Original Movies (not sequel, not reboot, not spin-off)
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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) directed by Destin Daniel Cretton
Originally I did not expect to be able to include this movie in this thread having thought that it would be a spin-off of other pre-existing Marvel movies or TV series/cartoons. But after watching it, I consider it independent of those other Marvel movies/series/cartoons. There is no reference to other Marvel movies/series/cartoons except the name "Ten Rings" and the character "Wong" (associate of Dr. Strange) -- but the "Ten Rings" have been totally redefined (compared to how the "Ten Rings" were presented in previous Marvel movies/cartoons) and the brief appearance of Wong is entirely immaterial to the plot ("Wong" could have been entirely replaced by any other generic fighter and would not have mattered).
It's an entertaining action film for sure. I would not really call it a "super hero movie", more like a fantasy action film with a lot of martial arts fight scenes thrown in. The "fantasy martial arts" aspect is packaged in a manner that is very popular in Chinese fantasy-action films/series in recent years. The martial arts fight sequences draw a lot from the Hong Kong kungfu action designs from the Samuel Hung and Jackie Chan era, and they are done quite well. Guns and laser weapons are conspicuously missing in the conflicts.
This movie gets a lot of the far eastern cultural references right. The Chinese/Mandarin dialogue is a lot more idiomatic than most other Westerner-produced movies (even though the English subtitles do not translate the Chinese/Mandarin dialogue exactly).
Do not expect profundity. (Why would you? It's a Marvel comic derived action flick.) But as entertainment it is very well done and you can watch it and be happily entertained for a couple of hours.
Oh, a special mention for Awkwafina (Nora Lam) the actress and the "Katy" character that she plays. Unlike all other major female characters in the Marvel cinematic universe, "Katy" is neither smart nor powerful nor beautiful/sexy. And she has no romantic connection to anyone in the movie. Awkwafina herself does not fit the usual definition of beauty or sexiness. "Katy" may (d)evolve into a sidekick later on in subsequent Shang-Chi or "Ten Rings" movies but for this movie, "Katy" is a great "friend" character and Awkwafina/Lam did a fantastic job with it.
A few years ago when I became aware of Awkwafina I only thought of her as a comedian. I first saw Awkwafina in a major film when she played a supporting role in the "Crazy Rich Asian" movie (2018). I was surprised that I liked Awkwafina's jokester character way more than the female protagonist in that movie. Then I saw Awkwafina playing the leading role in "The Farewell" (2019). In that movie she's no longer a jokester but a character with serious emotional depth. This time in Shang-Chi, she really nailed the "Katy" character -- a good friend that provides comic relief, yet one with nuance and emotional depth in her own right. I now expect Awkwafina to go very far in the movie business, and no one can accuse her for getting where she gets by her looks.
I guess I might as well mention Ronny Chieng. As comedians go, I like Ronny Chieng as a comedian a lot more than I like Awkwafina as a comedian. For that reason, I am glad to see Ronny Chieng in this movie. He plays only a small part in this movie and he does it well. Maybe he will appear again in subsequent movies with the "Ten Rings" in them.
Other notable actors in the movie are Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh, and Yuen Wah. Leung is well-loved and well-established in Hong Kong movies and TV series. Yeoh and Yuen are established kungfu stars in their own rights (with Michelle Yeoh being a lot more famous internationally; Yuen never plays a lead role but has played many major supporting roles in decades of Samuel Hung, Jackie Chan, and Stephen Chow movies and is generally very well-regarded in the genre).
With Awkwafina, Simu Liu (playing Shang-Chi), and Ronny Chieng being the new kids on the block and Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh, and Yuen Wah being the old guards, it looks like Marvel is finally getting serious with opening up an Asian sector for its cinematic universe, just when the CCP is clamping down on the entertainment industry.
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"Dear Evan Hansen" (2021) directed by Stephen Chbosky
It is supposedly a musical, but the drama (plot) is so good that I completely forgot it's a musical. The first part is a little slow setting up the background for a teenager with certain psychological impediments that has trouble making friends. Then it really gets into gear and weaved an engaging tale about how the protagonist, through misunderstanding, become loved by the family of another diseased teenager and become popular in school and on social media. The film portrays different aspects of mental illnesses as they affect the youth, but not in preachy or cringy way. It's pretty good movie with a good story once you get past the first part that's a bit slow.
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"Titane" (2021) directed by Julia Ducournau
One of those French films that left me scratching my head telling myself I do not get French theater (or, more generally, European theater). It's about a woman who, due to a childhood traffic accident, got a titanium plate fitted to her skull. She then grew up to be a serial killer with a fetish for car. The film portrays the woman's very messed up life. Many provocative, explicit scenes depicting fetishes, self-harm, bondage, drug use, even an attempt to self-induce an abortion with a sharp metal object. But I am not sure if all those explicit/provocative scenes actually got anywhere. I could also say "frontal nudity," but it's French so "frontal nudity" is pretty unremarkable by itself. Watch it if you want weird for weird's sake, I suppose. I respect the director and the actors for working very hard at it. But as an audience, I do not get it.
