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Flash Movie Review: The Amateur
IT WAS ONE OF MY BIGGEST pet peeves when I was younger and it still is one of my biggest pet peeves as I get older. I cannot stand when someone says they will do something then not follow through with it. I would always get annoyed when an elementary school friend would tell me they will call me on a certain day then never call. Or, when a relative would say to me they found something in their attic they think I would like, but never show it to me, despite the implications they wanted me to have it. As I grew older, I verbalized my displeasure in a friendly way to a few friends who were always saying they would do something with me, but never followed through with it; even when I would call as a follow up, they would tell me they would have to get back with me, to let me know when we could get together. I learned a long time ago not to put much effort into those friends and relatives who habitually told me one thing but did something entirely different. I had one friend who actually made plans to get together with me but then cancel at the last minute. They would reschedule but as the date neared they would cancel again. This used to upset me because I would keep the date and time open, declining other offers, then wind up with nothing to do because they backed out at the last minute. Talk about adding fuel to my anger and annoyance. IN THE WORKPLACE, I WOULD FIND myself getting annoyed with fellow employees and bosses who did not follow through with what they told me they would do. I had one boss who was always late giving me my annual performance review, which was used partially to justify to upper management the reason for me getting a salary increase. My boss would send me short emails that said they were working on my review, pushing back the date for our one-on-one meeting, then cancel the meeting at the last minute. It drove me crazy. In the workplace, I truly understand things come up and meetings have to be rescheduled; however, for my boss to go through this same scenario each year made me believe he was just a procrastinator. Outside of the workplace, it drives me crazy when a person repeats the same plan over and over. I have a relative who has always ended our get togethers with the same phrase each time. They tell me they will have me over for a BBQ and sit out on their backyard deck. We are going on four years with me hearing them say this each time we are together, but never following up with an actual invite. So you can see why I would act similarly to the main character in this spy, action thriller when he felt his superiors were not following up on the evidence he gathered for them. WHEN A CIA EMPLOYEE’S WIFE IS killed in a terrorist attack, he decides to take matters in his own hands to hunt down his wife’s killers, even if the agency does not follow up on the evidence he has accumulated. With Rami Malek (No Time to Die, The Little Things) as Heller, Rachel Brosnahan (Patriots Day, The Finest Hours) as Sarah, Jon Bernthal (The Accountant 2, The Unforgivable) as The Bear, Evan Milton (Eyewitness: D-Day, The Lost Pirate Kingdom-TV) as Slater, and Nick Mills (Shilo, Succession-TV) as Finn; the script for this film was not always believable. Some of the scenes were far-fetched and unrealistic. Adding in Rami’s performance, I found it to be an odd mixture of awkward nerdiness vs. cold killer. Some of his scenes displayed a creativeness that was fascinating to watch. But what kept throwing me was his unemotional reactions to some of the violent scenes. Still, I was feeling entertained, remaining hopeful that the “good guy” would eventually prevail. I also appreciated that the advertising for this movie pretty much showed you what to expect from the story. There were several scenes filled with blood and violence.
