Author: THEDHK

  • First Man, Bad Time at the El Royale, The Happy Prince

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    THEDHK
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    Awards season properly kicks off with “First Man”, the slightly more crowd friendly “Bad Times at the El Royale” and the Oscar Wilde biopic “The Happy Prince.” First Man” reunites La La Land director Damien Chazelle with star Ryan Gosling. It tells the story of Neil Armstrong (with Gosling starring). It also has Claire Foy,…

  • Venom, A Star is Born

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    THEDHK
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    This week “Venom” gets his own film (whether or not that’s a good thing is debatable) and “A Star is Born” gets yet another remake. Venom stars Tom Hardy (seriously… are there only like 20 actors total who are allowed to be in comic book movies?) Michelle Williams, Riz Ahmed, and Jenny Slate. What it…

  • The Sisters Brothers, Colette

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    THEDHK
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    This week brings a revisionist wild west tale with “The Sisters Brothers” and a spotlight on an early French trailblazer with “Colette.” While “The Sisters Brothers” boasts an impressive cast featuring John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal and Riz Ahmed, ultimately the plot doesn’t live up to the actors. Based on the novel by…

  • The House with a Clock in its Walls

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    THEDHK
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    I went to see “The House with a Clock in its Walls” to have one question answered: Why did Cate Blanchett agree to do this? I left with more questions than answers. The film also stars Jack Black, Kyle MacLachlan, Owen Vaccarao, and Sunny Suljic, Eli Roth directs. ​

  • The Predator, A Simple Favor

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    THEDHK
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    This week is … an entry into the “Predator” franchise that I suppose is passable, as well as the dramatic twisty-turny friendship thriller, “A Simple Favor.” While I didn’t have a bad time watching “The Predator” I think hardcore fans of the franchise may leave a smidge disappointed. The good thing is you don’t have…

  • Peppermint, The Happytime Murders

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    THEDHK
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    Guess it’s one of those weekends to skip the movies… I’ve got the Jennifer Garner vigilante/revenge thriller, “Peppermint” and the botched puppet comedy, “The Happytime Murders.” I had pretty low expectations for “Peppermint” and in fairness the film exceeded them, but that’s a pretty low bar. From Pierre Morel, the director of “Taken” this film…

  • Kin

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    THEDHK
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    I thought there would be more science fiction to Kin… and a better plot. ​Billed as “Armed with a mysterious weapon, an ex-con and his adopted teenage brother go on the run from a vengeful criminal and a gang of otherworldly soldiers.” It was more of a family road trip film. It also needed more…

  • Searching

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    THEDHK
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    This week brings a different (and slightly gimmicky) Asian-American led film, the tech thriller, “Searching.” This movie certainly answers the question of “Why Not John Cho?” with a resounding “YES JOHN CHO!” The acting performances are great in this, but are handicapped by the conceit of the whole film being told through the screens we…

  • Why the Specificity of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Matters

    Why the Specificity of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Matters

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    THEDHK
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    Here’s why Crazy Rich Asians is so important, particularly to Asian-Americans, and this Asian-American in particular. Imagine growing up and for the majority of your life never seeing a person who looked like you (let alone had a similar background) in a leading role in a movie or TV? Unless you’re a fellow minority it’s…

  • Crazy Rich Asians

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    THEDHK
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    The movie I’ve been waiting 25 years for is finally here: “Crazy Rich Asians” is the first film starring an Asian/Asian-American leading cast since “The Joy Luck Club” came out 25 years ago. It’s also just a great time at the movies! The film manages to successfully adapt Kevin Kwan’s tale of romance, opulence, and…