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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
Flash Movie Review: Despicable Me 4
TO ME, IT REPRESENTED THE ULTIMATE prize. I had two amusement parks, close enough to me, that were easy to get to with a single city transit bus when I was growing up. I was familiar with every ride at both parks and knew what foods to eat at each one. At one park, I would always get a sky-blue snow cone which was shaved ice with a sweet blue colored syrup poured over it. My favorite food to order at the other park was a mini hamburger; the quantities varied depending on how long I would stay at the park. Despite having two easily accessible amusement parks near me while growing up, all anyone talked about was the huge, national amusement parks out of state. Friends would come back from summer vacation and talk about all the different rides and attractions. They had breakfast with one cartoon character and lunch with a different one. There was never a negative comment; it all sounded like a dream coming true. Staying purposely at a motel/hotel near or at the park so you could go back the next day and the next if you chose, was simply unimaginable to my young mind. I was not envious, but I absolutely wanted to experience this for myself someday. It took several years before I could venture out and participate in everything I heard about these magical parks. MY FIRST TIME VISITING A NATIONAL amusement park, I accompanied family members. It was an amazing encounter to see for myself things I had only seen on television. We all had a wonderful time. A few years later I went by myself because one of the parks was holding a special event. I loved every minute of it and was on the go from dawn to bedtime. I met people from my hometown and hung out with them. When I came back and was telling my friends about the wonderful time I had, it was decided we would all have to go next year, which we did. By this time, it was my third time and despite enjoying the time with my friends, the rides and attractions were familiar enough to me that they lost that “wow” factor of surprise. I knew where the scary parts were, so I no longer jumped in my seat. The various musical backgrounds were turning into white noise; I no longer felt that excitement when I sat down and buckled myself into my seat. I wound up feeling the same when I watched this latest installment of the animated film franchise. WHEN AN OLD RIVAL VOWS TO get revenge, Gru, voiced by Steve Carrell (The Big Short, Welcome to Marwen), must take his family and go into hiding; all with new identities. How long will it be before they will be discovered and will Gru be able to defend his family against this new villain? With Kristen Wiig (Where’d You Go, Bernadette; Wonder Woman 1984) voicing Lucy, Joey King (A Family Affair, Bullet Train) voicing Poppy Prescott, Will Ferrell (Quiz Lady, Blades of Glory) voicing Maxime and Sofia Vergara (Chef, Modern Family-TV) voicing Valentina; this adventure comedy had all the same elements as the previous films except a good script. At least the actors did a decent job voicing their characters. The Minions as usual were fun to watch and the animation was well done. However, the script did not provide anything new except some confusion. For young viewers, they will get a kick out of seeing this movie. But, for their parents and older viewers, there was truly little above the standard fare. I was bored in parts and honestly did not find much to make me laugh. It may be time to give Gru and the Minions a rest; they deserve it. There were Minions acting out during the ending credits.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Strays
ONE OF THE PERKS OF BEING on social media is seeing photos of people’s pets. This would also include the wildlife photos individuals post online. Being an animal lover, I enjoy seeing the variety of pets people have in their household. There is one individual who does a daily post of their dog, who has the most expressive face. When the dog’s owner puts a caption describing the dog’s mood, I would absolutely believe it based on the dog’s face. What really gets me is how the dog looks like he is posing. I do not think any artistic or editing abilities were used to create the photo, they simply are random shots of their day together. This is not the only pet posts that get to me; there are hundreds posted from other individuals. Though some people like to dress up their pets in human clothing, where some produce funny results at the animal’s expense, I per se am not one who wants to dress up my pet. It is the pet photos where they do not need anything to look like they are talking to us, just a cock of the head or expression on its face that completes the “look” for me. IN THE PAST, I HAVE MENTIONED a special dog from my past. This dog seemed to understand what I was saying all the time, except when I wanted him to go lie down, so I could work in the kitchen without constantly tripping over him as he followed me around. He had an uncanny way of knowing what mood I was in, reacting to it in an appropriate way like a friend or family member would do. If my mood was down, he would simply come up alongside and lean into me. Or sometimes, he