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Flash Movie Review: Scoop
I DO NOT THINK I AM different from most people, wanting to stay current or in the know. Ever since I learned how to read, I have had a thing about periodicals and newspapers. Growing up we had the city newspaper delivered to us every single day, besides a few magazines coming weekly and monthly. When I was old enough to move out of the house into my own apartment, the first thing I did was subscribe to a handful of magazines. Part of my enjoyment is being able to share a new bit of information with friends and family, plus when someone asks me if I knew about something, I could say yes and tell them where I heard or read about it. Do not ask me why this brings me pleasure; maybe it is because I hated being called on in classes, having never been confident in having the right answers. Even when I travel to a new city, one of the things I always do is buy a copy of their local newspaper. I feel I learn a little more about the area I am visiting by reading their local news. There have been times when I return from vacation with little news articles or tidbits I had torn out of local newspapers or magazines. AS I HAVE MENTIONED IN THE past, I believe there are no accidents. So, it turned out my enjoyment with staying current helped me in my fitness classes. Sharing some of the news bits I learned became a fun distraction in my classes. Besides my enjoyment in mentioning both important and whimsical news items, I felt it was a good distraction for the members while they were being pushed by me with their fitness routines. Sometimes we would start a dialog of shared thoughts on a topic I mentioned while we worked out. And if there happened to be a newsworthy news event that contained interviews, most of us would share the same opinions. I always wanted to know more than what was spoken in the news. For example, why did one news source get their news out on a specific recent headlining event first before any of their competitors, or what had to take place to snag an interview with a famous or infamous player involved with the breaking story; these are things I am naturally curious about. Since I am inquisitive, it made perfect sense that I would want to see this dramatic biography based on true events. IT WOULD BE THE INTERVIEW OF a lifetime, but could the BBC really sway the thinking over at Buckingham Palace. The stakes were high for both sides; it was only a matter of convincing them it was the right thing to do. With Billie Piper (Catherine Called Birdy, Doctor Who-TV) as Sam McAlister, Gillian Anderson (White Bird, The Last King of Scotland) as Emily Maitlis, Rufus Sewell (Judy, A Knight’s Tale) as Prince Andrew, Connor Swindells (Barbie, Sex Education-TV) as Jae Donnelly and Kate Fleetwood (London Road, Beirut) as Annette Witheridge; I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The acting by Gillian and Rufus was wonderful, to the point I believed their characters. Of course, nothing could replace seeing the actual interview of Prince Andrew discussing his interactions with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; however, whether it was true or not, seeing the behind-the-scenes dealings to get the interview were fascinating to me. At times, scenes played out like a thriller, with tension and excitement. I thought the pacing was spot on, staying steady and focused on capturing the “truth” that viewers wanted to see for themselves. Due to the way the story was packaged, I could easily believe all of this took place to get Prince Andrew to open up about what part he played in Jeffrey’s world.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Damsel
I KNEW THE DAY WOULD COME, but I was holding off to make sure we were on the same dating path. It had never been easy for me to meet the family members of someone I was dating. I did not grow up saying Mr. and Mrs. to my friends’ parents, nor did I ever use the words, “ma’am” and “sir.” And I always tried to avoid calling a parent by their first name. Granted, I had to always make sure I was looking directly at the person whenever I was asking them a question, and when times came up to refer to the father or mother I was talking to, I would say “your husband” or “your wife.” Maybe I am weird about it or maybe I never felt comfortable around figureheads; it is hard for me to explain. So, it was after we had been dating for several months, when I was asked to join them for a family holiday get together. My anxiety level rose on the idea of going to a party/dinner where there would be multiple relatives; a parent or child I could manage, but a room full of relatives who want to meet the “’date” overwhelms me. But I felt we were on the same path with our feelings for each other, so I agreed to join them for the holiday dinner. Hopefully, it being a holiday occasion, will lessen the focus on me. AN OLD TRADITION IN MY FAMILY is to bring something sweet when you are invited to someone’s home for the first time. It is meant to offer the household sweetness for all the time they reside there. The matriarch of the family greeted us. I only knew because I had seen a recent photograph of her. I was introduced and handed her the cake I baked as I explained my family’s tradition. She appeared to be touched by the sentiment, so I felt I was off to a good start. We hung our coats up and proceeded into the living room where everyone was seated. Introductions were made and I could see a couple of relatives were watching me intently as I went around shaking hands. The evening was off to a good start; or at least I thought so. Not soon after, I noticed