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"Copshop" (2021) directed by Joe Carnahan
Mob, hitmen (some psychotic), cops (good and corrupt). Gun battles in a police precinct/lockup. Bang bang bang! Lots of bullets and many dead bodies, with some intrigue thrown in (not too much). Though nothing profound or groundbreaking, it's very well executed and quite entertaining, kept the adrenaline levels high through most of the film. One of the better films in this genre.
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@axtremus said in Original Movies (not sequel, not reboot, not spin-off):
"Dear Evan Hansen" (2021) directed by Stephen Chbosky
It is supposedly a musical, but the drama (plot) is so good that I completely forgot it's a musical. The first part is a little slow setting up the background for a teenager with certain psychological impediments that has trouble making friends. Then it really gets into gear and weaved an engaging tale about how the protagonist, through misunderstanding, become loved by the family of another diseased teenager and become popular in school and on social media. The film portrays different aspects of mental illnesses as they affect the youth, but not in preachy or cringy way. It's pretty good movie with a good story once you get past the first part that's a bit slow.
Have not seen the movie yet, but Ben Platt is a huge talent. See The Politician.
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"Lamb" (2021) directed by Valdimar Jóhannsson
An Icelandic film. Story revolves around a couple and their adopted half-lamb, half-human child. As an American I find this film to move along quite slowly. The film is classified as "horror" but I do not find it all that horrifying. Big kudos to the special effects and makeup teams, for the half-lamb, half-human child looks very convincing on the screen.
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"Ron's Gone Wrong" directed by Sarah Smith and Jean-Philippe Vine
Very nice children's animation. Speaks to the dynamics between social media and young children today. It's very well executed. It makes an effort to be thoughtful without getting too preachy or judgmental. Good entertainment that can be enjoyed with young children. Heck, it's good entertainment by itself even without young children.
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"Antlers" (2021) directed by Scott Cooper
Film about a supernatural entity that victimizes a poor miner's family that later terrorize the town and killed people. Child actor Jeremy T. Thomas did a phenomenal job playing the protagonist Lucas Weaver. Actually the cast all did quite well with the material given. Lots of blood and gore. But the underlying plot/script is just not that special.
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@axtremus said in Original Movies (not sequel, not reboot, not spin-off):
Though nothing profound or groundbreaking, it's very well executed and quite entertaining, kept the adrenaline levels high through most of the film.
My favorite kind.
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"Last Night in Soho" directed by Edgar Wright
British psychological horror with some supernatural stuff thrown in. If you love the 1960s you will probably like the film's nostalgic recreation of it, the music and the fashion of the era. The plot/story is not all that outstanding. But the overall production is very good. The actresses are exceedingly beautiful. Not to penalize the actress for being "too beautiful," but if it were up to me I'd probably make the actress Thomasin McKenzie look less radiant and less naïve for the character of Eloise "Ellie" Turner. Not a bad movie, most likely you will like it more if you like the 1960s or you will like it less if you do not like the 1960s.
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"Eternals" (2021) directed by Chloé Zhao
So it's a Marvel film, but much like Shang-Chi it has nothing to do with the other Marvel films. A character or two mumbling something about some Avenger characters in passing but you can completely eliminate those mumblings and the film will still work just fine, that's why I treat it as "original" here. (Heck, I think the film would work even better without referencing the Avengers at all -- it's quite contrived to explain the Eternals sitting out all the big fights that happened in the Avengers' universe.)
Nice, big-budget production, for sure. If Shang-Chi is Marvel's attempt to extend the MCU into the Sinophere, then Eternals is Marvel's attempt to extend the MCU into the Indosphere -- there is even a Bollywood style dance number in it.
Anyway, it's a nice, exciting ensemble superhero flick. Nothing terribly profound or terribly groundbreaking. If you like Marvel style ensemble superhero flicks, chances are you will like this one too.
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"Sooryavanshi" (2021) directed by Rohit Shetty
Hindi language super-cop action flick. The story revolves around an Indian cop who leads an elite anti-terrorism squad to foil a terrorism plot. It's interesting to me because:
- It has Indian cop show tropes rather than American or Hong Kong cop show tropes
- It has Indian action/fighting styles rather than the parkour/kungfu-inspired action/fighting styles.
- Particularly the birds-eye view car chase scenes -- I cannot explain it, but Indian car chase scenes somehow immediately looked different to me compared to Hollywood or Hong Kong car chase scenes. The Indian car chase scenes somehow looked more "real", more believable to me.
- (Yeah, Indian humor is different from Hollywood/New York humor too, but you can say that for just about any foreign language film.)
- Imagine cops, a whole lot of them in civilian police and special tactical uniforms, perform a Bollywood dance number.
On the social commentary front, the film addresses the Hindu-Muslim tension that exists within India, with a bit of a nationalistic tone, ultimately promotes inter-religious unity for the good of the country that is India.