would wrap his front paws around my arm or neck, like giving a hug, if he was able to reach it. If I was in a good/happy mood, he would want to play or interact with me more than usual. One of my favorite things to do was to look at him and ask if he would like a “doggie massage.” As soon as he heard those two words, he would run up to me, plop down onto his side and wait for me to give him body rubs. It was the funniest thing. With my experiences being around animals, I believe they really can understand or at least sense us; however, in all my encounters I have never come across dogs like the ones in this adventure comedy. GROWING UP BELIEVING HIS OWNER LOVED him, a dog discovers the truth after being dropped off and stranded in a different town, far away from his home. With Will Ferrell (Blades of Glory, Downhill) voicing Reggie, Jamie Foxx (They Cloned Tyrone, Day Shift) voicing Bug, Isla Fisher (The Beach Bum, Wedding Crashers) voicing Maggie, Randall Park (Totally Killer, Young Rock-TV) voicing Hunter and Will Forte (Nebraska, The Last Man on Earth-TV) as Doug; this movie is absolutely not meant for children. It is crude, rude and at times funny. I thought the idea for the story was interesting and surprisingly touching. It just seemed as if the humor got old after a while from all the trash talk and curse words being thrown about. If one can stomach all of this, the special effects are terrific. The dogs looked as if they were really talking and acting out the story. There were a few times I laughed out loud, but for the most part I either chuckled or groaned. I will say, after seeing this film I feel like I will pay closer attention to the dogs I encounter in my life. There was an extra scene during the ending credits.
2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Quiz Lady
I HAVE A FRIEND, WHO I HAVE told numerous times, he should be a contestant on a musical game show. His knowledge of musical artists and songs is amazing; though, I should preface it by saying his command of music is limited to pop culture. Think Billboard, Top 40 type of music. He can tell you where a song ranked on the Billboard charts and for what year. When we are driving together in a car, he can name the song playing on the radio within the first couple of notes. Rarely has he ever been wrong when the radio announcer names the song after it has played. What is more fun to witness are the times he enters the music trivia contests that are held periodically at various clubs around the city. Sometimes he plays solo, but at others he has a childhood friend join him to form a formidable team. His friend is as good as him, so together they have won more times than not. I asked him once how it is that he knows so much about music, and he said it was due to his mother. She was always playing records in the house when he was growing up. At an early age, he could easily name songs from the Supremes, Everly Brothers, Little Richard, and the Kinks. I think he missed his calling and should have entered one of those reality music-based television shows. GROWING UP, I USED TO WATCH several game shows: some in reruns and others current. Jeopardy was one of my favorites, but only after I was in high school. Another one was Hollywood Squares, where the different squares of a Tick Tack Toe grid had different celebrities who would either give a truthful answer or a fake one to the contestant’s query. There were some shows where I could get the answer before the contestant had time to figure it out. It crossed my mind a couple of times that maybe I should apply to one of the game shows, but by the end of the telecast I realized I could not compete with the competition. Nonetheless, I got much enjoyment out of watching these shows. Sure, there were some that were informative, where I learned at least one new thing every time I watched the show. However, there were other shows I watched that focused more on silly situations to generate audience laughter. The one that comes to mind is The Newlywed Game. It is funny, when I was younger, I watched several game shows but now, there are not too many I care to watch. I just do not find them interesting; however, if the game show in this comedy was on the air, I would certainly tune in to it. ANNE YUM, PLAYED BY AWKWAFINA (THE FAREWELL, Crazy Rich Asians), never missed an episode of her favorite television game show. Little did she know that the things she learned would help her and her estranged sister one day. With Sandra Oh (Under the Tuscan Sun, Grey’s Anatomy-TV) as Jenny Yum, Will Ferrell (Anchorman franchise, Barbie) as Terry McTeer, Holland Taylor (The Practice-TV, The Wedding Date) as Francine and Jason Schwartzman (Moonrise Kingdom, Saving Mr. Banks) as Ron Heacock; this movie’s saving grace was the cast. I thought there was real chemistry between Awkwafina and Sandra Oh. It was because of the cast that the predictable story was easier to watch. I found most comedic scenes only humorous, warranting a chuckle every now and then. A couple of times I did laugh aloud, but that was it. The story kept an even pace, though I thought the beginning was a bit slow. If the question, “did you enjoy the film,” was posed to me, my answer would have to be, “it was okay.”