one relative was not participating in conversations. They would simply look at whoever was speaking, but never offer a comment or opinion. Soon after another relative commented on this person’s “silent treatment.” Well, that opened a floodgate of words and within a matter of seconds the decibel level increased dramatically as everyone was talking at once, with several saying awful things to others. I just sat there quietly, not sure what was happening around me. The night only kept getting worse; relatives were vicious with their nasty comments. I felt I was possibly being punked, but some relatives were apologizing to me as well as my date. Still, I would rather be with these folks than the family who were trying to marry their son off in this action, adventure fantasy. TO HELP HER KINGDOM SURVIVE, A dutiful princess agrees to marry the prince of a wealthy, royal kingdom. It turns out she was not the first to marry the prince, nor would she be the last. With Millie Bobby Brown (Enola Holmes franchise, Godzilla: King of the Monsters) as Elodie, Ray Winstone (Black Widow, The Departed) as Lord Bayford, Angela Bassett (Black Panther franchise, Akeelah and the Bee) as Lady Bayford, Brooke Carter (The Peripheral-TV), The Alienist-TV) as Flora and Nick Robinson (The Kings of Summer; Love, Simon) as Prince Henry; this film’s saving grace was Millie Bobby Brown. There is something about her that makes the viewer believe in her. She has great screen presence and was able to handle the weight of being in almost every scene. The story was generic, the script was predictable, and the special effects were just okay. Despite these letdowns, I still enjoyed this escapist picture because of Millie. For those days where one does not want to put too much thought into an endeavor and just wants to be entertained, then this movie would be one to watch.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Red, White, & Royal Blue
WHO WAS I TO TELL HER what to do? My friend was telling me about a date she had over the weekend, someone she had previously met at a party. Their date was at a coffee shop, and they settled down at a small table on the outdoor patio. She told me he was pleasant but boring. I asked her to explain what was boring about him. The things she described seemed to me to be just average traits that were neither boring nor exciting. He was not much of a book reader, but he did like reading magazines. His physical activities were focused on hikes, walking and bowling. My friend made a disparaging comment about his bowling; I told her there was nothing wrong with it and besides, it still was a physical activity. She continued and as I listened to her, I had to remind myself that this really was only one date. I did not understand how things like bowling and not being able to dance played such an important part in her decision process on whether to like a person or not. From my dating experiences, my dealbreakers were unclean fingernails, bad teeth and an unkept appearance. Whether they liked or participated in the same activities I enjoyed did not play such an important part in whether I was attracted to them or not. I told her first dates were tough, that I always agreed to a second date unless I felt there was something serious wrong with the person. I SHARED MY STORIES ABOUT A past relationship who I disliked upon first meeting. They were a college professor who stressed during our first date, that they did not want to get involved with anyone who was too dramatic. From our first date, I felt they were somewhat conceited; they talked a lot about the things they achieved since they started teaching at the college. I could not tell if they were boastfully talking out of nervousness or desperation. We got on the subject of travel, and they shared some of their travel stories, making a point to tell me about the people who kept complimenting the bathing suit they wore by the hotel’s pool. I took all of this in stride and agreed to meet up again. On our second date, there was a calmness in them that was not present before. Our conversation had more substance to it. I think it was on our fourth date, when I started to feel a real connection between us. I told my friend all of this, making the point to say that if I had based my decision on our first date and my impressions, I would not have found myself becoming attracted to them. However, I understood not everyone thinks like I do and may not want to give a second chance on a person. I saw it happen in this romantic comedy. IT IS HARD ENOUGH TO BE the son of famous parents; but, when the US President’s son and a royal prince get into a scuffle, the two are forced to put on appearances of friendship for the sake of important trade negotiations taking place between their countries. With the public watching, the two had to be careful about how they acted towards each other. With Taylor Zakhar Perez (Cruel Intentions-TV, The Kissing Booth-TV) as Alex Claremont-Diaz, Nicholas Galitzine (Cinderella, High Strung) as Prince Henry, Uma Thurman (Kill Bill franchise, The War with Grandpa) as Ellen Claremont, Thomas Flynn (Shark Bait, Bridgerton-TV) as Prince Philip and relative newcomer Bridget Benstead as Princess Martha; this film based on the best selling novel followed a standard rom-com template, though with a bit of a twist on it. There were several fun scenes with some witty dialog, that easily fell into place with how the story flowed. I felt the writers did an adequate job of keeping viewers interested in the characters and story. My first impression at the beginning of this movie improved as the story unfolded.
2 ½ stars
moviejoltz 