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Flash Movie Review: G20
LIKE THE FAMILY MEMBERS BEFORE ME, I can walk into a room and see everything all at once. From a painting hanging ever so slightly crooked on a wall, to a speck of glitter on the floor, I have this ability to see things that other people do not see. The reason I am telling you this is because what I am about to say is only meant as an observation, not a judgment or to be critical. We attended an out of state wedding, where the reception was being held in one of the town’s three hotels. The lobby looked like it had been the set for an old TV western; the dull black and white tiled floor, the chandelier that looked like it had three tiers of wagon wheels with hurricane lamps perched on them, dark wood paneling and a high front desk that i swore looked like it had originally been used as a bar. Once entering the room where the reception was being held, I noticed a couple of drapery panels covering the windows were crooked, with one pleat dangling off of its hook that was hanging from the curtain rod. I saw a spot on the wall that must have been patched to cover up a hole, but the paint used was not from the same color shade, so it looked like the wall had been bruised. The buffet table had four chafing dishes but the silver was dull and unpolished. One of the plates I grabbed was chipped, and for me the worst thing was the spoon I took from the silverware tray was not clean. For me these details take away from the fantasy one wants around their wedding. THERE WERE SEVERAL OTHER THINGS I noticed, like the restroom running out of hand soap, that I found distracting. However, none of it mattered once the bride and groom entered the room. Both of them were dazzling; her in a white full length gown that bustled out from the waist, giving off a fairy princess vibe. The groom wore a dark gray tuxedo with a pink bowtie and cummerbund to match the bride’s bouquet. Everything in the room faded into the background; the brightness and love emanating from them was so strong I was sure everyone in the room could feel it. I forgot about all the little distractions because none of it meant anything, as it should. The main focus was the newly married couple and being a witness to the love they shared and to the joy they both felt. This is exactly the way I wound up looking at this action thriller. EXPECTING TO ONLY DEFEND HER AGENDA at the G20 summit, the President of the United States found herself defending her family and the attending world leaders when terrorists stormed the resort where the summit was being held. With Viola Davis (Air, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes) as President Danielle Sutton, Anthony Anderson (The Departed, Black-ish-TV) as Derek Sutton, Ramon Rodriguez (The One and Only Ivan, Will Trent-TV) as Agent Manny Ruiz, Marsai Martin (Fantasy Football, Black-ish-TV) as Serena Sutton, and Anthony Starr (Guy Ritchie’s the Covenant, The Boys-TV) as Rutledge; the story line for this film was compelling and had a couple of good ideas within it. However, the script was all over the place with some far-fetched, crazy scenes that diminished the characters’ authenticity. Without a doubt if the movie studio had not cast EGOT winner Viola Davis this picture would have landed with a thud. However, with Viola in the lead role, she was magnetic, tough and perfect in every scene. She is the reason I wound up enjoying this film as much as I did. Call me crazy but I could easily see her becoming the female version of Liam Neeson, by being the tough”gal” character. Because of her, I believe the rest of the cast had to step up their game to try and match her level of acting. The fight scenes were well done, despite believing Viola’s stand-in was taking on the heavy lifting during the action scenes. This movie wound up being entertaining and i appreciated the effort that was put into the making of this picture. There were several scenes of blood and violence.