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
IF HE HAD NOT SAID ANYTHING to me, I would not have given it a second thought. My friend was expressing how his dad could never make the parent/teacher conferences because of his work. I was not aware it bothered him since there were many students who came to these meetings with only one parent. When I mentioned this to my friend, he told me he just wanted his father to show up once to one of his school functions; that his dad worked all the time. I thought about this for a minute and realized I might have only seen his father once or twice at the most through all the years we have been friends. Mentioning this to my friend, he told me his dad only thought about his job and how he could advance himself. According to my friend his dad was driven by this one thought; he did not think of anything else but what he could do to get promoted and earn more money. I felt sad for my friend; it was like he had an absentee father because within our conversation my friend told me his dad missed family birthdays, anniversaries and even some holiday get togethers. There was nothing I could say to make him feel better. THE THINGS HE SAID TO ME about his dad were not unfamiliar to me; I have known several people, including myself, who were driven by a single-mindedness to reach their goals. When I started teaching fitness, I pretty much put myself on call to make myself available when anyone needed a sub to teach their class. Rarely would I ever request a sub; I felt it was my job, so I needed to be there to teach class. There were many occasions when I could not join my friends and family in a celebration because it was my time to teach. I know my one mindedness had an affect on my relationships. Some of the people I dated ended our relationship with the excuse I was not easily available to them. At the time it was hurtful to hear because I could not see things through their eyes. I felt they were essentially asking me to choose between them and my job. Now granted, though fitness was my part time job I treated it with the same importance as my full time one. There were instructors who did not have an issue taking off time from teaching whenever they felt like it; I could not do it, that is how driven I was with teaching. After many years, I now finally understand I was not seeing the big picture of my life; I was out of balance. It was the same, I felt, for the main character in this musical comedy. NOTHING ELSE MATTERED TO LARS CRICKSSONG, played by Will Ferrell (Downhill, Holmes & Watson), then to compete in the Eurovision Song Contest. His singing partner and family were certainly aware of his drive, even if they did not understand it. With Rachel McAdams (A Most Wanted Man, Game Night) as Sigrit Ericksdottir, Dan Stevens (Beauty and the Beast, The Guest) as Alexander Lemtov, Mikael Persbrandt (In a Better World, The Hobbit franchise) as Victor Karlosson and Pierce Brosnan (Some Kind of Wonderful, Mama Mia! franchise) as Erick Erickssong; this movie could have used some fine tuning. I am not a fan of Will Ferrell; for me, he was doing a role that he has been doing since his Saturday Night Live days. There was nothing new or fresh about his character. On the other hand, Rachel was impressive; her comedic timing, acting and possible singing voice hit the right notes for me. Dan Stevens was another standout for me; he was crazy good in this role. There were patches where the story and script were amusing; but then there were times where things felt flat. Gratefully these 2 actors hit the right notes and made this movie easier to watch for me.
