Crazy Rich Asians
This guy takes his girlfriend to meet his family. Cue the glitzy drama.
A bad thing this movie does is open with the main girl looking smart. Because then they do little to nothing to keep the impression alive. You can’t just say, “Look at how this person solved a puzzle,” and then disregard everything you’ve established. You have to follow through and I did not see that here.
This felt unusually long. Normally romcoms clip along even if they’re trash, but not this one. It didn’t help that it had a filler storyline that wanted you to care but failed to produce the right feels.
Rachel didn’t show good reasons why Nick loves her and I didn’t see why he does. Yeah, she’s a professor of something that sounds useless and she can sorta read people, but what else is there? She stood up for herself at the bachelorette party and a few other times, which was good, but failed to do the same with the lame and pointless plot twist. I just didn’t see what’s so great about her.
Nick is sweet and kind and cute-ish but you have to give me more than that. What does he do? What does he like? What does he dislike? How did he grow to not care about his Asian honor? Maybe it’s because I think stereotypical nice guys are overrated that I’m being harsh on him. I wanted more from him.
Rachel’s friend and the friendship between Nick and the groom where the best parts.
So, they’re in Singapore for a wedding and barely focus on the bride. I’d have liked a better look at her wedding dress and for it to acknowledge that it’s the bride and groom’s moment and not the time to show Rachel and Nick smiling goofily at each other.
In the end this movie made me glad I’m not filthy rich or burdened by the oppressive Asian culture.
I have not and will not read the book.
Home Again
Three guys move in with a separated mom.
I hope that premise is something real people would never do. Despite the weirdness of it all, there are some sweet moments and good dialogue.
It’s not bad enough to rile me every time it’s mentioned or good enough to be fondly remembered or re-watchable. If you want a cute distraction, this serves that purpose.
Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again
The backstory of how the mom met the guys.
I’ve seen my fair share of lame movies; this one’s definitely on the list. It also brought the cringe.
The “plot” is contrived, weak, pointless and, I’m guessing, is the result of the songs they had left. Those former points could describe most romcoms/chick flicks but the good ones have their own charm that doesn’t rely on nostalgic music and a predecessor. What made this even worse is the fact that I didn’t see a reason for these three guys to love Donna. Is it down to her being pretty and lively? Or were they high on something?
There are a few good moments, generally involving Colin Firth or one of the other men. I like the music.
It’s barely worth watching once.
Jane Eyre
A woman is hired to be a governess and finds loves.
I’m surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I saw the 2011 movie so I knew the story, but this one’s a lot better.
Jane is unique among female protagonists. She’s quiet, levelheaded, intelligent, low maintenance, and doesn’t rush to hasty conclusions. She had a terrible upbringing and managed to come out intact. The actress did an excellent job showing her emotions and resilience.
Rochester. Ladies and gentlemen, we have Mr. Darcy’s match. I’ve not read the book (but I have read Pride and Prejudice) so maybe Rochester’s different in it, but Toby Stephens made him so gosh darn likable. He’s brooding, passionate, unexpectedly hilarious, and confident enough to make fun of himself. Every time he’s on screen he captured my complete attention. I know he’s a good actor but this time he raised the bar, knocked it out of the park and put a cherry on top. Even if you have no interest in the story you should watch it just to see his performance. Love it!
And him and Jane together…be still my beating heart. I’m a sucker for a good period romance and this ticked that fancy.
The whole cast, the costumes and the locations are very good.
I don’t remember the music, which is a shame since I like a good soundtrack.
There is this one thing at the end that’s outrageously convenient. Even though it is outrageous, it tied up a loose end in the plot and I can forgive it for that.
This is 100% worth watching and I know I’ll watch it again. *Update* I did watch it again and it’s still amazing.
The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part
More Lego advertising.
Sooooo, yeah. Seeing all the Lego pieces doing stuff is still fun and there are some good jokes.
But wow. The messages/themes are Yikesville. Included are: “strong and independent” women don’t get brainwashed, men are weak or evil, and everyone is special. Oh, and women don’t need no man but the men would be helpless without women. Also, men who are sweet, innocent pushovers should never actually be men because then the S&I women wouldn’t get to rule.
It’s more of a dystopian hellscape than the cute and carefree kid’s movie it should be.
A Knight’s Tale
A squire seeks to change his life when he takes on the role of a knight.
I’d never seen this movie before but I’m glad I have now. It’s a good time and the story and characters are fun.
I’m not a huge fan of modern music in medieval settings and I’m not sure this movie benefitted from the combination.
The love story…I’m tired of seeing its kind: A man sees a beautiful girl and instantly wants to spend time with her and says those three words after “knowing” each other for a short time. This is a lazy route to take. Why can’t they spend time together talking and forming a bond so it’s less cheesy when the poetry and declarations start rolling in? I want to see friendship first. Or antagonism, a lá Pride and Prejudice.
And a female blacksmith is lame.
Aside from those things, I like it.