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Friday, March 15, 2024

FREE Screening: Sci-Fi Mystery Movie (San Diego, CA) + $20 Visa Card

If you are in the greater San Diego area:

March 19, 2024 - 7 p.m. (arrive no later than 6 p.m.)

Regal Mira Mesa

(age group: 13-49. Parents 50+ bringing teens 13-17 years of age are welcome)

***Everyone seated at this event will receive a $20 Visa Digital Prepaid Card sent via email within (3) business days of the event. Rewards will be sent to the email address used to confirm only.***

When a family becomes a test candidate for a state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence device, they find this groundbreaking technology is life changing and makes their lives so much easier. But when they begin to realize that the device is slowly taking control of the household and manipulating their lives, they fear that it might be far more sinister than they could have ever imagined. 

Movie stars John Cho ("Searching," "The Grudge" (2020), "Star Trek" movies), Katherine Waterston ("Babylon," "Fantastic Beasts" movies) and Riki Lindhome ("Knives Out," "Candy Cane Lane") and is directed by Chris Weitz (Operation Finale, About a Boy).

As part of the research process, everyone attending the screening will be required to wear a Fitbit-like device to participate in biometric experience.

This movie has not yet been rated but is believed to be 'PG-13'. The studio cannot guarantee the rating that the film will ultimately receive.

Get your FREE movie passes: (limited availability)

https://www.previewfreemovies.com/invite/3243363DD15E34B7B865EFC88EE32AE7

Sunday, February 11, 2024

FREE Screening: Mystery Movie (San Diego, CA)

If you are in the greater San Diego area:

February 15, 2024 - 7 p.m.

Regal Mira Mesa

(age group: 13-49, have your ticket & ID ready)

When a family becomes a test candidate for a state of the art Artificial Intelligence device, they soon realize this groundbreaking technology is life changing.  But when they realize the technology is slowly taking control over the household and manipulating their lives, they fear that the device might be far more sinister than they could have ever imagined. 

Movie Preview stars John Cho ("Searching," "The Grudge" (2020), "Star Trek" movies), Katherine Waterston ("Babylon," "Fantastic Beasts" movies) and Riki Lindhome ("Knives Out," "Candy Cane Lane") and is directed by Chris Weitz ("Operation Finale," "About a Boy").

The movie has not yet been rated but is believed to be ‘PG-13.’ The studio cannot guarantee the rating that the film will ultimately receive.

Get your FREE movie passes: (limited availability)

https://www.previewfreemovies.com/invite/E8B7F807A3E8D6F660EF0DFB21C0C067

P.S. The movie may be titled, "They Listen."

Thursday, February 1, 2024

"Argylle"

From 1/30/2024 press screening:

Truth is stranger than fiction.  Whatever you imagine “Argylle” is from the posters and trailers, you can't judge the espionage movie by its cover.  The sleek marketing pulls wool over even the most spying eyes.  

Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard, “Jurassic World” series) is a solitary spy novelist who has been churning out best-selling books, centering on a globetrotting, suave spy named Argylle (Henry Cavill; "Mission Impossible: Fallout" “Justice League,” "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," “Man of Steel,” “Man from U.N.C.L.E.”), in the last five years. 

Strangely, it's almost intuitive how Elly comes out with the characters and plots.  Words are mightier than swords and Elly soon finds out that her stories get her in more trouble than she could ever imagine.  Elly is hunted down by a rogue spy organization named Division.  Somehow her stories are mirroring real world events.  Division agents are trying to get their hands on a device that is part of the plot of her yet unpublished novel, which is next in the series.  That device, if released, would threaten the organization's existence.  

The nonstop action begins on a train ride, where Elly encounters a covert operative disguised as a fan of her novels, Aidan (Sam Rockwell). After bodies pile up, Elly and her spy savior have no choice but escape out of the train in a Mission Impossible way.  Faint-hearted Elly is flabbergasted to say the least.  She has to deal with gun-toting goons, basement-hiding, rooftop-jumping, boat-speeding and plane-riding.  Tagging along is her cute cat-in-a-backpack, Alfie, a humorous furry sidekick.  