2 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Black Bag
IN TERMS OF TRUST, I WAS raised with a solid foundation that enabled me to wholeheartedly have a strong bond of trust with my friends and family members. Unfortunately, that strong bond got dented early on. I was in the early grades of elementary school and had a few friends come over after school one day. We played a board game that all of us were into at the time; the playing lasted a little over an hour. Everyone put their game pieces and cards into the game box, and I put the lid on and put it back on the shelf. The next time I played the game, I noticed one of the game pieces was missing. I took out all the containers and cardboard liners from the box, but there was no sign of the piece. The only thing I could think of was one of my friends kept their game piece. I was hurt and upset. What exacerbated my sad feelings was another incident that hammered a blow to my trust, a few weeks after discovering the missing piece. I went bowling with a few of my relatives. For a reason I cannot figure it out, I took off my new and very first wristwatch and placed it on the scoring table. At the end of the game, we turned in our rented bowling shoes and headed out the door. We were four blocks away when I realized I left my watch behind. I explained what happened to my relatives and ran back to the bowling alley, to look for my watch. Absolutely no sign of it and no one had turned it into the lost and found; I was devastated. HAVING THOSE TWO INCIDENTS TAKING PLACE so early in my life, colored my feelings about trusting people. To drive the point home, one of my earliest love relationships shattered my belief system of trust. We had been dating for six months when an opportunity came up for a free trip to Mexico; they were a travel agent, so got these deals from time to time. We flew down to the resort that was being promoted and had planned to stay five days. When we arrived at the resort’s hotel, I felt the assistant manager was paying extra attention to us, but assumed it was because we were listed as travel agents in their records. The assistant manager made another appearance during breakfast, and I started to sense there was an ulterior motive. The two of us finished eating and went back to the room to change to sit by the pool. It was not until lunchtime that we returned to our room. I went to take a shower first and while in the bathroom, I thought I heard a knock at the door. For some reason, I decided to leave the shower water running after I stepped out and dried off. When I came out of the bathroom, there was my partner and the assistant manager making out on top of our bed. I was furious; so angry, that the intruder ran out of the room. I then turned to my partner and yelled some tough words for them before packing up and making my way back to the airport. I never spoke to them again. Because of my issues with trust, I totally understood the dilemma the husband had in this dramatic spy thriller romance. WHEN MASTER SPY GEORGE WOODHOUSE, PLAYED by Michael Fassbender (Next Goal Wins, X-Men franchise), was assigned a list of possible traitors to the agency, he notices one of the names on the list was his wife. How can he protect his country and wife at the same time? With Gustaf Skarsgard (I’ll Be Your Mirror, Vikings-TV) as Phillip Meacham, Cate Blanchett (Borderlands, Don’t Look Up) as Kathryn St. Jean, Tom Burke (The Souvenir, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga) as Freddie Smalls, and Marisa Abela (Rogue Agent, Back to Black) as Clarissa Dubose; this film started out slow for me. However, as the scenes unfolded and I had a grasp of the characters, I started to enjoy what was taking place. The acting was tight and efficient with Michael and Cate as standouts for me. Directed by Steven Soderbergh (Presence, Logan Lucky), I thought the pacing was equally as taut and fast paced. I appreciated the action was more verbal without the blood and violence, though there was one scene that had it. The script could have offered more depth, but under the circumstances I could see where that would have slowed things down. This movie turned out to be an exciting and fun watch with its twists and turns.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Back in Action
