Let’s Go to the Movies!

Blogging, Writing, Writers, Blogs, Movies, Reviews, Uncategorized 6 Minutes

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I love going to the movies! My love affair with the movies started with Saturday Night Fever, which is the very first movie I ever saw at the cinema. As silly and juvenile as it may sound I thoroughly enjoy the movie-going experience, from the freshly popped buttered popcorn to the reaction of the other movie-goers when something exciting happens on the big screen, its sheer joy for me to sit there in the dark with complete strangers and get transfixed with the plot unfolding on the screen. I try to get to the movies at least 4 to 6 times a month but this Summer as work and deadlines came at me expeditiously I realized to my dismay that the summer was ending, a few summer blockbusters had come and gone, weeks had passed and I hadn’t gone to a single movie. Gasp! The horror! 😃

I decided to remedy that situation and for the last 2 weeks I took advantage of a not too demanding work schedule and saw not 1, not even 2 but 5 movies and I enjoyed each and every one. Nothing is more disappointing to me than when I hand over my $15 at the box office and the movie falls short of my expectations, and might I add that I’m not the type to actually walk out of a movie because I always sit there hoping it will get better. 🤦‍♀️ Thankfully, I was happy with all 5 choices recently – The Wife, Searching, Crazy Rich Asians, Juliet, Naked and Blackkklansman – five completely different genres of movies that would appeal to different types of audiences for varying reasons yet all five movies appealed to me and left me with some deep-seated thoughts. There is nothing like a well-scripted, thought-provoking movie.

The Wife

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She’s back, folks! Glenn Close, who rose to fame playing the diabolical one-night stand in Fatal Attraction is back with a truly brilliant performance in The Wife; it is the story of a devoted and loving spouse who walked away from her own fledgling career as a writer to wholeheartedly support her husband’s writing career instead. While being the devoted and sensible wife Glenn Close’s character, Joan, manages to turn a blind eye to her husband’s infidelities as his fame grows as a great American novelist.

The Wife had me thinking about the patriarchy and the general sacrifices so many women make in their own lives, happy and content to stand in the shadows of their husbands, being the perfect spouse instead of being great for themselves.

My favorite line in the movie was delivered by Close when she warns her husband that “Nothing is more dangerous than a writer that has been rebuffed”. I love that line because it is an excellent reminder that the pen is indeed mightier than the sword. A fantastic film that every writer should see.

Searching

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Searching was shot in an entirely digitized manner, from the face time calling conversations, to the movie’s plot unfolding on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube, this movie serves as a reminder that what we see on social media are oftentimes not the way things are in real life. Things may look one way and be entirely the opposite. The person with over a thousand “friends” on Facebook could very well be the loneliest person in the world, who doesn’t even have one real friend. Further, how do we know who we are really talking to when we engage in online conversations with strangers?

John Cho, who is known for playing Harold in the Harold and Kumar films, plays a father whose teenage daughter goes missing. He uses social media to try to track down his daughter’s last known whereabouts and as he investigates her mysterious disappearance he comes to the sad realization that he really didn’t know his own child.

This one had me thinking about my own 14-year-old and how much do I really know him. I almost invaded his privacy after watching this movie. I wanted to go into his phone and his laptop to find out who he has been talking to online and what they have been talking about. I restrained myself though and instead tried to have a conversation with him about the perils of online communication with strangers. What I got from him was some serious eye roll and a comment that I should lay off of the movie watching with my paranoia.

Crazy Rich Asians

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This movie had me believing in love again. Are you in the mood for a feel-good movie? Well, Crazy Rich Asians is it. Admittedly, when I first saw the promo for this movie in the Coming Attractions I was like WTH is this garbage. Yes, I was judgemental because the title totally turned me off. It’s like saying “crazy rich white people” or “crazy rich blacks”; it just sounds off-putting and wrong.

The fact that this movie remained #1 at the box office for 3 weeks in a row, seriously piqued my interest so I figured I would go see what all the hype was about. I loooved it! It was such a romantic, almost fairy-tale like film that you can’t help falling for it and rooting for Rachel, the female lead, played by Constance Wu. Rachel, who is Chinese American and lives in New York meets and falls in love with her Chinese boyfriend, Nick, who hails from Singapore. They are a year into their relationship when Nick has to go home to attend his best friend’s wedding. He invites Rachel to go back to Singapore with him and she does. What ensues is everything fairy tales are made of. Rachel discovers that her Nick is not just rich but “crazy rich” and is snubbed by Nick’s mother/family/friends because not only is Rachel from a working-class family but she is American, and doesn’t and will never fully understand the real Chinese culture or fit into their world. So so good. The opulence in Singapore was superfluous and astounding and had me thinking how lucky is Rachel.😉 I wanna be Rachel, just for a day. Ha!

