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Flash Movie Review: Arthur the King
I BELIEVE IF I DO THE SAME thing every day then I will be able to do it for a long time. I must believe it will work. This is how I am wired; if I exercise every day, I will never not be able to when I am older. Just this week on the local news, they reported an eighty-year-old woman entered a half marathon for the first time in her life and completed it. That is what I am talking about. I never want my age to define me. Having taught in fitness centers for over thirty years, I have seen every variety of people’s exercise regiments. It has been inspirational to see seniors consistently show up on a regular basis to lift weights, cycle, jog, or take some type of fitness class. I have witnessed individuals in wheelchairs or on crutches maneuver themselves into a weight machine to lift weights. In one of my yoga classes, I had a member who was in her eighties and still flexible enough to easily do various poses. What motivates me is fear; the fear of having to depend on someone to help me get out of a chair or lift a grocery bag into my car. The fear of not being able to get up from sitting on the floor or climbing a stepstool to reach something high in a kitchen cabinet. These fears play in the back of my mind like constant companions. WITH MY BRAIN WIRED THIS WAY, I am aware that I must be realistic. There will be things I cannot maintain the same way as I did in my thirties or forties. When I was in my twenties, I could jog outside for over an hour. These days I jog on a treadmill, and I must alternate between jogging and power walking. With my years of teaching, I have always stressed smart exercising. I instinctively knew I could not continue to jump on concrete or hard floors without my legs getting damaged in some way. In class, I would demonstrate a high impact move then change to the low impact version for the duration of the routine. In my mind, I think I can get back to the form I had when I was teaching twenty classes a week, plus doing my own workout routine. I do not question myself because I need that image as fuel to motivate me on those days when I do not feel like going to the health club or cycling for an hour. I have always encouraged my members not to set a weight loss goal or maximum lifting weight; just continue moving and slowly improving your performances. Not knowing at first this film was based on a true story, I quickly fell in line wishing for the team’s success in this dramatic adventure sport film. HAVING NEVER WON AN ADVENTURE RACING COMPETITION, a competitor assembles a team one last time to make a go of it. And along the way they wind up with a fifth member. With Mark Wahlberg (The Family Plan, Joe Bell) as Michael, Simu Liu (Last Breath, Atlas) as Leo, Juliet Rylance (A Dog’s Purpose, Perry Mason-TV) as Helen, Nathalie Emmanuel (The Killer, Game of Thrones-TV) as Olivia, and Ali Suliman (Lone Survivor, The Swimmers) as Chik; the story in this film was written to draw the viewer in. I had never heard of this 425-mile race that takes place over ten days. That alone was enough for me to become attracted to this picture. The script was written to pull at the heartstrings and there was an element of predictability; however, this did not take away from the extraordinary experience the racers endured. The outdoor shots were beautiful, and the dog was something special. Personally, I cannot imagine participating in such a race, and I cannot understand why people would sign up for it. However, I am glad they did so this story could make it out into the general public and allow me to experience it vicariously. It was a wild ride that I still find hard to believe.
