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Flash Movie Review: Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
WE WERE THE BEST OF FRIENDS from an early age. Every weekend we would be together, either at my house or his, which was only kitty-corner to mine. My house was on the northwest corner of a city square block and his was on the southeast corner. We would cut through the alley to each one’s place. We had been friends from kindergarten up to sixth grade. It was during the sixth grade, when we started having certain class subjects assigned to other teachers’ rooms, where my friend had the opportunity to spend more time with a couple of boys from a different class. What happened over the next few months was my friend started including these boys into our circle of friends that we had for the past several years. This did not upset me at first; however, suddenly there were a few Saturdays when my friend was not home when I called him. His mother said he had gone out with a couple of friends. A couple of friends? I was part of his friendship. It was not until I saw him in school that he said his friends from the other classroom invited him out. My feelings were hurt, but I did not say anything. As we were nearing the end of the school year, it seemed as if he was spending more weekends with them than me. And through the summer months, we barely got together; so, by the time we were starting the new year, I felt totally rejected. THE FEELINGS OF LOSS I EXPERIENCED made me more conscious about my relationships with my friends as I grew up. I never wanted any of my friends to experience the feelings I had back then. I may have even overcompensated by wanting to include everyone all the time. However, I soon learned not everyone wants to be with everyone all the time. So, I started making plans with friends and family members individually, creating a rotation system so no one would get left out. There was one other factor I had not counted on. Originally, I thought something was wrong with me when getting together with some of my long-term friends seemed to take on a sense of struggling for conversation. Our comfort zone was talking about the past; but nothing else talked about seemed to be interesting to one of us, or were things to which one could not relate. It occurred to me whether one of us or both were growing in different directions. I did not see this as a negative thing, it was just a part of the growing process. And as proof, as time passed more of our face to fact time converted to a series of texts and emails. With this knowledge, I certainly could relate to the feelings Gromit was experiencing in this stop motion animated adventure comedy. WHEN A NEW INVENTION WAS INTRODUCED into his master’s house, Gromit soon begins to feel jealous of everything it could do. However, when a series of strange things begin to happen, Gromit believes there is something more going on with this high-tech invention. With Ben Whitehead (Berry Bees-TV, Wallace & Gromit franchise) voicing Wallace, Peter Kay (Car Share-TV, Roary the Racing Car-TV) voicing Chief Inspector Mackintosh, Lauren Patel (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Lloyd of the Flies-TV) voicing P.C. Mukherjee, Reece Shearsmith (High-Rise, Inside No. 9-TV) voicing Norbot, and Diane Morgan (Mandy-TV, After Life-TV) voicing Onya Doorstep; this film offered exactly what fans have come to expect, a fun, sly story with a fascinating artform of animation. I enjoyed the story line and thought the writers did a wonderful job blending the two story lines. The combination of slapstick humor, thrills, suspense, and tongue-in-cheek commentary kept me engaged the entire time. The level of stop motion animation, I imagine, must have taken at least a couple of years to achieve; it was so precise, even down to the facial expressions. This was a surprise treat for the way it lit up my spirits during this gloomy winter we have been having here.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Wild Robot
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE LUCKY to have one mother; I had three of them. There was first my birth mother. Along with her there was her best friend that she grew up with who was a mother to me. The third one was a neighbor who lived in the apartment building where I was born. These three women were my mothers, and I know I was extremely fortunate to have them in my life. My mother’s childhood friend had a son who was several years older than me, but I never gave it any thought growing up. I remember all of us going bowling; the only one who did not know how to bowl was my mother’s friend. She was always the scorekeeper and when I would sit on her lap between turns, she would explain what she was doing and ask me to add up the numbers she had written for each frame. No matter how many pins I was able to knock down, she always gave me words of encouragement. I did not realize at an early age how talented she was, from telling funny stories to always sending birthday cards with a poem she had specifically written for the person celebrating. From time to time, I would be dropped off at her house to watch me while my mother had an errand. We usually would bake cookies which meant I would sit and watch then lick the spoon after she was done mixing the ingredients. I have such fond memories of her. MY THIRD MOTHER WAS OUR DOWNSTAIRS neighbor, who lived on the first floor; we lived on the third floor. I can still remember how I used to get down to her. Because I was still somewhat new with walking, I would walk over to our first step and sit down on it with my feet on the next step below. I would then slide off the step and move to the next one as my feet reached out to the next step and so on. I would make my way down to her floor then stand up and walk over to their front door. I do not know how she was able to hear my light knocking on the door, but she