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Hot Take: Crazy Rich Asians isn’t good just because of its woke casting. It’s good, period. A very good romantic comedy that’s a pure escape from the heavier flicks we’ve been inundated with.

Every time I have to do something where my handwriting is in the spotlight, the same comment comes out. “That’s impressive handwriting… for a guy!” No, sir or ma’am, that’s impressive handwriting for anyone! While that’s a very petty example of our insensitive stereotyping and generalizing of the gender and racial issues we face, the reviews for Crazy Rich Asians have been very positive but also ridiculous condescending and oversimplified. Many can’t just call Crazy Rich Asians a good movie which it is. There’s an obsession with patting the romantic comedy based on the novel of the SAME NAME (Let that sink in a bit) for having an all-Asian cast. Ken Jeong was born in Detroit, by the way… not that that’s important. It’s ok to only look the part as long as you are of Asian descent, I guess? It’s too confusing to me, honestly. Crazy Rich Asians shouldn’t be boosted or lambasted for its casting of people of Asian descent. Honestly, that’s a no brainer. Instead, where Crazy Rich Asians should be getting accolades is for its excellent script, great performances, funny, escapist plot and filling a void in Hollywood that was left when the cinema seemingly abandoned the romantic comedy a few years ago to the point where now it feels refreshing when a good one comes along. And Crazy Rich Asians is a very good one.Read More →

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Hot Take: WORST. MOVIE. THIS. YEAR.

Here’s the easiest way to describe Slender Man: Take the worst parts of The Ring franchise, add the very worst elements of The Craft, glaze it with the most horrible moments from The Forest and sprinkle in the most dismal memories you have of Candyman and you have Slender Man. Considering 2018 has already delivered such dreck as Show Dogs and Gotti amongst a few others, calling Slender Man the worst of 2018 is a big statement. Admittedly, I’m not a fan of horror flicks but at one point, my top two films were A Quiet Place and Hereditary and I actually enjoyed Unfriended: Dark Web so it’s not like I’m not willing to enjoy a good scare from time to time. The problem with Slender Man, though, is there’s not much to be afraid of. First, we’ve seen it all before. Second, outside of some loud sounds and spastic editing forcing the jump cut down our throat, Slender Man is a bore. From the four teens completely void of personality to the derivative script that preys on an Internet legend in a much poorer way than The Blair Witch Project already did decades ago, Slender Man is an unsatisfying mess of a horror flick that at least proves sometimes you can judge a book by its cover. Read More →

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When Mitch Lowe became CEO of MoviePass in 2016, it looked like the fledgling company might find new life. Having just suffered through one of its toughest stretches as it struggled to find footing. Even at $50/month for unlimited trips to the theater, the company failed to be profitable. Lowe, a former executive of Netflix and Redbox, supported the company’s next phase where they launched numerous tests including a ridiculous $99/month unlimited model, various tiered pricing for 2, 3 or 4 movies a month and even regional pricing. At one point, the company lifted its 24 hour restriction and switched to a true daily restriction meaning instead of having to wait until 10pm the next day after seeing a 9:55pm showing, you could now turn around and see a movie at 1pm the next day with no trouble. Read More →

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Hot Take: Is it meta or just meh? I’m leaning toward meh but it could be me. It didn’t feel like much more than a few episodes of Teen Titans strung together with an added scoop of potty humor. Seriously, there are numerous jokes about using the potty, it’s a thing.

Didn’t we get enough superhero satire with The LEGO Batman Movie? If you were one of the ones who felt like we needed more, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies will attempt to fill the void for you. Based on the popular animated series from The Cartoon Network which has 5 seasons and 213 episodes under its utility belt, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies looks to capitalize on its own popularity and our own obsession with cinematic superhero serials with a ho hum plot that doesn’t feel grand enough for the big screen and could have been crammed into a two part episode on The Cartoon Network. If the film version of the episodic show was able to beat The LEGO Batman Movie to the punch, maybe it wouldn’t have felt so stale. It should appeal to the show’s fans and have just enough to satiate the more rabid superhero fans who seem to be unable to get enough cinematic superhero stories.Read More →

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Hot Take: Beyond expectations especially for first time writers and a first time director. Topical and timely. It has a lot to say and knows how to say it.

MoviePass has taken such a beating lately, let me pay it a compliment. One of the greatest features of the product is now I occasionally get to see a movie walking in completely cold. Typically, this happens when a low budget or independent film makes it to the nearby mega-cineplex. Blindspotting which opened to 14 theaters and expanded to 523 in its second week was one of those films. The writing debut of Daveed Diggs (Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson in Hamilton) and Rafael Casal riffs on gentrification, the criminal justice system, police violence and gun control amongst other things. With a charismatic, emotionally charged performance from Diggs in the main role, Blindspotting delivers a multi-faceted, spirited and provocative film that should be seen by the widest audience it can find. It has moments of intensity wrapped around a warm, love-hate relationship with the rapidly evolving Oakland landscape which is experiencing a gentrified rebirth as many inner cities are experiencing in the 21st century.Read More →

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Hot Take: I’ve always been a sucker for musicals… Just not this musical. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again was a fever dream unnecessarily jamming B-sides of ABBA hits into a sequel. Really? “When I Kissed the Teacher” as the speech from the valedictorian? Yikes!

