Change Your Image
egdsf
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Chesapeake Shores (2016)
Weak story lines, quick resolutions, no character development.
I was hooked from the first season with the premise of family, returning to "where you belong" and the bit of drama the show had. As the seasons continued on, the characters have developed less and less, and every episode seems to revolve around Treat Williams having the last word in all of his scenes.
The show begins with Abby returning from her New York City life to the family home in Maryland (filmed in Canada of course). She conveniently gets to live in the family home and has her job transferred to Baltimore. She reunites with an old flame, Trace, played by Jesse Metcalfe who is trying to launch some sort of singing career in real life. You have a cast of brothers and sisters who have their own trials and tribulations, and of course the parents, played by Barbara Niven and Treat Williams. Of course there's Diane Nell playing the sage grandmother with some sort of Irish accent.
The latest season mainly show the sisters whining and pining after men, while running their own bookstores and bed and breakfasts seemingly on their own. Then you the brothers, Brendan Penny (a total dad) trying to play a young, single guy just out of the army who can't figure out if he wants to be a paramedic or doctor. Then the youngest brother, a lawyer who's been very privileged and his only hardships trivial at best. I had high hopes for the show but it's gotten harder and harder to enjoy given the weak story lines, lack of drama and character development, and steering away from tackling real issues. I'm glad they're getting renewed for another season, but I think I expect too much from Hallmark or their standards for a show are getting lower.
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Predictable glitzy fun
I love a good romcom and Crazy Rich Asians was just that with glitz, glam, and of course an all Asian cast! I loved Joy Luck Club and while that movie and Crazy Rich Asians showcase a mostly Chinese cast of characters, I identified with several themes mentioned throughout. Whether through making distinctions about Asians vs. Asian Americans, the American pursuit of passion vs Asian filial piety, to women's achievements and intellect not meaning much unless you're the right "match," the movie was more thought provoking than I expected. I would love to see another Hollywood movie with a greater diversity of Asian actors featured, but I'm sure that day will come...but hopefully not in another 25 years!
The movie wasn't so much about Rachel and Nick's love story but rather Rachel's introduction and struggle for acceptance into a world that she had no clue about. My main gripe with the film was Nick's character. Nick failed to prep her and instead had her friend had to do the work (the hilarious Awkwafina). Nick was away being a groomsmen while Rachel navigated on her own. But Constance was amazing in this role. Whereas Nick's character and Henry Golding's acting were more one dimensional and flat, Rachel / Constance were strong, powerful, and emotionally complex. Besides that, the movie did have several stereotypes, but not unexpected for this genre. While you could tell how the film would end, it was still fun to see the journey unfold in such a glamorous, ultra rich world. I did forget at points that I was watching an "Asian" movie because the film managed to transcend that label. In the end, it was just a fun movie to watch.