Anyway, if you feel like adding a foreign language not-superhero action flick to your watch queue, this one will work just fine. I certainly enjoyed it.
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"The French Dispatch [of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun]" (2021) directed by Wes Anderson
It's actually three unrelated stories in a container story. Heavily narrated, you'd probably be better off reading the stories rather than watching the stories, except the first one that involves modern visual art. You probably need to "see" the art pieces rather than "read about" the art pieces to take the story in. Incidentally this first story and also presents full frontal nudity in a few scenes, which is unusual in American films these days.
In any case, think of this as an "art film" that is nicely paced (not too slow). It does not really induce excitement or trigger many emotions. Most of the time, it's like reading The New Yorker -- relaxing, somewhat interesting, with a veneer of intellectualism, but ultimately aloof in that you are unlikely to ever identify with any one in the stories. Still worth a viewing when you have a couple of relaxing hours, perhaps with a glass of liquor in your hand.
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G George K referenced this topic on
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"India Sweet and Spices" (2021) directed by Geeta Malik
I find this to be a sensitive, smart, and ultimately hopeful movie. Dialogue is in English. The story follows a Desi-American young woman who returned from university to her parents' for summer break. Many scenes depicting the life style and social norms of the upper-class Indian-American community. I chuckle along, but I cannot tell how much of it is accurate and what are caricatures. I suppose I look at it like Indian-Americans look at Joy Luck Club.
It's a thoughtful movie that also contrasts the Indian community's evolving generational attitudes toward women. Embedded in the story is also a tale of how a young woman reignited a former activist's enthusiasm for her cause. All this without getting too preachy.
There is no grand cinematic scene that compels one to watch it on a big screen, streaming this onto your tablet or desktop is just fine. So no need to go find it in a theater. If you can find it on your streaming services, though, I would recommend that you give this one a go.
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"For the Love of Money" (2021) by directed by Heath Ryan
I suppose I can contrast this to Peppermint (2018, directed by Pierre Morel). The motivation for both is a single mother who was wronged is many ways and found her child threatened, which then forced the mother to do something drastic. In Peppermint, the white mother became a gun-totting crime-fighting vigilante. In For the Love of Money, the black mother became a drug money launderer.
There are gangsters and organized crime alright. But the entire plot has only two gunshots and two murders, one of which happens off-screen.
I watched it in a theater, and it's competently produced, competently acted. But overall this feels like it could have been a made-for-TV movie, so no need to rush to a theater to see it. Streaming to your tablet is fine.
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"A Holiday Chance" (2021) directed by Jamal Hill
This feels like a Hallmark Christmas holiday movie, except the all the protagonists and most of the cast are black. The story is that of two sisters overcoming their personality clashes to come together to save the family estate and the family business after the patriarch passed away, just in time for Christmas. The whole movie is quite cliché, quite Hallmark-y. The only other bit that's not so Hallmark-y is the excessive, unnecessary showing of partial boobs. Srsly, the movie and the plot can move along just fine without those sisters wearing low-cut blouses and showing sideboobs so frequently.
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"Encanto" (2021) directed by Jared Bush and Byron Howard
Like most other big budget Disney animated feature films, this one is certainly very competently produced, with very nice music by Lin-Manuel Miranda (stylistically very similar to "Hamilton" the musical) and very nice (animated) choreography. Like virtually every animated feature film featuring Latino culture that made it to the silver screens in the USA's theaters, this one, too, feature some sort of supernatural magic thing. And just like almost every Latino-centric Disney productions, there is an Abuela (grandmother). Refreshingly, though, the Abeula in this case is not infallible.
Overall, it's a very nice family film. The animation and computer generated graphics are so good, so imaginative, that I think you will appreciate seeing it on a big screen if you can catch it on a big screen. The music is definitely an attraction by itself. If you like the musical style of "Hamilton" the musical, or you like Lin-Manuel Miranda's music in general, you will like the music in Encanto.
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"Licorice Pizza" (2021) directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
Very good movie. In a sense, it's about young (and sometime stupid) love. In terms of story telling and plot, its style is very similar to "One Upon A Time In Hollywood", in that it follows the protagonists through multiple events and stories that do not really form a recognizable arc. While the "stories" do not really go anywhere, still, they are captivating and from time to time you get nice surprises. Overall the movie is well crafted. No need to go see it on a big screen. If you like the story telling style of "One Upon A Time In Hollywood", chances are you will like "Licorice Pizza" too, and I would recommend putting this into your watch queue for whenever it becomes available on streaming services. -
"Red Rocket" (2021) directed by Sean Baker
The story follows a middle-aged screw-up, has-been male pornographic actor, his return to his hometown, his interaction with his wife (also a former pornographic actress), his mother in-law, his colorful neighbor, local drug dealers, and a young women working in a donut shop whom he thought he could induct into the pornography business. But this movie is not pornography and is not about pornography. It's a bit like watching "Joe Dirt," but with some frontal nudities, and no where near as up-lifting. Not a bad movie, watch it if you like stories about screw-ball losers down on their luck.
