Crazy Rich Asians

Romantic comedies are a hard sell for me.  I think most of them are cheesy and incredibly predictable but the trailers for Crazy Rich Asians made me laugh out loud so I put it on my list.  I had the chance to see a sneak peek last night and I actually really liked it.  Granted, it is rather predictable, but I enjoyed this humorous take on the Cinderella story.  Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) is an economics professor at N.Y.U.  She has been dating Nick Young (Henry Golding) for almost a year when he suggests that she accompany him to Singapore to attend his best friend's wedding and meet his family.  She suddenly realizes that Nick is more than he appears to be when they end up in first class on the plane.  She meets his wealthy and traditional mother Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh), who thinks she is an outsider, and his jealous ex-girlfriend (Jing Lusi), who thinks she is just a gold-digger.  She does have a few allies, including Nick's cousin Oliver (Nico Santos), and Peik Lin (Awkwafina), a college roommate who lives in Singapore, but will her love for Nick overcome his family's disapproval?  When all is said and done it is a traditional romantic comedy with a plot that does not deviate from the usual tropes.  However, Wu and Golding are extremely charismatic as the main couple and they have a lot of chemistry together.  It is really easy to root for them to be together.  Yeoh imbues Eleanor with a bit of vulnerability so the character has some depth and you understand her perspective.  Awkwafina and Santos provide plenty of comic relief (everyone in this screening laughed out loud multiple times, as did I), especially lunch with Peik Lin's family and the make-over montage.  I also really liked the message about being true to yourself (although a subplot involving Nick's cousin and her husband seemed superfluous to me).  Finally, all of the over-the-top and glamorous parties are so much fun and provide for some great escapist entertainment, particularly the wedding and bachelor party.  I recommend this movie because it is so much fun!

Christopher Robin

Monday afternoon I went to see Christopher Robin and I can't think of a more heart-warming way to spend an afternoon!  I absolutely loved it.  Christopher Robin (Ewan McGregor) has left the Hundred Acre Wood for boarding school, World War II, and then a job at a luggage company in London.  He has lost his way and spends more time at work than with his wife Evelyn (Hayley Atwell) and his daughter Madeline (Bronte Carmichael).  His old friend Winnie-the-Pooh (voiced by Jim Cummings) comes to London to save him and they eventually end up back in the Hundred Acre Wood where Eyeore (voiced by Brad Garrett), Tigger (also voiced by Jim Cummings), Piglet (voiced by Nick Mohammed), Rabbit (voiced by Peter Capaldi), Kanga (voiced by Sophie Okonedo), Roo (voiced by Sara Sheen) and Owl (voiced by Toby Jones) help him realize the important things in life.  The action is very slow and gentle as Christopher Robin rediscovers his imagination and plays with his friends again.  The scene where he defeats the Heffalump is so endearing!  Ewan McGregor is absolutely charming in the role and Bronte Carmichael is adorable as Madeline, who also needs a bit of rescuing by her father's friends.  The animation is incredible and it looks as if actual stuffed animals have come to life.  I loved Winnie-the-Pooh and every time there was a close-up of his sweet little face my heart would just melt.  I wanted to hug him!  In my opinion, this is a sweet and old-fashioned film with a nice message about remembering what is important.  I highly recommend it! 

The Darkest Minds

I saw The Darkest Minds, an action thriller based on the first book in the best-selling series by Alexandra Bracken, with my sister and nephew at the drive-in last Saturday.  In a dystopian future the majority of the children have been killed by a mysterious illness.  The few remaining children have mutated and now have special powers.  The government, fearing their powers, has rounded them up and put them in internment camps where they are color-coded and segregated according to their powers:  green for enhanced intelligence, yellow for manipulating electricity, blue for manipulating matter, orange for mind control, and red for fire breathing.  Those who are orange are deemed too dangerous and are immediately terminated.  Ruby (Amandla Stenberg), who is classified as orange, passes for green for several years.  When her true powers are discovered, a sympathetic doctor (Mandy Moore), helps her escape from the camp but Ruby isn't sure she can trust her.  She eventually teams up with other escaped children, Liam (Harris Dickinson), Charles or "Chubs" (Skylan Brooks), and Suzume of "Zu" (Miya Cech), and they go on a journey to find a place where they can live in safety.  I like Y/A dystopian literature because my students like it and I am a fan of anything that gets them reading.  I also generally like the movie adaptations of these books but this one is mediocre at best in my opinion.  I think it has a lot of plot holes and it is a bit derivative and boring.  However, my thirteen-year-old nephew, a member of the target demographic for this movie, absolutely loved it!  He really liked how the characters face challenges and overcome the odds to survive in a hostile world.  I think this theme is why so many teens like dystopian novels and movies.  While I didn't especially like this movie, I definitely recommend it for teens who, I suspect, will love it as much as my nephew!