2 1/2 stars
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes
I SIMPLY SAID, “HOW ARE YOU doing,” then spent the next ten minutes cringing. Looking for a housewarming gift, I went to the nearby shopping mall. I knew there were a couple of stores that could serve my purpose. While walking to the store after finding a nearby parking spot, I crossed paths with a former co-worker. What had caught my eye first was seeing a woman walking towards me with a black eye patch over one of her eyes. I then realized we used to work together. Part of me wanted to ask what happened but I did not want to make her uncomfortable; so, I just said “Hi, it is so good to see you.” She replied in kind and then I said those four fateful words, “How are you doing?” and she pointed to the eye patch and asked me how I liked her new accessory. Before I could think of something to say, she began telling me what happened to her. She had woken up one morning and saw a halo around everything she was seeing around her. She knew that was a warning sign for a detached retina, so called the eye doctor immediately and they rushed her that day for an appointment. I stood there listening to every procedure the doctor had to do on her eyeball to correct her situation. From numbing this to removing that, with detailed descriptions of all the instruments being used, I was close to being nauseous. I have a thing about eyes. It was more information than I ever needed to know. I AM ALL FOR A GOOD story but sometimes people, like the co-worker I mentioned, share more information that people may not need to hear. On the other hand, I recently saw my neighbor at the grocery store. He is a recent widower. Going up to him, I asked how he was doing. He explained he was teaching himself how to cook. I offered my help, though I am a novice. He said he wanted to make one of his wife’s favorite dinner meals. He shared with me his memory of his first time eating it while they were dating. By listening to him, I found out they had been married for 50 years. They met in high school and through those years they dated on and off on a casual basis. When they discovered they were accepted at the same university, their dating became serious. It was such a beautiful story; I teared up and was grateful he shared it with me. So, you see, sometimes hearing about the background to a story is an added plus. Unfortunately, we cannot pick and choose which stories we want to hear. For this prequel, I still am not sure if I needed to know all about it. YEARS BEFORE HE WOULD BECOME THE president of Panem, a young Coriolanus Snow, played by Tom Blyth (Scott and Sid, Billy the Kid-TV) was smitten by a young tribute from District 12. With Rachel Zegler (West Side Story, Shazam! Fury of the Gods) as Lucy Gray Baird, Viola Davis (The Woman King, The Unforlivable) as Dr. Volumnia Gaul, Fionnula Flanagan (Sight, The Others) as Grandma’am, and Hunter Schafer (Cuckoo, Euphoria-TV) as Tigris; this action, adventure, dramatic thriller left me with mixed feelings. There were some exciting scenes, but there were some that went flat. I enjoyed the sets and costumes, especially Viola Davis’s character which she made a real force on screen. From what I remember about the previous films, this one’s script lacked emotional punch and excitement. I do not want to say it is because they did not have Jennifer Lawrence, but I will say it was a combination of the cast and directing that created bland scenes. I also was not that thrilled with how the story turned out. I do not believe one needs to see the other movies to watch this one. Because this science fiction film is already becoming forgettable to me, I do not think there is a strong need to know the pre-story to the Hunger Games saga.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Air
I ADMIRE ANYONE WHO SUCCEEDS AT their profession, but I especially enjoy hearing about those who wound up in their position from a random act. A celebrity, for example, who has wanted to be an actor or singer or writer since they were a small child makes for a good story. However, a person who did not have plans to be the person they became is something I find to be a better story. Let me give you a couple of examples. From what I have read, Harrison Ford did not have much success from his first acting gigs; so, he kept to his day job as a carpenter. He was installing a door at the home of Francis Ford Coppola when George Lucas came over for a visit. From the short interaction the two had, George cast him as Hans Solo in Star Wars. Can you believe it? What would have happened to Harrison if George had not walked in on him that day?!?! A story I read that I find unbelievable, based on her acting skills, is the one about Jennifer Lawrence. She and her mother were visiting New York City when a man came up to her at a train station, asking if she had ever done modeling. I know that sounds creepy, but it was true. From that encounter doing some modeling work, she caught Hollywood’s eye. And she never had an acting class or a film role up until that time when she was discovered. It is crazy! I HAVE THE SAME FEELING ABOUT the contestants on the couple of reality competition shows I follow. Hearing how they arrived at a place to put themselves into a talent competition can sometimes be a fascinating story. When I hear about the difficult time a singer had through their childhood, where the only comfort they had was listening and singing to music, my heart goes out to them. I am sure the television producers might add a little spin to their stories, but at their core there is a level of pain that is undeniable. To see them take the stage, overcoming their past hardships, fills me with a sense of joy. It ties into my belief system of one should always hang onto one’s dreams. I guess it begins with one believing in themselves. Due to my belief system, I fell in love with this sport drama movie. And that includes not being an avid follower of basketball. ALMOST EVERYONE IN THE WORLD IS familiar with Air Jordan shoes. The reason they came into being was because of a small group of determined individuals who refused to stop believing. With Matt Damon (The Last Dual, Stillwater) as Sonny Vaccaro, Jason Bateman (Thunder Force, Ozark-TV) as Rob Strasser, Ben Affleck (The Tender Bar, The Accountant) as Phil Knight, Chris Messina (Ruby Sparks, Argo) as David Falk and Chris Tucker (Silver Linings Playbook, Rush Hour franchise) as Howard White; this story based on true events was directed by Ben Affleck and he did a superb job of it. The pacing and great casting gave this story its extra punch. Everyone from Matt to Viola Davis was so good and believable that I found myself enthralled with the story line. In fact, there were several scenes filled with a tense thrilling sensation that made this an exciting movie watching experience. The story was amazing to me, and I especially loved the randomness of it in a way. When the film ended, I had to sit there and imagine what would have happened if one little piece of the story had a different outcome; how would that have changed the trajectory of what became a billion-dollar business? One does not need to be a sports fan to appreciate the work that went into creating this picture with its amazing story.
