1. Crazy Rich Asians - There are parts of this movie that I enjoyed, but there are also parts of this movie that I almost fell asleep to. I'll start with the good. First, Henry Golding is super hot. Second, Gemma Chan is super stunning (she's also incredible in the tv show
Humans). Third, Michelle Yeoh is a super goddess. In short, I loved most of the cast. It's also a super cute rom-com. This is a good thing, if that's your thing. However, it does hit all the cliches of a rom-com (even a montage of the main character trying on a million different dresses!). So, for me, it's kind of dull and mind-numbingly predictable. Also, as with most rom-coms, the male lead is basically an asshole. I have big problems with his character - he doesn't tell her that he's wealthy (I can see not disclosing it in the first few dates, because he probably doesn't want to be used for his money, but they are in a full-blown relationship). It doesn't really make sense, because he probably lives in a very expensive loft style apartment in NYC. Has she never seen his home? Wouldn't you be upset that someone basically lied about his entire lifestyle? Also, people who are from extremely wealthy families, but don't think of it as "their" money are THE WORST. Imagine growing up so privileged that you NEVER having to worry about money, and then pretending like you don't have it? It's such an insult. What an entitled asshole. Then he brings her to his home, and to these extremely fancy parties, completely unprepared. Shouldn't he warn her about the dress code? Or I don't know, maybe buy her a dress, so she doesn't show up in something inappropriate? I just feel like this guy treats her like garbage, but no-one else seems to think so. I also think the main actress is boring (I don't know her name and I don't feel like looking it up). And I don't
get Awkwafina. She's really annoying in this movie. I think she's supposed to be like the quirky best friend or something, but it's grating. I wanted to hit the mute button every time she appeared.
2. Eighth Grade - Super cute, coming-of-age story about an awkward young girl just trying to be "normal". It definitely opened up my eyes a little bit on what teens are going through these days. I hate to sound like an old fart, but social media is killing the next generation. I'm so happy it didn't exist when I was in high school (I think in my senior year we had AOL Instant Message. OMG I just had such a flashback of using AIM to talk to my friends). I think a lot of anxiety issues that teens face today is all related to social media. Every single teenager is self-conscious. It's completely normal. But things like Youtube and Instagram show teenagers living "their best life" and it's all completely fake. Kids are seeing this as the truth, instead of just communicating IN PERSON to their peers about how hard it is to be a teenager. Everyone is just trying to get noticed, but that's practically impossible on the internet. They also address how fast technology is moving and how different it is for kids even just 4 years apart. Things just didn't move that fast when I was a kid. It's also really depressing that Active Shooter Drills are a normal occurrence for kids. I was a senior in high school when Columbine happened. We had a lot of false alarms and threats at our school during the month after Columbine, and no-one knew what to do, so I guess it's needed, but it's just so sad to think about. The only part that I really connected to is when she goes to the mall to meet a group of (possible) friends. I definitely hung out at the mall (actually, I hung out at the mall that is featured in the movie - The Palisades Center. It wasn't the closest mall, but it was the biggest). Elsie Fisher is a joy to watch. I laughed out loud at her giving the popular girls the finger guns. She's just perfectly cast in this movie, and really carries the whole thing.
3. Beautiful Boy - I was not expecting this movie to be as bad as it is. I remember some early awards talk that ended really quickly after it was released to mediocre reviews. But, I was still expecting...mediocre. This movie is just plain bad. The different timelines are really confusing. I didn't even realize it was supposed to take place in the 90s until half-way through the movie. I thought they were just using 90s music for effect (you know, because people who listen to Nirvana are depressed. LOL). The thing that did it was the huge computer he had in his dorm room (Although, I should have realized it when he could walk to the gate at the airport). I don't sympathize with the main character. This is what I call "entitled white boy addiction". It's addiction, nonetheless. But, he has people that care about him, and money, which most people don't. He has choices. He might make bad ones, but he still has the luxury of making those choices. I don't understand why Timothee Chalamet became such a big thing so quickly. He's....not good. There are times when he pauses and I think it's supposed to be for effect, but it could also be because he's trying to remember his lines. He also always looks like he's 14, which is a big part of why the timeline is so hard to follow. There's just no emotional resonance or depth at all to this movie. It's repetitive - which is surely on purpose, to show the repetitive cycle of addiction, but it's really boring to watch. For the whole film, I just kept thinking "let Maura Tierney have her scene", so when she jumped in the SUV to chase after him, I got really excited. She didn't even have any dialogue, but it's still the most resonating part of the movie. I just adore her.
4. The House - Ugh, I'm so behind on my movie-watching. I'm still trying to catch up on 2017! Usually a comedy with Amy Poehler is at the top of my list, but this got pretty terrible reviews, so it got moved down the list. And rightfully so. It's not good. There are some funny parts (like Amy trying to shit talk), but overall it's just dumb. It's weird that they keep talking about how they are terrible parents because they can't afford to send their daughter to college, but, like, most people can't afford college. So, that's a terrible message. There are single moms and dads out there working 3 jobs to pay for college, and sometimes still can't afford it. Doesn't make them bad parents. And, OH YEAH, I have an idea, why not make your kid get a fucking job and pay for their own college (like MOST college students. I worked 2 jobs and had an internship while I went to school full-time). There's a great supporting cast in this movie that are all severely under-used - Michaela Watkins, Andrea Savage, Allison Tolman, etc. And...Jeremy Renner! I did laugh out loud when he appeared. How random! I had no idea he was in this, and I'm not sure if it's supposed to be a surprise, so oops...sorry if I spoiled it for you. You know a movie is bad if it has gag reels. That used to be a fun surprise at the end of a movie, but now I feel like it's used a saving grace for a bad movie. It's as if the filmmakers are apologizing for making such a terrible movie by giving you something that's actually fun to watch.
5. Ralph Breaks the Internet - The first one was so super, sugary sweet. It was almost sickening, but I still enjoyed it. This sequel is still super, sugary sweet, but it's not quite as good. It's not very memorable - other than the whole Disney princess thing that was heavily advertised. The whole scene is just absolutely brilliant. I'm sure if I watched it again, I would see a lot of little inside jokes that I missed. But, I would never willingly watch this again. It's a heartwarming story of friendship and accepting change, which is great for kids. But for adults, it's just so irritating. Most of the jokes are very timely, which makes me think that it's going to feel very dated in just a few years. The animation is fantastic, though. All of the racing scenes in that GTA type video game are just stunning. I also had no idea that was Gal Gadot's voice. I thought for sure that it was Priyanka Chopra. Like, so sure that I would have bet money on it. They sound identical.
