Ali Wong: Baby Cobra/Hard Knock Wife Cobra: OK/G Wife: OK
I never would have heard of this Asian-American female comedian
of Chinese and Vietnamese descent were it not for a recent Entertainment
Weekly review of Hard Knock Wife,
and she’s a writer for Fresh off the Boat,
a sitcom I’m a fan of. I’m open-minded,
being part of a marginalized group myself (despite not being visible), so I
always like to see and hear different perspectives. The only other Asian comedian, male or
female, I ever truly knew about was Margaret Cho before this. Baby
Cobra was filmed three years ago and I wanted to watch that before Hard Knock Wife (both available on
Netflix streaming). Both times she
performed while visibly pregnant. She
already had one kid by the filming of Wife,
so much of that material pertains to motherhood, something only other mothers
would be able to relate to. For being a
woman speaking out against feminism in Cobra,
she sure spends a lot of time in both, Wife
in particular, talking about gender double standards in favor of women. Being a non-white comedian, it wasn’t long
before her race is mentioned and comparisons to white people start in Cobra, but I’d honestly be surprised if
a non-white comedian didn’t. Baby Cobra was decent but lengthy even
at an hour. Hard Knock Wife contained some of the same material as Cobra; I’m guessing she thought people
watched Cobra two years ago and
forgot while disregarding people like me that might watch them back-to-back for
the first time? But like I mentioned
about her having a kid by filming Wife,
the bulk of the material pertains to motherhood and what pregnancy does to a
woman’s body (during and after) which is something I could never relate to
other than vicariously putting myself in her shoes. My only suggestion is not to watch either
with your parents regardless of how open-minded they may be. Bad language is one thing, but she talks quite
a bit about sexual material in both that might make for uncomfortable viewing
alongside certain people. 5/14/2018
Allure G
This simplistic story is actually really messed up
underneath the surface; the first being the fact an adult female (played by
Evan Rachel Wood) holds captive and eventually has an intimate relationship
with a 16-year-old girl that looks like a baby (unless laws have changed, I’m
pretty sure that would make Evan’s character a pedophile). It’s technically not a kidnapping and there’s
no Stockholm syndrome since the 16-year-old chose to go stay with her and had
several chances to leave if desired. The
fact this girl is supposed to be “missing” makes me wonder how no one ever
recognized her when she went out, not incognito either. Alluring may not be the right term for the
movie itself, but it’s a compelling story about truly damaged people (the
illicit lesbian relationship isn’t the only part of the story) and it’s been a
long time since I recall seeing Evan Rachel Wood in a moderately good
movie. 5/19/2018
Anon EH
I didn’t realize there was a “Black Mirror movie” until I watched this Netflix film. As futuristic visual media has shown us, the
more advanced technology becomes, the less private our lives will be. In this world, I’m not sure exactly when (it
bypassed me if so), certain people are able to know your name, age and
occupation just by looking at you. You
can also look at an item and see its name and definition; schooling wouldn’t be
needed if this technology is ever created.
Naturally, with any technology, it falters and some people figure out
ways to work around it; technology is created by man after all. That’s where the murder mystery of the story
comes in. If the murderer didn’t hack
into the system, they would’ve been caught right away (oh, this technology can
tap into people’s memories as well) and there’d be no movie. Maybe if they scrapped the whole movie idea
and actually made it an episode for the above-mentioned anthology series, it
might’ve worked; it’s stylistically perfect and could’ve gone numerous routes
with its concept. The average Black Mirror episode contains more
engaging material in an hour or less while this film at 100-minutes is
completely empty. 5/6/2018
Bad Apples OK/G
The old ‘nature vs. nurture’ theme is used in this movie with
no significance whatsoever other than being brutal. That’s never necessarily a criticism if done
right and effectively. There’s a right
and wrong way to portray violence? Actually
yes, art is supposed to be a creative outlet in which realistic taboos are
acceptable. Artists and their fans are sensible
enough to separate art from reality, but naturally there’re always some bad
apples (!) ruining it for the majority.
Aside from containing some poorly executed murders, this film is
well-shot, well-acted, and thoroughly entertaining---something I’m unaccustomed
to seeing from Uncork’d Entertainment.
