Sonoya Mizuno – Tripping Through Gateways

In Jon Chu’s adaption of the book by Kevin Kwan, Rachel and Nick have been dating awhile. Nick invites her to go with him to Singapore for his best friend’s wedding. What Rachel is unprepared for is the discovery that Nick comes from one of the richest families in Singapore.

As she tries to integrate with the family, many see her as nothing but a gold digger. Nick’s mother, Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh) is a proper woman who believes Nick should not be involved with an American. And so begins a comedy about being in love and facing obstacles.

Crazy Rich Asians is, oddly enough, one of those rare situations where a pretty standard romantic comedy is also an important moment for entertainment. It has been almost 25 years since Hollywood has produced a movie with an almost entirely Asian cast.

So does it work? Yeah. As far as romantic comedies go, no new grounded is broken. The is a wacky friend, a sassy gay friend, an untrusting mother of the boyfriend. The film has an over the top bachelor and bachelorette party. Some of this is amped up by Rachel finding herself surrounded by opulence. Even her college friend Peik (Awkwafina) is from a fairly rich family.

But the story is well done. The jokes are funny and the emotion is there. Nick is the decent rich guy (as is his sister Astrid). Rachel is kind but determined. And the film actually finds a thoughtful resolution with its central conflict.

One of my favorite gags occurs right at the start of the film, when there is a fun view of “telephone tag” after someone sees Nick and Rachel in a restaurant. And the film has a really great (and in Hollywood tradition, largely attractive) cast.

Crazy Rich Asians did not rewrite the romcom, but it did do it exceptionally well.

Lena is a professor who has been trying to come to terms with her husband Kane’s disappearance a year back. He went on a mission for the Army and seemed to disappear completely. As she tries to move on, one evening he just walks into the room. Kane is tight lipped, even absent minded. Suddenly, he starts to vomit blood. On the way to the hospital, the ambulance is accosted by government agents.

Lena learns where her husband has been, a strange part of an American swamp that is encircled by a strange barrier. To try and get answers as to what is wrong with Kane, Lena volunteers to join four other scientists into what they call “The Shimmer”. They realize it may be one way, as other than Kane, no other group has returned.

What they find within the shimmer is evolution on overdrive. Biological life is being melded into new lifeforms. The four scientists begin to question their sanity and even their physical forms.

Annihilation is a patient and quiet film. It plays out and reveals itself in a deliberately calm fashion. This is not a sci-fi spectacle. Instead it is a world of frightening beauty. The film is full of haunted, eerie visuals. At one point, they discover shrubbery that has grown to look like people. It is both creep and remarkably beautiful.

Much of the film rests on Natalie Portman’s shoulders, and luckily, she is in sync with the film’s tone. She has a quiet intensity throughout the film. Jennifer Jason Leigh offers us an uncertain leader. Dr. Ventriss appears to have ulterior motives, but the audience gets no more real access than Lena.

Tessa Thompson plays scientist Josie in a role so uncommon for Thompson so far, that it took me awhile to realize it was Tessa Thompson. Josie is quiet and mousey, but has a tremendous intellect. This allows her to start to understand the Shimmer in a way the other women cannot. Gina Rodriguez is the well meaning conflict for the women within the film. Oscar Isaac’s role is small, but his performance as Kane is unnerving.

The film is visually stunning, every frame of the Shimmer full of horrific beauty. Alex Garland (director of Ex Machina) is proving himself a force to be reckoned with in thoughtful science fiction film.

Alex Garland’s Ex Machina is is a dark tale of amoral scientists and their creation. Nathan (Oscar Isaac, playing a very different role than Poe Dameron) is a brilliant scientist who has created a mechanical person he has named Ava (Alicia Vikander). He has brought Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) in to test the quality and authenticity of Ava’s A.I.

Through a series of interviews, Caleb starts to become confused about his feelings. Is he falling in love with Ava? Is This the real intention of Nathan? Or does he have another goal for Ava?

The film is very dialog heavy, mostly we sit through conversations between Caleb and Ava or Caleb and Nathan. As the film unfolds and more is revealed, thing become darker and darker. Intended or not, there is something being said about scientific culture and it’s view of women, but I cannot speak more on any theory without revealing some big twists in the plot.

The art direction and design in the film is beautiful. Ava is clearly mechanical, and yet looks lovely, making her ability to draw a person in believable, even though only portions of her are covered with a synthetic skin.

The three primary actors give solid performances. Isaac’s egotistical Nathan moves from merely appearing to full of himself to darkly detached from humanity. Vikander has a cold humanity. You know what emotions she is expressing, but they seem slightly off. Domnhall gives a strong performance as a bright guy who finds himself feeling more and more like a devastated pawn.

This is a good film that builds very quietly to a dark and tragic finale.

Tag: Sonoya Mizuno

Life In Excess (Crazy Rich Asians, 2018)

Loveless Fascination (Annihilation, 2018)

Love and Deception (Ex Machina, 2015)