“Mid90s” Review

If you’ve been following my reviews for a while now, you might have caught on that I’ve become a big fan of the independent film company A24. They consistently take gambles on projects for up and coming directors and many of them end up being art house hits. The past few years have also featured a lot of directorial debuts, many of them coming from current actors like John Krasinski, Bradley Cooper, and Bo Burnham (Eighth Grade is from A24). Actor Jonah Hill’s film Mid90s is one of the rare misfires in A24’s impressive library of independent hits.

Growing up in the 90s, I had anticipated the film to hit me right in the nostalgia bone and take me back to when times were much simpler and free. The film does that for the opening 15 minutes or so, just trying really hard to let you know that yes, we are currently in the 90s. It even has that grainy texture from early 90s movies. However, it gets old pretty quick and feels a bit forced, as it doesn’t have the natural progression of taking you back like a film like Boyhood. Once it conveys its time capsule effect, it goes straight into the skate culture that pervaded many 90s adolescents.

The main problem I had with this film is that it sets up a lot of great characters, such as Lucas Hedges (isn’t this guy everywhere now?) as the older brother of main character Sunny Suljic (Atreus!), and Katherine Waterston as the mother of the dysfunctional family. Suljic’s skater friends are a bit hit and miss, as some of their eccentricities feel more like caricatures of skaters as opposed to actual human beings. However, there are some great character moments between Suljic’s Stevie and leader of the skating group Ray, played by Na-Kel Smith. The small character-building moments that this movie shares are overshadowed by Hill’s attempt to generate shock value by making these kids do edgy things because of the skater culture they grew into.

This movie isn’t very long as it runs just under 90 minutes, so it’s all the more disappointing that it uses up most of the time with scenes of these kids going to parties and doing things that’ll make your inner parent disappointed. The film becomes a bit too self-indulgent in this aspect, when it could have explored a lot of interesting relationships with the fantastic actors put together.

Hill has a potential to be a great director, but his writing and tone of the film keep it from being a great coming of age film. He gets so caught up in wanting to capture the edginess of skater culture in the 90s, that he forgets to tell an intimate story with the pieces that he’s been given.

Grade: C+/70

“Crazy Rich Asians” Review

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone!

I’m continuing the 2018 movie clean-up with one of the most talked about movies of the year. Crazy Rich Asians is considered to be one of the biggest watershed moments in Hollywood, as it featured an all-Asian cast that absolutely destroyed the domestic box office, becoming the highest grossing rom-com in a decade. Is this a momentous movie for all Asians working in an industry where we are criminally under-represented? Absolutely, yes. Is it a good movie? No, far from it.

I haven’t read the book that this movie is based off of, but the premise of the film is pretty run of the mill stuff: woman from humble beginnings finds out her boyfriend is filthy rich, and family issues prevent them from having true romance. Sort of. Let’s break down this romantic comedy section by section.

Let’s go over the comedy first. Is it funny? No, not really. In fact, most of the film is incredibly cringey, with a couple of funny moments from Ken Jeong, and the rest of the cast trying to do their best Ken Jeong impression. Some of the actors in this film are not very good at all, including both Constance Wu and Henry Golding. Most people I know criticized Golding for his wooden acting, but I found Wu’s performance to be just as bland and unmemorable. The writing in this film definitely doesn’t do them any favors, as a lot of the jokes are incredibly hit and miss in its attempt to capture that so-awkward-it’s-hilarious feel. Awkwafina, one of the worst parts of Ocean’s 8, is a bit more tolerable here. She’s still typecast into that zany and eccentric character, but she seems to play it off a bit more naturally than the rest of the bad cast (can’t believe I’m giving her slighted praise here).

Now let’s talk about the romance. What makes a good romance movie so effective? I think part of the reason is for there to be a deep-seated conflict that is eventually resolved because love is the last emotion standing. Does a rom-com have to achieve that? Not necessarily, but the conflict of love that the movie tries to set up does not work at all. The primary obstacle between Wu and Golding’s chance at true love is the mother played by Michelle Yeoh (who does an OK job in this film with what she’s given), but the way that this conflict is established is so structurally weak when Golding’s character is so head-over-heels in love with Wu’s character the entire time. Basically, this film tries to stir up some drama when there really isn’t much to begin with.