It combines elements of The
Strangers, Ils (Them), and The Purge while set on Halloween night. It’s not for everyone unless everyone enjoys
pointless violent entertainment like many a great bygone horror film. 5/16/2018
Cargo OK/G
Decent Australian zombie film from Netflix. Emphasis on the decent. Aside from the landscape, look of the
infected, and time it takes the infected to fully change, it’s still just a
regular undead flick presented as a survival story. It is often bleak while making great use of
its continental landscape, more so than the only other Australian zombie films I’m
aware of which are Wyrmwood (which is
more of an action movie) and Undead
(which is simultaneously an alien film).
I did enjoy those films better, but I’m not rejecting this; just don’t
expect anything new other than what I mentioned. 5/19/2018
Escape Room OK
Two current films bear the same title, this one starring
Skeet Ulrich of Scream and The Craft fame for my generation, Riverdale for this generation. For those that don’t know what an escape room
is, basically a group of people are locked in a room and given a certain amount
of time to figure a way out via clues hidden throughout the room. The group here, consisting of two
heterosexual couples, are locked in a room with a box (a really cool skull one
I might add) containing an ancient demon.
As you may guess, the box is opened and bad stuff happens. The situations are completely plausible but
having the film in one primary location naturally wears the premise out pretty
early, at least way before the ending.
It does have some good things going for it though, making it an average Saw rip-off. I wonder how much different (if at all) the
other Escape Room, set for a November
release, is going to be. I can only hope
for the best but I’ll settle for better.
5/14/2018
The Humanity Bureau G
Here we have yet another post-apocalyptic movie. In this film taking place I’m guessing in the
2030’s based on minimal information given, the titular agency tracks down,
audits and sends those not contributing to society to a place called New Eden
which is far from what’s promised. Fuck
Nic Cage, I like Hugh Dillon, the bald actor most known for Flashpoint in America and Durham County in Canada. I actually liked Nic Cage here though and I haven’t
particularly cared for him in quite a while.
This is very derivative of numerous post-apocalyptic sci-fi films of the
last 40-plus years, but somehow I liked this one. Much like liking a band sounding very similar
to other bands of the same musical genre, sometimes you like a movie better
than similar ones of a specific genre.
The film is rather bleak too, visually, thematically and
conceptually. 5/17/2018
Josie OK
The title reminds me of the Blink-182 song when they were
still good. I don’t believe the pop-punk
trio had anything to do with this film though. The characters, namely Josie (short for
Josephine) and Hank (played by Dylan McDermott), are interesting in a fairly
bland story before an eye-rolling twist that’s nothing new by a long shot but
quite clever in how it ties everything together, making all the preceding
events actually necessary. I’m not
dismissing it, but don’t expect much until the end and you’ll likely not want
to re-watch regardless. One of those
“once and done” movies. 5/16/2018
Mary and the Witch’s
Flower OK
This comes from Studio Ponoc which is a “continuation” of
Studio Ghibli after they went on hiatus.
This is their first film and I wish I could’ve liked it more. It involves the titular girl coming across the
titular flower that transports her to a parallel world containing schooling for
magic plus a more sinister agenda. While
it does contain imaginative sequences only befitting animation, the uninspired
plot reminded me more of Harry Potter-meets-The Island of Dr. Moreau than Spirited Away (the former studio’s
lasting achievement). 5/10/2018
Nostalgia B/EH
Nostalgia. Something
we all have. It can pertain to an item,
song, person, or even a specific memory.
Usually it refers to good things and that’s something we could all use
more of considering we tend to dwell mostly on bad memories. Nostalgia is also subjective. Nostalgia is personal. I’m not going to have the same feelings as
someone else when it comes to their own nostalgia. That’s a big reason why this movie failed to
make me feel anything. Why should I give
a shit about someone else’s emotional connections if it doesn’t pertain to
me? Perhaps I wasn’t looking at it the right
way? Or maybe I have a cold heart? The Jon Hamm/Catherine Keener storyline may
have been able to go somewhere in this ensemble film. Yes, this is an ensemble film, not an
anthology film. Anthology films rarely
have any connecting stories other than a wraparound segment, whereas ensemble
films focus on different characters while being connected somehow. Creepshow
is an anthology film. Love Actually is an ensemble film. Creepshow
2 is an anthology film. Little Athens is an ensemble film. The segment in question though goes on longer
than it should after a predictably mawkish incident that’s far from fresh, making
my eyes roll more than tear up. Cold heart?
