fresh coat by love’s paintbrush, transforming your thoughts into sweet and pleasant scenarios where your senses become heightened every time you see that person now. Love does amazing things and in this comedy almost every romantic movie cliche gets skewered by the capable cast. An evening out had Joel and Molly, played by Paul Rudd (This is 40, Admission) and Amy Poehler (Baby Mama, Blades of Glory), having dinner with Kyle and Karen, played by Bill Hader (Her, Superbad) and Ellie Kemper (Bridesmaids, 21 Jump Street). Throughout the evening Kyle and Ellie would get the full story of how Joel and Molly first met; she the owner of a small candy shop that was in the sights of Joel’s employer, a huge candy corporation. Christopher Meloni (42, Man of Steel) as Joel’s boss Roland was determined to drive Molly’s store out of business. There were some amusing scenarios in this lighthearted film. The things that worked were fun but there were sections that petered out. In a way the script was done as a series of comedy skits; ones that you would see on television. Though there was nothing that made me laugh out loud, I was entertained by some of the settings. The cast had an easy job with this story and looked like they were enjoying themselves, besides appearing to be in on the jokes they were performing. Even if you are not a fan of romantic movies or rom-coms, I cannot imagine you feeling lost with this parody. This was not a movie I fell in love with and I don’t think there is anything that will change my feelings; however, it was also not a waste of time for me either.
2 1/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues
Credit has to be given to a person who believes their own convictions. Their dedication does not waiver during the low points in their life. When I was auditioning at several health clubs to teach aerobics, I still remember the reactions I got from several fitness directors. The most negative comments came from the director of one of the more prestigious health clubs in the city. As I drove home I went over everything I did in the audition, looking for something that I could have done differently, wondering what caused the sourness on that director’s face. Knowing my style was different with its choreographed movements; by the time I got home I decided I would not change, believing there was a place that would take a chance on me. The following week I had an audition where I did the same routines and this time the director not only had a smile on her face but joined in on the routines. I was hired on the spot. Since then whenever I applied to teach at another club I would insist the director come to my class to see what I was doing instead of me performing in their empty aerobic studio. Understanding a person’s dedication, I have to commend Will Ferrell (Elf, The Other Guys) in his desire to entertain audiences by bringing back his character, newsman Ron Burgundy. In this sequel a television station decided to launch a 24 hour news channel, looking at Ron Burgundy to be one of their announcers. Assembling his former news team Brick Tamland, Brian Fantana and Champ Kind, played by Steve Carell (The Way Way Back, Get Smart), Paul Rudd (Role Models, Wanderlust) and David Koechner (Thank you for Smoking, Balls of Fury), the news team came to New York City to make their mark with their own style of reporting. This comedy film had been hyped for so many months by the time I sat down to watch it I have to admit I was already a bit tired of it. The film trailers had the better jokes from the script because what I saw was not all that funny. Sure there were a couple of chuckles, due more to the outrageousness of the scene, but I did not find much creativity being used throughout the film. I did enjoy the variety of celebrity cameos, surprised by the actors who agreed to be in the movie. For those looking for some mindless fun, this would be the film to see. There was a brief extra scene at the end of the credits.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Admission
“Do not judge a book by its cover” are words that I try to live by every day. I have been surprised with individuals who gave no outside clue to the amazing feats they had accomplished. In turn, I cannot tell you how many times a member from my class has seen me eating at a restaurant and was surprised I was eating a pizza or dessert. Jokingly I tell them I do not live on broccoli and tofu just because I am a fitness instructor. During the week I am strict with my food intake; on the weekends I allow myself to have fun with my meals. Another example of judging; in one of my literature classes in college the professor wrote, “I would have never guessed you knew the class content,” on the midterm exam I aced. The reason was I never participated in the discussion portion of the class. In this comedy I had to wonder if that is really how students get accepted into college. Tina Fey (Mean Girls, 30 Rock-TV) played Princeton Univeristy admissions officer Portia Nathan. Seeking exceptional candidates for her school, Portia agreed to visit an alternative school headed by John Pressman, played by Paul Rudd (This is 40, Wanderlust). While at the school John surprised Portia with one particular gifted young man who could possibly have a special connection to her. If I were to judge this movie based on the cast, including Lily Tomlin (Nine to Five, I Heart Huckabees) as Portia’s mother Susannah, I would assume the movie was going to be funny. I would be wrong; there was so little humor, I kept wondering why the studio did not let Tina write the screenplay. Lily’s performance was fine and I have yet seen Paul do a bad job. He is always an affable character. Surprisingly Tina was the weak one, though the poorly written script did her no favors. This film was a waste of the actors’ true talent. With several scenes showing students’ applications being denied, you would have thought someone in the studio would have denied this script from being allowed to become a movie.
1 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: This is 40
My introduction to my 40th birthday was having the bagger at the checkout line calling me “sir” and asking if I needed help with my bags. Asking several friends what they noticed when they crossed the threshold into middle age, the responses were quite varied. One person suddenly felt expandable waist bands on blue jeans was a good idea, while another was perplexed why Suri kept suggesting he sit down and take a rest. Then there was the friend who wondered if she was going to be banned from Target or Express, having to spend the remainder of her years shopping at Lane Bryant or some discount store. At a wedding would I never be able to get up to shake my hips on the dance floor unless it was a Cha Cha or that generic version bands always play of Kool & the Gang’s Celebration? For those in a relationship, would they start dressing alike once they reached that magic number? In this comedy, the married couple are on the verge of turning 40 years old. Leslie Mann (17 Again, Knocked Up) played Debbie who wanted nothing to do with turning 40. Paul Rudd (Role Models, Wanderlust) was Debbie’s conflict avoiding husband Pete. Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Pineapple Express) wrote and directed this updated story about Debbie and Pete from Knocked Up. Settled into married life with daughters Sadie and Charlotte, played by Judd’s real life children Maude and Iris, the neurotic couple tried to cope with life’s daily annoyances. There were laugh out loud scenes through the movie, but be prepared for the vulgar language that everyone spews out, including the kids. I felt Judd used his real life experiences for a baseline, but then elevated them to an unrealistic level. Without going into stronger character development, the film went on longer than it needed. It started feeling as if we were going from one joke line to the next. Though I am still glad I went to see this movie, please do not tell me this is what happens to people who have been married for a long time.
2 2/3 stars
moviejoltz 