WHEN I AM ASKED HOW I keep my weight off, I tell them I exercise a lot. This usually satisfies the curious individuals. If the person is persistent and asks me what I do, I usually tell them I do a variety of cardio activities like cycling and power walking. When I say this, it usually goes one of two ways; the person is satisfied, or they ask me where I find the time. It is at this point I tell them it is because I am a fitness and yoga instructor. Some people upon hearing this want to tell me what they do or do not do for exercising; I am fine with either way. For some reason, people think I am judging them and that is not the case at all. Even in my yoga classes when participants come up and ask me how many times a week, they should do yoga, I tell them not to give themselves a number per week. Instead, I tell them to see how each day feels and see where doing yoga can make a difference for them. If they do it twice a week, then fine; if they do it every day, then fine as well. I tell them they must decide how they want to age through life; do they plan on being sedentary or active? Upon hearing this answer, each person I see is giving it serious thought. IT IS NOT LIKE I AM embarrassed telling people I am a fitness instructor; I prefer not saying anything because of people’s pre-conceived notions of what a fitness instructor is supposed to be. Or, I have people wanting to share their love/hate relationship with exercise and food. I have had individuals come up to me, knowing I am in the fitness industry, and share their medical ailments or history, looking to me to direct them or to corroborate their doctor’s advice. It is one thing to come up to me before a yoga class and tell me you have issues with, let us say, carpal tunnel syndrome, so I can be aware of it and offer them different options when doing a pose that involves their wrists or putting pressure on their hands. But when they tell me they have, for example, Meniere’s disease or Lupus, I always ask if their doctor said it was okay to participate in this class. So, this is why when I am not at the fitness center, I do not always mention in conversation that I am a fitness/yoga instructor. This is why I could relate in a way to the main characters in this action, spy comedy. FORMER CIA SPIES WHO EVERYONE BELIEVES are dead, gets their cover blown one night at a nightclub. How will they explain this to their children? With Jamie Foxx (Day Shift, The Burial) as Matt, Cameron Diaz (Annie, The Other Woman) as Emily, McKenna Roberts (Skyscraper, The Young and the Restless-TV) as Alice, Rylan Jackson (Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) as Leo, and Kyle Chandler (Slumberland, The Midnight Sky) as Chuck; this action comedy was Cameron’s first film role in ten years and she has not lost her touch. Her chemistry with Jamie is what made the script in this film tolerable. There was nothing new added to this type of spy comedy as the story followed a generic template. At least the action scenes, which were many, were good and fun, and the banter going back and forth between Jamie and Cameron added a little extra spark. I wished the writers would have added a few twists into the story line to make this movie more interesting; but they did not, so the picture was average. And instead of tagging it a comedy, maybe the studio should consider using the term amusing.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The 355
WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, THE INDIVIDUALS I did not like knew it. I do not know why, but I felt it was my responsibility to put them in their place. If someone was a braggart, I would find a way to knock them down a couple of rungs. Not that I was proud or that it was an achievement on my part, but I used to be the best when it came to holding a grudge. So, if I encountered someone who I had a negative interaction with previously, they knew along with everyone else in the room that I would have nothing to do with them, to the point of completely ignoring them. No so much as a hello or the nod of my head for acknowledgement, I would purposely hover around them without engaging them into any of my conversations with the other guests. Even if they added a comment to the conversation, I would simply talk over them or remain silent. Of course, the other people within the conversation would realize I was ignoring the individual; but they never would make a comment, let alone try to push me to engage with the unwanted person. Out in the real world this was easy for me to do and maintain; but in the work world, I knew I could not act out in the same fashion. MY GUIDING FORCE WHEN IT COMES to dealing with conflict between employees is remembering that the company comes first. There is nothing more important to me than maintaining a company’s good name. I used to work with a miserable individual who felt everyone around them was stupid, that he was the only smart one. I had a couple of run-ins with him where he tried to get me in trouble. From that point on I decided I would totally ignore him. He got the message quickly when he tried to engage me in small talk; I just looked at him, got up from my desk and walked out of the room. With that being said, when it came to asking anything about company business I would cordially respond. That was the only time I would interact with him, company business. Let us face it, I do not think there is anyone who likes and gets along with every person they meet; there always will be someone that is disliked. I have learned in the work environment to put personal opinions to the side, work with whoever you need to work with, to