Hyperventillating Elly doesn't know who to trust.  Even when she's able to escape and reunite with her parents, the sequences of incidents hit her like a thunderbolt and make her question her reality and sanity.  Elly's dangerous misadventures take her from the heart of London to a French countryside, where she's met with a reclusive, mysterious figure (Samuel L. Jackson; "The Avengers" series, "Oldboy") that holds the key to what's going on.  

Secrets and identities come to light.  Allegiance and alliance are revealed and reformed.  Verisimilitude and veracity are tested and turned over.  But just as you think you've got the storyline figured out, a twist comes along, then another and another, and turning into different directions.  The fast and furious surprises will take you along on a rollercoaster.  Prepare to gasp and guffaw when these happen.  This is one movie that it's much better to go in blind, so the shock and awe will hit maximum impact.  

There are a couple of extended fighting and dancing sequences, including a colorfully explosive musical montage and gravity-defying ice-skating.  Preposterous and boisterous, it's like a self-aware wink from director Michael Vaughn (“Kingsman” series, “X-Men: First Class”), a hysterical and twisted treat for Kingsman's fans.  Dynamic duo Howard and Rockwell, Howard in particular, rock and roll as if there's no tomorrow.  

The spy caper starts off slow and inexplicable, gets muddled and overly piled up, but the never-ending espionage twists and turns, and stylized over-the-top comedic action, offer tons of fun.  Stay for the post-credit for a final intrigue.

Not only the greater the spy, the bigger the lie, “Argylle” is one twister of a wild ride.  

Monday, January 22, 2024

FREE Movie Screening: Amazon Prime "Expats" (San Diego, CA)

If you are in the greater San Diego area:

January 25, 2024 - 7 p.m.

Angelika Carmel Mountain, 11620 Carmel Mountain Road, San Diego, CA 92128

(have your pass ready at the door, click below)

Get your FREE movie passes here: (limited availability)

https://amazonscreenings.com/movie_landing/UGVuYXNxdWl0b3NFeFBhdHM%3D

Set against the vibrant and tumultuous tapestry of 2014 Hong Kong, Expats centers on three American women—Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Hilary (Sarayu Blue), and Mercy (Ji-young Yoo)—whose lives intersect after a sudden family tragedy. The series interrogates privilege and explores what happens when the line between victimhood and culpability becomes blurred. The six-part limited drama series will premiere with two episodes on January 26, 2024, with new episodes following weekly, on Amazon Prime.

Saturday, December 16, 2023

"Wonka"

 

“Every good thing in this world started with a dream... so you hold on to yours.”  

After traveling the seven seas and perfecting his chocolate-making craft, wide-eyed Willy Wonka (Timothee Chalamet) arrives in town where the Gourmet Gallery is located and seeks to set up roots there.  When Willy was little, he got his taste of his first chocolate from his mother (Sally Hawkins) and dreamt of opening a chocolate shop someday.  

Willy's mother mentioned a fancy marketplace called the Gourmet Gallery.  While Willy was wistful about having such a dream, before she passed away, his mother said everything good in the world started with a dream and she asked him to hold on to his.

Cash-poor with a heart of gold and a haftul of dreams, Willy arrives in a wintry snowy night and needs a place to stay.  Tricked into an indentured servitude, the aspiring chocolatier ends up working as a lodging launderer for merciless proprietor Mrs. Scrubitt (Olivia Colman) and her henchman Bleacher (Tom Davis).  

As it turns out, Willy is not alone.  Also trapped and living in the basement for years are former money-cruncher Abacus Crucch (Jim Carter), plumber Piper Benz (Natasha Rothwell), telephonist Lottie Bell (Rakhee Thakrar), funny man Larry Chucklesworth (Rich Fulcher), and an orphaned girl named Noodle  (Calah Lane).  Willy quickly makes friends with his fellow laborers and forms a special bond with Noodle.  Noodle and Willy share a sweet connection about their respective personal dreams.  There's more to Noodle's parentage that meets the earnest eye.