2 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: Federer: Twelve Final Days
IT STARTS OUT WITH ME NOTICING before it turns into allegiance when it comes to left-handed tennis players. Being a lefty, I have a slightly different view of things. It was challenging the first time I was handed a pair of scissors; they were made for right-handed people. The desks in elementary school were fine; but, in the higher schools of education many desks were simply attached to the right arms of chairs. Some of the college lecture halls I sat in had trays that were stored inside again of the right arm of our chairs. It was an inconvenience at best; however, I was aware since most people were right-handed, us left-handed folks were being grouped into a minority. Because of these early experiences, I have always rooted for those left-handed individuals who have excelled in their field. The first famous lefty I knew was Sandy Koufax. I had a baseball card with his picture on it. In fact, whenever I got the ball when playing bombardment or scatter ball in gym class, I pretended I was him. As it turned out, I had a strong throwing arm and was able to knock out many players on the opposing team. I do not know if my success had to do with being left-handed, but I certainly believed that I had an advantage over the right-handed kids. I THOUGHT MY LEFTY SUPERPOWER WOULD carry me into other sports, like tennis. However, I quickly learned I was a real minority when I was the only lefty in class. The instructor had difficulty teaching me, as a result I was always behind everyone else. The other students liked playing against me because it was an easy win for them. It was not until I had gotten proficient with my ground strokes that the other students had to really work to try and beat me. They could not read my shots as easily as they could with their fellow righties. I started to enjoy the game even more. At the same time, I started watching tennis matches on television. Whenever one of the opponents was left-handed, I immediately rooted for them. My first “crush” was jimmy Connors. He was aggressive and he was left-handed. After him, I was an enthusiastic fan of John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova and of course, Rafael Nadal. These were my heroes who reached the top of their sport while being left-handed. I felt if they could do it, I could succeed as well in any field. During my time watching these players, there was one player that caught my eye. Where everyone was grunting and sweating during their matches, he was someone completely different. It looked like he was doing a form of ballet whenever he was out on the tennis court. I grew to admire his skills even though I would still root for the lefty. However, I grew to respect his incredible skill. When I saw this documentary about him advertised, I knew I had to watch it. THERE COMES A TIME WHEN ONE needs to face their future, especially when their work requires physical stamina, strength, and endurance. What started out as private home videos became a record of the last twelve days leading up to the retirement of this illustrious tennis player’s incredible career. Directed by Asif Kapadia (The Warrior, Amy) and Joe Sabia (73 Questions-TV), this documentary was a smooth, and at times, intimate production. I enjoyed the access the viewer had to Roger’s thoughts, home, and work life. This film matched Roger’s cool classiness, which both helped and hurt the story. Everything was so polished and scripted; it would have been nice if the directors could have dug deeper into Roger’s thought process more, to get an understanding of what drove him to be the best in tennis. If one is not a fan of tennis, then there would be little interest in watching this biographical sports picture. I on the other hand enjoyed seeing the camaraderie between fellow players, such as Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Andy Murray. Their interactions in this film created special moments. The term, “a life well lived,” seems appropriate here, for this picture simply celebrates the career and accomplishments of an extraordinary individual, who was not bad for a righty.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Challengers
I WANTED TO LEARN HOW TO play tennis. Neither of my schools offered it as a sport. So, during a summer break, I signed up for tennis lessons through The Learning Annex. Classes were to meet at a tennis facility not too far from the downtown area. I was excited because the facility was home to a couple of tennis tournaments; I was hoping I would see someone “famous.” On the first day of class, there was a total of twelve students; we were split into two groups. It turned out I was the only left-handed person in my group. The first thing the instructor taught us was how to hold the tennis racket. He went up to each of us to check on our grip and make any needed adjustments. I thought things were going well, but when it came time to teach us how to serve, I could not get the hang of it as quickly as the others. It should not have been so difficult because all I had to do was switch his usage of right and left; but for some reason, I could not make it work. He tried working with me, but I could see he was not a patient person. The same thing happened when he was teaching us the ground strokes. While everyone’s ball was going to one side of the court, mine was going to the other side. I was getting self-conscious, uncomfortable, and started to feel like I was being left out. Gratefully, there were only two classes left. FROM THAT EXPERIENCE, I DECIDED I would practice on my own and pay closer attention to televised matches. I used the side