Many friends and people I know politicized this movie as a film that all Asians should rally behind, as it represents “us” and pushes “us” towards equality in the film industry. This film does not represent me at all. The theme and tone of this film is aggressively Asian-American. Although that includes me, it’s so one-sided in it’s message (pushing family away and pursuing your own dreams) that it’s hard to find any sort of identification with, since I was so desperately supposed to.

2018 has presented two very different realities in regards to Asian Americans in film. On the one hand, we have a film like Crazy Rich Asians where people rallied behind it because hey, it’s a movie that’s complete with an all-Asian cast! However, I guarantee you that if this film was made with an all-white cast, it would immediately be forgotten and be considered by critics worldwide to be a completely average film.  On the other hand, we have a film like Searching, where the movie is just an overall fantastic film that just happens to feature Asians as the leading cast members. Which reality would I prefer to live in? 10 out of 10 times the latter, because that shows equality more than anything else. Why should Asians get handouts or recognition just because we made a film on our own if it’s not any good?

If you’ve stuck with me this far into the review, then you probably think I hate this film. I wouldn’t say I hate this film, more like I hated the movement behind it. It’s a mediocre film at best. There are some things to like about it: for one, it showcases the absolutely beautiful landmarks in Singapore. I appreciated the fact that this film was basically like a two-hour travel channel episode, as it really had some fantastic visuals. Aside from it’s thematic pretentiousness, I really enjoyed the parts of Asian culture that it highlighted.

Should I be so hard on a movie that’s just a rom-com? Probably not, but when this movie is being spearheaded as a defining watershed moment for Asian Americans in film, it’s hard to look at it and brush it off as a movie that shouldn’t be taken too seriously, when its cultural and societal implications are being taken WAAY too seriously. All I’ll say is this: if anything, this film does push a strong message for equal representation in Hollywood, because we Asians are just as capable of making mediocre movies as white people.

Grade: C/62

“Venom” Review

Venom has grossed over 850 million dollars worldwide. What. One of the biggest surprises of the year, Venom bucks the trend of poorly received comic book movies underperforming at the box offce, as it manages to far exceed its financial gross expectations even though it’s one of the weakest comic book films of the year.

To be fair, Venom is not AS bad as the critics are saying. In fact, parts of it are pretty enjoyable. However, that doesn’t outweigh the fact that it seems like a product of the early 2000s; back when the movies in this genre didn’t have the scope of being in a shared cinematic universe or have the direction to elevate it to more than just a movie about superheroes. I honestly can’t decide whether or not I love Tom Hardy’s performance, but it’s easily one of his worst. It’s sort of in the same vein as his performance in Bronson, except less charismatic and with much more cringey dialogue. It’s crazy to think that he dodged a bullet by dropping out of the Suicide Squad movie only to be stabbed in the gut with this movie.

For those of you who had doubts that they could fill an entire two hours and twenty minutes on an origin story for the notorious anti-hero, you’d be right. Most of the movie consists of Tom Hardy trippin balls, with the occasional interruption of plot development through scenes with a stereotypical god-complex scientist played by Riz Ahmed. As talented as Ahmed is, this role was entirely miscast and his character motivations have been so overdone that there was really no meaningful impact to the story. However, the title for most miscast role in the film goes to Michelle Williams, who is so talented and pretty much gets tossed to the wayside with such a whatevers character, that you really wonder why she agreed to sign onto this film (hint: $$$).

As bad as the performances are, and as underwhelming as the story is, there’s still enjoyment to be had. It’s definitely funny at times, even though I’m pretty sure the scenes where I laughed were not intentional from the director. I also thought the action and character designs were pretty decent. Venom is definitely a tough character to show on screen, but they did a much better job than the atrocity from Spider-Man 3. I understand a lot of fans were upset with the lack of an R-rating, and I admit that it probably would have made the action better. However, the tone of the movie was already so all over the place that the gore would honestly feel kind of out of place.

Venom‘s monumental success will most definitely warrant a number of sequels with additional tie-ins to Sony’s comic book universe. Even though I didn’t find this movie to be very good, I’m rooting for its future entries because there’s definitely something there for the character.