2 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Downhill
I AM REPEATING WHAT WAS TOLD to me because it has been decades since I have eaten red meat. A friend and I were deciding where to eat for dinner one night. For the fact they enjoy steak, I suggested one of those steak restaurants that reference the state of Texas for some reason. Usually, these places always have other options I can choose for my meal. Before I tell you what my friend said, I want you to know I am not conveying a negative message about any restaurant; this is simply one person’s opinion I am sharing with you. My friend asked me why I would suggest such a place; I told him the reason I stated above. He said if he wanted a steak, he wanted a “good” steak; he was not going to settle for a cheaper brand/cut of meat for his meal. I asked him if he could really tell the difference and he said absolutely. I did wonder if everyone thought the way he did, how would these types of restaurants stay in business? Does one need to be a connoisseur to know when one item is better than another I wondered? When it comes to food, I call myself a low rent eater; I enjoy going to diners and other restaurants that do not do anything fancy to their food. The bottom line for me is I want something that not only tastes good but that I enjoy as well. I AM THE SAME WAY ABOUT movies. As you know, I simply want to be entertained when I am watching a film. I do not pick pictures apart down to every detail. There have been times I have gone to see a movie that the critics have raved about and I wind up sitting in the theater bored out of my mind. These esoteric films that suit a small group of people, where I am sitting in my seat totally confused, are a waste of time for me. Yet I feel compelled to sit through them so I can review them. I try my best to find something redeeming to talk about when I review such movies. In a way, I tend to do the same thing when it comes to food. I have no problem going to a fast food restaurant for a meal. If it tastes good and provides me some type of pleasure, then I am fine with it. Unfortunately, with this comedic drama that was inspired by a Swedish film, I would have rather sat through the original one again and avoid this current production. A FAMILY VACATIONING IN THE ALPS find themselves in the direct path of an avalanche. Though the physical aspect of it was scary enough, it was the aftermath that would be more troublesome. With Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Enough Said, Veep-TV) as Billie, Will Ferrell (Holmes & Watson, Daddy’s Home franchise) as Pete, Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings franchise, The Thin Red Line) as Charlotte, Zoe Chao (Where’d You Go, Bernadette; Strangers-TV) as Rosie and Zach Woods (The Other Guys, The Office-TV) as Zach; this movie was painful to see. The original film called “Force Majeure” I reviewed and absolutely loved it. The idea for the story was so smart and thought provoking; the writers and director of that film did a wonderful job in telling the story. In this picture, I only enjoyed Julia’s performance; she really tried her best to make something out of this movie, but it was not enough. There was no finesse or nuance to the acting from the rest of the cast and the script did none of them a favor. There was a heavy-handedness that prevailed through most aspects in the making of this picture. As with my food, I am fine going to a lower end place; I do not have an issue going to an updated version of something I have already seen. However, in the case of this film I would only go see Force Majeure and skip this poor version of it.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Holmes & Watson
THE ONLY WAY TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT is to not have hopes or expectations. Sounds simple but it really is not. I have learned to avoid placing expectations on people’s behaviors. We all react to situations in a different way; one is not better or worse than the other. Trouble starts when an individual makes statements that use the word, “should;” something like, “You should have known…” This actually was a hard lesson for me to learn, where I would react to what I thought a person should have said or done. It took me a long time to realize no one has the right to tell me how to feel, that I am the only one responsible for how I am feeling. However, as we each go through our daily life there are things that crop up that disappoint us. For example, going to a particular restaurant to get your favorite dish and it winds up they are out of it. Seeing an article of clothing that you feel is perfect for you, only to find it does not look good on you or does not do what it was advertised to do. Things like this can cause us to feel disappointed; we had our mind set for one thing, but then the reality did not match our expectations. THE PAST HOLIDAY IS SOMETHING I look forward to because the movie studios release what they believe will be their heavy Oscar contenders and audience blockbusters. Every year I spend most of the day at the theater watching one movie after another. This year was no different and in fact, I was extra excited because a couple of limited release films were opening at a theater near me. I studied the movie times to figure out what would produce the maximum viewing experience. This also was taking into consideration the duration of the movie trailers; the average amount of time devoted to them is around 20 minutes. I was starting the day at one theater to watch three films then drive to another theater to finish up with 3 more. After finding a parking spot at the 2ndtheater I walked in to discover the films I needed to see were all sold out for the present time slots. Even rearranging start times did not help me; there was only one movie available and I had no desire to see it. The reason being, I saw the trailers and the main star does the same thing for every movie with no discretion towards the scripts. I was so disappointed and after watching this comedy I was even more disappointed that I wasted my time on this picture instead of one of the ones I had on my list. ONLY ONE DETECTIVE COULD FIND THE CULPRIT who was threatening the queen of England and that was Sherlock Holmes, played by Will Ferrell (Daddy’s Home franchise, Get Hard). With the help of his trusted friend Watson, played by John C. Reilly (The Sisters Brothers, Life After Beth), the two would have to work fast to save the queen. This adventure crime film was one of the worst movies I have seen the past year. How it got saved to be released during the holiday season was baffling to me. There was nothing funny since the jokes were noticeable a mile away and were of the lowest level of anything remotely humorous. I was bored out of my mind and angry that I had to pay to be subjected to this mess. Will has done the same schtick in his comedies for so long that his actions and acting must be on autopilot. Notice I did not list the rest of the main actors because I did not want to embarrass them any further.