of my elementary school’s building to hit the ball against. When I got to college, I had a friend who taught me how to put spin on the ball. Up until that point, I was hitting flat straight balls. On the weekends, we would go down to the sports facility and get a court for us to hit the ball back and forth. Pretty soon I was able to add a little spin to my hits. We eventually started to play games and keep score. I never won but that was okay with me because I was not the type of person who was competitive. He was, however. I just wanted to have fun hitting the ball and trying to make the shots. This was something I never understood: if one was not having fun doing whatever sport then why do it. My friend never looked like he was having fun; it was all about the winning. Except in the earlier scenes of this film festival winner, I felt the same way about the main characters in this dramatic, sport romance. They did not look like they were having fun. TWO FRIENDS VIE FOR THE ATTENTION of a tennis prodigy. There could only be one winner, so what would it take. With Mike Faist (West Side Story, The Bikeriders) as Art Donaldson, Josh O’Connor (God’s Own Country, The Crown-TV) as Patrick Zweig, Zendaya (Dune franchise, Spider-Man franchise) as Tashi Donaldson, newcomer Bryan Doo, and A.J. Lister (Birth/Rebirth) as Lily; this film was fortunate to have this cast in the roles. They were all good, helping to keep the intensity and drama up in this film. What I did not care for was the jumping back and forth in time; I quickly found it annoying. The action and editing cuts were so fast that I soon got tired watching them. It was a shame because I thought the story had merit, but I wonder how I would have felt if they stuck closer to a linear timeline. There were some scenes that did not seem believable to me, which may have added to my losing interest in the characters. With that being said, I still enjoyed the tennis matches and the few extremely dramatic scenes; but at the end, this was not a love match for me.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Long Game
UNTIL I SAW THE INSIDE OF another high school, I did not realize how many things my school did not have for its students. I am not complaining because I honestly do not feel I missed out on anything; however, when I visited my relative’s school, I was stunned with the number of things they had available for the student body. Things like moveable chairs, weight equipment, a theater, and a football field. When my school was being built, it was meant to be a junior high school; but because of the baby boom, it was decided by the school district to turn the building into a high school. By the time I attended, we did not have module class schedules or color-coded hallways; we had loose tiles falling from the gymnasium’s ceiling and an asphalt covered piece of land outside that instead of being a parking lot was used for our outdoor activities like baseball and running. I mentioned in my previous review a hierarchy in my school, but I did not realize it would be something that stayed with me all the way until I went to college. My elementary school covered a neighborhood that was not as well off compared to one of our sister schools. Nothing was overtly said, but just using one’s eyes you could see there was more available to the students at the other school. PERSONALLY, I NEVER FELT I WAS being discriminated against except maybe for being too big and having a bad case of acne. It was not until the latter years of high school that I felt I had more normal clothes because I had lost weight. The year I was involved with the school’s yearbook, I discovered our school was looked down upon from other schools in the city. Hearing about how our students were treated at sporting events, because many times we were always playing away games, I heard what comments were being made about us. I think this is why the other schools were so stunned when our football team made the city finals one year, playing on the same field as the city’s football team. The perception as far as I could tell, was being poor or less well off meant you could not be talented. I found it so weird despite feeling hurt by the negativity I discovered. It messed with my brain because whenever I would see the schools my relatives attended, I always felt like the poor relation, and I wondered if they ever felt the same about me as the city schools felt about my school. Having experienced this, I believe, added more to my enjoyment in watching this historical sport drama. NOT BEING ALLOWED TO PLAY AT the golf course where they caddied, a group of Mexican American boys made their own golf course in the Texas desert, to teach themselves how to play the game. All they would need was some guidance to help them understand the game. With Jay Hernandez (Bad Moms franchise, Magnum P.I.-TV) as JB Pena, Dennis Quaid (Blue Miracle, The Hill) as Frank Mitchell, Cheech Marin (Champions, Shotgun Wedding) as Pollo, Julian Works (Mending the Line, The Standoff) as Joe Trevino, and Jaina Lee Ortiz (Misfire, Station 19-TV) as Lucy Pena; this film festival winning movie was not only inspirational but thoroughly entertaining. I enjoyed watching this despite not being a big fan of golf. The script, based on a true story, was simple and predictable. And though it may follow a template used by other films, I thought there was such heart and thought put into this production. The sets and costumes were perfect for the time frame of 1955. There were some scenes that were sad to me because I am sure stuff like that still goes on today. However, this was such a “feel good” film that I was left in a nearly euphoric state.