get the job done. This is the philosophy one can see in this action thriller. THE BEST WAY TO CAPTURE A top-secret weapon for CIA agent Mace, played by Jessica Chastain (Crimson Peak, Molly’s Game), would be to join forces with her counterparts from other international agencies; but would she be able to trust them. With Penelope Cruz (Pain and Glory, The Counselor) as Graciela Rivera, Bingbing Fan (X-Men: Days of future Past, Lady of the Dynasty) as Lin Mi Sheng, Diane Kruger (In the Fade, National Treasure franchise) as Marie Schmidt and Jason Flemyng (Deep Rising, From Hell) as Elijah Clarke; this movie’s selling point was having a strong female group who could act, leading this story. The fight scenes were bloody and violent, with an authentic look to them. I did not mind the story’s plotline, but there really was nothing new to it. I have seen similar films that were a lot better in dealing with the spy stuff. There was a nice twist to the story; however, the script did not add to the characters. Personally, I think the writers could have gone to a deeper intensity level which would have made this picture more engaging. There was only a mild curiosity on my part, that got dulled by the poorly written script.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Courier
I FELT SAD FOR HER PATIENTS, wondering what it must be like to have her as their therapist. She was a neighbor of mine and granted I did not know much about her, but I heard a lot of talk about her. From the few times I had interactions with her, I felt she had an edge. You know that energy that comes off a person that is stark and harsh, sensing it might shock you like static electricity? Well, she had it in spades. I never saw her smile; only having seen a sour look on her face. She had piercing eyes, but they did not look happy to me. They didn’t have that spark of life in them, only a brown dullness. When she said she was a therapist I was stunned because never had I felt a warm fuzziness from her. At least a sense of empathy; I could not imagine what time of “bedside manner” she must have had with her patients. I mean seriously, even her dog was not friendly. It was always barking at anyone who came near it and I knew it was not a friendly bark because the tail was not wagging. I had heard several things about her from other neighbors who had a run in with her. Some of the complaints were: she didn’t pickup after her dog, she never acknowledged any of them with a hello when their paths crossed on the street or at the grocery store and she took up two spaces when she parked her car. Seriously, I had no idea how she psychoanalyzed someone. MAYBE I AM GUILTY AS OTHERS by stereotyping what a therapist should look like; I am not sure. I do not believe I am alone in assuming certain people gravitate to certain professions. I remember riding the train into the city and having a conversation with the individual next to me. When I mentioned I was a fitness instructor, they looked at me and said right to my face, “You do not look like an instructor. Don’t they usually have muscles and are more on the slim side?” I was dumbfounded. All I did was give a slight chuckle and tell him there were no body requirements to teach fitness because we deal with the entire body, not just making muscles. I am not sure he got it, but it did not matter to me. It is funny because I make a point of telling a new class that I am not a typical fitness instructor; I do not just eat broccoli and tofu and live at the gym. I tell them I would like to sit at home, eating a pizza; but know I must balance out that desire by helping my body maintain all its functions. Then I add by doing this work now I hope I delay having to depend on someone or something to help me function in my daily life. If nothing else, I pride myself on being different and that is one of the reasons I especially enjoyed watching this dramatic thriller because that was the reason the main character was asked to help his country. DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE COLD war, a British salesman was asked to go on a sales call to the Soviet Union. Hopefully he would be able to make a contact. With Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game, Doctor Strange) as Greville Wynne, Merab Ninidze (My Happy Family, Jupiter’s Moon) as Oleg Penkovsky, Rachel Brosnahan (I’m Your Woman, Patriot’s Day) as Emily, relative newcomer James Schofield as Cox and Anton Lesser (Miss Potter, Game of Thrones-TV) as Bertrand; this historical film based on a true story was a good old fashioned suspense picture. I was attracted to the methodical pacing of the story as well as to the whole look of the film. The acting was excellent as I felt like an insider to that era’s crisis. Another reason why I enjoyed this film was specifically due to not having any special effects or product placements from a marketing department; I simply enjoyed hearing and watching a story, albeit an important story.