did, and every time she opened the door, she had a huge smile on her face. She would welcome me in and no matter what she was in the middle of she would always find ways to entertain me. It could be putting a record on the record player or helping her cook or listening to her read a book; I enjoyed spending time with her. She had two sons who were much older than me, so it was not often they would be home when I came down. These two women were my introduction into my definition of “family.” Now my definition as expanded with this beautiful animated, adventure science fiction film. AFTER CRASH LANDING, A SELF-SUSTAINING ROBOT tries to bond with the native animals. One of them sees the robot as its mother. With Lupita Nyong’o (Black Panther franchise, A Quiet Place: Day One) voicing Roz, Pedro Pascal (The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, The Mandalorian-TV) voicing Fink, Kit Connor (Rocketman, Heartstopper-TV) voicing Brightbill, Bill Nighy (The First Omen, Living) voicing Longneck, and Stephanie Hsu (The Fall Guy, Joy Ride) voicing Vontra; this movie, based on the bestselling book, was one of the best films I have seen all year. The animation, story, directing, and script were all brought together to tell a touching story that both children and adults could appreciate. I was totally connected to this film, from beginning to end. It offered drama, comedy, excitement, tension and much more; I even teared up at a couple of scenes. An interesting side note: at the viewing I attended there were all adults except for one child. This was a well-done picture that portrayed how love creates a family. Also, there was an extra scene at the end of the closing credits.
4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Lightyear
MY JOB WAS NAVIGATION ON THE ship; rarely did I ever take on the role of captain. We were traveling in uncharted space; so, we were under a yellow alert, which meant everyone had to be at their assigned places, ready to go into action. I wound up steering the ship because my commanders were impressed with my instincts and ability to outmaneuver alien spacecraft. Our ship looked like an arrow; it was built streamlined for maximum speed. The front half was a triangular shiny silver shape, and the back half was an oversized cylinder that housed our massive engines. The bridge was at the base of the triangle, slightly elevated above the front half. At the forefront, just under the tip of the front part of the triangle, were a series of weapons that were incorporated into the design of the ship. We as a crew always strived to come in peace; however, if we were threatened, we could quickly become assertive to protect ourselves. On one trip, we encountered an alien ship that was shaped like half a circular dome with two long engines jutting out on one side. The dome had a honeycomb pattern to it. Without warning they started shooting at us, but luckily are protective shields withstood the blasts. I quickly steered the ship to dive underneath the enemy and blast them with our aft laser cannons to disable their craft. It worked. I NOTICED IT WAS GETTING LATE, so I quickly got up from the floor and put my rocket ship back in the kitchen drawer that held serving utensils. My rocket ship was a pie server. The enemy spaceship was a strainer that I hung back up on its hook in the pantry. There was so much cookware that I was never at a loss for finding something that I could pretend was a rocket ship or alien headquarters. There was a hand mixer that was one of my favorite kitchen items to turn into a rocket ship because by turning the handle, the two beaters would spin and become the engines that would propel the converted ship forward in the air or submerge and propel it underwater. Our kitchen was a treasure trove of objects and things that would stimulate my imagination to create a multitude of outer space adventures. Even ballpoint pens would become rocket ships to help Flash Gordon defeat Ming the Merciless and any other character I had seen or created. The feelings I have attached to these memories were stirred up while watching this animated, action, adventure film. DESPITE BEING STRANDED ON A FOREIGN planet, the mission still needed to be completed according to Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Chris Evans (Gifted, Captain America franchise), no matter what was taking place around him. With Keke Palmer (Hustlers, Joyful Noise) voicing Izzy Hawthorne, Peter Sohn (Luca, It Starts with Murder!) voicing SOX, Taika Waititi (The Suicide Squad, Free Guy) voicing Mo Morrison and Dale Soules (Aardvark, Orange is the New Black-TV) voicing Darby Steel; this science fiction movie was enjoyable. The animation was outstanding, with several incredible looking scenes. I thought the cast did an excellent job with their characters and was surprised by the emotional depth that was instilled in several of them. My concern with this picture comes down to the story line. The opening scene appeared to steer the story one way, but then there was no other reference to it the rest of the time. With the multiple story lines, I found they were distracting at times and lowered the connection between viewer and character. Granted, the story was not unusual or that exciting; however, the messages being conveyed were touching and the execution of events with its own unique humor made the time go pleasantly by. Though this Pixar movie might not reach the super status level of their previous works, I still found it stimulating and imaginative. There were two extra scenes during and at the end of the credits.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Space Sweepers
