Author: THEDHK

  • 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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    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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    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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    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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    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…

  • The Meg, Christopher Robin

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    This week’s movies are pretty bad, but at least “The Meg” was enjoyable bad, versus “Christopher Robin” which is…. just nightmarish. “The Meg” is what happens when you give a SyFy channel original movie concept a Chinese budget (and Jason Statham). Objectively I know it is not a good movie, but I still very much…

  • The Equalizer 2

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    I saw “The Equalizer 2” (without having seen “The Equalizer”) and it left me with a lot of questions… ​While Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua were an undeniable duo to be reckoned with with “Training Day” it feels like they’ve been desperately trying to recapture that magic since. Denzel, Melissa Leo, and Bill Pullman…

  • Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Generation Wealth

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    This week brings the umpteenth Tom Cruise as Tom Cruise film… I mean this week brings “Mission: Impossible – Fallout.” It also has Lauren Greenfield’s documentary “Generation Wealth.”Tom Cruise is just a character in and of himself at this point. Thankfully the “Mission Impossible” films are most suited to that persona. He’s joined by Rebecca…

  • Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Blindspotting

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    This week brings “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” which I wish didn’t go at all, and another Bay Area film, “Blindspotting.” There is no reason whatsoever to make “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” – yet somehow they convinced Amanda Seyfried, Dominic Cooper, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgard, Christine Baranski, Colin Firth, Julie Walters, and…

  • Skyscraper, Eighth Grade

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    This week brings the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson vehicle “Skyscraper” and Bo Burnham’s surprisingly insightful “Eighth Grade.” While The Rock can do no wrong in my book, this isn’t exactly doing right by his audience… While “Skyscraper” is fine, it’s nothing innovative or even particularly daring. ​Meanwhile Bo Burnham’s “Eighth Grade” was a surprisingly delightful…