Captain Marvel (2019)

Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel (2019)

Director:

Anna Boden

Ryan Fleck

Starring:

Brie Larson

Samuel L. Jackson

Ben Mendelson

Lashana Lynch

Plot:

Carol Danvers becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.

Review:

So I have managed to see this movie twice in theaters, which is unheard of for me, now. I was not a huge fan of the Wonder Woman movie and ever since Black Panther I’ve been excited and scared for Captain Marvel. I hoped so much that it would be everything I wanted in a female superhero movie, but after years of disappointments I was afraid they wouldn’t be able to deliver. Oh boy did they deliver.

SPOILERS

Carol Danvers, Brie Larson, has her own sense of humor, which is a bit sarcastic and loveable annoying. She’s pushed the limits since she was a child, refusing to allow others to tell her she can’t do something, especially if it’s because of her gender. For most of the movie she is missing large chunks of her memory and because of that she has a moment of doubt unsure of who she is, but it doesn’t take much from her best friend to remind her. Even under the control of the Cree who she is shone through.

The fight scenes are always the scenes I’m most disappointed in with Marvel movies and sadly Captain Marvel wasn’t an exception. They were cut fast and shaky so it was hard to tell who was doing what, or just to see anything cool looking. It’s a common trend with the movies though so at this point I don’t expect anything else.

Nick Fury, Samuel L. Jackson, looked incredible. Based on quick math I estimate that Fury was around 51-54 at the time of the movie. I know that there was some CG done with him but it was so well done you could hardly tell. He was younger, and a bit more silly, but he was still very much the intelligent and quick thinking Nick Fury you expect.

Maria Rambeau, Lashana Lynch, was Carol’s best friend and the one that grounded her when she needed it. I was so glad that she had her own moment to shine and was not just a sidekick to Carol. Her daughter was precocious and the possible hints at Maria’s relationship with Carol were exciting.

Captain Marvel did not have a romance and I really appreciated that. I feel like there might have been a possibility with Maria, but since Captain Marvel has been missing for the last twenty-four years I’m not sure if that’s still viable in the current timeline. The main point of the movie was Carol becoming a superhero, answering questions about future plot points, and setting the stage for Endgame.

I know that more than a few people have complained that timeline wise they felt Captain Marvel should have been done at a different time that it slowed everything down, and to that I can’t roll my eyes hard enough. An incredibly common story telling technique is to take a step back, before the climactic conclusion, and do a flashback. Explain some things and maybe even introduce an element to the story that’s going to help in the final battle. It does slow things down, but it gives the viewer/reader a chance to breath. It answers questions that wouldn’t necessarily have been answered with the conclusion. It expands on character development. It gives everyone a small break from universal consequences.

We’re going to get Endgame very soon but I am beyond thrilled that we got Captain Marvel when we did. Finally, getting to see a female superhero movie done by Marvel was incredible and I am so excited for what’s to come.

4.5/5

 

HIGHER. FURTHER. FASTER.

Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

Ralph Breaks the Internet

Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)

Director:

Phil Johnston

Rich Moore

Starring:

John C. Reilly

Sarah Silverman

Gal Gadot

Plot:

Six years after the events of “Wreck-It Ralph,” Ralph and Vanellope, now friends, discover a wi-fi router in their arcade, leading them into a new adventure.

Review:

Ralph and Vanellope have developed an unhealthy codependency issue. Vanellope is trying to fix things, but Ralph isn’t making it easy for her and she doesn’t want to hurt his feelings, then the Internet is introduced to their world and things blow up.

Ralph Breaks the Internet was more entertaining than the first movie and I ended up really enjoying it. All the little jokes and digs at the internet were funny but easily my favorite part were the Disney Princesses. OMG we need a show with them or a movie or webisodes. Something because it was so much fun seeing them and how they interacted.

 Ralph and Vanellope end up figuring things out and their relationship was saved. There were some tense moments but nothing on the level of Toy Story 3 so I don’t think little ones would have an issue here. Both of my kids seemed to enjoy it, though, my daughter stopped caring once the Princesses were gone.

It’s a fun movie, though, very dated because of all the internet references. Who knows how fun it will be in the future?