Luckily for all the unlucky laborers, Willy is not merely as an aspiring chocolatier.  He's also an inventor with a mystical flair, a magician.  Special levitating chocolates, for example, make people soar up and hover in the air.  Willy's concoctions are often fantastical, composed with exotic ingredients or from faraway lands.  

One would imagine that, with such unique concoctions, it wouldn't be hard for Willy to attract consumers and open up a chocolate shop.  Well, it wouldn't have been, except for the fact that the Gourmet Gallery is monopolized by a chocolate cartel who means mean business.  

The villainous merchants; Arthur Slugworth (Paterson Joseph), Prodnose (Matt Lucas) and Fickelgruber (Matthew Bayntohn) will do everything in their ruthless power to squash competition and ensure that Willy would never be able to open his chocolate shop, including resorting to bribing a sweet-toothed Chief of Police (Kaegan Michael-Key) and corrupt cleric, Father Julius (Rowan Atkinson).  

The chocolate cartel has a massive supply of chocolates stored underneath the Cathedral and a guarded vault.  They don't shy away from attempted murders and death by chocolate method either.  Seriously harmful stuff blending in with lighthearted fantasy.  Their illicit dealings are recorded on an off-the-book accounting journal locked underground, which Abacus knows about.  

Willy's ingenuity, complemented by his friends' trade specialties, allow them to concoct a plan to sneak out of the basement and sell or hand out chocolates to the fascinated public and escape undetected, at least for a little while.  There's also a zoo escapade and mischievous heist.  

Willy and friends are able to magically transform a long-abandoned, topsy-turvy space into a candy-colored chocolate shop, an enchanting forest of confectionery, at least for a brief moment.  The chocolate cartel and authorities soon catch up with them.  

The chocolate cartel hatches a nefarious plan to discredit Willy to the chocolate-loving consumers, sever his ties with his friends, run him out of town for good, and ban him from making chocolates ever again.  They have nearly succeeded, if not because of Willy's quick thinking and apprehensive, side partnership with sardonic Oompa Loompa (Hugh Grant, "Cloud Atlas"), giving a glimpse into the backstory of the legendary master candymaker and his chocolate factory.  

Amid the plot-heavy story, “Wonka” is delightful musical with a taste of magic.  Rousing and modish musical numbers, skyward-soaring crowd, nighttime balloon-floating and illuminated rooftop-dancing, lamp-gliding and gently touching down the streets.   

Chalamet is perfect as the young, fresh-faced and wholesome Willy who wants to share his special gift, uplift people, make them feel better about themselves, and  changing the world into a happier place to live.  He subtly conveys Willy's hopeful optimism, unwavering even in the face of menace, despair or defeat.  He also learns the joy of friendships and sharing moments with the people he cares about, beyond crafting chocolates and realizing his sugary ambition.  

If you enjoyed the fun “Paddington” (directed by the same director, Paul King), musicals “Mary Poppins Returns” and “The Greatest Showman," you're in for a whimsical adventure with “Wonka.”  Pure imagination, heartwarming, joyful and magical, it's a festively delectable treat for the holidays.  

Thursday, December 14, 2023

"The Shift"

On a surface level, “The Shift” is a sci-fi movie about parallel universes where there are many versions of you, each living a different life.  Below the surface, there is no way around saying that it's heavy-handed on the religious message.  It's one of those films that would divide audience into polarized camps.  

The day Kevin (Kristoffer Polaha) met Molly (Elizabeth Tabish) at the bar was one of the worst day of his career life.  Molly won him over quickly.  Their interactions were charming and they hit it off instantly, flashing forward to images of their future.  Kevin and Molly got married and had a son.  A family tragedy occurred  and their marriage was on the rocks.  One day, after an argument, Kevin got into a car wreck.  When he came to, he was met by a man with otherworldy powers.  The man called himself the Benefactor (Neal McDonough).

Kevin is in total disbelief, finding out that he's been shifted or transported into another world, a dystopian one where despair and misery reign.  The Benefactor gives Kevin an option that's hard to refuse.  Work for him as one of his shifters, and in turn, he will have the perfect version of everything and everyone in his life.  In other words, his life would be perfect.  In his disbelief, Kevin challenges the Benefactor to prove himself and unknowingly causes great sufferings to others.  And his decision also keeps him stuck in this universe for years.  During this time, he's never stopped finding ways to get back to his beloved wife.

