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Flash Movie Review: Weapons
YOU WOULD HAVE THOUGHT I WAS being handed the keys to the fortress. I remember I was in the early years of elementary school when one summer I was handed my own set of house keys. Two keys, one silver colored the other brass, were dangling from a dark silver ring. I was told the silver colored ring was to unlock the downstairs door that opened into the building’s lobby; the brass colored ring was to be used to open the front door to our apartment. Up until this time, I had no need for a set of keys because there was always someone home to let me in. You see, in front of the lobby door there was this rectangular metal wall panel that had black buttons going down in a row on the left side. Each button had a black and white label next to it that had the name of the family who lived in that apartment. When someone pressed our button, a bell would sound in our home. I usually ran to be the first in the hallway, to ring the answer button on a small metal box that was attached to the wall. The button would unlock the lobby door for the guest, waiting to get inside downstairs. I loved opening our front door and going over to the bannister that wound down flights of stairs in a sort of square pattern. Barely tall enough to lean over the bannister, I could see all the way down to the ground level’s tiled floor. All I would see usually of the visitor was a gripped hand on the polished wood bannister making its way up to our floor. THE REASON I GOT MY OWN set of keys that summer was because when the new school year was starting in the autumn, no one was going to be home to let me in for lunch. With both parents now working outside of the home, I would have to let myself in, go to the refrigerator where there was a plate inside that had either a bologna sandwich on rye bread or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on white bread. I would usually add some potato or corn chips to the plate and pour myself a glass of grape juice. I would sit with a snack tray in the living room, so I could watch television while I was eating. For dessert, I would often take a couple of cookies from the pantry or an apple from the refrigerator. When done, I would rinse the plate and glass in the kitchen sink, wash my hands, finish whatever show I was watching on TV, then walk back to school before the one pm bell sounded for the start of afternoon classes. I felt like such a grownup, unlocking and locking our front door, placing my key ring in my left front pants’ pocket each time. However, that was nothing compared to what the young boy in this suspenseful horror film had to do. APPROXIMATELY TWO IN THE MORNING ALL but one student of the same class leave their homes, never to return. The parents and townsfolk have a multitude of questions for the teacher and principal. With Julia Garner (The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Ozark-TV) as Justine, Josh Brolin (Brothers, Dune franchise) as Archer, Alden Ehrenreich (Beautiful Creatures, Solo: A Star Wars Story) as Paul, Cary Christopher (Intuitions, Days of Our Lives-TV) as Alex, and Benedict Wong (The Martian, Doctor Strange franchise) as Marcus; this really is not your typical horror film. There were only three or four scenes that had blood and violence; the rest of the film was filled with excellent story telling and thrilling suspense. I thought the cast was outstanding and was stunned to find out who was the actor playing one of the characters when I saw their name in the ending credits. The running time flew by since I was quickly absorbed by the story being told in this complete well done picture. The director absolutely has a knack for telling and creating this type of story, and I cannot wait to see what else we are in store for with his creativity.