1 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Daddy’s Home 2
ONE IS EITHER BORN INTO the role or is trained by default to be the neutral party aka buffer zone between conflicted family members and/or friends. It takes a particular temperament to handle groups of people who have opposing opinions; a person needs to be calm, sensitive, thoughtful and most importantly strong enough to never offer an opinion. Even in the face of an evil, belligerent person; one needs to maintain a serene exterior, even if they are thinking the extreme thinking friend or family member is hateful or bigoted. If the social event is being held in a large space chances are there will be less drama and little policing of the opposing combatants. However if the meeting place (feel free to replace meeting place with the word arena) is a small space such as a restaurant booth or a person’s dining room, then things could be trickier to maintain some semblance of peace. THROUGH THE YEARS I have been exposed to various events and locations where I was able to witness the buffer zone person in action. I am actually familiar with the dynamics of an occasion where 2 people are not seeing things eye to eye. It can be quite stressful for the other people around. There was a party I attended where such a scenario took place and I agree it was a challenge trying to stay neutral with both sides while each one of them was making their case to me that they were right. The thing I find interesting is when this type of behavior plays out during a special occasion such as a holiday or birthday. Wouldn’t you think in respect to the person celebrating or the special significance to the gathering people could put their differences aside? I do not know if it is an ego thing, a stubborn thing or lack of confidence that makes a person act out in public in such a way. If you are interested there are several examples of people acting ridiculous in this comedy film. TIRED OF DIVIDING THEIR children’s time up during the holiday between each of them Dads Brad and Dusty, played by Will Ferrell (The House, The Campaign) and Mark Wahlberg (Patriots Day, The Gambler), came up with a brilliant idea; to spend the Christmas holiday together. The idea would have been perfect if not for the visit of the grandfathers. With John Lithgow (Miss Sloane, Betriz at Dinner) as Don, Linda Cardellini (Grandma’s Boy, Avengers: Age of Ultron) as Sara and John Cena (Trainwreck, The Marine) as Roger; this sequel for the most part followed the same formula as the original movie. I found the script was predictable and some of the humor had a negative edge to it. If you happened to see the trailers you pretty much saw what the whole film was going to consist of: physical comedy mixed with stereotypical acting. Some of the scenes rang somewhat true to the point I could appreciate what the writers were trying to convey; but, there were times I thought the story was diving into a ridiculous slapstick form of comedy. Having seen the first movie, I did not find much being offered with this picture in the way of new, fresh ideas. Maybe those of you who are in a similar situation as the characters in this picture will enjoy this film. For me I could not be positive or even neutral in my review of this formulaic written movie.