The middle of the movie is muddled and the parallel world is never fully realized, but the acting is strong and moving with tense moments.  A twist finally moves the story along.  

Fear of the unknown.  Not knowing what will happen is perhaps one of the scariest human experiences.  What if you were given definite options to choose from where you know where everything would be exactly what you want?  Would you make the choice?  What would you sacrifice to get it?  And at what cost?  

The main character represents a flawed human tested with temptations by the devil, but in the end, he stays true to his character and relies on his faith in God.  He chooses the path of redemption.  

“The Shift” is a faith-based story about about choices and sacrifices, believing in oneself to do the right thing, seeing the good in humanity even during the worst times, trusting the higher power, letting go one's own desires in order to right wrongs while not knowing what the future would hold, and allowing people to live on their own free will.  The ending comes full circle, yet in unexpected ways.  

For a FREE ticket to see the film at the theaters, visit the Angel Studios website here.  

Sunday, November 19, 2023

"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes"


“It's the things we love most, that destroy us."

When “The Hunger Games” first premiered over a decade ago, the YA dystopian series became a pop culture phenomenon and launched Jennifer Laweence (“Passengers,” ”American Hustle,” “X-Men: First Class”) into super stardom from her girl on fire role, heroin Katniss Everdeen.  When I traveled to San Francisco and Atlanta, I visited the magnificent exhibition and mansion.  I also attended the Comic-Con panel and talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien in San Diego with the stars in attendance.

What makes the “Hunger Games” series intriguing for me was the political allegory, social commentary and moral quandary the series represent.  The great disparity between the haves and the have-nots, and the powerful and the powerless; prosperity and poverty, freedom and oppression, power and despair.

When the series concluded, it seemed like that was the last time we'd ever see that kind of battle royale world-building and setting, the worlds of tyrannical Panem and tyrannized Districts, where Districts' children and teens are picked at random every year and sent to fight to the death as an inhuman punishment in the name of honor for their failed rebellion, where there could only be one survivor.  With District residents divided and dehumanized, it shows the Capitol's ultimate power, which also squashes the possibility of another uprising.

As it turns out, there's still much story to tell. “Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” tells the backstory of the center villain in the series, Coriolanus Snow (Donald Sutherland), the President of Panem, and the early days of the Hunger Games.  'Songbirds and Snakes' is set over 60 years ago, when Snow (Tom Blythe) was a young man. 

The film opens even earlier, a few years prior the first of the Hunger Games' creation and the aftermath of the war in the Capitol.  The Snow family fell from grace during the war and Coriolanus witnessed an unimaginably gruesome act that shows the horrors of humanity.  After the death of his father, a general during the war, Coriolanus was left to live with his older cousin Tigris (Hunter Schafer) and grandmother.

In his last year of the Academy, which coincides with the 10th year of the Hunger Games, viewership has dropped and people aren't watching.  In an effort to boost ratings, snake-obsessed and delightfully devilish Head Gamemaker Dr. Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis; “Air,” “Ender's Game”) collaborates with morphling-addicted and morbid Hunger Games creator and Dean Casca Highbottom (Peter Dinklage) require all final year students to each mentor a tribute picked from every district to fight to the death in the lethal game.  The dean had a tainted history with Coriolanus' father.  

That is a main requirement to graduate, instead of stellar grades. And the winner will be awarded the Plinth Prizes, massive monetary rewards, which Coriolanus sorely needs for the University, his family and maintains their status as the Capitol elitists.  

At the Reaping Ceremony, Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) from District 12 is one of the 24 names or tributes picked for the Hunger Games.  In a rainbow-colored ruffled skirt, plucky Lucy slithers and sings her way out of the crowd, making her a siren standout from the start, and is in contrast with the pious Katniss.  At the same time, she's also loyal and compassionate.  Coriolanus is assigned to be Lucy's mentor.  Tigris tries to be a good influence to conflicted Coriolanus, and for a while, it works.  