The Pirates of Penzance at CPT

Last night I had the chance to see the Gilbert & Sullivan comic operetta The Pirates of Penzance at the CenterPoint Theatre and it was so much fun. Frederic (Alan Smith) has reached his 21st birthday and wishes to leave the group of pirates to whom he has been mistakenly apprenticed. After leaving the pirates Frederic meets a Major-General (Jason Wadsworth) and his daughters, takes a fancy to his youngest daughter Mabel (Sarah Jane Watts), and enlists the Sergeant of Police (Matthew Stokes) and his constables to exterminate the pirates. Chaos ensues! I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of this production, beginning with the lead actors. Smith is incredibly engaging as Frederic and, not only does he have a fantastic voice, but he has great comedic timing. I especially enjoyed his interactions with his nurse Ruth (Charline Grigg) when he tries to find out if she is beautiful when compared with other women. Watts has an amazing voice as Mabel, especially in "Poor wand'ring one," and I loved all of her funny facial expressions. Wadsworth is hilarious in "I am the very model of a modern Major-General" and I liked the funny interludes where he forgets what he is talking about. Monte Garcia, as the Pirate King, also has a very strong voice and great comedic timing, especially when he finds out that the Major-General is an orphan. The pirates, daughters, and constables are excellent and each of them have distinct personalities which make them fun to watch. The costumes are superb!  I loved the steampunk elements in the pirates' costumes, the colorfully quirky dresses worn by the daughters, the elaborate medals worn by the Major-General (even with his nightshirt), and the knee socks worn by the constables.  The set design, which reminded me of a vaudeville stage, is very effective. I particularly liked the two set pieces on either side of the stage which represented action at sea and characters running to and from the Major-General's castle.  Hurrah for this entertaining production which runs until September 1 (go here for tickets and information).

Note:  If you see this show, pay very close attention to the supertitles!

Double Feature at the Drive-In

Sean and I have a summer tradition of going to the drive-in movie.  This year we had Marilyn come with us and we borrowed my Dad's truck on Saturday night.  We piled sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows in the back and we got pizza, drinks, treats, and a big bag of popcorn.  It was so much fun!  We let Sean choose the movies and he picked Mission: Impossible - Fallout and The Darkest Minds.  I really enjoyed seeing Mission: Impossible again and my favorite part was watching Sean because it was his first time seeing it.  When Erica Sloane (Angela Bassett) first appeared on the screen he yelled out, "It's the Mom from Black Panther!"  When Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson) came on screen he was even more excited and yelled, "Look!  It's the opera singer from The Greatest Showman!"  By the time the second feature started Marilyn and I were really tired and we tried to convince Sean go home but he really wanted to see The Darkest Minds!  We took one for the team and stayed but I think Marilyn fell asleep at one point!  Sean loved this movie (my review is coming soon) and kept up a running commentary through the whole thing explaining what was going on.  I think I enjoyed people watching just as much as I did watching the movies.  There were some really, shall we say, interesting people around us!

Note:  Sean loved The Darkest Minds so much that he asked me if I could get him the books.  This pretty much made my English teacher heart explode so we went to Barnes & Noble yesterday.  Sean was disappointed that the second book wasn't there so I told him I would order it from Amazon as soon as he finished reading the first one.  As I dropped him off, he told me that I should probably order it soon because he was a fast reader!