3 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Woman King
WHEN IT CAME TO HEROES IT did not matter to me whether they were male or female. In reality as long as they were decent and kind, it was all that mattered to me. As for the ones I would watch or read about, if they were a good and exciting character, I was all for them. One of my favorite superheroes was Superman; I remember I had a large collection of his comic books, along with Batman. One of the earliest female characters I remember was Catwoman. I loved cats and thought she was quite cunning; she was a perfectly evil nemesis to Batman. From television shows I had crushes on Honey West and Emma Peel. I thought both women were tough and could handle themselves in a fight, though I would have to say Emma was the toughest female character I had ever seen. I would not be lying if I told you I had a crush on her. Watching her in a fight with her martial arts ability, being able to take down a man who was double her size, filled me with dreams that maybe I could become a martial arts fighter. But then, I saw Bruce Lee as Kato and in Fist of Fury and realized I was too overweight to be able to move as quickly as him. DURING MY YOUTH THERE WERE SEVERAL strong females who showed me there was no difference between men and women when it came to toughness. I had a relative who was a sergeant in the military, who had the strongest handshake I had ever felt. She did not back down from expressing herself and would call out anyone who she thought was not acting properly or doing their job. I remember one time we were at a store and the salesperson waiting on us was talking down to her, trying to get her to buy a different item that was more expensive than the one she had in her hand. She firmly expressed her feelings and told him to stop trying to sell her “crap” she had no use for. I may have mentioned this before, but in school there was a girl who was tougher than most boys. Granted she was one of the tallest students in our grade, but she was the first girl I saw throw a punch at a boy that made him cry and run away. I knew immediately to never get on her bad side. Though I have no idea what became of her, I must wonder if the true events that inspired this film had been taught to us in school, what kind of an effect would it have had on her and the other girls. KNOWING THEIR ENEMY HAD HORSES AND guns at their disposal, the general of an all-female unit of warriors was convinced her fighters would prevail. They had to if their kingdom were to survive. With Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Unforgivable) as Nanisca, Thuso Mbedu (The Underground Railroad-TV, Shuga-TV) as Nawi, Lashana Lynch (No Time to Die, Captain Marvel) as Izoogie, Sheila Atim (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Bruised) as Amenza and John Boyega (Star Wars franchise, Attack the Block) as King Ghezo; this historical action drama starred a bulked up Viola Davis who was still able to deliver an amazing character with emotional depth. The movie started out slow for me; however, as it continued playing, I found myself sitting there in awe as the director beautifully laid out strong and memorable scenes, filled with intense fights and emotional depth. Yes, there were a couple of scenes that seemed too far-fetched to have been real; but I still found myself buying into the story. And just from an historical perspective, I am now fascinated about this African kingdom in the 18th/19th century who had this army battalion of women warriors. There were several scenes of blood and violence and an extra scene during the middle of the ending credits.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Unforgivable
I NEED TO GIVE YOU SOME background first, for today’s review to make sense. There was a student in my class, who you never wanted to get into a fight with her. Yes, I said her. She was tough looking; though, part of the reason may be due to her having to repeat 6th grade. I sat near her in class. Because I was one seat behind her, she was forced to cheat off the boy sitting across from her; he was a “B” student. She was the first peer of mine who smoked cigarettes. Her usual spot to smoke besides the girl’s restroom was outside on the stairs that led up to the service door, at the back of the school. Let me call her Judy, Judy had a red leather cigarette case that had a gold clasp on top, that she would tap her fingernails on while she was smoking. Besides being tall for her age, she was bulky which explained why many of us knew not to mess with her. I saw her in a fight with another girl and I could not believe how vicious she was with her punching, scratching and slapping. Our teacher had to break up the fight, but it was after the other girl was crying with her dress torn in spots. Because Judy was a smart aleck and prone to disrupt the class, the teacher usually looked at Judy first whenever something unexpected happened in our classroom. NO MATTER WHAT KIND OF TROUBLE Judy would get into, I remained friendly and on good terms with