The only nostalgia I’ll ever have in regards to this dud are the
delicious tacos, semi-cold Pepsi, and chewy fruit mix lemonheads I had while
watching. 5/13/2018
Paddington 2 G
I liked it better than the first one (reviewed last blog
entry). It still contained some
eye-rolling sappy moments, but it’s completely harmless and charming enough to
give a slight recommendation. It’s
actually funny at times too. I think
this is enough for the Peruvian, marmalade-loving, anthropomorphic bear
though. I could care less if and when
they make a third one. 5/17/2018
The Rain: Season One G
Yet another post-apocalyptic story. This time by way of an 8-episode Netflix
series from Denmark (yes, you will have to adjust the settings before each
episode if you’re annoyed by poor dubbing like me). Here, the rain is what causes the end of the
world; it’s briefly hinted how at the end of the last episode. Anyone touched by the rain at the onset is
struck with a contagious virus. There be
no zombies here though. Those left alive
naturally have to be cautious of other survivors and the one commodity fought
over and searched for is food. Much of
this is predictable. Much of this, if
not all, is nothing new. What makes one
similar story different from another? Or
better from another? I really am never
quite sure why I like certain movies or TV shows over similar ones. Perhaps the characters? The location?
A different concept added? This
Danish series is far from great but I did enjoy enough of it to say give it a
shot; I wanted to continue after each episode which is always a plus since I
never felt like I forced myself to watch it.
If they continue, and there’s a very high chance they will based on the
ending, I hope they don’t make the same mistake The Walking Dead did by far outstaying its welcome. 5/12/2018
The Red Pill G
The Men’s Rights Movement.
A movement scoffed at by many and compared to groups like the White
Nationalists. Cassie Jaye, a feminist
filmmaker, concocted this documentary after previously tackling other issues
like feminism and LGBT rights. The
title, taken from The Matrix, is a
notion proposed by Paul Elam (ironically male backwards and his actual name), a
Men’s Rights Activist, in which people that take the red pill will see all the
hypocrisies of feminism and gender double standards the world at large chooses
to ignore, whereas people that take the blue pill will always see women as the
victims and men as the powerful perpetrators.
Some men join these groups or cry egalitarianism because they feel women
don’t have it as bad as they claim. Basically,
no one has it easy and we’re all going to blame the other gender or the other
race when we don’t get what we feel we deserve.
I’m not going to lie, I’m guilty of being pissed off about gender double
standards for many years. Being a gay
male, I’ve always thought women had it better in many regards (sometimes I still
do) and always wondered if I would’ve felt differently had I been a straight
male. Then I hear stories and personal
experiences from women of their struggles and it momentarily makes me feel
better. That’s why I think you should
hear different perspectives. I heard someone
mention a writer say that you should never compare suffering. In a way, both the feminist and MRA movements
aren’t progressive since their issues are generally one-sided. Both have been accused of sexism while both claim
to advocate equality. If that’s the
case, why don’t we all become humanists?
Humanism has even been accused of trying to eradicate feminism, but if
equality is what we all desire, then humanism would seem like the logical
movement. No matter where you stand on
the gender spectrum, this doc makes for a compelling sociological examination
on gender studies and double standards.
It might even make you learn a thing or two or change your opinion on
specific topics addressed. Cassie
questioned whether she was still a feminist by the end, so it makes me wonder how
many others would feel afterwards. It
also makes me wonder how many MRA’s would change if they did a similar case
study about feminism, but I believe the whole point of this film was to debunk
many feminist notions and bring to light an ignored issue. Can’t we all just get along? I know that’s likely never going to happen as
long as we are different, but listening to each other and putting ourselves in
other’s shoes would be a start. 5/19/2018
10x10 EH/OK
Man follows woman.
Man kidnaps woman. Man takes
woman to his house and locks her in the dimensional room of the title. More than one fight ensues. Man chose this woman for a reason. Neither are who they initially appear to
be. Stockholm syndrome? Not quite.
If anything, this film just solidified my contempt for bible-thumping
zealots, or at least prove how batshit crazy some of them can be. While not the absolute worst of its kind,
it’s still unnecessary. 5/15/2018
---Sean O.
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