Juliet, Naked

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Who doesn’t love Ethan Hawke?! Such a great actor with a list of box office hits to his name. Such a natural on the big screen, you sometimes forget that he is a movie star and feel like he is the guy next door that you can chill with in the backyard and sip on a cold brew. He is so cool and cool he is in Juliet, Naked.

Hawke plays a washed-up rocker, Tucker Crowe, who disappears from the music scene decades before the movie takes place. He still has a following though and one obsessed fan, played by Chris O’Dowd, with his heavy, sexy Irish accent has an online fan club that idolizes Hawke’s character. O’Dowd’s character, Duncan, is in a relationship with Annie, who absolutely cannot stand the obsession her boyfriend has with this washed-up, has-been rocker that no one has heard from or seen in a million years. As the plot develops, a series of events unfold (no spoilers here) and Annie ends up meeting Tucker Crowe, the has-been rocker himself. The film also contains a few sub-plots that come together to make this a super cute, relatable movie that encourages second chances and forces the movie-goer to examine one’s own life and answer the question. “If I had a chance to do it (life) over, would I make the same choices?”

Blakkklansman

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Directed, co-produced and co-written by Spike Lee, Blackkklansman is the incredible true story of how the first African-American police detective in Colorado Springs was able to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan. Unbelievable! It spins an embarrassing tale (embarrassing for the KKK, that is) on how seemingly easy it was for a Black man and his Jewish partner to go undercover and uncover, and later reveal the plots and plans that the Colorado Springs Chapter of the KKK had to murder innocent black students, who spoke openly against white supremacy, police brutality, and racism.

The hate that spews from the characters who play members of the KKK against Blacks and Jews made this film hard to watch. Luckily, Spike Lee punctuated what could have been a potentially dark and heavy film with moments of humor and ridicule at the Ku Klux Klan thus illustrating the stupidity and simplemindedness of even the highest member of this hate organization making this movie enjoyable, despite its outrageousness. Blackkklansman, which was set in the early 1970s, left me with the raw thought that the more things change the more things remain the same. The sad reality is that the United States is even more divided today than it was in the 1970s.

I can’t bid you adieu without mentioning that Blackkklansman stars John David Washington, who is the son of Denzel. His acting was phenomenal in this his first feature film and I wouldn’t be surprised if he embarks on an illustrious acting career comparable to that of his famous father.

What are your plans for this weekend? How about grabbing your favorite person and heading to the movies to see one of the five mentioned above. Wait, what’s that? You have no one to go with…Then go alone. Three out of these five movies I saw alone and of the two my husband saw with me he fell asleep in one of them. I won’t tell you which one though. 😉

So how was your week?

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Published by Racquel

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71 thoughts on “Let’s Go to the Movies!”

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  2. I recently went to the theaters for the first time in years to see the remake of the Lion King in 3D – and absolutely loved it! (I hadn’t been to the theaters since Happy Feet!) While I still prefer to watch the movies from my couch, after seeing the Lion King in 3D, I am seriously considering going to see Frozen 2 in 3D at the theaters.

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  6. Hi Racquel. Just getting to your blog now. Love everything you’ve been writing since our class ended, especially the movie reviews. I’ve seen The Wife and BlacKKlansman. Love your take on them. Now I can’t wait to see Juliet Naked and Searching. Hope you are doing well.

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      1. Awe lol. I’m trying hard to be as supportive as others have been to me. It’s exhausting keeping up with posts while trying to build a successful blog at the same time! I’m quite enjoying how personal you make the reader feel….as if you two are talking over lunch.

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  9. Been excited to watch Blackkklansman for a while now, great reviews! Enjoyed reading this, also made me aware of some films i hadn’t heard of before! The wife in particular sounds really good, think I’ll have to check it out.

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    1. You should definitely watch “Blackkklansman”.

      Thank you so much for the compliments. This is actually the first movie review/s I ever wrote in my life and considering the response from most I would say it wasn’t too shabby.

      Thanks again for reading and commenting. Very much appreciated.

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    1. Oh my! I didn’t know he was Irish. Always thought he was British. Let me go and amend that right now. Thank you!