her. The reason being she came to my rescue when a fellow classmate was picking on me. She went right up and punched him in the stomach; he never bothered me again. Ever since that time we had a casual friendship. With me not having to worry about ever being on the receiving end of her aggressions, I was able to see a different side to her as the school year progressed. Most of her acting out was directed more towards the popular students. Now I am not saying it was right; however, if a popular student dared to talk down or act snobby around her, it would set her off. From my vantage point in the classroom, I could see some of the popular girls would try to get Judy in trouble and it usually worked because the teacher just assumed it was her fault. If the teacher would only take the time to really see what was going on, she would know what I did about Judy. I thought of this while I watched the main star in this dramatic, crime film. AFTER BEING RELEASED FROM PRISON RUTH Slater, played by Sandra Bullock (The Heat, Ocean’s Eight), returns to her hometown with a hope she can just blend in. It will be a challenge since some people cannot forget what she did. With Viola Davis (Suicide Squad franchise, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom) as Liz Ingram, Vincent D’Onofrio (The Cell, The Magnificent Seven) as John Ingram, Jon Bernthal (King Richard, The Accountant) as Blake and Richard Thomas (The Waltons-TV, Wonder Boys) as Michael Malcolm; the bright spot for me in this picture was watching Sandra and Viola, though there was not enough Viola in my opinion. The rest of the cast was good, but these two actors were operating at a higher level. I appreciated the idea of the story; however, the script and the directing were uneven. There were slow parts where the script was a letdown, along with being predicable. It wasn’t until the last half of the movie where I felt more engaged. I would have appreciated if the writers would have taken Ruth’s motivation for coming back and expanded on it. I think it would have added extra drama to the story.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: The Suicide Squad
SOME PEOPLE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT THEIR soft drinks. I know several individuals who will not order a soft drink with their meal if the restaurant does not carry “their brand.” That seems a bit intense for me; I am not as picky. Regarding the top two cola brands, I prefer one over the other; however, if a food establishment does not carry the one I like, I will order the other one. Though they have a similar taste, the one I prefer is sweeter tasting and not as strong in my opinion. I feel the same way about fast food restaurants. Not that I eat at them often, but when I do, I usually seek out one in particular for their French fries. However, if they are not conveniently located to where I am traveling, I am fine going to a different fast-food chain. There are some folks who would not be as flexible going to a different place to eat from the one they like the most. To me, it is just food; I can always find something to eat, not that it will always be a healthy choice. I will say though, there are some companies I will not support due to their actions that have an effect on certain groups of people. Those types of businesses do not get any of my money. DESPITE THERE BEING A COUPLE OF film studios that specialize in superhero movies, I have found myself to be somewhat biased when it comes to the films, they each produce. After having seen several of each studio’s films, I find myself looking forward more to one studio over another. Now, I still act the same towards both; I do not read any reviews or comments until after I have seen the movie for myself. However, the past several films from one studio have not been as captivating as the other studio’s movies. The studio I find myself being more excited about has entertained me consistently with their pictures. There is something about their scripts that feel more well rounded to me, with action, drama, humor and wittiness among other emotions. The other studio just never seems to reach such a high benchmark when compared to this studio. It is like that famous chocolate cookie with the creamy filling, where some people twist the cookie parts to eat the filling first. There is another food company that makes the same type of cookie, but I know no one who has ever bought them. Despite everything I have just said; I was pleasantly surprised by this action, adventure comedy that came from the film studio I tend to have lower expectations for their superhero movies. AFTER A SUPER SECRET AGENCY’S MISSION fails, a group of extremely dangerous, imprisoned villains were picked for their particular skill sets, with the hope they might be able to complete the original mission. First, they would have to get along with each other. With Margot Robbie (Mary Queen of Scots, The Legend of Tarzan) as Harley Quinn, Idris Elba (Concrete Cowboy, The Dark Tower) aa Bloodsport, John Cena (Playing with Fire, Daddy’s