Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton
Week of August 13, 2018
Crazy Rich Asians
Rated PG-13 for some suggestive content and language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97% at time of writing
In Theaters
Based on the best selling novel by Kevin Kwan, Crazy Rich Asians follows a young NYU economics professor (Constance Wu) who is invited by her charming boyfriend (Henry Golding) to accompany him to a wedding in Singapore, where she will get to meet his family for the first time. Once the trip starts though, she is quickly made aware of a deep secret he has been hiding: his family is filthy rich – and worse yet – his mother (Michelle Yeoh) is highly protective of who gets to date her son. There is so much to like about this film. First you can tell that the source material is as rich as the family, with a plethora of multi-faceted characters, some lovable and many detestable, all of which are well-acted by the exceptional cast. These characters provide a springboard for comedy with some really big laughs throughout. The production is first rate, with a surprise turn for director Jon M. Chu, who until now has only been responsible for some really lousy pics in the G.I.Joe and Step Up franchises. Here he shows that there was talent just waiting to be seen. Also to like is the fantastic vacation that my mind felt I had in Singapore. I didn’t know much about the country before watching, but now that I’ve experienced this virtual travelogue, I now can’t wait to visit for real. But what is most to like here is the story and how it unfolds. You are Constance Wu as she experiences extreme culture shock, not of race, but of money. You feel the tension upon her first exposure and you can’t help but empathize with her fear, love, joy, confusion, heartbreak and determination. It is certainly one of the best romantic comedies in recent years and will go down as a classic in the genre. If the film has any fault, its in the occasionally cheesy moment or corny character that feels a bit inorganic – but fortunately those moments are forgivable and we are left with a pretty great and memorable love story. A-
Avengers: Infinity War
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout, language and some crude references
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
On Disc and Streaming
This first of a two-part Avengers mega story brings together all of the Disney Avenger casts to fight the evil Thanos as he attempts to collect all of the world’s Infinity Stones in order take over the universe and kill half of it off as a perverted act of mercy. While the film is fairly long, it moves along at a fast pace as it tries to include as much from the Marvel universe as possible in order to make the plot make sense. And while it is at sometimes ridiculous, it is mostly very fun to watch with not only great action sequences, but also some great comedy to take in as you catch your breath. It is a tad dark towards the end, but I have faith that Disney will make up for it by summer of next year, and any dread we may now feel will slip away. B+