Joker (2019)

  The 'Joker' is a brutally raw and gritty look into the origin story of one of the most infamous villains in popular culture. Joaquin Phoenix gives an unbelievable performance as the joker. Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, a man abandoned by society and his family. The Joker is a character study into how much mental and physical suffering a man can take before he just simply can't anymore. The film highlights issues of social inequality and lack of mental illness awareness and the madness that it can bring when things boil over.
  This film is very dark and at time uncomfortable to watch, and doesn't try to hide any of its ugliness. The struggles and insecurities that the Joker faces are things we can all relate to at some level. Even with its downfalls, Joker is worth a look and it should get a lot of buzz during awards season.

IMDB- 9.1/10
Metascore-58/100
Rotten Tomatoes- Critics-69% Audience- 91%
Yong's rating- 4/5

'Always Be My Maybe' (2019)

   'Always Be My Maybe' is the new Ali Wong romantic comedy featuring an all Asian cast. It tells a love story between two childhood sweethearts. Marcus (Randall Park) and Sasha (Ali Wong) are next door neighbors who become very close friends. As it often does in life, Marcus and Sasha lose contact once they graduate from high school. After more than 10 years apart, the two meet when Sasha comes back home on business. The chance meeting allows the two to reflect on their past. And more importantly, it gives them a chance to re examine their current situations. They must decide what values and priorities are important to them in their lives. It is difficult to find someone you can depend on to go through all of the messy obstacles life has to offer. Marcus and Sasha must determine if they really are meant for each other.
  It was very refreshing to see so many Asians playing major roles in a movie that wasn't specifically made for an Asian audience. The writing and the acting wasn't the greatest (let's just say it won't get any Oscar nominations), but the core of the story is something most people can relate to. And it's just a very cute, enjoyable movie. So if you like romantic comedies and have some free time, go check out this movie on your friend's netflix account.

IMDB- 7/10
Metascore-67/100
Rotten tomatoes- Critics-90% Audience-not yet available
Yong's score-3.5/5

'Christopher Robin' (2018)

  'Christopher Robin' tells the story of what happens when you grow up and forget everything you once held dear. The film introduces us to a grown up Christopher Robin played by Ewan McGregor. We watch the young Christopher Robin transform into an adult in the first few moments of the film. We watch him playing with Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and the gang as a child to see him grown up and too busy with work to play with his own daughter. The grown up Christopher Robin is consumed with responsibilities of work and providing financially for his family that he has forgotten what is really important in life. With his marriage falling apart and his relationship with his daughter in jeopardy, Christopher is too blinded by his job to see how much of a mess he is in. Just when you think poor Christopher Robin is going to lose everything, his childhood buddy, Pooh shows up to help him find the way. A trip back to Hundred Acre Woods leads to a great adventure just like back in the old days.
  Marc Forster does a wonderful job of telling this new version of Christopher Robin story. It reminded me of how much of innocence, imagination and capacity to love we lose as we get older without even realizing it. Often times, many of us find ourselves throwing all of our energy and time into our jobs and work to the point that we forget what is really important. Pooh bear and his gang of friends reminded me that family, friendship, and sense for adventure should always come first, and we should always laugh a little everyday to be constantly reminded to never grow up.

IMDB-7.3/10
Metascore- 60/100
Rotten Tomatoes- critics- 72% Audience- 84%
Yong's score- 4.5/5

'Andre the Giant' (2018)

  The HBO documentary, 'Andre the Giant' takes a look into the life and career of the wrestling legend Andre Roussimoff, known to the world as Andre the Giant. Using old footages and interviews with people who knew him and those who were closest to him, the documentary grants us a look into Andre's private and public life. You get to see what made him such a charismatic force on and off the wrestling ring. Andre was a truly gentle giant with a kind and loving heart. Yet, behind the big smile, life was not always so kind to Andre. He was constantly in pain and never felt like he belonged in a world too small for him. Whether or not you're a fan of wrestling, 'Andre the Giant' is an excellent documentary that tells the story of a remarkable man.  

'Aquaman' (2018)

  Jason Momoa finally gets his solo movie as the Aquaman. If your sole goal is to not think and be entertained by mindless action for a few hours, then I'm sure 'Aquaman' is the movie for you. Jason Momoa is very charismatic and has a strong on screen presence. But, there is only so much he can do with such poor screenplay and poor acting around him, I mean he's not Superman (boom).  
  'Aquaman' tells the origin story of how Aquaman came to be the hero he is. It introduces us to the magical world of Atlantis and their long and complicated history with the human world. When a radical fraction of Atlantians want to wage war against the humans and proclaim Atlantis as the rightful rulers of earth, it is up to Aquaman to be the link to peace between the two worlds.
  I feel there was so much potential to do a better job of telling this story, but instead we get a poorly written mess of a movie unsure whether it wants to be taken seriously or not. However, the box office numbers show the human world didn't mind the predictable mess of a movie.

Yong's Score- 2/5
IMDB- 7.5/10
Metascore- 55/100
Rotten Tomatoes- Critics- 64% Audience- 79%

Great Movies Part 2

'Groundhog Day' (1993)

 Bill Murray stars as a weatherman stuck reliving the same day over and over again. Phil (Murray) is sent to Punxatawney on assignment for the fourth consecutive year to cover Punxatawaney Phil the groundhog on Groundhog day. Just when Phil couldn't think the day couldn't get any longer, he finds himself awake the next day to relive the same day all over again. And over and over and over again...
 Bill Murray perfectly captures the role of Phil as you see him mature from a narcissistic jerk to a genuinely good person. If you haven't seen this movie yet, go watch it over and over and over again.



'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' (2004)

  I used to say this was the best movie made in the past decade. Then I realized it's 2019 now, so I'll have to think of a new best movie of the past decade. Until then, I'll just keep referring to 'Eternal Sunshine' as the best movie of the past decade. This was one of the few movies I had to rewatch right afterwards to see what I missed during the first viewing. The screen play, the cast, art direction and the visuals all blew me away. I was in college when I first saw this movie and it made me think, "so this is what a good film is". 'Eternal Sunshine' deals with painful experiences and how one can chose to deal with them. Are certain experiences worth eliminating from your memories forever? Or do you lose a part of yourself by choosing to erase those bad experiences and everything and everyone associated with them, no matter how much they hurt you?

'The Shawshank Redemption' (1994)

  I've never met anyone who has seen 'Shawshank Redemption' and said they hated it. I mean how could you hate this movie? Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman star as two prisoners who develop a life long friendship while at Shawshank penitentiary. Based on a Stephen King novel, it has great story telling and amazing character development which is a staple of any King novel. There's so many iconic scenes that you just have to watch it for yourself. If you've seen this movie, you know why it's so hard not to like this movie. If you haven't seen this movie, I dare you to go watch it and tell me how much you hated it.

'8 1/2' (1963)

'8 1/2' is one of my favorite Fellini films so I wanted to add it here on part 2 of my great movies list. It is regarded as one of cinematic masterpieces and rightfully so. The film tells the story of a director having a case of what you would call writer's block for a film maker. As he tries to find ways to get his creative juices flowing again, he recalls his past for inspiration. Fellini perfectly blends the director's memories with his current situation to create a fantasy world that is mesmerizing to view. If you have deep appreciation for cinema, I would highly recommend '8 1/2'.