Author: Caillou Pettis

In the heart of Chinatown, New York, an ornery, chain-smoking, newly widowed 80-year-old Grandma (Tsai Chin) is eager to live life as an independent woman, despite the worry of her family. When a local fortune teller (Wai Ching Ho) predicts a most auspicious day in her future, Grandma decides to head to the casino and goes all in, only to land herself on the wrong side of luck… suddenly attracting the attention of some local gangsters. Desperate to protect herself, Grandma employs the services of a bodyguard from a rival gang (Corey Ha) and soon finds herself right in the middle of a Chinatown gang war.

The concept of Sasie Sealy’s Lucky Grandma is quite insane indeed. It sounds like a movie that would never ever work. Like something you’d see on an even stranger episode of Black Mirror or something along those lines. But as crazy and outlandish as it may be, it actually works quite well thanks to numerous elements at play.

Namely the lead performance from Tsai Chin as the titular grandma. Here, she feels completely and wholly intimidating from the very first moment you see her all the way up until the end. It is without a doubt one of the strongest performances of the entire year thus far. She is asked to do a lot here, and she manages to pull it all off.

Grandma is a character that you feel could be extremely dangerous and deadly whenever she feels like it. Don’t let her old age fool you. Just because she is elderly doesn’t mean she couldn’t harm you at any second. The cold, scary look in her eyes that stays constant throughout the running time was fascinating.

But aside from Chin pulling off a remarkable performance, the story as a whole was quite entertaining to watch unfold. It starts off a bit rocky with a little bit of setup, and it does take a while to get going and it’s hard to get invested right away. Luckily though, the story picks up greatly in the second act with plenty of gripping and intense plot beats that will keep you intrigued the rest of the way through.

In addition to all of this, it’s also an impeccably shot film with director of photography Eduardo Enrique Mayén putting a ton of focus on wide shots and extreme close-ups that look absolutely stunning. The look of Chinatown is incredibly eye-catching and is filled with tons of vibrant colors as well.

Does it have its hiccups along the way? Sure it does. But then again, what movie doesn’t? It suffers from pacing issues early on and does take a while for things to get interesting, but once things get going, it becomes a relentlessly entertaining and oftentimes gripping viewing experience.

Lucky Grandma suffers from some pacing issues but nevertheless tells a gripping and compelling story further boosted by the talent of lead star Tsai Chin.

A couple, Jibran and Lelani, (Issa Rae & Kumail Nanjiani) experience a defining moment in their relationship when they are unintentionally embroiled in a murder mystery. As their journey to clear their names takes them from one extreme– and hilarious — circumstance to the next, they must figure out how they, and their relationship, can survive the night.

When you go into a movie such as The Lovebirds, you have to recognize what kind of movie you are in for. Those that go into a film such as this one expecting anything more than a cute and easy-breezy romantic comedy are going to let down terribly.

That’s not to say that romantic comedies are bad or anything. They’re not usually the type of film I would put on when I want to watch something that will blow me away, but that being said, every once in a while I do enjoy a fluffy, lighthearted flick if it manages to tell a sweet enough love story and has some good jokes up its sleeves.

Gratefully, Michael Showalter’s The Lovebirds is exactly that type of film. It’s not going to stick in your head for weeks, months, or even years after you watch it, but it is more than likely going to entertain you while you’re watching it thanks to its genuinely great sense of humor and charismatic performances from its two leads.

Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae deliver some of the best performances of their career in The Lovebirds. They are one-hundred-percent feasible as a couple that are in the midst of a hard time and a shake-up here, working together to do whatever is necessary in order to clear their names and survive. Their chemistry is absolutely wonderful and always felt extremely natural and charming.

A lot of the time, we will jump between location to location here, ensuring that there is always something of interest happening on-screen. Sure, there are some dull moments that are a little bit boring, especially one sequence taking place at a theatre in the third act that felt like it would never end, but it’s usually always moving and fast-paced.

In addition to that, the script by Aaron Abrams and Brendan Gall is full of amazing jokes that managed to make me laugh and put a smile on my face. They’re not some of the best jokes I’ve heard in a movie in a while, but they were funny enough to keep me entertained throughout the running time.

At the end of the day, this is a completely watchable, funny flick that you can put on during a Friday night and just kick back and relax. Nothing about it makes you think and it’s not going to stay in your head for a while, but those that are looking for a fun escape should be in luck with this one.

The Lovebirds may be a little bit forgettable and formulaic but its great sense of humor and wonderful performances from Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae make it worth watching.