It could be said that Coriolanus needs Lucy to win the game so he can win the prizes and Lucy needs Coriolanus to stay and come out alive.  At the same time, they also bond instantly and there's some level of genuine care.  There are shocking moments from the moment they are thrown in together prior to the game.  

Another key character here is Sejanus Plinth (Jose Andres Rivera), Coriolanus' best friend.  Sejanus was born and raised in District 2, but when his family accumulated wealth through weapon manufacturing during the war, they were able to move to the Capitol.  He's never felt like he belongs there, however, and was the first to question the ethics of the Hunger Games.  And tragically, he also knows the tribute assigned to him, who happens to come from District 2.  

Coriolanus, charming yet cunning, strategizes that viewership would increase if they get to know the tributes better, as human beings to root for and against.  When tributes do something or perform for spectacle that grabs the snooty Capitol residents' attention, they would be get sponsors, showering them with gifts or donations, such as water or weapons, and therefore could likely increase their odds at survival.  

The centerpiece of the film, the Hunger Games itself, hosted by the comically callous Lucretius Flickerman (Jason Schwartzman), is bare bones here.  A concrete gladiator arena, no fancy forest or tropical island camouflage.  No intense fitness or fight training.  No stylish outfits or bountiful banquets.  

The trapped and terrified youngsters remain in plain and dirty clothes, some are malnourished or diseased, are literally thrown in the arena as savages with nothing.  They literally are left to fend for themselves with rocks, knives, axes or pitchforks.  These kids are running, chasing, hiding, hanging, falling, tumbling, stabbing, crushing one another.  The attacks and deaths are brutal and horrific.  

There's a particularly chilling scene involving snakes slowly piling and curling up, enveloping a tribute and the ending could go either way.  This is also the point where Coriolanus realizes that winning doesn't necessarily mean surviving.  The odds will never be in their favor.  

At nearly three hours, the movie feels overlong, and when you think it might end, it goes on, almost like it could be split into another chapter.  It's needed though, to see Coriolanus' continued transformation and turning points into the merciless man and ruthless ruler in the trilogy.  

Controlling desire for power and privilege, fractured friendship, broken burgeoning romance, betrayal, grief, paranoia, anger, deception and destruction lead Coriolanus down the pathological path of no return.  It would be interesting to see his tyrannous rise to the highest power in the land.

Strong performances, melancholic melodies, psychologically twisted storytelling, boldly biting scenes, fantastic aesthetics and production value make 'Songbirds and Snakes' a vigorously engrossing and victorious return of “The Hunger Games.”




Sunday, November 5, 2023

"Taylor Swift: the Eras Tour"

I've just returned from traveling abroad and finally caught the “Taylor Swift: the Eras Tour” concert movie.  The scope, style, scale, sophistication... it's a spectacle!  Not just easy-on-the-ear music and clear voice, but the colors, compositions, costumes, cinematography, glitters, pyrotechnics, impressive digital screens with moving images, elaborate prop and set designs made up a memorably immersive and spectacular production.  

We got to see all angles, intimate solos, powerful closeups, synchronous dancing with the dancers, towering layers of glowing lights surrounding the stage, and massive overhead, bird's eye view of the booming and shining SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.  

Swift has an exuberant stage presence and infectious energy, embodies various personas that fit with different songs, and fluidly transitions from one era to another.  She got little girls dancing, audience turning on their cell phone flashlights, waving and singing along at the theaters.  

At nearly three hours, the concert movie covers a span of 17 years and 41 songs (country, edgy, folklore, pop, etc.).  It would have been interesting to see backstage preparations and interviews.  Whether you're a ‘Swiftie’ or not, if you enjoy pop music or concerts in general, go see it on the biggest screen!  It's the closest thing of being there in person. No friendship bracelet needed.  

Sunday, September 17, 2023

"A Haunting in Venice"

If you're stunned by the whodunit in “Murder at the Orient Express” and swept away by the grandeur and intrigue of “Death on the Nile," get ready for another treat, as Detective Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh; “Cinderella," "Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit," "Thor”) is mired in another murder mystery case.  