Home franchise) as Peacemaker, Joel Kinnaman (The Informer, Run All Night) as colonel Rick Flag and Viola Davis (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, Fences) as Amanda Waller; this movie was nothing what I expected for the most part. I did expect Margot to be good and she was beyond good. The other acting surprise was John Cena; I thought he stood out as well. This is not a picture for young viewers; there was extreme violence and strong language. It was a shock to me; a superhero film that was gory and intense, despite being colorful, fun and a parody at times. I did not care much for the shifting between short time frames because it diminished the excitement factor for me. DC Comics took a drastic turn with this picture by creating a darker and crazier version of its usual movies. There was an extra scene at the end of the credits.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
IT FELT GOOD TO BE NEEDED and I felt the same about them. We had met at a mutual friend’s birthday party; by the time I had to leave, we agreed to meet for dinner later in the week. Over that first meal we discovered things we had in common, including their best friend was married to a cousin of mine. It was things like this that sparked our attraction for each other. Now here is a little secret; the entire time we were together, I felt as if I was dating out of my league. In the very beginning of our relationship I would question, or 2ndguess myself because I could not believe how well things were going. Listening to them talk about their circle of friends/business contacts used to make me feel uncomfortable because they sounded so sophisticated or important. It eventually passed because we were settling into a comfortable, loving place. Though, I never pushed to be introduced to their friends; I thought in good time they would get comfortable to bring me around them. I never questioned it because I was taking a slow pace in introducing them to my friends and family. Looking back now, I should have questioned it. THERE WAS NO WARNING, NOT EVEN an indication, when they told me our relationship was no longer working for them. The only way I could describe how I was feeling was shellshocked. Seriously, I felt as if everything was going along wonderfully; we never even had a disagreement about anything. I tried to get more input about what was not working, but all I was getting was the same “not working” excuse. I must tell you breaking up is harder to deal with when you do not get an explanation or feedback you can process and possibly see things through the other person’s eyes. I mean, if there is something I did that caused this unfortunate turn of the relationship, I certainly would like to know about it; so, I could look and maybe grow from it. All I had to do it turned out was wait one week and I got my answer. The mutual friend we had called and told me that my ex was already dating someone else. Wow, that did not take long. I guess my feeling needed was correct; however, it was for the wrong reasons. They were using me until they found someone who better fit their needs and wants, I guess. I know some people who get into a relationship, know right from the start where they stand with the other person. I do not know if that would make me feel any better about the relationship; it seems like that could be the start of a love/hate relationship. In this musical drama, you can see what I am talking about. BOTH THE RECORD PRODUCER AND MANAGER knew what type of record they wanted to make. What they did not know was the singer had her own ideas. With Viola Davis (Fences, Widows) as Ma Rainey, Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther, 21 Bridges) as Levee, Colman Domingo (Lincoln, Selma) as Cutler, Glynn Turman (Super 8, Sahara) as Toledo and Jeremy Shamos (The Big Sick, Magic in the Moonlight); this film festival winner hit the right chord with Viola and Chadwick playing off of each other. They both provided powerful performances that carried this story all the way to the end. I had a hard time, at first, getting into this story. There were some flat scenes that did nothing for me. I could see where they might have been more intense on the stage; however, they did not translate well to the big screen. On the other hand, there were some intense attention-grabbing scenes that made me want to watch more. I could see Chadwick and Viola getting nominations during this year’s awards season and if that was the reason the movie studio used them to make money off this film, I am sure the actors were quite aware of it.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Widows