There is a 0% chance that I would have seen Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again if I didn’t have this website. I could barely stomach the trailer. However, in 2016, I felt the same way when My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 was released 14 years after the original and was pleasantly surprised when, against my better judgment, decided to take it in. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case for the sequel to the 2008 musical Mamma Mia! The follow up, featuring most of the original cast and some new younger versions of the characters to tell the backstory as well as Cher which deserves to be mentioned separately because at this point in her career Cher is such a spectacle you have to mention her separately, failed to strike an interesting chord throughout it’s myriad of B-side tunes from the ABBA catalog alongside a few reprises from the original film (“Dancing Queen”, “I Have A Dream” and “Mamma Mia” return as well as the ultimate fever dream end credits performance of “Super Trouper” by the entire cast). Inexplicably, the eager audience ate this nostalgia reliant cash grab up. At my particular showing there was a standing ovation when the credits rolled with not just applause but screams. My biggest fear was that the crowd would call for an encore and somehow the celluloid cast would hear their calls and come back for a few more numbers. Thankfully, that didn’t happen but since it’s being received so well critically and from audiences and ABBA still has about 50 or 60 songs in their library that weren’t crowbarred into the two films, a third Mamma Mia! wouldn’t shock me.Read More →

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Hot Take: It’s stunt filmmaking as it blends technology and film… but other films have failed miserably trying to do this and Unfriended: Dark Web succeeds where others have failed. I surely wasn’t expecting that to happen here.

Low expectations can sometimes save a film. Maybe that’s what is going on here but Unfriended: Dark Web outperformed my expectations. The sequel to Blumhouse Tilt’s low budget 2015 film that grossed $32.5 million in the U.S. and another $31.6 overseas had a similar $1 million budget to the original. So far, though, the box office hasn’t responded the same as the sequel opened at $3.6 million (on roughly 1,200 less theaters) versus the original’s monster $15.8 million. The sequel also works as a stand-alone as the stories are only linked through the fact that it’s a found footage film with a social media link. Otherwise, Unfriended: Dark Web could have been its own film and didn’t really need to be a sequel. For this reviewer, Unfriended: Dark Web worked well especially when compared to other standard horror fare. There’s already been a handful of bad horror flicks but this one stands a cut above the dreck that’s hit theaters (we’re looking at you, Truth or Dare!) and provides a brisk, unique horror offering that is compelling enough to keep the viewer engaged from beginning to end.Read More →

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Hot Take: The best documentary of the year so far… in a year filled with great documentaries. 

It’s nearly impossible to talk about Three Identical Strangers without mentioning spoilers. Granted, you typically don’t sweat spoilers when discussing documentaries but, in this case, it’s worth avoiding them. There’s plenty of knowledge dropped in the trailer to whet the appetite as it is. The story of three strangers who meet in their teenage years only to find out that they were brothers separated at birth and sent to three different families is enough of a story to create interest. But Three Identical Strangers is like the infomercial of documentaries with a constant vibe of “BUT WAIT! THERE’S MORE!!!” The truth is stranger than fiction tale is engrossing and heart wrenching… it’s even maddening at times. Filmmaker Tim Wardle takes particular care of the film’s subjects and delivers a compelling and remarkable narrative that digs deep into the story’s underbelly. You might end up with your jaw hanging to the floor at times as this documentary finds ways to surprise you when you think you can’t be surprised any more.Read More →

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Last year, MHT saw Dunkirk on July 20th and it became the 75th movie seen in 2018. This year, Sorry to Bother You was the 75th movie seen on July 18th. While it wasn’t reviewed for a few days, it’s fair to say that the pace at which Movie Hot Take is slurping down movies in 2018 now matches 2017. Fortunately, this batch of 25 films saved the best for last and Sorry to Bother You now tops the list of movies in 2018. Last year, it was Baby Driver holding down the top spot at this point. If you want to catch up on all of MHT’s grades for this year, you can find them here:

Now that you’re caught up, here’s the next next 25 movies of 2018 graded out:Read More →

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Hot Take: A brilliant, hilarious, original film. There’s an essence of zany satire that throws back to Zucker Abrahams and Zucker or Mel Brooks but deep enough to cut like a Spike Lee Joint. You can sense it’s heading to go off the rails but when it does you can’t even imagine how far off the rails it’s going. A wild, unapologetic, crazy ride.

You don’t expect the debut film of a 47 year-old cult indie rapper would hit with so much force as Sorry to Bother You. Writer/director Boots Riley had to hustle for years to even get the film made. He perfected his pitch: “It’s an absurdist dark comedy with magical realism and science fiction, inspired by the world of telemarketing. It’s called ‘Sorry to Bother You.’ ” He spent years tapping acquaintances he made over the course of his rap career and during his time as a community activist and organizer. Eventually, after being passed over by plenty of actors and artists, he found support in David Cross, Patton Oswalt and David Eggers (who published the script as a book in 2014). Thankfully, for all of us, Riley got the support he needed and what is currently MHT’s favorite film of 2018 became a reality.Read More →