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Flash Movie Review: Madame Web
I BELIEVE MOST INDIVIDUALS CAN DISCERN if some upcoming thing they will experience will be pleasant or not. The easy example would be going to the dentist; but I am talking about something more in the grey area. For instance, a family function can be anything from a fist fight event to a supremely festive one. Some of our intuition is based on what facts we know about the soon to be event. I used to dread going to certain family milestone events if alcohol were being served because I knew what that would do to some of the people in attendance. They would have too much to drink and make a spectacle of themselves; as a result, upsetting multiple relatives and casting a dark pallor over the event. Another situation is going out to eat with a friend of mine. This person tends to send their food back every time we have gotten together. I can understand if the wait staff got the order wrong, but if the food is not piping hot or does not have the taste they were expecting, they will return it and do it in a way that makes their displeasure obvious. I find it uncomfortable so I have resorted to never offering a suggestion on where we should eat. Instead, I let them choose with the hopes they know the place and will accept their food the first time it is brought to the table. THERE HAVE BEEN TIMES WHERE I have had a feeling of déjà vu. I may meet someone and immediately feel a connection as if I had been with them a previous time. Again, it is based on my past experiences, but any plans made to get together again are met with a joyful feeling. I try not to go to something with the expectation that I am going to have a miserable or unpleasant time, though that has not been my nature in the past. Putting negative energy out into the world can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy, in my opinion. This is one of the reasons why I try to avoid any reviews or comments about a movie before I have the chance to see it for myself. I mentioned before I am not a fan of slasher movies, but I try to keep an open mind still. When I saw the advertisement for this movie, I could not figure out what it was supposed to be. It was not until I saw the preview for it prior while waiting for a different film that I realized this was an origin story in the Spiderman world. I was not sure what I was watching so I did not give it much thought. When I finally got to see this action, adventure, science fiction film, I was glad I did not pay attention. AFTER HAVING A LIFE-THREATENING EXPERIENCE on the job, a New York paramedic begins to see snippets of things that have not taken place yet in her life. One of the snippets involved protecting three strangers on a train. With Dakota Johnson (The Lost Daughter, The Hight Note) as Cassandra Webb, Sydney Sweeney (Anyone But You, Americana) as Julia Cornwall, Isabela Merced (Father of the Bride, Dora and the Lost City of Gold) as Anya Corazon, Celeste O’Connor (The In Between, Ghostbusters: Afterlife) as Mattie Franklin and Tahar Rahim (A Prophet, The Kindness of Strangers) as Ezekiel Sims; this movie was not a pleasant experience for me. I was bored through most of it. The script was basic, predictable, and filled with nonsense. Dakota was okay but she was not able to hold up the mess that was falling around her. The flashes of future scenes were annoying because there were times I did not know if I was watching the present or future. I think if I had looked at the comments and reviews for this picture, I would have walked into the theater dreading spending my time watching such a poorly done film.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Past
There is a method to my madness, just hear me out. Until I see a movie I avoid reading any reviews of it. I want to know as little as possible about a film, only allowing myself to see the movie trailer, though sometimes the trailer is better than the whole picture. After I have seen the movie then I will look at some of the reviews. This is why in my reviews I barely mention any particular scene details or facts about the story line. With today’s review, this is the perfect example to show you why I prefer to blindly walk into a theater with my mind an open and blank slate. I had no idea this dramatic mystery was directed by Asghar Farhadi (About Elly) who directed one of my favorite films of 2011, A Separation. Gratefully I did not know which movies won at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival because this movie was a winner. The only thing I knew when I went to see this picture was it had subtitles. The movie started and I immediately found myself in Paris, witnessing a separated couple finishing up the process of their divorce. There were children involved from past and present relationships; however, hanging over everyone like a dense fog, hampering everyone’s senses was a woman in a coma. Every scene in this movie had an authentic sense of true emotion; the cast could have easily been a friend, relative or acquaintance of yours because they never came across as if they were actors acting. They were just being real. Let me name a few of the exceptional performers: there was Berenice Bejo (The Artist, A Knight’s Tale) as the soon to be ex-wife Marie Brisson; Ali Mosaffa (Leila, The Last Step) as the Iranian husband Ahmad and Tahar Rahim (A Prophet, The Eagle) as the live-in boyfriend Samir. I felt as if I was a guest invited into the lives of these individuals, sitting with them when they were eating, wanting to comfort them when they were sad. There were no special effects needed, no sudden unexplained turns in the story that would leave one wondering; all that was there were genuine feelings of fear, guilt, love and doubt. This film is one of the reasons why I love going to the movies. I do not have to pack an overnight bag, wait in long security lines or dress in a particular way; yet, I do get to leave all the things that make up my daily life and experience for a moment how other people live their lives. The dialog was done in French and Persian languages with English subtitles.
3 1/2 stars