3 ¼ stars
Flash Movie Review: Spies in Disguise
HE MAY HAVE THOUGHT WE WERE friends but that was not really the case. I felt I had to for my own self-preservation. We hung around the same group of people. If I remember correctly, he was a friend of a friend who started including him in our get togethers. He had a loud and boisterous personality that was quick with sarcasm; that was the part of him that was fun to be around. However, he also had a quick temper that was the first thing to flare up in any kind of confrontational circumstances. His “go-to” comment was “Do you want to take this outside?” This is the reason why I stayed on good terms with him; I did not want to get pulled into his negative drama. Whenever we would all go out to a club, the chances were better than 50% he would get into some type of altercation with one of the patrons of the place. I found it maddening and ridiculous because before you knew it, he would be asking the person to join him outside. Now granted he made an imposing figure; but still, there was no reason he needed the theatrics. The way I used to deal with him was simply to agree to his extreme pontifications on life and living, by nodding my head or grunting a sound that he could interpret as an affirmative answer. THOUGH IT HAS BEEN YEARS SINCE I have seen him, he is the first person I think of whenever I hear someone saying, “Do you want to take this outside?” Even if I hear it in a movie, he comes to mind. I was never the type of person who willingly confronted someone. Growing up people fell into two categories, aggressive or passive. I was in the passive group during my childhood years. It was not until I was in college before I found my voice. After what I went through during high school, I worked on myself to get to a point where no one would take advantage of me. It was not an easy process by any means; but I acquired the tools necessary to have an argument without including negative or demeaning comments. What I learned that was valuable to me was to remove the emotions from the equation and talk about my feelings instead. There are some people who think if they talk loudly enough, they will win the fight; as you know that does not work in the real world. As I was watching this animated, action adventure I identified more with one of the characters than the other; you probably could guess which one. AFTER INGESTING AN EXPERIMENTAL CONCOCTION WITHOUT it being tested, the only thing super spy Lance, voiced by Will Smith (I Am Legend, Men in Black franchise) had to rely on was his wits and new-found avian abilities to bring down an evil genius bent on destroying the agency. With Tom Holland (Spider-Man franchise, In the Heart of the Sea) voicing Walter, Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Robin Hood) voicing Killian, Reba McEntire (The Little Rascals, One Night at McCool’s) voicing Joyless and Rachel Brosnahan (The Finest Hours, Patriots Day) voicing Wendy; this film festival nominee had wonderful animation work. Including the cast of actors; overall, this was a pleasant, family friendly film to watch. There was nothing extreme about it; I felt it fell in the middle of other animated films. There was more of a focus on fun instead of a series of humorous jokes and pranks. The message however was what grabbed me the most. I connected more with the last half of the film, finding it to be a touching statement. If you choose to see this film, you would easily see why I felt a strong affinity to one of the characters.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Johnny English Strikes Again
THERE ON THE RACK YOU SEE a sweater that not only grabs your eye, but you know you must have it. You start going through the rack; unfortunately, the color you want is not in your size. The style is what grabbed you at first and you know yourself so well. Your wanting of it is now turning into a need. After checking the entire rack you are now faced with making a decision. The sales staff was no help because there was nothing left in stock; so, if you want the sweater you will have to settle on a different color. Blue is your favorite color, so you certainly do not want the brown or red one. Looking at the remaining colors you picture yourself wearing each color. The decision was not that difficult; you settle on the green colored sweater. You take satisfaction in your purchase because you know if you did not buy the sweater you would be thinking about it for a long time. Green was not such a bad color, you could deal with it not being blue. THERE ARE SOME INDIVIDUALS WHO WOULD not have bought the sweater; they are the type who will not settle for something less than the exact thing they want. I believe I fluctuate somewhere in between, depending on the item. For a recent holiday we decided to celebrate at a restaurant. There were eight of us around an oval table. When it came to ordering off the menu, three of us chose the same thing. It was a turkey dinner with mashed potatoes and a cooked vegetable. After the waiter left with our orders we sat around talking while nibbling on the appetizers. In a few minutes the waiter came back to tell us out of the three turkey dinners, there were only two left. I was the first to speak up and told the waiter to give the other two their dinners; I would instead have the turkey burger and fries. The waiter was apologetic and left with my order. For me it was not a big deal; they didn’t have anymore, so what was I to do? When the meals were served the restaurant manager came up to apologize. I accepted his apology, so he would leave and all of us could start to eat. The meal