This time, it may be the most challenging case of all, as the logical and procedural detective is dealing with some things that can't be explained by logic, namely, supernatural suspects.  As someone who doesn't believe in God or ghosts, the famed detective may just have met his match.  

An old friend, authoress Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey), who has had a hand in making Hercule the famous Hercule Poirot from her work as a mystery novelist, coaxes the detective from retirement to join her in a séance in a haunted palazzo in Venice.  

Ariadne intends to prove that a psychic medium known as Mrs. Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh, “Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”), invited by an opera star and bereft mother Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly) to connect her spiritually with her dead daughter, Alicia (Rowan Robinson), is a fake and defrauding vulnerable victims.  

Rowena is hosting a costumed party for children in her palatial estate at Halloween, and after the party, the séance will take place.  The cavernous palazzo used to be an orphanage.  Doctors and nurses cared for the children, until the plague came, and they abandoned them.  They died and remain as tormented spirits, haunting the mansion. 

Rowena lost Alicia to suicide, who jumped from the high balcony and drowned in the canal.  It's believed, however, that  the spirits pushed her.  Alicia was previously engaged to a cad, Maxime Gerard (Kyle Allen), who eventually left her and went for a richer woman.  Alicia came back home and went mad; said to be hearing voices, whispers and sobbings of the tortured children.  

Present at the séance are Ariadne; Mrs. Reynolds and her two assistants, Desdemona (Emma Laird) and Nicholas Holland (Ali Khan); anxious family doctor Leslie Perrier (Jamie Dornan)and his precocious young son, Leopold (Jude Hill); Rowena's housekeeper Olga Seminoff (Camille Cotin); bodyguard Vitale Portfoglio (Riccardo Scamarcio).  Former fiance Maxime somehow got an invitation and joined in.   

Mrs. Reynolds is very convincing in her performance, summoning and talking to the dead.  No theatrics could pull the wool over Hercule's eyes, however.  That said, even the detective can't explain certain things, who are pretty disoriented at times by the paranormal happenings.  Sure enough, where Hercule goes, death follows.  

When one of the guests is found impaled, Hercule puts his detective hat back on and goes to work.  And the mysterious death doesn't stop there.  He interrogates each guest one by one, while keenly observing behaviors and movements, connecting the dots, putting together bits and pieces.  The guests are not what they seem to be, as he learned about their past lives.  

What's different here though is that he has to take into account there may be abstract elements that go beyond the rational possibilities, which is really unsettling to him.  The mid-reveal is unexpected and the final reveal is even more shocking.  If suspension of spooky disbelief is needed is that if the killer is truly capable of committing those acts.  

The settings are magnetic.  Visualize Venice, the city with perpetual canals and gondolas in a dark stormy night, where silvery rain pours from the skies, lightning flashes and thunder strikes, raging waters rattle wood beams, iron gates and towering windows.

Inside the palazzo are darkened fire-lit halls, elegant arches and columns, wooden ceilings and brick walls, crystal chandeliers and lantern lamps, dusty old books, Renaissance era arts and marble statues.  Mood lightings, distorted camera angles, jump scare images and sounds, shakings and shadows add to eerie air.

From 'Orient Express' to 'Nile' and 'Venice,' it's three for three.  Well-designed crime construct and atmospheric ambiance with a sprinkle of supernatural, “A Haunting in Venice” is a hauntingly captivating and credible murder mystery

Monday, August 21, 2023

2023 National Cinema Day: $4 Movies

National Cinema Day - on Sunday, August 27, 2023, ALL movies in ALL format at participating theaters (AMC, Regal, Angelika, etc.) are only $4!

To check participating theaters, go to: https://www.nationalcinemaday.org/

Grab your ticket!

Sunday, August 13, 2023

"Gran Turismo"

"If you miss a line in the game, you reset.  You miss it on the track, you could die." 

If anyone were to tell me that there's a movie about a video gamer turned race car driver, I'd say that's a cool concept, but doesn't sound believable.  “Gran Turismo” is the unbelievable story of Jann Mardenborough (Archie Madekwe), who did just that.  Even cooler?  The real Mardenborough stars as a stunt driver of  the movie made based on his life story.    

