Crazy Rich Asians Review (2018)

Crazy Rich Asians

  It's been 25 years since Hollywood has released a film with an all Asian cast and the significance of that has not been lost on me. I think it's absolutely wonderful that we are getting films with diverse representation across all races and people are proving that these types of films will make big money. That said, I must be objective in my review, and while there were things I did like about Crazy Rich Asians, I wouldn't say it holds up to all the hype.
  What I did enjoy about this film, is how big and bold everything was. The production value, the sets, the music, the costumes, the settings, and colors. Everything looked absolutely gorgeous and dazzling. This film definetly has charm, mostly stemming from the performances of its dashing leads and the cultural references that Asian Americans will identify with.
  It shoots for commericial appeal, which is good in the sense that a wider audience will find it enjoyable, but that also means usually (and in the case of this film) that it has to be dumbed down in order to be more palatable to your casual moviegoer.
  While it does offer a unique perspective from your typical rom-com, it follows all of the same beats, just on a bigger drum. What it doesn't offer is a lot of depth in terms of character or subplot. In fact, there was only one subplot, which didn't really relate to plot A, and actually seemed like the more interesting story of the two. Because of this, the film suffers from feeling overlong. There were several scenes that could have been taken out and the story would have lost nothing, but they weren't. Another flaw was the comedy. While it hit on occasion, it mostly fell flat with me. This is obviously my personal preference as everyone will find different things humorous, but had this film been funnier it might've gotten a higher score.
  Overall, Crazy Rich Asians is likeable and "cute", but it never quite reaches its full potential. That said, I hope it opens the door for better films with all Asian casts and that people will continue to support those when they come out. 6 out of 10 stars. (Worth Ticket Price)

Blackkklansman Review (2018)

Blackkklansman 

  Blackkklansman is a dramedy inspired by true events and directed by Spike Lee. It stars John David Washington (Denzel Washington's son) as Ron Stallworth, Colorado Spring's first African American detective. His first mission? Infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan. He makes connections over the phone with the klan and uses his Jewish/white-passing colleague (Adam Driver) to meet with them in person.
  Now this story sounds absolutely crazy for obvious reasons, which is why I'm surprised it is just now being told. Honestly though, the timing couldn't be more perfect. Blackkklansman isn't afraid to go for it, delivering on both big laughs and big discomfort. It never once polishes America's dirty history, nor does it detract from the seriousness of it, but what it does do is expose the absolute stupidity of racism in a comedic way. The black community has always coped with oppression through humor as a way of healing, and this film hits just the spot.
  Harkoning back to the 2017 Charlottesville Unite the Right rally, Black Klansman asks, "How much has America really changed in the past few decades?". It's a question worth examining, especially when it comes in the form of this incredibly entertaining, absorbing, and intelligent film.
  I give Blackkklansman a 10 out of 10 stars. (A Must See)

Blindspotting Review (2018)

Blindspotting

  One word. Whoa.
  I left this theater absolutely speechless, my heart in my stomach, my mind spinning. Blindpsotting hit me like a hammer to the chest and came as a total surprise in every way.
  Blindspotting is the story of a man living in Oakland and trying to make it through the last three days of his probation. It's a simple story, but it tackles massive issues such as police brutality, gentrification, white privilege, incarceration and implicit bias. How it managed to do all of this affectively with such a short run time and with such nuance, is an insane mystery to me.
 The way Blindspotting blends the heavy, serious themes and storyline with laugh-out-loud, buddy-comedy is unlike any film I've ever seen. This is of course credited to both Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal who acted and wrote the film, and were nothing short of spectacular in their delivery.
  There is no reason the tone of the film should make sense, but it does. And just when you wrap your brain around that, they add spoken-word rap into the mix like an urban musical.
  Blindspotting places you in the shoes of another and makes you feel what they feel. This film builds a case for empathy in a way that is so pitch-perfect and timely that you would never believe it was written 10 years ago.
  As you can see, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. In fact, it is currently competing with Hereditary for the number 1 favorite spot of this year. If you haven't seen it yet, go! Add it to the top of your list. Blindspotting is a compelling masterpiece, and it reminded me why I love cinema and how important it is to have diverse representation. 10 out of 10 stars (A Must See)

Mission: Impossible - Fallout Review (2018)

Mission: Imposible - Fallout

  Tom Cruise is back at it again with another fun, action-filled, blockbuster hit. My question is, are you a fan of those? 

  When reviewing movies, I am aware that there are films that exist simply for the sake of entertainment. I watch those movies and enjoy those movies for what they are, and there is no better example of this than the Mission: Impossible franchise. 

