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Flash Movie Trailer: Emilia Perez
ONCE I FEEL SOMEONE IS NOT a good person, I rarely change my mind. What I mean by good is someone who displays kindness, thoughtfulness, empathy, compassion, and other similar types of qualities. In a previous movie review, I mentioned the time I spotted a classmate setting fire to a cat’s tail. Unless he found the answer in curing cancer later in life, I cannot ever consider him a decent human being. Some years ago, I bumped into a former classmate who was mean to me. I was cordial but had no desire to continue a conversation with him until unexpectedly he asked me if I remembered us when we were back in school. When I said yes, he offered me an apology which, I have to say, seemed heartfelt. He explained his home life back then and how angry he was at everyone, but pointing out it still was not an excuse for the things he did to me. I was touched by his words and accepted his apology. We continued talking for a bit and I asked him what he did for a living. When he said he was a teacher, I chuckled. He asked what was so funny and I said from him being a teacher’s nightmare to becoming a teacher was funny. He thought for a moment, smiled, and said he would have to agree with me. AS I HAVE STATED IN THE past, I believe everyone is born with both good and evil inside of them. It is up to the individual to decide and choose which one they will manifest. I used to know this person when I was a kid who had a fun sense of humor and was very personable. However, they had such a quick temper that they would periodically get into fistfights. Being strong and former military, they usually won those fights. Unfortunately, as time went on, the people he fought were getting seriously injured, to the point they needed to be hospitalized. As a result, there were a couple of times this person had to be jailed. Would you say they were a good or bad person? I felt they had a mix of both. Though I remember the times I was around them, I would always try not to upset them. There were a couple of people I used to work with at previous companies who were running scams. One woman was living with a man who was the father of her three children; but they were not married. The reason being she could file for state aid on each child. With the money they would get they used it to help fund the lavish trips they took and designer clothes they bought. I could not say she was a good person which ironically was my dilemma with the main character in this crime, musical thriller, drama. AN UNSATISFIED LAWYER RECEIVES AN OFFER that could drastically change her life. She had no idea how much change and risk it would entail. With Zoe Saldana (Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, The Adam Project) as Rita Moro Castro, Karla Sofia Gascon (We Are the Nobles, Wild Heart-TV) as Manitas Del Monte, Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building-TV, Spring Breakers) as Jessi, Adriana Paz (The Empty Hours, Spectre) as Epifania, and Edgar Ramirez (Jungle Cruise, Point Break( as Gustavo Brun; this film festival winning movie grabbed me right from the start. What a mix of ideas that on paper looked like they would not work together, but instead created this imaginative piece of entertainment that had a couple of messages thrown in without preaching. Zoe and Karla were outstanding, and I felt this could be Zoe’s best performance. The basic idea of the story was not that unusual; but the execution of it was imaginative and creative. At times bordering close to being humorous to becoming a powerful statement, I enjoyed this picture from beginning to end. It is a good movie. There were a few scenes with violence and blood.
3 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Will & Harper
I BUMPED INTO A FRIEND, WHO I had not seen for some time, and immediately noticed something different about their face and neck. It only took me a few seconds before I realized they no longer had a puffy neck. In his family, as they age, they develop folds in their neck, like a rooster or turkey neck. Honestly, it was nothing I ever paid attention to; it was simply his neck to me, nothing more. Evidently, it must have been bothering him if he went to the trouble of having some kind of work on it. Because of that change, I studied his face while we talked and realized he had more work done. He no longer had the bags under his eyes or the little lines and creases around his eyes. I did not know whether I should comment on his looks or not, so I decided to wait and see if he would say something. Sure enough after several minutes, he asked me if I noticed anything different about him. As a joke, I said it looked like he lost a little weight. He said not exactly, but he did have some work done on his face. I feigned surprise and then said I was trying to figure out what was different about him. He told me his neck and eyes had been bothering him to the point of depression, so he decided to get plastic surgery, and that he had never felt better about himself. I was happy for him and told him so. AFTER WE PARTED, I THOUGHT ABOUT the things he said about himself. Now granted, I was not in his shoes, so I could not completely understand feeling bad enough about oneself to make such a change. I have never paid that much attention to the outside of someone’s body; what was on the inside intrigued me so much more. Maybe there will come a time when a feature of my body will illicit a strong reaction to have it altered. For the time being, this friend was no different to me compared to what he was before surgery. Whether he has a smooth neck, or a rippled one makes no difference to me as it should not make a difference to anyone else. Outside features have no bearing on a person’s character. What a person has inside, their attributes like kindness and empathy have more importance to me instead of someone dyeing their hair or getting a nose job. Friendship is an unconditional bond that can last a lifetime, and you can see it for yourself in this heartfelt documentary. ON THE VERY FIRST DAY STARTING his career on Saturday Night Live, Will Ferrell (Quiz Lady, Downhill) forged a bond with another “newbie” that turned into a friendship that has lasted over 30 years. Then one day Will received news that his friend transitioned into living their life as a woman. Will’s reaction was for the two of them to take a cross-country road trip. With Harper Steele (Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Sage), Saturday Night Live-TV), Tina Fey (Date Night, A Haunting in Venice), Will Forte (Nebraska, The Last Man on Earth-TV), and Colin Jost (How to be Single, Saturday Night Live-TV) all playing themselves, this was a beautiful, thoughtful movie. With Will Ferrell, one can expect to have some humor interjected into the story. Sure, some stuff was staged but at the heart of this film, the story is about the bonds that connect two lifelong friends, and I must tell you it was a privilege watching these two friends navigate the altered landscape they now live in. This was done with a mix of sad, happy, scary, and thought-provoking scenes. The movie is a testament to the love and strength between two long term friends.
3 ½ stars
moviejoltz 