College-bound Jann has been playing the PlayStation's Gran Turismo video game in his bedroom for years.  Not just any game, GT is a simulator of the real deal, from the vehicles to racing circuits, track by track.  The expert sim racer has dreamed to become a race car driver since he was a child, to the worry of his parents, especially his dad, Steve (Djimon Hounsou).  Steve used to be a football player, until real life set in.  He warns Jann to not make the same mistake, go to college instead, and find a career grounded in reality.  

Jann masters the power of manifestation in spades.  Danny Moore (Orlando Bloom; ”Carnival Row,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Lord of the Rings” series, ), a slick marketer with Nissan, came up with an outrageous idea to turn a GT gamer into a real race car driver.  This would translate into worldwide publicity and sell a crazy number of cars.  While far-fetched and awfully risky, his pitch somehow got green-lit. 

Danny then had to convince a former racer turned chief engineer, Jack Salter (David Harbour) to get onboard and train select gamers into racers.  Based on his scores, Jann was selected to compete in the GT Academy sim racing.  Yann made it to the competition at the last minute, outraced more than 90,000 of virtual racers and earned a chance in a lifetime, a seat at the GT Academy.  Along with nine other virtual racers from eight countries, they converge at the GT Academy, begin the most grueling training and toughest race of their lives.  

Being an expert virtual racer in front of a console is one thing, turning into an elite race car driver is a whole other level.  As you can imagine, it requires tremendous strength and endurance, physical prowess and mental stamina of professional athletes.  Jaded Jack makes it clear that he intends to show and prove that none of the gamers could make it in real life as race car drivers.  

Jann proves his mettle and beats out the rest.  A surprising moment arrives when it comes to deciding the true winner of a really narrow race.  Jann, unassuming and press-shy mixed-race kid, is not exactly a poster child for media circuits.  The deck is stacked against him, fortunately, destiny is on his side.  Traveling around the world, he goes on to qualify for and obtain his FIA license.  Jack's relationship with Yann has also evolved into a mentorship.  Tough love with respect, care, warmth and humor.  

Professional race car drivers turn up their noses.  Motorsport racing is inherently dangerous.  Not only you have to completely believe in and rely on yourself to react right and make a split-second decision when the moment counts, you're also at the mercy of nature.  While track, air and wind conditions could be predicted, they are not exact and there's always unpredictability when it comes to elements of nature.  Mixing these extreme levels of speed, the result could be disastrous or even fatal. 

It's inevitably proven to be the case, as spectacular crashes and airborne cars are shown onscreen.  And when tragedy hits, Yann is humanly tested to his limit; this traumatic experience could define him for the rest of his life, and his life could understandably go into a very different direction.  He has to decide whether he could and would overcome the life-altering event, move forward, commit with conviction and realize his ultimate dream, culminating in the 24 Hours of Le Mans race. 

The way the scenes are shot are incredible, crisp images and motions, cleanly directed by Director Neil Blomkamp (“Elysium”), seamlessly juxtaposing sweeping aerial views and up-close shots, lighthearted moments and focused high-stake intensity, combusting in life or death situations.  

The visual effects of transparent and imaginary cars disintegrating and reintegrating are cool.  When the rubber meets the road, the camera zooms in on the revving up of the engine, nuts and bolts turning, rising smoke and friction-induced, fire flickers.  

While the movie doesn't dig deep into character development and this is a far leaner version of the more complex “Rush," it's hard to fault a triumph-against-all-odds story that serves up heart-racing  sequences.  It's always thrilling to see an underdog rise to the top.

If there's a theater near you that plays Screen X, I highly recommend that you see the flick in this format.  Better than IMAX, the wraparound screen will envelope you in a much more immersive experience, putting you in the racer's seat. 

Behind the winning wheel of “Gran Turismo” is a grand sensation of an impossible dream coming true and a pulse-pounding personal triumph.  