EVERYONE, I BELIEVE, HAS AT LEAST two families; the family they were born into and the family they formed through life experiences. There are other types of families, for example a foster family. I have a friend who grew up with several foster children because her parents believed in helping innocent children out of bad situations. She had biological siblings but had more foster ones in the household through her years living at home. I was fascinated with her stories about all her siblings. It seemed like every meal was a party, even when her parents did not have much money to buy food. When I was little, I had no idea the friendships I was forming would turn into future members of my chosen family. The term “chosen family” was something I was not aware of when growing up; yet, there are individuals in my chosen family that I have known since elementary school. One is a girl I dated from 7thgrade. When we get together there is a long history of shared events, we can recall for each other. Whenever one of us introduces the other to new people, the new people are always amazed at the longevity of our relationship. There is a comfort and an easiness within our bond of friendship because we do not need to be anything but our real selves to each other. FROM AN OPEN SWIM NIGHT, AT a local community center in the neighborhood I grew up in, I formed a friendship with a boy from a different elementary school district. He was the first friend I made who did not go to my school. I was at the pool with my friends and he was there with a relative. We had been taking turns diving into the deep end and were congregated by the edge of the pool. He had been swimming the width of the pool a few times when he took a break by the edge near us. One of my friends struck up a conversation and he soon joined our little circle. By the end of the open swim time we all made plans to meet again the following week. Soon after that 2ndswim night, I found out he and I had a lot in common. Though we did not go to the same school we made plans to get together either after school or on a Saturday. After we all graduated elementary school, we found out he would be joining us at the same high school. Since then and after all these years, he has been one of my closest chosen family members. Because of my family of birth and chosen family, I felt a connection to the crew in this action, adventure, science fiction film. WHILE PICKING THROUGH A CONTAINER OF junk in outer space, a ship’s crew discovers a little girl who was still alive. If that wasn’t surprise enough, the crew would soon find a bigger surprise was in store for them. With Song Joong Ki (A Werewolf Boy, Doraemon-TV) as Tae-ho, Kim Tae-ri (The Handmaiden, Little Forest) as Captain Jang, Seon-kyu Jin (The Outlaws, Extreme Job) as Tiger Park, Hae-jin yoo (The King and the Clown, The Pirates) as Robot and Richard Armitage (The Hobbit franchise, Into the Storm) as Sullivan; this dramatic space odyssey had sound elements for creating an exciting story. For example, I connected with the chosen family element and appreciated the set-up for the class conflict situation. However, the script needed a good rewrite, I found it too long and the use of flashbacks got to be a little too much for me. The special effects were not spectacular, but they were good. Honestly, this movie came across like a poor cousin to a Marvel superhero film; still, there was enough in it that kept my interest going.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Chappie
Two unrelated occurrences recently happened and were on my mind prior to walking into the movie theater. I had stopped in the men’s department of a retail establishment, store coupon in hand. There were 2 women shopping with their young sons; the boys looked like they were 6 or 7 years old. One boy was walking underneath the clothes racks, playing hide and seek. If he happened to knock a piece of clothing onto the floor he would pick it up and return it to the rack. The other boy was running around; if he stopped at the shelves of folded shirts, he would leave one crumpled on the floor. As he darted under the clothes racks, he left a trail of items strewn everywhere. His mother either did not see or care about what he was doing; I could not tell. I started to wonder what were the 2 boys taught that led them to two different reactions regarding respecting someone else’s property. The other incident that was on my mind had to do with a small news item I had read in the newspaper. An elementary school had a costume day where the students dressed up as their favorite literary character. One eleven year old boy was sent home because he came dressed like Christian Grey from the novel, 50 Shades of Grey. The article made me curious to know how this elementary school student even knew how to dress up like the character. From the time of birth to various stages in their lives children are impressionable. CREATED by Deon Wilson, played by Dev Patel (The Last Airbender, Slumdog Millionaire), the security robots of the police force were a big success as they kept crime down in the city. However when Deon gave one robot a conscience, Deon’s rival Vincent Moore, played by Hugh Jackman (The Wolverine, The Prestige), decided to take steps to protect his life’s work. This action, science fiction thriller had a thought provoking story. The idea of uploading a program to give a robot the freedom to think for itself was fascinating to me; especially because the transformed robot named Chappie, played by Sharito Copley (District 9, Maleficent), was essentially an impressionable infant. Unfortunately the idea for this story was poorly executed. Except for the wonderful visuals, the story was far-fetched and unbelievable in places. The acting was nothing special but the script did not do it any favors. For such an intriguing concept I was disappointed in this predictable story that felt shallow and boring at times. Along with the memories from the 2 earlier events before seeing Chappie, I still spent time afterwards thinking not only about the possibilities of having a conscious robot but the responsibilities. There were a few brief scenes that showed blood.