Grade: C+/68

“A Simple Favor” Review

YIKES. I’m gonna make this review really quick. I just finished watching this movie and wow, it is bad. I even had a hard time tagging this review as Comedy because of how unfunny it is. It was so difficult pushing myself through this movie. PAUL FEIG, WHY MUST YOU DESTROY THE CAREERS OF SUCH WONDERFUL FEMALE ACTORS!?

A Simple Favor is, no exaggeration, basically a Lifetime channel version of the movie Gone Girl. Paul Feig must have seen that film and said to himself, “how can I make this movie but instead appeal to the mass market of mothers who enjoy true crime?” This movie already has a hard enough time starting off, where the first half is basically filled with really cringey dialogue that makes both lead characters Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively seem like caricatures of two polar opposite mothers. I love both Kendrick and Lively, I think both of them have a lot of talent and can have great performances given the right material. Feig does them an incredible disservice by casting them in this movie, because both of them are not good.

The second half of this movie becomes unbearable as the twists are so nonsensical and contrived, it’s insane. There are some huge betrayals of character that really require you to suspend your disbelief for like a solid hour. I just cannot believe that this movie was as well received by critics as it was! I’ll admit, there is a small sliver of well-constructed mystery that just barely gives you enough strength to push through this movie, but MAN was it a struggle.

Maybe if you’re a huge fan of Paul Feig for some reason, you’d get a huge kick out of this film. If you are a fan of movies in general, I’d stay far, far away. Kendrick and Lively really try to do their best with the material they’re given, and I applaud them for that. If you want to see something like Gone Girl but with mommies, then please…just watch Gone Girl again.

Grade: C-/59

“Blindspotting” Review

Since MoviePass decided to die on me near the tail end of this year, I wasn’t able to watch a lot of films that came out in the past couple of months. Now that some of them are starting to appear on Blu Ray, I’m able to catch up on some films I missed earlier in the year. Expect to see a few incoming reviews where I’m a bit late to the party on.

Blindspotting is a film co-written and co-produced by childhood friends Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal. Their intention of writing the screenplay for Blindspotting was to capture a more authentic depiction of their city of Oakland. The film juggles some heavy themes including race relations, police brutality, gentrification, and above all the friendships you choose to keep.

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while now, you know that I’m a bit more sensitive to movies that have a political message. There’s a time and a place for the arts to have criticisms that reflect current events, but I’m always a bit more turned off by it when the message is one-sided. I’ll be honest, I didn’t go into this movie with the highest of expectations. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this is not only one of year’s best movies, but one of the best movies providing thoughtful commentary on the rampant racism that plagues our country.

One of the first things that stuck out to me were both Casal and Diggs’ performances. Both of them are fantastic and display a friendship on screen that can only be had by…well, being actual friends for a really long time. Their chemistry and ability to play off of each other is truly a joy to see, and really brings the friendship to life.

The editing in this film is also fantastic as well. It has a bit of an Edgar Wright feel, with the quick cuts and using cinematography as a comedic instrument. There’s a particular scene about halfway into the movie where a man recounts a story with Diggs’ character that had me dying, and the cinematography definitely lent a hand in making that scene funnier.

As funny as this movie was at times, I think it’s more of a drama than a comedy. There are serious moments that highlight the relationship between the police and the black community, but it does so in a tasteful manner. The issue of racism is not so much a loud booming voice on a megaphone in the film, but serves more as a backdrop that enhances the backstory of the two main characters’  friendship. I think the film does a good job of subtly showing both sides of the story, even if does show that it favors more towards one side. The film shows that the issue of racism is not simply an “us or them” mentality, but that it’s a complex mix of where you grew up, who you became friends with, what you are on the outside and on the inside. Identity is also an important theme in this movie, and Blindspotting beautifully blends all of these struggles together in its depiction of two friends who are seemingly growing in separate directions.

Both Diggs and Casal are pretty new to the Hollywood scene, and I’m looking forward to see they do next. There is a style to this movie that really brings Oakland to life, in a way that truly reflects the reality of the times. The movie doesn’t pull punches, but it also doesn’t ignorantly point fingers at anyone on the issue of racism. It’s a movie that has a lot to say, but doesn’t use too many words saying it. There are many movies out now that want to address our world’s current political climate, but I think there are none that do it as effectively than this film.