Julie (Jessica Rothe) is the ultimate ’80s Valley Girl. A creative free spirit; Julie’s time is spent with her best friends shopping at the Galleria mall and making plans for senior prom. That is, until she falls hard for Randy (Joshua Whitehouse), a Sunset Strip punk rocker, who challenges everything the Valley and Julie stand for. Despite push-back from friends and family, Julie must break out of the safety of her world to follow her heart and discover what it really means to be a Valley Girl. Set to a rock ‘n roll ’80s soundtrack produced by legendary Harvey Mason, Jr. with dance numbers by choreographer Mandy Moore, Valley Girl is a musical adaptation of the classic 1983 hit film that changed American teenage life forever.

Rachel Lee Goldenberg’s newest musical adaptation of Valley Girl is going to garner a mixed reaction from critics and audiences alike. That’s for sure. In fact, it already has. I can totally understand both viewpoints. If you watch this film and thought it was truly out-of-this-world amazing, I can understand that. But, if you thought it was truly terrible and ridiculous, I can see that as well.

Personally though, I found this new telling of this story to be an absolute delight for the most part. Right from the opening scenes alone, Goldenberg lets you know what kind of movie this is going to be. We are treated to an upbeat soundtrack right off the bat with the cast of the film singing “We Got The Beat” by The Go-Go’s which then smoothly transitions over to Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation”.

A lot of these scenes can come across as extremely over-the-top, goofy and even at times a little bit corny, but if you’re complaining about that a lot, I feel like you are sort of missing the point. Valley Girl knows exactly what type of movie it is and goes for it one-hundred percent of the time, ultimately culminating in a syrupy sweet musical with tons of stuff to enjoy aside from the wonderful renditions of excellent eighties songs.

The biggest positive here is without a doubt the performance from Jessica Rothe as Julie Richman, the story’s lead protagonist. Ever since the release of Happy Death Day, myself and many others have been saying that Rothe deserves to be a star. The performance that she delivers here is, like usual for her, terrific. She is incredibly likeable as Julie, a girl with big dreams to move to New York City to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology. The way her story plays out was immensely sweet and charming. If Rothe continues to deliver performances as strong as she has been doing since the start of her career, I wouldn’t be surprised if she won an Academy Award one day.

In addition to this, she has absolutely incredible chemistry with her co-star Josh Whitehouse, who is also exceptional in the role of Randy. The pair’s relationship and dynamic is extremely corny and at times, seems like it has no faults. It seems like they are literally a picture-perfect couple for the majority of the movie. But that being said, it was also handled in a cute way that honestly did put a smile on my face.

Another thing that is definitely worth praising here is the attention to detail and how well they managed to encapsulate the feel of the eighties. In addition to having the great, nostalgic songs sung by the cast of the film, they also bring up leg warmers. And of course, the hairstyles and outfits worn by everyone look spot on.

What made the style and aesthetic of the film pop even more was the cinematography by Adam Silver. Whenever most people think of the eighties, they think of bright neon colors, the outfits, hairstyles, cars, etc. Silver’s camerawork is extremely vibrant and full of life and joy, making it hard to not appreciate.

All in all, this was a hugely enjoyable movie. It’s ridiculous at times and does have an ending that feels a little bit jarring and makes you question why certain plot points earlier on were necessary, but at the end of the day, Goldenberg has crafted a wonderfully enjoyable musical that will take you on a breezy and uplifting nostalgic-filled ride.

Valley Girl is a totally rad musical throwback to the eighties complete with a wonderful soundtrack and an astounding performance from Jessica Rothe.

A young NASA scientist named Isaac (Ryan Masson) becomes obsessed with finding proof of extraterrestrials after a close encounter.

We live in a world where we are basically oversaturated with deeply depressing with dark themes. That’s not a bad thing at all, though, don’t get me wrong. In fact, my favorite movies of all time are those that make you think long after the credits roll. One of the best examples of a science fiction movie, in particular, being immensely interesting and enthralling all the way to the end is Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.

But sometimes, you just want to watch a movie that is going to entertain you and will leave you feeling perhaps a little bit nostalgic. Eric Demeusy’s Proximity is exactly that type of movie and it’s such a delight. It never really takes itself too seriously and instead opts for more lighthearted thrills while also managing to tell a compelling story of love amidst the alien story.