was okay, but it was not a full dinner that looked especially good; I just settled for the turkey burger because I did not want there to be a fuss. The same thing could be said about this comedy film; If you do not have time to see a great movie, then this one might be okay instead. WHEN A CYBER-ATTACK EXPOSES THE identities of Britain’s secret service agents there is only one agent available who is off the grid retired agent Johnny English, played by Rowan Atkinson (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bean franchise). Can old school spying work in a computer connected world? This action adventure also starred Emma Thompson (Saving Mr. Banks, Bridget Jones’ Baby) as Prime Minister, Ben Miller (Paddington 2, What We Did on our Holiday) as Bough and Olga Kurylenko (The Death of Stalin, Hitman) as Ophelia Bauletova. This entire film had a retro vibe that reminded me of the Pink Panther movies. There was nothing that stood out as horrible; but for the most part, everything in the story seemed like it was done before. Rowan is quite good with physical comedy which is lucky since most of the script was having a gag upon gag upon gag. I did not find anything hilarious; possibly because the set-ups were all predictable to me. If the show times aren’t working for you to see a better film and you are the type who doesn’t mind settling, then this picture would just be okay. But do not spend money on a full priced ticket.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Spy Who Dumped Me
FRIENDS HAVE TOLD ME I should write a book about all the excuses I have heard to end a relationship. You might think I am making them up but that is not the case; some of the ones I will list here were given to me. One of my favorites is the one where our relationship had to end because I lived in the suburbs. It wasn’t as if I resided in the farthest suburb that was miles away, where one needed to pack a lunch before heading out. My house was literally 5 blocks from the city limits; from my place to theirs was a total of six miles that was easily accessible by car, bus or train. From someone else their reason to me why they were ending the relationship was because I walked too fast. My response was to ask if it had ever occurred to them to ask me to slow down. How was I supposed to know otherwise? I have long legs; so, I guess I cover more ground quicker than someone with shorter legs? Several of the other excuses that people have told me they heard were: you are too intense, we have different interests and you are not an animal lover. AN IMPORTANT LESSON I LEARNED ABOUT break-ups is to not take them personally. I know, it can be hard not to take them personally; but in my experiences a majority of the time I had not caused the separation between us. There were times where I later found out they were going through personal issues that had nothing to do with me. I will say I have gained something from every person I have ever dated. At the time I may not have understood what insight I had received; but eventually, it would reveal itself to me so that I could get a better understanding about myself. Sound too deep? Yea, I agree; I do not want to turn this review into a session of therapy. One more thing and then I will move on; I was not always an understanding individual who would take the ending of a relationship in stride. Oh no, I could easily turn it back on them and get real ugly. There were a few where I not only gave them a piece of my mind but gave them an encyclopedia of derogatory adjectives to describe what I saw as their failings. And I never did it in a text message; unlike what happened to the poor woman in this action comedy. NOT ONLY DID AUDREY, PLAYED BY Mila Kunis (Black Swan, Bad Moms franchise), not know why her boyfriend Drew, played by Justin Theroux (The Girl on the Train, American Psycho), broke up with her; but now she was wanted by people from all over the world and not in a good way. With Kate McKinnon (Rough Night, Office Christmas Party) as Morgan, Sam Heughan (Heart of Lightness, Outlander-TV) as Sebastian and Hasan Minaj (Most Likely to Murder, The Daily Show-TV) as Duffer; if for nothing else, the only reason one needs to go see this movie is for Kate McKinnon. She is truly gifted; watching her, I had to wonder if she was ad libbing half the script. Her timing and delivery was wonderful. Mila was good; but Kate is in a different category. As for the film the script could have used a couple of rewrites. I found the story going from one outrageous caper to another, some bordering on silly. At least I did get some laughs from time to time; but these 2 actresses easily could have taken on a better developed story and script. I think with a little tweaking and work Kate and Mila could be a long-term, fun relationship.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Red Sparrow