3 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Presence
I WAS CONVINCED THE OUIJA BOARD had all the right answers. My friends and I went through a period when we were using the board every week. I admit I was naïve, but I thought the pointer was moving of its own volition. When we first started using it, I took the pointer and looked for some telltale sign that it used magnets or had some hidden device that moved it across the board but found nothing. Where some friends were asking elaborate questions, I kept my questions to a simple yes or no answer. I wanted to know if I would lose weight during the summer, or whether I would be a writer, or become rich. Out of those three questions I got a YES to all of them except the rich question. It still thrilled me. For several weeks, we enjoyed quizzing the Ouija board. However, it was a Saturday night, where we all got together at one of the friends’ houses for a pizza night, we were in the basement consulting the board when suddenly all the lights went out. It was right when a friend made a snide comment about the board because he did not get an answer he liked. It freaked us all out and we huddled together until our friend’s parents came down the stairs with flashlights. After that episode, we started avoiding the Ouija board. IT WAS NOT UNTIL COLLEGE, WHEN one of my wishes came true. I had lost enough weight to go down a couple of pants sizes. The university allowed first-year students to live off campus in designated apartments and I was lucky enough to have gotten one. The building was more than a few decades old, but I did not mind. I had a studio apartment that shared a communal kitchen with the other apartments on the floor. Saturday nights tended to be quiet since most of the students were out partying. I preferred to stay inside and catch up on my assignments since I was carrying a full load of classes. At first, during those times, I did not pay much attention to the creaks and sounds of the building. But, when a closet or bathroom door in my place slowly creaked with movement, I would get freaked out. There was no logical reason I could produce for the sudden movement of my doors; I would quietly sit still and try to listen to any sound that could help justify the occurrence. It started to feel to me as if there was some type of force that was making the doors move. I do not know if I would call it a presence, but I decided to move at the end of the school year. Having seen this psychological thriller made me wonder if something had happened years ago in my college apartment. HAVING MOVED INTO A NEW HOUSE, a couple of family members began to feel like they were not alone. It would not take long to convince the other family members. With Lucy Liu (Stage Mother, Charlie’s Angels franchise) as Rebekah, Chris Sullivan (Agnes, This is Us-TV) as Chris, Callina Liang (Bad Genius, Tell Me Everything-TV) as Chloe, newcomer Eddy Maday, and West Mulholland (A Great Divide, Dark Harvest) as Ryan; this horror movie directed by Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Let Them All Talk) was not really a horror film in my opinion. However, there was suspense, and I enjoyed the buildup of it. The cast was good, but I did not care for the camera work, where it looked like the camera was following everyone around, with all that comes with it like shakiness and close-ups. It was a shame because I felt those who are sensitive to motion sickness might get uncomfortable watching this picture. The idea of the story was interesting, but the buildup went on too long. I felt there could have been more tension and bigger scares, even though there were a couple of good moments. This was a no-frills movie, no silly or scary creatures or space aliens. I just wished it would have lived up to its hype.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Mean Girls
I THOUGHT HIGH SCHOOL WOULD BE an easy transition for me because it was across from my elementary school. My walk to school would not be different, I could go home for lunch if I did not want to eat in the school cafeteria; it seemed like everything was in place for me. After the first week went by, when all the students were figuring out where they fit in, I had a sense of dread. I did not feel I fit in anywhere. There were lists of clubs and activities posted throughout the school, but when I looked at the lists there was nothing that either interested me or I felt I was capable of participating in. The only thing that stood out for me was to be part of the sales team for the high school yearbook that came out once a year. It turned out there was very little contact with anyone else on the team because we were simply assigned receipt books we had to carry with us throughout the school day, that we would fill out when a student wanted to place an order. I had to let students know I was one of the yearbook reps, which you would have thought would be a good introduction to establishing connections with other students. However, that turned out not to be the case. Among some of the responses I got were being laughed at and spitted on, told to get out of their face, punched in the stomach and verbal abuse. I did, however, sell some yearbooks that first and only year I sold them. IT SOON BECAME APPARENT TO ME there was a pecking order or hierarchy established within the student body. Those students that participated in the mainstream sports of football, basketball, baseball, and cheerleading were the alphas of the school. Those with big personalities, who quickly grabbed the spotlight and held on to it tightly were the next group up. After them came the brainiacs, as they were called. They were the ones who understood most class lessons, who had more “A” grades than anyone else and the best part, they could get away with not dressing up in the latest fashion trends. After these three groups, it was a toss-up on who had any pull or sway among their classmates. My claim to fame, if you even want to call it fame, was never to get into trouble. In other words, I was a “good” kid. That did not give me hardly any street cred among the students; I still had a miserable time throughout high school despite being native to the area. For a student that transfers into the area, I do not know how