1 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Big Hero 6
When the day consisted of challenges and stress, some individuals find comfort by getting it soaked out of them with one squeeze. Meeting a friend or family member can begin with one of these, reattaching the shared bond of the two’s history together. At a time of grief, it tries to remove the tiredness and sadness from a person’s body. And then there is the special kind that greets you in the morning after drifting off from a romantic night into a deep slumber. A hug may not always be the cure-all but it certainly can come close. There is nothing like coming home after a hectic day at work and fall into a warm, inviting embrace. For me hugs have important therapeutic value; they can bring unconditional comfort and a sense of total acceptance. I still remain in awe on the sheer power a hug can have on us. Remembering a horrible breakup and how a pair of arms encased me as each breath I took was accompanied by a drenching removal of strength to continue standing. On the other hand there were times where a loving hug stretched out to greet and surprise me while tired, standing in line to exit after a long trip away. In its simplest form, a hug has universal appeal for all. HUGS took on more of a special nature in this exciting animated action film. Hiro Hamada, voiced by Ryan Potter (Supah Ninjas-TV, Senior Project), was content betting on his battling robot until he met at his older brother Tadashi’s, voiced by Daniel Henney (The Last Stand, X-Men Origins: Wolverine), laboratory an unusual looking robot named Baymax, voiced by Scott Adsit (We’re the Millers, The Italian Job). Hiro wanted to be part of this world filled with incredible devices being created by brilliant people such as Wasabi and Honey Lemon, voiced by Damon Wayans Jr. (The Other Guys, Let’s Be Cops) and Genesis Rodriguez (Identity Thief, Man on a Ledge). This movie literally shocked me with its bold new take on action heroes. Written with sensitive and humorous passages, this film provided a whole story for both the adult and kid viewing audience. The characters were average people who just happened to do amazing things in their lives. One of the aspects I appreciated most was the good vs evil aspect of the story without having to shed any blood or perform extreme violence. Now there was an issue about death that made the little 3-4 year old boy next to me cry; I believe he was in the minority. With wonderful visual effects and a strong story line, I left the packed movie theater feeling like I had just received a warm fuzzy hug. There was an extra scene at the end of the credits.
3 2/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Robot & Frank
Things would be easier if memories were filed in some type of arrangement, such as a card catalog or power point presentation. My memories reside in this vast sea where they float about, swirling below and rising to the surface, depending on the current. Gratefully I can simply fish them out when needed. But what will happen if the waters become murky? In this story set in the near future, ex-jewel thief Frank, played by Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon, Unknown), was at a point in life where his children Hunter and Madison, played by James Marsden (Hairspray, X-Men franchise) and Liv Tyler (Armageddon, The Lord of the Rings franchise) were concerned for his well-being. The solution was to provide Frank with a robot assistant. At first, Frank looked at this intrusion with disdain; however, once the robot assisted Frank with a heist, a new partnership was formed. This comedic drama set itself apart with firm acting by the cast. The exchanges between the robot and Frank were fun; I loved the deadpan delivery by Peter Sarsgaard (Jarhead, An Education), who voiced the robot. There were parts of the story that dragged for me; but with the other parts being so good, it was not a major concern. The added story line of librarian Jennifer, played by Susan Sarandon (Enchanted; Jeff, Who Lives at Home), being replaced by a robot was an interesting twist among others. Who knows what the future holds, but this movie provided an interesting answer both in an amusing and poignant way.
3 stars
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