4/5

Instant Family (2018)

Instant Family

Instant Family (2018)

Director:

Sean Anders

Starring:

Mark Wahlberg

Rose Byrne

Isabela Moner

Plot:

A couple find themselves in over their heads when they foster three children.

Review:

Marky Mark and Rose Byrne decide that their life needs to get complicated, though, they don’t think of it that way. They’ve got a successful business, a gorgeous house, and their relationship is in a good place. Because of their age, though, they’re hesitant to add a baby and think why not foster kids. Laughter and feels ensue.

Instant Family was cute, I laughed a surprising amount, and tears were shed.

Watching as the couple rose to the challenge they’d accepted was heartwarming, though, at times a bit over the top, but that’s to be expected. I liked that it shined the light on something so important, but I feel like they could have included more on that side of things. Of course, then it would have been a lot less funny.

3/5

 

A Star is Born (2018)

a-star-is-born-2018

A Star is Born (2018)

Director:

Bradley Cooper

Starring:

Bradley Cooper

Lady Gaga

Sam Elliot

Plot:

A musician helps a young singer find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.

Review:

Yeah…this movie wasn’t for me. I liked the music, for the most part, but just could not get invested in the characters and as soon as I figured out what was going to happen to Bradley Cooper’s character I checked out.

Lady Gaga is a normal person, with a normal job, that happens to sing at a small drag club once a week. Bradley Cooper is a country western star with a hearing problem and a serious alcoholic. Drunk and wanting more Cooper shows up at the bar Lady Gaga performs at and decides she’s got talent.

Next thing you know she’s a star, they’re getting married, and he’s getting worse. Dude needed some serious therapy, eventually gets some but recovers just enough to take his own life.

Definitely not a happy ending and I’m not sure what the message here was either. I think I would have liked it better if it had just focused on one of them, instead of both. Just wasn’t my cup of tea.

2/5

Crazy Rich Asians

Crazy Rich Asians Book

Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians #1) By: Kevin Kwan

Plot:

Crazy Rich Asians is the outrageously funny debut novel about three super-rich, pedigreed Chinese families and the gossip, backbiting, and scheming that occurs when the heir to one of the most massive fortunes in Asia brings home his ABC (American-born Chinese) girlfriend to the wedding of the season.
When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn’t know is that Nick’s family home happens to look like a palace, that she’ll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia’s most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back. Initiated into a world of dynastic splendor beyond imagination, Rachel meets Astrid, the It Girl of Singapore society; Eddie, whose family practically lives in the pages of the Hong Kong socialite magazines; and Eleanor, Nick’s formidable mother, a woman who has very strong feelings about who her son should–and should not–marry. Uproarious, addictive, and filled with jaw-dropping opulence, Crazy Rich Asians is an insider’s look at the Asian JetSet; a perfect depiction of the clash between old money and new money; between Overseas Chinese and Mainland Chinese; and a fabulous novel about what it means to be young, in love, and gloriously, crazily rich.

Review:

I watched the movie before reading the book, so I was expecting the movie only a bit more. The movie, in my opinion, is a romance but it’s also about an American Chinese woman returning to her roots. I didn’t get that from the book.

Crazy Rich Asians the book was much more fragmented than the movie. You saw into the lives of a lot more characters and if possible you saw a lot more wealth. There were numbers constantly being thrown at you, the price of clothing and real estate, the wealth of someone, both current and projected. It was a lot.

There was more insight into the culture of the people and area, but not so much Rachel returning to her roots. It was more these wealthy people do this thing and if you don’t meet this criteria then they will ignore you or treat you this way. Or this person is doing this thing so that the outside world thinks this about them. It was interesting, but also hard to take seriously because everything revolved around money and wealth and appearances to an insane and calculated degree.

Everyone was a lot less empathetic. Nick, who already seemed so delusional when it comes to his family, was even more so. Rachel was a lot more emotional and weak. My favorite scene in the movie wasn’t in the book at all. The entire ending of the book was quite a bit different from the movie and I feel like the movie made it much more approachable for my American sensibilities.

Honestly, I wasn’t a fan of the book, which really disappointed me. I don’t plan on reading the further books, but I’ll watch any further movies. Crazy Rich Asians, the book, was really light on the romance and discovery of self that I loved about the movie.

2/5