Blog Archives
Flash Movie Review: Gran Turismo
MY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH A FAST vehicle took place at a local amusement park. In front of the park entrance there was a go kart track. I always assumed it was separate from the park because we had to pay for each ride, unlike paying admission to the park and getting the rides for free. I stood and watched the karts roll by for a minute before I decided to join my relatives in line. Unlike some of the car rides I had been on at other amusement parks, where the vehicle was attached to a groove that went down the middle of the track, this ride let the driver have free rein to safely drive wherever they pleased on the track. When it was our turn to get into the karts, there were attendants who helped buckling in the drivers. I noticed the cars had extra big bumpers, like the bumper cars that were an attraction in the amusement park. The older relatives in front of me took off as soon as they were cleared by their attendants. I wanted to catch up to them, so as soon as I was given the okay, I pressed hard on the gas pedal and went out in pursuit. I loved the way the wind hit my face as I drove down the track, staying close to the left side. By the time we were flagged to stop, I had passed just a few of the younger relatives; but it did not matter, I was hooked on the speed. I CONTINUED TO GO ON THE ride until I was no longer able to fit into the kart. By that time, I had collected an array of race car toys, including a racetrack that I put together in our living room, so I was getting my thrills from racing toy cars. In fact, there was a toy shop I went to weekly that had a huge racetrack; customers could rent a race car or bring one of their own to play on the track against other customers. One of my relatives and I saved up and bought our own toy race cars to use at the store. It took me a while to get used to adjusting the speed when my car was taking a turn; I had a few wipeouts, but I was determined to make it through the whole track without an incident and win the race. I believe, all the times I played at the shop led the adult me to always go for the sportiest car whenever I was car shopping at dealerships. Who knows what would have happened if the racing video game in this film had come out when I was a little boy; I might have had a whole different career. EVER SINCE HE WAS A LITTLE boy, all Jann Mardenborough, played by Archie Madekwe (Saltburn, Midsommar), could think about was racing cars. When an advertisement came out announcing a racing contest, Jann felt with all his video playing he might have a chance at becoming a race car driver for Nissan. With David Harbour (Black Widow, Revolutionary Road) as Jack Salter, Orlando Bloom (The Lord of the Rings franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise) as Danny Moore, Takehiro Hira (Snake Eyes, Killing for the Prosecution) as Kazunori Yamauchi and Darren Barnet (Never Have I Ever-TV, Turnt-TV) as Matty Davis; this action adventure film based on a true story had some great racing scenes in it. I was not familiar with the story nor the video game, so for me everything seemed fresh and new. I do feel the script was conventional because it never felt like we were getting the full story on the characters. The drama was kept to a certain level, so that it never dripped over into the action scenes. Nonetheless, this movie was still fun to watch, though if one is not interested at all in races and racing cars then you might want to pass this one on the right.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Kate
THE PHOTO WAS FORWARDED TO ME and I immediately had memories flood my brain as soon as I saw it. I had not thought about that trip in years; no, actually decades, but remembered the who, what and where of the trip. I am always amazed at the workings of the mind. How these stored memories suddenly appear in full force, like a spotlight, into one’s consciousness; it is fascinating. From that one photo, I was able to remember the place I stayed at, the time of year and the various sights I visited while there. Truthfully, if I had not seen that one photo I do not know if I would have ever recalled that vacation. And that is the other aspect of stirred memories I enjoy experiencing; that random trigger that sets off the memory like a firecracker. For example, just recently I had a lunch date with a few family members. I had found this new food item at the store and thought the relatives would enjoy trying them. Buying a few different flavors, I put them out on the dining room table when the meal was ready. As the group of people inspected the items, I brought out drinking glasses for them to give the products a try. One family member kept taking a taste from their drink. When I asked what they thought of it, they said the taste is reminding them of a different time when they were back in college drinking a mixed alcoholic beverage out of a plastic cup. How random it was; I enjoyed hearing how a past memory got ignited from a new type of drink. JUST AS I AM FASCINATED WITH the way memories suddenly appear from random stimuli, I am also curious how some memories always stay close to the surface to steer the actions of an individual. Many of us might have experienced buying a car that turned out to be a complete lemon. I know I did. There was a car I had that would periodically just shut off while I was driving it. I remember one time it decided to turn off in the middle of a busy intersection. There was nothing I could do because the car would not turn over. I go so fed up, I grabbed my stuff, got out, locked the car doors and walked over to the curb to call a tow service. For the next few weeks while I looked for a car, I rode a bicycle wherever I had to go. From that time, I have never bothered looking at that car manufacturer’s products when I needed to buy a car. Some memories just never fade away, like the one the main character kept having in this action, crime adventure. AFTER AN ASSIGNMENT GETS BOTCHED UP, a well-honed assassin discovers she has a short time to live before she dies. She only has one thing on her mind. With Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Birds of Prey, 10 Cloverfield Lane) as Kate, Woody Harrelson (The Hunger Games franchise, Out of the Furnace) as Varrick, relative newcomer Miku Patricia Martineau as Ani, Tadanobu Asano (Thor franchise, Battleship) as Renji and Jun Kunimura (Kill Bill franchise, The Naked Director-TV) as Kijima; this story was a mix of previous film stories I have seen. There seems to be a recent smattering of movies with female killers. I have enjoyed seeing them and in fact, this film reminded me of a cross between John Wick, Atomic Blonde and Crank. Kate did an admirable job of acting and fighting in this role; however, the script was generic, without much depth and character development. There was a stylized flair in the look of this picture, but it did not have that extra punch, so to speak, to make this a great movie. The bottom line here is I might remember Mary Elizabeth’s performance, but I doubt I will remember this movie after a short time.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Jiro Dreams of Sushi
After a friend became grossly ill from eating sushi some years ago, I stopped eating or thinking about the food. How surprised I was after viewing this documentary, I was not only hungry, but I had a new appreciation for this delicacy. It was amazing to see master sushi chef Jiro Ono talk about his life’s work on attempting to make the perfect piece of sushi. Now you may be thinking what the big deal was about this one individual, surely there were many chefs who wanted to create the best piece of sushi. The difference was 85 year old Jiro was the first sushi chef ever to obtain a 3 star rating from the Michelin guide. Mr Ono’s 10 seat restaurant was underground by a Toyko subway station; where reservations had to be made months in advance. I was intrigued by the single focus he had his entire life, to devote himself to creating sushi. With two sons in the business, Jiro tried to instill his strict work ethic into his sons, though he had no plans on retiring. The filming of this movie was simple with an easy flow to it. We were witnesses to every aspect of Jiro’s daily life; from fish market to preparation, all the way to how he serves his guests. I was fascinated by the entire process. Though it is unlikely I will start consuming sushi, I certainly will wonder how much thought went into those pieces the next time my friends order it. Japanese with English subtitles.
3 1/3 stars
moviejoltz 