they could survive. See for yourself in this comedic musical. AFTER HAVING BEEN HOME SCHOOLED, IT was like stepping into a different world when Cady Heron, played by Angourie Rice (The Beguiled, The Nice Guys), found herself being chosen to become friends with one of the elite groups in the school. Things were going smoothly until she took a liking to the group leader’s ex-boyfriend. With relative newcomer Renee Rapp as Regina George, Auli’I Cravalho (All Together Now, The Power-TV) as Janis “Imi’ike, newcomer Jaquel Savey as Damian Hubbard and Avantika (Senior Year; Mira, Royal Detective) as Karen Shetty; I was surprised by the number of musical performances performed in this film. Nowhere in any of the advertising did it show any music scenes. As for this being an update on the original film, there were some tweaks made to accommodate our current times; but overall, I was bored with the script and story. There were isolated scenes that stood out for me such as Avantika’s comedic timing and Renee Rapp’s screen presence; but It was not enough to maintain my attention. The musical score all sounded the same as did the dance performances in various musical scenes. I was not a fan of my high school years, and I was not one of this updated remade film.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The School for Good and Evil
UNLESS I HAVE BEEN A WITNESS, I take the comment, “they are a good person,” with a grain of salt. You see, I believe everyone comes into this world with the capacity for being both good and evil. It all depends on what the individual choses to act upon. This is why, one of my favorite sayings is, “Actions have consequences.” I know for myself I am a combination of the two; when I was younger, I relied more on evil than good. For example, when at a party and I felt someone had slighted me, I would make them uncomfortable by my actions until they would leave. Nothing I am proud of I have to say; but I was an angry individual then. These days, I feel I am more of a good person and am always amazed how much easier it is to act that way. Being bad took a lot of energy. I know this one person who makes a point of always telling people about the good things they do for others. I am not denying they do it, but I always find it weird when a person must announce it instead of just letting it be. It comes off as bragging to me. And though this person claims to be good, they are the first to talk and say negative things about someone behind their back. They make fun of a person’s looks and/or clothing; I do not find that being a good individual. IN PAST REVIEWS, I HAVE TALKED about those individuals who have done evil things; so, today I want to focus on a person I know who, for the circumstances they found themselves in, still chose to act in a decent, good way instead of being a mean vindictive being. When you meet this person the first thing you would notice is the lightness in their eyes and their smile. There is a warm inviting energy they exude that lets a person know they are in a safe environment. It is rare one must ask them for help because they are perceptive enough to understand and offer their help freely. Having been in this person’s presence, I can solidly state they are a good individual. There is zero trace of them acting in a competitive or sneaky way. To be honest with you, whenever I have been around them, I leave with the thought I wish there were more people like them in the world. I am so sure of it that I believe they could easily fill in for the head of the school for good in this fantasy comedic drama. TWO BEST FRIENDS, WHO HAVE DONE everything together, suddenly find themselves at opposite ends when one is accidently picked for a different school. The separation will have a lasting effect on them as well as the schools. With Kit Young (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Origin) as Rafal, Sophie Anne Caruso (37, Crash & Burn-TV movie) as Sophie, Sofia Wylie (Back of the Net, High School Musical: The Musical-TV) as Agatha, Rob Delaney (Deadpool 2, Catastrophe-TV) as Stefan and Charlize Theron (Monster, Mad Max: Fury Road) as Lady Lesso; there were several aspects of this movie that I enjoyed. The visuals and special effects were stunning and fun. I always enjoy watching Charlize in character and I thought she was a great counterbalance to Kerry Washington’s character. The message regarding good and evil was something I especially enjoyed and thought the writers did a decent job conveying it. However, there were other storylines that cluttered the message and made this film longer than it needed to be. The other issue for me was what I perceived to be the similarity to the Harry Potter and Percy Jackson stories. With some editing and a little more character development, I think this could have been a better picture. It was obvious the studio is hoping for a sequel, but I am not sure that would be a good idea if they are going to stick with the same writing team.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: School for Scoundrels
I believe I had this instructor for a teacher years ago. He was not a nice man and neither was the one in this movie. The teacher was Dr. P and he was played by Billy Bob Thornton (Mr. Woodcock, The Astronaut Farmer). One could trademark Billy Bob’s sarcastic meanness; he does it very well. The only thing though, it was nothing new for me; he has done this type of character before. The other lead actor was meter reader Roger, played by Jon Heder (Blades of Glory, Napoleon Dynamite). And here again, was a role similar to others Jon has done before. It just may be that Jon has a narrow range in his acting abilities, so he can only get cast for these type of characters. In this story Roger signed up for Dr. P’s confidence building course, hoping to gain assertiveness and get the girl of his dreams. I am afraid some of the actions taken in the course were far-fetched for me. With so few fun scenes, I started to get bored as the movie progressed. There was nothing horrendous in the movie, but there was not a lot of levity either. At the end of the day, just like I did not like that mean teacher back in school, I did not like this movie.
1 3/4 stars — DVD
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