FROM ALL MY YEARS OF TEACHING I feel I am intuitive when it comes to judging people’s attitudes. Maybe instead of attitudes I should say impressions because standing in front of a class I am able to see the members’ eyes. With me facing them while I teach, I can usually tell when a member is feeling annoyed with another member. Another thing I see is when a member is judging someone else because it is quite noticeable to me. There was a club I used to teach at that had a cliental that was predominantly single people. I soon became surprised with the catty comments I would hear, and the dirty looks members would shoot at other participants in the class. If someone was in class who did not appear to be physically fit, more than likely they would cause the members around them to get a look of disdain on their faces. A prime example was a guy who was large in stature; he was over 6 feet tall and well over 200 pounds. He had some tone to him and from participating in my classes, he built up his aerobic capacity to the point where he could get thru the whole class. ONE DAY A MAN CAME INTO THE aerobic studio to participate in my class. I took him to be a weightlifter because he was extremely cut with prominent muscles sticking out from his torso and limbs. You should have seen the face of this weightlifter when the big member came in and stood near him. It was obvious to me he was judging the guy, thinking this large person would not be able to handle the class. Boy, was he wrong because not only did the larger member plow thru my workout regiment, he finished it. The weightlifter had to stop frequently to catch his breath. I had to assume he spent most time at the health club lifting weights instead of doing something with aerobics. The larger member had no clue that this guy standing near him had judged him solely on his looks, assuming there was no way he could do aerobics. I would be lying if I did not tell you I was amused by the weightlifter’s look of disbelief towards the larger man. It really goes to show you that one should never judge someone solely on their looks; because there are times where your assumptions could get you in trouble. Proof can be found in this dramatic, crime thriller. HAVING NOTHING IN COMMON EXCEPT THEY each lost their husband; a group of widows were forced to work together to survive the fallout from their husbands’ actions. Starring Viola Davis (Fences, The Help) as Veronica, Michelle Rodriguez (Fast & Furious franchise, Lost-TV) as Linda, Elizabeth Debicki (The Great Gatsby, Guardians of the Galaxy franchise) as Alice, Liam Neeson (The Commuter, Taken franchise) as Harry Rawlings and Colin Farrell (The Beguiled, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) as Jack Mulligan; if nothing else, just watching these women act was a privilege. Viola was outstanding, and I was surprised with Elizabeth’s performance. The story had twists and turns in it, though it took some time before things started to pick up and move the story forward. I thought there were a few predictable scenes, but the wonderful direction kept things exciting for me. Filmed in Chicago, I was aware how scenes went from beauty to being gritty and back; adding to the texture of the script. There have been other crime heist films made before, but I was thoroughly brought into these females’ plights and stayed with them for the entire trip. Please do not solely judge this movie by its marketing; there is more here than meets the eye.
3 ¼ stars
Thoughts on the Oscar Telecast 2017
PACKING up my homemade treats, looking over my predictions with the list of winners, using eyes that were strained and tired from staring at the television screen for hours; I was ready to go to bed. Another year is now in the record books for a lot of reasons. Of course the biggest surprise was the mixup for the last category, best picture. Reading and hearing about the different theories on the how and why it happened did not provide me with answers to a couple of simple questions. Assuming Warren Beatty has all of his mental faculties, I just do not understand why he did not say he had the wrong card. It was obvious to me he was flustered, looking back to the side stage and around; he did not know what to do. Of all things then why would he throw Faye Dunaway under the bus. He could have whispered in her ear to see if she agreed, but since the surveys said La La Land was going to win, Faye possibly saw that on the card first instead of Emma Stone’s name when he showed her. The two of them knew they were giving out the best picture award, wouldn’t seeing Emma Stone’s name on the card be the first clue something was wrong and it would be perfectly okay to say so? This is just my opinion.
THE opening was refreshing to me. Since host Jimmy Kimmel is not a song and dance type of comedian like Billy Crystal, I liked the way Justin Timberlake sang his Oscar nominated song which loosened up the audience. Because of this, I felt the crowd gave off less of “aren’t we great, idolize us” vibe and more of an earthiness if you will. In fact, I thought Jimmy did a wonderful job in being down to earth. He avoided the mean spiritedness that some jokes could have taken on while he kept things moving on. The candy drop and the busload of tourists were my favorite segments, though the Matt Damon feud thing was more outrageous on the big stage. My favorite part was when Jimmy was conducting the orchestra to drown out Matt during his presentation.