3 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Beautiful Game
RECENTLY, I WENT TO THE GROCERY STORE to find a particular box of cookies. This box of cookies was something special to me when I was a young boy. The cookies were simple, buttery, and just slightly more crisp than soft in texture. As I found the cookie and snack aisle at the store, I slowly made my way down to see if I could spot these cookies. I realized my memories could be of what would be now their old packaging, but I hoped I could still locate them. The first thing that took me by surprise was the number of different cookies on the shelves. And not only the amount of different cookie brands, but the amount of variety there was for specific cookies. One type of cookie was positioned on multiple shelves in a section. Besides the original type I remembered, there were ones in assorted flavors; some of them did not sound appealing to me. They also came in varied sizes now, where some were extra thick, and others were being called crispy thin. It made me wonder what was ever wrong with the original ones because I thought they were terrific. I continued down the aisle, amazed by all the different choices most brands offered. Sadly, after looking at every shelf, I never found the cookies I used to eat during my childhood. ON MY WAY HOME FROM THE store, I was remembering other foods I enjoyed as a kid. I do not know if other people feel the same way as I do about food, but there are certain foods that trigger a warm, happy memory for me. Besides the food, there is a place I associate with the food. I remember going to an older relative’s house when I was small, where she would always have on hand homemade fruit bars. The apartment was not air conditioned, the furniture was old and sagged whenever you sat in it, but it did not matter to me. Sitting at her kitchen table with a couple of fruit bars and a glass of chocolate milk, I felt like I was eating like a king. It was cozy, comfortable, and safe; time felt like it had slowed down so I could remain seated in the vinyl kitchen chair that would be a little sticky in summer. This is the feeling I was trying to recreate from my cookie shopping experience. There are times where I do not want any complicated, fancy, new and improved food item; I simply want to sit down and eat something that just feels good. I am the same way with movies; I am not always looking for the biggest spectaculars or greatest special effects. I want something that makes me feel warm and good, and gratefully this sports drama gave me those feelings. HOPING TO BRING A WINNING SOCCER TEAM to the championship games in Rome, the manager of the team brings in a new player just before the tournament. A player that does not want to be around his teammates. With Michael Ward (Empire of Light, The Book of Clarence) as Vinny, Daniel Attwell (Brothers of War, 1917) as Mark, Bill Nighy (Living, The First Omen) as Mal, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (Avengers franchise, The Infiltrator) as Kevin and Kit Young (The School of Good and Evil, Out of Darkness) as Cal; this movie inspired by true stories was a feel-good experience. Already a fan of Bill Nighy, I enjoyed watching this film that was about an event I had never heard of before. The acting was decent from the cast, and it was easy at times to figure out what was going to happen in the scenes, but it did not matter to me. The feelings of easy comfort and joy I was experiencing made up for any of this film’s flaws. It was good to sit back and watch a story being told simply and directly with no added frills. In other words, just a good old-fashioned story.