FOR MANY YEARS I DID NOT realize the ability to “read” an individual was a gift. I just assumed everyone was capable of doing it. As a kid there was a teenage neighbor that was polite and quiet. I did not have much interaction with him; I thought it was due to the age difference. However I always got a cautious feeling when he was around me. I could not explain it but there was just something about him that made me wary of him. One day I was walking down the backstairs with a cousin when the neighbor appeared at the bottom of the stairs we were about to descend. Without warning the teenager threw a rock at us and hit my cousin in the forehead. As the two of us ran back up the stairs the neighbor ran out into the alley and disappeared. Another example of being able to see a person’s true self happened when a friend of mine started to date this man who right from the start was making her all these promises of what their life would be together. Really, I thought; it was not long into their new relationship when his true intentions came out. The guy told her his funds were temporary tied up and he needed $500.00. Need I go any further in this story? SO THE ABILITY TO GET a sense of a person’s true intent is a valuable tool to include (if available) in one’s check off list when evaluating an individual. Now I do want to make it clear there is a distinction between “reading” a person and making a judgment about them. I do not believe my feelings about someone are written in stone; it may be only a feeling that causes me to be more cautious, but I do not assume the person is absolutely what I think they are in inside. Only time will tell the truth and even that is not always a given. I guess this is the area where one can only look for red flags, warnings that something is not right. I have heard just from my friends alone, so many stories about a person pretending to be someone they are not. It is even more prevalent on social media sites. And the ironic thing is this has been going on for such a long time; the only difference is there are now more people being duped who have stopped giving a person the benefit of the doubt, taking longer before they begin to trust someone. The main character in this mystery thriller will show you how it is done. PRIMA BALLERINA DOMINIKA EGOROVA’S, played by Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games franchise, Joy), career was cut short due to an accident during a performance. With no other means to support herself and her mother, she was ripe to be recruited into a special Russian spy program. She would become a quick learner. With Joel Edgerton (The Gift, Warrior) as Nate Nash, Matthias Schoenaerts (The Danish Girl, Rust and Bone) as Vanya Egorov, and Charlotte Rampling (45 Years, Never Let Me Go) as Matron; I thought the actors were well cast in this film. Granted Jennifer was the star of the story and gave it her best, but due to the uneven script I did not get totally wrapped up into the story. There were scenes that were intense but then we would go through a dull lull before something exciting happened again. I thought the story was sound but not everything clicked together in this picture. Also I felt the violence and sex on display were used as a distraction for the poorly written script. I had a sense this film would not match up to the excitement of the movie trailers; I guess I should listen to myself more often.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Keeping Up with the Joneses
I learned at an early age that having more body mass was not a way to keep up with the people around me. Assumptions were made that I could not hit or catch a ball and I must be slow in a game of tag. Though initially I did not think I was different as time went on I sort of fell into people’s expectations. Oh and not being able to wear the latest trends in clothing because they did not make them in my size really pushed me over the edge. What could I do? I did what others in my situation did, ditch these unwritten rules. Little did I know this was going to help me later in life. AFTER living in apartments where all the residents pretty much were on equal footing, I bought a house. It was a major adjustment for me. From living in places where a building superintendant handled any issues, I was confronted with a neighbor who would point out everything that was wrong (in her opinion) with the outside of my house. First let me say she along with all the other neighbors loved (though I felt it was coming from an envious place) my landscaping. I was always getting complimented on it, though I had nothing to do with the lawn and flowers. A close friend of mine was a landscape architect who lived in a high rise building and missed getting his hands dirty. We were a perfect match because I disliked getting my hands dirty. My neighbor would sit out on her front porch and watch everything my friend did around the yard. Sadly this was the only thing she liked about my place. Anytime I was outside she would remind me I needed to do something about my storm windows, my screen door, my chimney; you get the point. From the lessons I was taught early on, I was able to ignore these reminders with a smile and a remark, “Really?” I did not need to keep up with her standards though you should with yours regarding this action comedy. THE new neighbors, Natalie and Tim Jones, played by Gal Gadot (Fast & Furious franchise, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) and Jon Hamm (The Town, Mad Men-TV), not only fit in with the neighborhood, they were perfect. They seemed a little too perfect for their neighbors Karen and Jeff Gaffney, played by Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers, Home and Away-TV) and Zach Galifianakis (Masterminds, The Campaign). Spying on the new couple would only show how perfect they were indeed, in certain areas of their life. What can I say about this movie; except to say it was poorly thought out and written. The script and story were generic; it was easy to see where the jokes would come in. A waste of talent even though I thought Gal and Jon made a fun couple; I would have liked to have seen this movie focus just on them. If you saw the trailer you already saw the film. You will not be missing anything if you decline an invitation to go see this movie at the theater. Do not feel you have to keep up with the newest movies out.
1 ¾ stars
moviejoltz 