Grade: B+/84

“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” Review

Netflix’s master plan to take over the Oscars continues with the hiring of cinema juggernauts Joel and Ethan Coen, in their newest anthology movie The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. The film follows a series of short films that are very loosely tied to each other, each ranging from about 10-20 minutes. When I say loosely tied, I mean you really have to reach deep to find the connection between them, otherwise you’d think that they were all just random films put together.

As is the case with most anthologies, some of the films are way more interesting than others. My favorite is from the first one, with Mr. Buster Scruggs himself. The Coen brothers continue to write excellent characters that embody the dark humor that they’ve come to be associated with in every film. However, there’s definitely something about the Coen brothers recently that I haven’t been able to put my finger on, but I haven’t been able to enjoy their films as much since No Country for Old Men.

There’s not much to say about this film, because it’s hard to draw some sort of meaning or message from each short film other than the darkly humorous occurrences of death and how unexpected it can be. I’m sure those who are able to break down film for its deeper messages can have a great time with this, but the average filmgoer might have a harder time interpreting this movie for what it is other than a series of random movies put together. As is the nature of anthologies, it’s a bit difficult to become attached to any of the plots or characters as much as you could with a fully fledged two hour film. However, that’s not to say that the films as a whole doesn’t have some great character moments, as there are some scenes that are classic Coen brothers moments.

Overall, I can see this film being divisive among the average viewer. It’s not necessarily bad, but sometimes the love affair that critics have with the Coen brothers can be a bit much. I think they are capable of putting more thought and meaning into their films as proven in the past, but this anthology series left me with a slight feeling of emptiness; not to be confused with the general feeling of emptiness and hopelessness that their amazing movies tend to generate in me.

Grade: B-/74

“Creed II” Review

One of my greatest cinephile sins committed was that I never saw any of the Rocky movies. Prior to watching this film, I decided to watch all of them, including the much maligned Rocky V. My rankings of the films would go as follows:

1. Rocky
2. Creed
3. Rocky II
4. Rocky Balboa
5. Rocky III
6. Rocky IV
7. Rocky V

One of the biggest takeaways I got from the films was the unshakable character of Rocky Balboa, and how his inherent desire to do good allows him to overcome all different types of hardships—whether it be in his boxing career or in his personal life. He has a heart of gold, and also the heart of a champion. The first two Rocky films do the best job of bringing the character to life, while the rest of them step into more absurd narratives that prioritize spectacle over substance.

With the arrival of the new Creed series, director Ryan Coogler was able to reinvent the franchise by bringing in Apollo Creed’s son Adonis into a more grounded reality with our favorite boxer as his mentor. I appreciated getting to know a wholly new character, while being in the presence of an established champion and well loved character in the franchise. It was refreshing and a welcome change of scenery, as the later Rocky movies never really captured the same magic as the earlier films.

With Creed II, the film enters a bit more predictive territory similar like the previous Rocky films. Pretty much every story beat in this film could be seen coming from a mile away. However, I don’t think the movie’s intention is to do anything but telegraph its overarching narrative from the very beginning. All of the Rocky films have an emphasis on the redemption arc and trying your best, so Creed II definitely plays it safe and opts to include the moments that best define the franchise. Is this a bad thing? No, definitely not. I never went into any of the previous films expecting a twist or anything out of the unexpected, as the strength of the movies are found in its ability to express the idea that persistence can overcome all hurdles.

I’d say the best part of this movie was Creed’s opponent and a callback to the villain in Rocky IV, Ivan Drago’s son. I thought it was a pretty clever way of bringing back more shadows from the past, and actually adding some depth to characters that I never thought I’d see again. I actually really enjoyed the dynamic that Ivan and his son Viktor shared. The movie spends a decent amount of time revealing things about the Drago family’s past and the fallout from the end of the fourth movie. There are two simultaneous redemption story arcs going on in that sense, as Adonis Creed continues to make a name for himself after rising to prominence at the end of the first film.

I think director Steven Caple Jr. helmed this film with no greater desire than to make people feel good. The film doesn’t subvert any expectations and doesn’t try to pull the rug from underneath you, but instead establishes what made the previous Rocky films effective and doubles down on them. You get your training montages, your heartwarming character moments with Rocky, and overall you get that sense of triumph when watching the movie. Depending on how your expectations are going into this film, that’s going to be your biggest takeaway. It pulls the same punches, but in a franchise like this, it might just be what the fans want.

Grade: B/78