Sunday, July 23, 2023

"Barbie"

I was going to hop on the 'Barbenheimer' train, until I realized Comic-Con International also arrived this week, so it's a 'Barbie Con' for me.  Sure enough, Barbie mania was also felt at the convention as people dressing up as Barbie and Ken popped up here and there.  

Director Greta Gerwig, Margot Robbie (“Babylon,” “The Wolf of Wall Street”), Ryan Gosling ("La La Land,“ "The Ides of March," "Drive”) and team have creatively hyped up the movie to a viral level that is unexpected.  The good news is the movie not only is a doll, but also substantive.  

Stereotypical Barbie (Margot Robbie) lives a blissful life in Barbieland, where all Barbies are happy and powerful.  Women have all kinds of occupations in the pink-powered society and the Kens exist to be by Barbies' side, including the main Ken (Ryan Gosling).

Every day is a Barbie day and every night is a girls' night, filled with beach activities and dance parties.  Awash in pinks and pastels, and cardboard shapes and cutouts, the cotton candy-colored fantasy land looks and feels magically artificial, yet real.  Shoutout to the design team for the inventive visuals and details.

When Barbie begins to have thoughts of mortality, things change.  Her perfectly arched feet become flat, not all her skin is porcelain-like, she wakes up with a morning breath, and she can't simply glide down from her second story Dreamhouse to her Corvette.  After chatting with Weird Barbie (Kate McKinnon), Barbie realizes that she needs to go to the real world to find the human in charge, the sad girl who plays with her and makes her happy again.  

When Barbie goes, Ken tags along, of course.  When Barbie and Ken venture out to the real world, they are shocked how reversed the reality is.  Patriarchy rules.  Women are treated as objects by men and some women even hate women.  Barbie is seen to have contributed to consumerism, unhealthy body image and poor self-esteem.  The icing on the fuchsia cake is that the majority of Mattel leaders are men.  Ken, on the other hand, feels strikingly emboldened by the way men dominate society, which lead to hysterically scene-stealing situations.  

Barbie is experiencing a full spectrum of human emotions for the first time, including sadness, anxiety, fear or inferiority.  It turns out, there's a lot more to life than simply being happy and powerful all the time.  Robbie is flawlessly natural, glamorous and authentic, perfectly embodies both the plastic nature of a doll and realness of a human being.  

Barbie crosses path with a female Mattel employee, Gloria (America Ferrera) who's been feeling down and creating drawings of gloomy Barbie.  Mattel CEO (Will Ferrel) would like Barbie to get back inside the toy box.  Pursued by Mattel men-in-suits, Barbie, Gloria and her daughter, Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt) end up in Barbieland.  They are shocked to see Barbieland being transformed into a Ken-centric society.  

Barbie gets a full lesson from Gloria about the virtually impossible standards and complexities of being women in the real world, and the tough and delicate line women must paradoxically walk every day to fit in.  Ferrera is tasked with long monologue duty, which is a bit heavy-handed, but she goes for broke and the impact is felt.  Truer words have never been spoken.  The trio must find ways to unite all the Barbies and get them to take back their land so everything would return to the way it used to be.  

It's not all about girl power, however.  “Barbie” cares about the Kens too, so the story is also about Ken's journey, who he is and what he wants to be, even without Barbie. The filmmakers have smartly crafted a movie not merely about a doll toy, which would have traditionally appealed to girls or young women, but somehow an inclusive story that has a broad appeal to all genders, races, ages, and even body types.  The movie is delightfully self-aware and breaking the fourth wall drew a lot laughter.  

At the core of “Barbie,” giddily wrapped in a pretty, rosy-colored package, is a social satire.  It's a story about existential crisis and self-discovery, and sharp commentary about our society and gender relations, especially women.

If you love Barbie, absolutely go see it.  If you hate Barbie, still go see it.  If you feel indifferent about Barbie, you may make up your mind after you see it.  Gorgeous, uproarious and ingenious, “Barbie” will be remembered as one of the defining pop culture movies for years to come.   

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Full monologue: https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/america-ferrera-full-barbie-monologue-173314494.html

Barbie Selfie Generator: https://www.barbieselfie.ai

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