  In the same strain as John Wick, or any of the Marvel movies, these films are all spectacle. Insanely wild stunts, thrilling suspense, more twists than liquorice. What more can you ask for or expect?
  Fallout delivers on all of these things, bringing the charm and charisma of Tom Cruise that keeps us coming back again and again. It's not deep, it's not that clever, but it's cinematic and sometimes, that's good enough for me.
  This is a fantastic looking film that works on pretty much every level, accept being about 20 minutes too long.
  If you're a fan of these films, go see it. If not, I completely get that too. For what it is, I will give Fallout a 7 out of 10 stars (Very Good) 

Leave No Trace Review (2018)

Leave No Trace

  Leave No Trace is the story of a veteran (Ben Foster) and his daughter (Thomasin McKenzie). They are a regular family in every sense except one. They choose to be homeless.
  This was a really unique story about the bond between father and daughter and about how choices we make, even with the best of intent, can unintentionally hurt the people we love most.
  At a slow pace, Leave No Trace develops its characters and allows the audience to grow fond of them. It's a character study that isn't afraid to show weakness in a way that isn't judgmental.
  Leave No Trace tackles big topics in a quiet and subtle way, asking challenging questions about how our vets are treated and what we can better do to help them.
  Ben Foster and Thomasin McKenzie were absolutely brilliant, giving haunting, soulful performances and gaining our empathy.
   This is a film you are going to have to be patient with. It's not action-filled, it's not loud, it's not going to spoon-feed you its themes. In terms of re-watch-ability, this probably won't be on your list as it's not the most entertaining film of the year, but Leave No Trace is as solid as they come, both technically and story-wise, with an affecting pay off that is worth your time. 7 out of 10 stars (Very Good)

Sorry To Bother You (2018)

Sorry To Bother You

  If you've ever wanted to know what an acid trip feels like, just watch this movie.
  Sorry To Bother You is a film by first-time filmmaker, Boots Riley, about a telemarketer named Cassisus who is trying to make it in Oakland. As Cassisus works his way up the ladder at the company, he realizes that this job isn't as innocent as it seems and that in order to get where he needs to be, he must essentially sell his soul.
  It's been an odd few years for film as art house is becoming more popular and surrealism is becoming more commercialized with films such as Get Out or Mother!. Films like these are polarizing because they are so weird and so out there, that people will either love them and love figuring them out, or they will hate them and consider them pretentious trash. Usually I'm pretty good at figuring where I stand after watching films, but there have been exceptions. Swiss Army Man was one of them, A Ghost Story was another, and Sorry To Bother You has made the list.
  What's so odd about these films is that you can't exactly figure out why certain things work and why certain things don't. Everything is so absurd and self-aware of its own absurdity. I found Sorry To Bother You to be quite a mixed bag in a lot of ways.
  It's strengths were in it's humor and the likeability of its lead character played by Lakeith Stanfield. The satire was sharp and had this "Key and Peele on steroids" type vibe to it. It was bold, and unapologetic in it's approach to making it's points and elaborating on it's themes through comedy.
  I also loved how you never really know where the film is going or where the characters are going to end up. You're just thrown onto this wild, meta, and entertaining ride.
  I was with the film for the first two acts, although the second did seem to lose direction for a minute and drag. However, it was the third act that through me for a loop and left me wondering what on earth I was watching. The plot twist will either make or break it for the audience and for me it kind of broke it. I understand what it was trying to do, and I respect it, but it also cheapened the rest of the film in my opinion.
  Sorry To Bother You deals with really big ideas, but it never tells you what to think or explains them. Some people will like this, others will find it frustrating. For me, I was really glad I watched it because it was such a unique experience, but not exactly sure I would want to experience it again. 6 out of 10 stars (Worth Ticket Price)  

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot Review (2018)

Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far On Foot

  Don't Worry He Won't Get Far On Foot is the true story of a quadriplegic, comic-writer that must go through the 12 steps program to break his addiction to alcohol.
  I went in not knowing anything about this story other than the fact that Joaquin Phoenix was playing the main character.
  Surprise, surprise, he did amazing. Phoenix always manages to create sympathetic characters out of people that should by every stretch of the imagination be unlikeable. He is just so good at what he does and he always brings it 100% to every film he's in, and Don't Worry isn't an exception. That said, he is probably the only reason this film has any whatch-ability because otherwise, I wasn't too impressed.
  Now, Don't Worry wasn't a bad film, but it did have a lot of problems. The biggest being the pacing and the non-linear way of telling the story.
  There were times where the film jumps to the past, then jumps to the future, and then cuts to a flashback, and ultimately the timeline just felt confusing, serving no purpose whatsoever to the story. This bizarre editing choice only stilted the effect the story could have had with a more conventional outline, and it took me out of the film.
  There were also times where they tried for humor, and in almost every case for me it fell flat. This could totally be a personal preference more than an objective critique of the film though, considering the character has a quirky sense of humor that not everybody gets. For me what was awkward about the delivery was the jarring insert of comics in the form of a cartoon with Phoenix's voice narrating them. The tone was odd, and simply didn't work for me.
  In the end, this film wants to be more poignant and inspiring than it is, but Phoenix's strong performance keeps it's head above water and makes it worth at least one viewing. 5 out of 10 stars (Rent It)