2 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Iron Claw
IF I HAD BEEN THE REFEREE and had seen the parent yelling at his son after the game, I would have banned him from all future games. I have been to enough sports games to watch the children of friends and family, and there is always at least one parent who is the aggressive one close to the action. This one father was yelling at his kid throughout the game but did throw out a couple of barbs at the umpires. For me, it simply makes the experience of watching the game uncomfortable. I do not know about you, but I do not want to hear parents reprimanding their children during a game. Even after the game, what could their child have done that warranted such ugly behavior. It is only a game and if the kid is trying their best then that is all that matters, at least to me. It is not like there are scouts in the audience or television deals waiting to bestow riches upon the young child. The dad was tugging at the boy’s jersey while telling him what he did wrong; I found it disgusting. I mean really, talk about an embarrassing moment in one’s life. That father should be ashamed of himself. As you would imagine, it looked like tears were rolling down the boy’s face. I USED TO WORK WITH A woman who pushed her daughter into theater, because it was something she started to do when she was young but could not sustain it. It always made me wonder if there are many parents who try to live their lives through their children. Was that father yelling at his child during and after the game, wanting his son to be just like him; or even better? The person I worked with was constantly driving her daughter to various auditions, photo shoots, and a multitude of stores to find unique items for her to wear so she would stand out. I can still remember the day she told me her daughter decided she did not want to act anymore; this woman was despondent. She walked around the office with such a sad face and as if she had nothing left to live for (my own observation). There was a time afterward where her daughter was in the neighborhood and wanted to take her mother out to lunch. I was hoping in a way that there would have been a moment I could ask the daughter if she had grown up wanting to be an actress, but I decided it was not my place to ask her. I am afraid I do not understand this desire or need for parents to live out their dreams/fantasies through their children. And this dramatic sports biography certainly proves my point. HAVING A SET OF SONS WAS all former wrestler Fritz Von Erich, played by Holt McCallany (Fight Club, Nightmare Alley), needed to finally reach his wish of building a legacy. His desires, unbeknownst to him, also set up a separate more emotional legacy. With Zac Efron (Ricky Stanicky, The Greatest Showman) as Kevin Von Erich, Jeremy Allen White (Fingernails, The Bear-TV) as Kerry Von Erich, Harris Dickinson (Beach Rats, Where the Crawdads Sing) as David Von Erich and Maura Tierney (Beautiful Boy, ER-TV) as Doris Von Erich; this film based on a true story was riveting to me. I had never heard about this family until I saw this movie. I thought the acting was excellent and felt this was one of Zac’s best roles. I still do not know if his body was real, or CGI enhanced; it was so bulked up. The story was an emotional one; I, at times, could not believe some of the scenes I was watching because they had that same air of uncomfortableness I was talking about earlier in this review. After seeing this picture, I am curious to find clips of the actual wrestling family that made a name for themselves in the early 1980’s.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Boys in the Boat
IT WAS MY FIRST FITNESS TEACHING job and I had only been working at the health club for a few months. They were going to hold a charity event by doing a four-hour aerobics marathon. It was expected that all the fitness instructors would both teach a portion of the time and remain to support each other’s time segment. I was highly anxious about participating in the marathon because I had no idea if I could hold up moving for such a lengthy period of time. Plus, I had no idea how much it would tax my body’s limits. I had seen marathon runners lose control over their body functions or nearly pass out and I certainly did not want to be that person. At the club, I started out teaching three classes a week which were Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The classes lasted one hour each, but there were my introductory remarks, demonstrating and lastly the last five minutes after the cooldown, were meant for everyone to put any of their equipment away and get out of the aerobic studio before the next class was to start on the hour. After one hour of teaching, I had worked up a good sweat and could feel my muscles tingling. But after four hours, I had no idea what to expect. THE MARATHON WAS STARTING AT EIGHT in the morning and the instructors had to be there an hour earlier for sound checks, set up and go over the order we would be teaching. Being the newest member of the group, I had to wait until everyone else had picked their time slots; we started with the longest employed and worked our way down to me. I was grateful that the time slot left for me was for sixth place; in other words, I would be teaching at the 90-minute mark. Better than the 180- or 195-minute mark, I felt. I did not have to go full out with the moves like I did in my own class, but I had to make sure I still had good form and look like I was exerting myself. At the top of the hour, we began the marathon. The first instructor welcomed