1 ¾ stars
Flash Movie Review: The House
HAVING children less than 4 years apart in age, I asked how he was preparing for the overlapping college costs. When I was growing up I do not think parents thought as much about it as they do now. When I hear how much tuition costs currently, I cannot imagine how a family can navigate the burden of putting their kids through school. I used to work with a woman who had 6 children; each one was 2 years apart in age. If you do the math, she would have multiple financial costs of college weighing down on her for years. Maybe she expected all of her kids to get scholarships, but I so wanted to ask her how she was going to pay for all the schooling. Since it was none of my business I was not going to pry. There are adults I know who are still paying off their student loans even though they have been out of college for 20-30 years. UNLESS the child invents the latest computer app or web service becoming a millionaire and skipping college, many parents are left to come up with creative ways they and their children can meet their financial obligations. Now I realize not every child will go to college; in my circle of friends and family it was a given that we all had to continue our education after high school. I knew one parent who worked 2 jobs during the week and a part time job on the weekend to help defray the college costs. There are several families I know who steer their children to a 2 year college for an associate’s degree to complete the basic required courses; afterwards, they transfer to a 4 year university to complete their studies. By doing this their costs are less than going directly to a 4 year accredited school. I have heard of a variety of options parents have employed to save money for their children’s college costs, but I have never heard of the idea the parents in this comedy came up with to put their child through school. AFTER spending their daughter’s college funds parents Kate and Scott Johansen, played by Amy Poehler (Sisters, Mean Girls) and Will Ferrell (The Other Guys, Daddy’s Home), needed to come up with a way they could put their daughter through school. Thanks to their friend Frank, played by Jason Mantzoukas (Dirty Grandpa, The Dictator), there was a way the couple could swing it. This comedy also starred Ryan Simpkins (A Single Man, Revolutionary Road) as Alex Johansen and Nick Kroll (My Blind Brother, Parks and Recreation-TV) as Bob. I will say the idea to raise college money was creative; I was curious to see how it would play out in the story. There were a couple of laughs that came out of the script; however, for the rest of the script I was not getting into it. The acting was nearly non-existent from Amy and Will. They were no different from any of their other characters including their stints on Saturday Night Live. Making rude or vulgar comments usually do not lead to laughs and this script was no exception. Adding in the high level of predictability, I was bored most of the time. I hope this does not come across as rude but the people associated with this dud need to be schooled on how to create a smart, fun comedy. No passing grade for this one.
1 ½ stars
Flash Movie Review: Zoolander 2
What is old eventually becomes new again, is a saying that has been repeated over and over. Some of you may relate to this especially when you see advertisements for the latest clothing styles; the clothes were in fashion before when you were growing up. Take a look at bell bottom pants; they come into fashion for a couple of years then they go out before they come back in. I hate to admit this but I still have clothing stored away that I used to wear years ago, some even back from high school. After my weight loss I still kept them as a backup. Though I have seen some of that old clothing return into vogue, manufacturers in conjunction with marketers bring back some of these items but tweak them just enough to make it look fresh and new. If you remember that soft drink fiasco, not everything new makes it instantly better. Just let me tell you about winter gloves as an example. Years ago gloves were usually fleece lined or had some type of down inside of them. All of a sudden new products came out that claimed to be just as warm as these natural fibers but take up less space, they were thinner. I do not know about you, but I do not find gloves with this thin insulating material to be that warm for my hands. Give me good wool lined or duck down filled gloves and I will be able to tackle any harsh winter day. Now let me say I do believe there is no reason to fix something if it is not broken, so I am never the first one to jump on the latest updated version of something from the past; it turns out this is wise advice. WHEN celebrities were being killed off while striking a signature pose created by Derek Zoolander and Hansel, played by Ben Stiller (While We’re young, The Watch) and Owen Wilson (Midnight in Paris, No Escape), the two former models were brought out of retirement to try and help track down the killers. This comedy sequel tipped its hand when the trailers came out for it; they were the best parts of this movie. With Will Ferrell (Daddy’s Home, Get Hard) as Mugatu and Kristen Wiig (The Martian, Welcome to Me) as Alexanya Atoz, all the characters had a chance to do something funny. I kept waiting for it but it never happened; the script went all over the place, it was a mess. Now I have to tell you I did not think the original movie was anything special, but compared to this sequel it moved up on my favorability rating scale. There were more cameos in this film than there were jokes. As I sat through this picture I had to wonder who thought doing a sequel would be a good concept. The only thing this movie did for me was prove not everything updated and made fresh was a good idea.
1 1/2 stars
moviejoltz 