#2018 movies

[cressida-jayoungr]

One Dress a Day Challenge

January: Red Redux

Oceans Eight / Rihanna as Nine Ball

This character has spent most of the movie dressed in pretty grungy outfits, so it's a real transformation when she glams up for the Met gala. (Or maybe, given that we all know she's played by Rihanna, the transformation is in seeing her glammed down for the rest of the movie.)

The dress was designed by Zac Posen, and the mermaid skirt was partly a response to the fact that the dress had to comfortably fit through the door of a food truck where the character was hiding out for most of the heist. Sarah Edwards, the film's costume designer, explained, "It couldn't be something that was too big or [had] too much of a train. I think he had his entire shop on overtime, day and night." I think it was a great solution, as the effect is stunning!

[reallyunluckyrunaway]

"the hardest choices require the strongest wills..."

[retrocinemv]

𖥔 ࣪ ˖ 55. set it up (2018) dir. claire scanlon

[adamwatchesmovies]

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

While it would be nice for every story to be wholly new and completely unpredictable, there’s something satisfying about a film that uses genre tropes this well. Crazy Rich Asians is the best romantic comedy we’ve seen in a long time. It’s glamorous, romantic, gorgeous, hilarious, smart and expertly directed.

Economics professor Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) is travelling to Singapore with her boyfriend, Nick Young (Henry Golding) for his best friend Colin’s wedding. There, she learns that Nick's family is among the richest in the country. Dismissed by many because they don’t believe she will fit in, Rachel becomes determined to prove them wrong.

I watched Crazy Rich Asians on a double-bill with Monster-in-Law because of the two pictures’ similarities. Basically, they share a plot but the execution makes them so different it’s like they have nothing in common. You can probably guess the story’s beats but there’s a twist to them that makes Crazy Rich Asians so much more. When you see Nick and Rachel together, they’re perfect. She’s got a good head on her shoulders. He’s wealthy but isn't insensitive to the problems of the common person and doesn't flaunt his riches. The performers have excellent chemistry. They’re both beautiful people. The camera doesn’t shy away from showing you Henry Golding without a shirt on and Constance Wu appears in several glamorous outfits that make her look like a princess. You like them as individuals. You like them even better as a couple. There’s no reason for Nick's mother, Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh) to disapprove of them but she does. In her eyes, Rachel's upbringing means she will never fit in.

It’s not that Rachel grew up “poor” and that Nick didn’t. This film is deeper than that. Eleanor doesn’t approve because of the way Rachel was raised. Her parents were Chinese but she grew up in America. In Eleanor's eyes, Rachel could never understand the values the Young family hold so dearly. The opening scene shows Eleanor being discrimated against for being a foreigner. It generates sympathy for her. Seeing her judge Rachel later shows how much of a hypocrite she is.

You could dig deep into the film’s themes of old money vs. new money, of tradition and need to move away from them as well, the significance of the relationship between Astrid (Gemma Chan) and her husband, Michael (Pierre Png), or what it means to see a major theatrical release with an all-Asian cast, but ultimately, all of these are gravy. What you came for are some laughs and scenes of tenderness that will make your date want to hold your hand. That's what you get. The wedding Nick and Rachel attend is so beautiful and so glamorous. It radiates love so brightly it’ll bring tears to your eyes. It’s as romantic as attending a real-life wedding between two people you know are perfect for each other. You love seeing Nick and Rachel together. Seeing them having a great time with every luxury money can buy at their fingertips is rewarding.

There's so much going on with the cinematography, sets and costume designs you could watch the movie on mute and have a great time but then you’d be missing out on the comedy. Awkwafina (an actress who continues to impress with each film) delivers one big laugh after another. So does Ken Jeong - the funniest he’s been in years. Many of the side characters are quirky and memorable for their comedic values. The “serious” characterization is left to the main cast, with Eleanor coming off as particularly multi-faceted. She can afford to be. As in any fantasy, the leads have to be “perfect” to reinforce that anyone who doesn’t cheer for them is a villain.

Crazy Rich Asians is so enormously pleasing only those with a bone to pick against romantic comedies could dislike it. That said, I would agree with criticisms directed towards the conclusion. It’s a bit too long and does indulge a bit in some rom-com clichés. I'm mentioning this to show I'm not biased. The visuals, humor, drama and romance make Crazy Rich Asians a film you’ll be glad to return to over and over. It’s a terrific pick for date night. (August 7, 2020)

[ink-pocket]

And so I cry sometimes when I'm lying in bed Just to get it all out what's in my head And I, I'm feeling a little peculiar And so I wake in the morning and I step outside And I take a deep breath and I get real high And I scream from the top of my lungs "What's going on?"

[lindsehbee]

Evan Peters in American Animals (2018)

[televisionquoteseverywhere]

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Rachel Chu

[wjednejosobie]

• Zimna wojna (Cold war, 2018)

P. Pawlikowski

[gloomswan]

𝒆𝒎𝒎𝒂 𝒈𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒔𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒗𝒊𝒃𝒆𝒔 ♡︎

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

During mahjong night with the family, one of my cousins put on “Crazy Rich Asians” in the background. My aunt who didn’t watch the movie is currently watching.