everyone and started up the music. Everyone was in a good mood and excited for the event. Though I was nervous about my segment of teaching, I was surprised how good of a time I was having as a participant. All the instructors were close to each other and were feeding off each other’s enthusiasm. By the time it was my turn, I was buzzing inside and simply ran up to the front, cued in my music and off I went leading the group. The time flew by for me as it did for the rest of the morning and by the end exhaustion had settled into me. However, all the instructors came together and congratulated each other on pulling off a major event. From that experience, I felt I knew what the teammates were feeling in this dramatic, sports biography. STUDENTS FROM A SMALL UNIVERSITY HAD limited resources to excel in a sport that was dominated by well endowed universities from across the country. To succeed, these students would need something else if they wanted not only to compete but win. With Joel Edgerton (Thirteen Lives, The Green Knight) as Coach Al Ulbrickson, Callum Turner (Fantastic Beasts franchise, Green Room) as Joe Rantz, Peter Guinness (The Last Boy, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan) as George Pocock, Sam Strike (Leatherface, Monster Party) as Roger Morris and Thomas Elms (I Still See You, The Order-TV) as Chuck Day; this George Clooney directed movie based on a true story was a feel good film. Set in the 1930s, this film festival winner had the trappings for a good old-fashioned feel-good picture. The sets and costumes were wonderful, and the cast did a solid job with their acting. The story was predictable and despite the no frills direction, I wished more time were devoted to fleshing out more substance for each character. Despite these misgivings, I still cheered on these students as they made their way on what was to become an historical trip. An historical trip that was never mentioned throughout any of my schooling, I might add.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: NYAD
I WAS FORTUNATE THAT I NEVER injured myself while teaching one of my fitness classes. My good fortune came about from a discussion I had with one of my earliest directors at the fitness center. When I first arrived there, many of the members thought I was the director’s brother because we were so similar in our coloring and temperament, though she was over a decade older than me. When she hired me, she explained her philosophy on teaching classes, which included how she not only paid attention to the members’ form and movement, but to own as well. Back when I started, high impact aerobics was still a thing and she told me to begin the exercise demonstrating the high impact moves, but to drop down to low impact to protect my body. It was great advice because, through the decades, I was able to maintain teaching 15 to 20 classes a week without any soreness in my joints or muscles. Though that early director retired from her position, she still maintained her training license the entire time I was working at the fitness center. She may have been the oldest trainer on the fitness floor, but she was still getting results out of each of her clients; she was and still is an inspiration to me. WHILE I WAS TEACHING FITNESS CLASSES, I decided to go back to school to become a yoga instructor. Once I completed my courses, I introduced yoga classes into the fitness center. One of the instructors that was hired was an older person. Nothing was said about it, this was just an observation. She and I struck up a friendship since we had similar styles in our yoga practices. Looking at her, I had to say she looked like she was in her 50’s. The yoga program was an enormous success for the center, and we were able to offer several classes throughout the week. At some point, in one of my conversations with this older instructor, she told me her age. I was shocked when she said she was about to turn seventy years old. I was only shocked because she did not look it, and no one could imagine she was that age based on the yoga poses she taught in her classes. During her time at the fitness center, I grew to admire her accomplishments based on the personal stories she shared with me. It is because of her and my earliest fitness director that I felt I could have a lengthy career in fitness/yoga. They taught me age was only a number; it did not need to represent me. THOUGH SHE DID NOT COMPLETE HER swim between Cuba and Florida decades earlier, a marathon swimmer never forgot her dream. She was determined to be the first person to complete the course, even when others said she was too old. With Annette Bening (Jerry and Marge Go Large, Death on the Nile) as Diana Nyad, Jodie Foster (Hotel Artemis, Flightplan) as Bonnie Stoll, newcomer Anne Marie Kemf as Candace, Rhys Ifans (The Amazing Spider-Man, Anonymous) as John Bartlett and Eric T. Miller (Separation, Redemption in Cherry Springs) as Coach Jack Nelson; this true story was a showcase for the acting skills of Annette and Jodie. They were wonderful in their roles, staying strong and solid throughout the film. The story is incredible; but more than that, I never found myself bored while watching the scenes unfold. I would have appreciated a little more background story to the characters because at times I did not understand why people were putting up with Diana’s behavior. Regardless, this was an entertaining and inspirational movie. Even if one does not find this biographical, sport drama appealing, one cannot fault the message, to never give up on one’s dream.
3 ¼ stars
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