MAYBE it is me but I thought the speeches were shorter this year and surprisingly were more personal when politics was brought into them. My favorite speeches of the night came from Viola Davis and the reading of writer and director Asghar Farhadi’s acceptance speech. Viola was so passionate and sincere, I loved how she talked about actors taking on the lives for those who no longer can speak. I laughed at Jimmy’s comment that she would be nominated for an Emmy with her speech. As for Asghar’s speech, I had just seen his winning film The Salesman the afternoon prior to the show and appreciated his thoughtfulness and heartfelt words. Gael Garcia Bernal was one of the presenters that touched the perfect balance of personal without the hate. Speaking of presenters I felt Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson and Janelle Monae were lovely while on stage as they brought out Katherine G. Johnson, the NASA mathematician that Taraji portrayed on screen. It was such a touching moment.
EVEN with the long telecast, as I reclined across my sofa my desire to be a seat filler was just as strong today as it has been all the past years. Just once I want to be part of the red carpet pre show activities, the ceremony and just be able to walk around and soak up the whole atmosphere of the event. With that said it has been a year of ups and downs with movies. I feel I saw more poorly done films than wonderful ones; but I would not trade a minute of it since I still love the whole movie watching experience and the ability to write down my thoughts to share with you. So tomorrow we will start all over for the new Oscar year in search of that 4 star picture. I look forward to another year talking and commenting on the movies with you. Thank you for all of your support, I deeply appreciate it.
Flash Movie Review: Fences
ONE’S former days of glory either chain the individual to the past or can springboard them forward through the future. I have experienced this with a particular style of aerobics I used to teach in my classes. Years after I was no longer doing the class, members would still come up to me to talk about the class, wishing it would come back on the schedule. This particular class took a lot of preparation to teach and provided a lot of fun for me and the members. I possibly could have gone a few more years teaching this particular class; however, I knew with the advancement I was achieving at my day job I would not be able to devote the proper amount of time to keep that class going at the level it needed. Now I have seen at some clubs where instructors find a niche and excel in it, but after a couple of years they devote less time to keep it fresh and fun. It is as if they use their success to coast through their other classes. THIS is not unique to the fitness world; wasn’t it just recently I heard about a well known singer, who was successful early in her career, having a poor performance involving lip synching her own song? It is similar to some of those old musical acts that used to perform in huge stadiums during their heyday but presently perform at a small hotel nightclub or local festival. Now I am not saying they should not make a living; but if they are using nostalgia to draw a crowd because they cannot perform as well as before, I have a hard time justifying spending money to see them. Why would I want to hear a singer who can no longer carry the tune to their own song? Maybe it is just me but sitting and dwelling on one’s past successes in my opinion doesn’t allow the person to live in the present; I saw it taking place in this powerful drama. TROY Maxson, played by Denzel Washington (Safe House, Man on Fire), knew he would have been a great baseball player if he had been given the chance. His frustrations not only had an effect on him but the people around him. Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play written by August Wilson (The Piano Lesson, Joe Turner’s Come and Gone), this film festival winner was directed by Denzel and filmed in a way to match the stage version which Denzel and Viola Davis (Suicide Squad, Doubt) as Rose Maxson performed on Broadway. With Jovan Adepo (The Leftovers-TV) as Cory Maxson and Stephen Henderson (Manchester by the Sea, Tower Heist) as Jim Bono; the acting was outstanding overall; but for me, Viola was beyond amazing. She will be nominated for an Oscar and could easily get it for this performance. The story set in Pittsburgh during the 1950s did a beautiful job of depicting the attitudes of the times and set the viewer up for a couple of surprises. Even at times where I thought the pacing of the story slowed, the acting was so intense that I barely acknowledged this minor negative for me. This is a film to see especially if you enjoy catching the movies that will be nominated this awards season.
3 ½ stars
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