One of the reasons why this movie works as well as it does is thanks to the performances from the two lead actors, those being Ryan Masson and Highdee Kuan. Together, they deliver some of the strongest performances of the entire year thus far. They are asked to do quite a bit emotionally, oftentimes having to show their emotions with just facial expressions and they make it look easy.

Not only that, but their chemistry together felt quite strong. It genuinely seemed as though they had known each other in real life for many years and were close friends. In addition to that, their characters were developed in satisfying and interesting ways. By the end of the film, I did find myself wrapped up in their stories and I was glad that I was able to go on a journey with them.

Although that journey is incredibly fun and gives off major Steven Spielberg vibes in all the best ways, this movie can be a little bit too goofy for its own good at times. There are several scenes in which our protagonists are on the run from futuristic soldiers complete with laser guns and everything. These scenes sadly broke a lot of tension that was otherwise planted very well within the movie’s storyline.

Furthermore, the main villain here was not only quite predictable but was similarly corny and over-the-top. The motivations behind why they are doing what they are doing aren’t ever made too clear, and instead, they come across as one-note and incredibly flat.

But none of that takes away from the fact that this film was, as a whole, quite entertaining and is a greatly lighthearted watch. It won’t grip you and take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions or anything like that, but it will more than likely put a smile on your face and will even make you nostalgic thanks to its influences from 80s films such as E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. How can you go wrong with that?

Proximity is an enjoyable, nostalgic blast to the past, even if its villain and certain story beats are a bit familiar and goofy.

Intrigo: Dear Agnes – Review.

What is a human life worth? How is it possible that a woman like Agnes (Carla Juni) could agree to kill another human being? Is it the money? Or are there other forces at play? A funeral. A young widow and two adult children. Agnes is burying her much older husband and the children are his, not hers. Agnes senses that someone is watching her and glimpses a woman roughly her own age standing nearby. Within seconds, the woman is gone. They were once very close, Agnes and Henny (Gemma Chan). A friendship both rewarding and demanding, which ended in disaster. Now Henny seeks reconciliation.

But Agnes seems cautious. Agnes is completely thrown by Henny’s proposal. Henny is married to David and asks Agnes to help her murder him. She’s prepared to pay good money and also to let Agnes choose the manner in which David is to die. Agnes realizes that the past has caught up with her and that she has no choice. What really happened between Agnes and Henny in Bruges all those years ago? How could it be that two people who enjoyed one another’s company so much, could end up hurting each other so badly? They, who had loved each other so much.

The Intrigo trilogy so far has been quite frustrating with me, especially the first two. They all have such terrific concepts that end up ultimately going to waste. The writing in each of them manages to handle the stories in such sloppy ways that make you disappointed knowing what the potential could have been.

With that being said, however, I have noticed over the course of these three movies that they slowly get better as each movie passes. The weakest one of the bunch is without a doubt the first, Death of an Author. It was painfully complex and ridiculously sloppy. Samaria was a step-up but still not enough to impress. Thankfully, in a shocking twist, Dear Agnes is not only the best entry of the trilogy, but it is actually a good movie.

A large part of why this is is due to the screenplay. It’s heaps and bounds better than the stories we got previously. Yes, it still plays out in the traditional style of each Intrigo film before it, but it’s either I have gotten used to this style of storytelling now, or the plotline here was actually interesting. Some part of me thinks it’s both.

Daniel Alfredson and Birgitta Bongenhielm wrote the screenplay for Dear Agnes. A screenplay that, much like the others, takes a bit to get going, but eventually gets genuinely interesting. I felt a true connection to the characters this time around because they were actually fully developed.

Before even going in to watch this movie, I was already a little bit excited knowing that Gemma Chan was in the film as one of the lead characters. Chan is not new to the field, starring in high-profile pictures such as Crazy Rich Asians, Captain Marvel, and Transformers: The Last Knight. Her acting abilities have always impressed me, and they did once more here. She is powerful and raw as Henny, a character that mourns for the past and struggled with her friendship with Agnes. The way her story was presented was very detailed and thought-provoking.

But in addition to Chan, all of the other actors do a great job and have amazing chemistry with one another, namely Carla Juri and Jamie Sives. Together, they all three deliver strong performances in a movie that is finally deserving of their incredible acting talents.

I suppose the story could have delved a little bit deeper and could have taken these characters to even darker places, but the story we already got was still surprisingly fun and gripping to watch. Finally, we have a good Intrigo movie. It’s just a shame that its the last one.

Dear Agnes, the final installment in the Intrigo trilogy, finally manages to tell a compelling enough story worthy of its incredible actors.