Her mid-movie review: “Eh, they haven’t showed their richness yet!”

Keep in mind, we’re up to the scene where Rachel and Awkwafina visit the Young family’s mansion.

[cressida-jayoungr]

One Dress a Day Challenge

June: Weddings

Crazy Rich Asians / Sonoya Mizuno as Araminta Lee

Mary E. Vogt was the costume designer for this film, and apparently, couture designer Carven Ong also had a hand in the design of this wedding "gown"--actually a bodysuit with an attached skirt. The original sketch (see below) called for a wider skirt, but the look was modified to accommodate the available space. It's also completely waterproof so that she can walk down the flooded aisle. The whole thing is covered with embroidery and crystals which took three weeks for a team of thirty people to create.

The bridesmaids have silver dresses with a ripple design that also suggests water. The men are wearing Dolce and Gabbana tuxedoes, with the exception of Bernard (played by Jimmy O. Yang), who is wearing a different jacket.

[moviestillsxx]

my little monster (2018) - dir. Sho Tsukikawa

[nebulascurse]

The Garden Apartment (2018)

Directed by - Umi Ishihara

[onlineloversnetwork]

“Don’t play with me.”

- Ophelia

(Ophelia, 2018)

[adamwatchesmovies]

Await Further Instructions (2018)

Unfortunately, Await Further Instructions was released in 2018 when its message was neither shocking nor revolutionary and certain elements of its horror now have unintended meanings. It means you’ve almost certainly seen a better version of this story elsewhere. Despite this, its effectiveness while it plays is hard to deny.

After distancing himself from his family for three years, Nick (Sam Gittins) agrees to bring his girlfriend Annji (Neerja Naik) over for Christmas dinner. Things do not go well. The couple decide to leave the next morning but find that a barrier now encircles the house. No one can leave, the internet is down and their telephones cannot send or receive calls. Suddenly, a message from the authorities appears on the television. Though father Tony (Grant Masters), mother Beth (Abigail Cruttenden), Nick’s sister Kate (Holly Weston), her husband Scott (Kris Saddler) and Grandad David Bradley) insist on following the TV’s instructions, Nick and Annji are unsure whoever is sending them has good intentions.

Imagine bringing your significant other to meet your family for the first time and having your worst fears confirmed: they’re still narrow-minded, stupid and racially biased. Christmas is ruined. It goes from bad to worse when you realize you can't leave. In this film, it's not a snowstorm keeping everyone inside. It's something else. Stuck in the house with everyone already on edge, resentment and paranoia build and are amplified by the mysterious text that appears on the TV. Now, our protagonists are stuck in a mental asylum. Everyone else is crazy but them. Is the right choice to pretend like they're one of them or try to talk some sense into everyone else? What this movie does right is put you in the shoes of Nick and Annji. The racism Annji faces is obvious but it’s not ham-fisted. It’s a mispronounced name from mom, an assumption from dad or Kate and side comments from Grandad that tell you this is a bad place to be. You don’t like Nick’s family. Even mom, who has a chance of changing her ways, is such a doormat that you resent her even more than Tony, who is trying to be this big man by forcing everyone to follow the TV’s orders. His insistence on being a leader while taking orders from someone who - as far as Nick, Annji and we can tell - has no real authority and no proven good intentions towards the family would be hilarious if it weren’t so frightening. Every time the message on the television changes, “Await Further Instructions” tightens its grip around your throat.

You’ll be scared. You'll sweat. The picture’s message about not following orders blindly is good… but this is also where things get muddled. We never - not for a second - believe whoever is sending messages through the TV is the government. There’s something sinister going on. What that is, I can’t say without giving too much away. Ultimately, the movie is about holding onto your beliefs even when authorities (in this case, the television or the "government" sending messages through the TV) tell you to do something you know is wrong. To some viewers, that might include not vaccinating your children, which is an unfortunate message. As for the TV thing? It’s a little too late for that. For this kind of message to work in the 2010s, it needed to be people’s cell phones giving them the instructions, or QAnon conspiracy-theory loonies feeding bad info. Things get even wobblier when our questions are finally answered. Not all of it holds up. It doesn’t mean it isn’t chilling but this needed another pass through the keyboard. It’s almost as if writer Gavin Williams didn’t know what to do with the ending until it came time to submit it to the studio.

A story's flaws are always amplified when they come in during a movie’s last act and unfortunately, Await Further Instructions drops the ball at the worst time possible. Is it enough to toss away the whole thing? I don’t think so. The tension built up as the family turns on each other, the discomfort Annji and Nick feel, the fear as the trickle of revelations come in are all expertly done. I don’t expect anyone who sees Await Further Instructions to be compelled to watch it more than once or call it a favorite. That’s ok. (November 27, 2020)

[supernightboy08]

My Favorite 2018 Movies:

1. Avengers Infinity War (2018)

2. Spider Man Into The Spider Verse (2018)

3. Incredibles 2 (2018)

4. Black Panther (2018)

5. The Grinch (2018)

6. Bumblebee (2018)

7. Ant Man & The Wasp (2018)

8. Ralph Breaks The Internet (2018)