A Simple Favor

#GoneGirl's baby sister. A Simple Favor is one if the most fcuked up, funny, delicious movies I've ever seen. Blake Lively is Serena van der Woodsen on an X-rating. Anna Kendrick is awkwardly hilarious. And Henry Golding is like a hot stove to a kid...you wanna touch it, but you know you'll get burned...but you still kinda wanna touch it.

SOOOOOO GOOOOOD 5 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Crazy Rich Asians

When I first heard the title I laughed. "How silly." But then I heard Awkwafina from Ocean's 8, Ken Jeong from "The Hangover" franchise, Michelle Yeoh from one of my fave movies of all time "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and some hot asian guy named Henry Golding. I decided to check it out...WOW!

Simple story: a couple meet in NYC. She's a college professor. He's hot (they never explained what he does). They have been dating a year so he decides he wants to bring her home to his family in Singapore for his best friend's wedding. Well in SINGAPORE he's basically a royal. His family owns a development company that DEVELOPED Singapore. And so begins Rachel (Constance Wu) trying to fit with Nick (Henry Golding) and his family. Michelle Yeoh is his disapproving mother. Awkwafina is Rachel's NYC friend who moved back to Singapore but has had little touch with Rachel since the move.

What surprised me is that YES Henry is drop dead gorgeous. But the man can act. For real, for real. Awkwafina stole the show for me as Rachel's best friend tho. ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS! My Michelle didn't disappoint, but Constance Wu is one of my fave actresses now. She can do funny and make you cry within 2 seconds of each other.  

I loved every single frame of this movie. It was funny, sweet, and I LOVED seeing the Asian culture. Thankfully it's a 3 part book series. This one deserves a 5 star up and down, sideways, front ways. LOVED IT!

The cinematography, costumes, EVERYTHING about this film is amazing. My eyes were poppin! Cannot wait for the sequels. And the fact that it's an all asian cast makes this sweeter.

Peppermint

So here's the breakdown: Peppermint="Alias" meets Death Wish. Jennifer Garner plays a married mom who watches not only her husband and daughter get gunned down while at a local carnival, BUT watches as the justice system fails to prosecute the killers. The only reference to Peppermint is the fact that it's her daughter's fave ice cream flavor and the last thing her daughter eats. 

It's a great movie...4 out of 5. Very detailed oriented, you can tell Jen has her fingerprints all over this as far as it not being sloppily written or produced as an action movie. BUT the ending was uninspired. I actually expected something COMPLETELY different. For me that's why it wasn't a 5. It's like watching a gymnast do a floor routine, and they didn't stick the landing. 

But lemme tell you I was LIVING for JGar reliving old Sydney Bristow. Mos def worth seeing in theaters.

Destination Wedding

So I like the fact that Keanu Reeves as the cynical, cheap Frank is COMPLETELY different from any other character he's ever played . And Winona Ryder is COMPLETELY different as the chatty often neurotic Lindsay. 

Two people who meet at the airport end up hating each other immediately and then end up going to the same destination wedding.

But the movie itself is a mess. The script is weird, and the situations are convoluted. AND THEY TALK WAY TOO MUCH!  It's worth watching Keanu and Winona, but don't expect to enjoy it. 3 out of 5 stars only because of them.

Happytime Murders

Melissa McCarthy is an LA detective who use to have a puppet partner. That partner accidentally shot and killed another puppet while trying to save her from a puppet holding her at gunpoint. She assumed he was trying to protect that puppet and a new law forced puppets underground. Now stars of the "Happytime" show featuring all puppets and one human are being murdered. Melissa and her former puppet partner must work together when one of the stars (his brother) is murdered. RAUNCHY, FUNNY, and FUNNY! You will enjoy if you like her movies. Trust me.

Mission Impossible: Fallout

This was the best Mission Impossible film ever. I LOVED IT! It's still 4 out of 5 stars easily.

Whatever you say about Tom Cruise he's a great actor and raises others to his level. No surprise he worked his magic in this as Ethan Hunt is tasked with finding the mysterious John Lark before he deploys all of the Plutonium leveling a few cities. The movie is a little predictable, BUT the execution is amazing. My Henry Cavill didn't disappoint.

Christopher McQuarrie is the writer/director. The movie is a bit uneven; it's completely and utterly detailed oriented one minute and leaves a huge gap the next. Example: the team does a great job getting a password, but when Ethan gets plutominium in the beginning he doesn't secure he prior to fighting bad guys. 

The producers SHOULD NOT have said Henry was the villian either. It really ruined the story for me. Had I not known it would've been better.

After all that though I cannot wait for the next one. SOOOOOOO good even with it's flaws.

The Equalizer 2

Lemme start off by saying I LOVED this movie. 4 out of 5 stars. Doesn't exceed the original, but still very good. The ONLY thing is it's veeeeeeeeery long and draggy. Like Robert McCall I checked my watch a few times, but again very good movie.

This one sees his friend (Melissa Leo) being murdered as she's about to solve a mysterious murder. We get more backstory to his life before, and it opens a TON of possibilities for at least a 3rd or even 4th. Denzel Washington is perfectly cast because he looks so unassuming, but DANG his kills are vicious.

Definitely worth seeing. You will enjoy yourself, but again it's a touch long.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again!

I'm going to give this sequel 4 out of 5 stars. Nothing will compare to the original for me. But I did like this movie a lot. It's funny, fun, and refreshing. Pierce Brosnan STILL can't sing, but thankfully he's not given a huge solo. Lily James is a scene stealer as Young Donna.

The sequel/prequel takes place as Sophie prepares the hotel for it's grand reopening a year after Donna passed away, but 5 years after the original film. As she's reopening the hotel Donna's backstory is played out simultaneously. Love this idea and the execution. If you liked the first one you'll like this one.

Ps. OBSESSED with the soundtrack for both of the movies.

Sorry to Bother You

5 out of 5 stars without question. Easily the most important film of the year. 

Lakeith Stanfield plays Cassius "Cash" Green, a young black man living in his uncle's garage dating his artist girlfriend Detroit (Tessa Thompson). After struggling to find work Cash gets a job working with his friend Sal at Regalview in their sales cold calling center. The goal for every sales rep is to become a Power Caller (upper level sales in the building). Armie Hammer, Danny Glover, Omari Hardwick, and Terry Crews co-star in this Boots Riley drama.

Sounds simple enough? When the story gets interesting is when Cash is told to mask whom he is to get ahead by "using his white voice." Why's that important? For me I interpreted it as not just black folk but ANYONE who needs to get ahead has to pretend to be something to get ahead.

The film is visually amazing and very interpretative. Everyone can get something out of it. 

Again great movie, worth seeing. It felt a bit long, but still good.

Skyscraper

If you take "Die Hard" and mix it with "Towering Inferno" you get "Skyscraper." 

The Rock stars as a former US soldier Will Sawyer turned security expert whose family (fraternal twin son and daughter and former Army medic turned nurse wife Sarah played by Neve Campbell) is the only and first family to live in Hong Kong's experimental city in the sky, The Pearl which stands at 3500 feet. Unfortunately for them a fire starts a floor below their apartment. With his wife and kids inside, and Will must find out who started the fire, why they want The Pearl to burn, and to get his family out safe.

I loved the movie but had SEVERE anxiety watching Will jump from a crane inside the building (in the trailer) and other stuff (I won't ruin it). Other than that I LOVED this movie. The Rock and Neve surprisingly have amazing chemistry. And Neve's Sarah isn't a damsel in distress which I love. 5 out of 5 stars easily. Definitely a must see, but I can only watch it once. My nerves are SHOT!