      No, I have never seen “Fresh Off the Boat”. I have seen the promos etc. but have never watched an episode. I have to change that.

      Thanks again for thr Chris O’Dowd correction. 🙂

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  11. My friend… I can’t wait to see The Wife…I love Glen Close.
    As for Crazy Rich Asians, it was money well spent. Loved it.
    Five movies??? Yay for your escape time.
    I last saw Mama Mia 2, another goodie.😘🤗

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    1. Glen Close is absolutely fantastic in “The Wife”. You’ll love it.

      I didn’t see the first “Mama Mia” so that is the reason I was hesitant to see Part 2. It didn’t fare very well at the box offices in America though.

      Yes, Lady, 5 movies! I may go see another one after I’m done working tomorrow. What’s life without the movies?! 😁

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  12. I wish I could talk my husband into going to the movies more often… I love the big screen, the greasy popcorn, (no butter? I don’t want to know you!) the dark theater. My husband on the other hand… gets annoyed at the teenagers making too much noise, the small child sitting behind him kicking the seat and that one guy (you know who you are) who has to go the restroom/snack bar every 15 minutes. And if he’s not grumbling… he’s falling asleep. So yeah, I DVR everything at home.

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    1. Then go without him, Rivergirl!
      My husband, even though he loves the movies doesn’t want to see everything I want to see so I go by myself a lot. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. 😃

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  15. Hey Racquel! Like you I love going to the movies too. There is nothing like getting lost in a good plot or getting that adrenaline rush or just getting that feel good feeling from a romantic movie or even those that bring out the kid in you. For me…I am fine going to the movies accompanied or unaccompanied and I must have some type of movie food. You just can’t go to the movies and not have movie food. I used to go to the movies all the time. Sadly, I have not had much time for going to the movies lately but the most recent two that I saw was Incredibles 2 with my 4 year old and Crazy Rich Asians . Loved them! Hopefully…my schedule permitting, I can catch some of the movies you recommended. Until then…its Netflix for me.

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    1. Awwww, it’s nice that you also get the joy of watching the animated movies too. I remember when I use to take Blake to all of them. Now he loves going to the movies as much as his Mama.

      The movies are such a fun pastime. Going alone works well for me too since that is one way I can get some uninterrupted time for myself. I would go to the movies every damn day if I could. Unfortunately, our busy schedules won’t permit that, eh Betty?!

      Thanks for keeping up with my Blog, fren. It means so much to me to have the support of friends, especially friends from way back when. 😃

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  16. Heyyyy Girl! So, I see what you’ve been up too. I love the movies, it’s actually something me and the kids do every weekend. However, the majority of my movie watching is by way of my favorite friend in the whole wide world – REDBOX, LOL. In which I am a complete junkie over. But, I heard a lot about Crazy Rich Asians and Blackklansman. I love Glen Close and hadn’t heard of “The Wife” but it as well as the others look really interesting – so I’m going to be on the lookout for them. Glad you were able to have a little downtime. Thanks for the reviews, it’s funny because I was going to do a movie review on Tuesday for Book Club, have you seen that one?… Talk Soon.

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    1. My best friend loves Redbox. I don’t have it myself but she swears by it. 😃

      “The Wife” is such a good movie you really should watch it when it gets to Redbox as a writer you’ll definitely enjoy it.

      I missed that one…Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see “Book Club”, I have it on my list though for when it hits HBO. I’ll be looking forward to your review.

      Talk soon, Sis! Thanks for reading.

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  17. Any movie or show your recommend, I’m going to watch! The Blackkkklansmen we saw last weekend. Really good, really infuriating and totally mind-boggling to me that people can be so hateful. Became the topic of conversation at dinner with friends last night. The humor was great and acting – wow! I didn’t realize he was the son of Denzel…or that I’m that old ;-).

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    1. Suzzzzzy, so nice to see you here commenting. You’ve made my Sunday afternoon. 🙂

      No, Lady, it’s not that you’re old. I realize that quite a few people didn’t realize that John David is Denzel’s son. I read that he is trying to make it on his own, create his own legacy, so he doesn’t promote the fact that he is Denzel’s son. In fact, I saw a little part of an interview the other day where the interviewer asked him what it was like to be Denzel’s son and he quickly corrected the interviewer and said, “Pauletta’s son too, who is a renowned actress in her own right.”

      He is very proud of his Mom and refuses to ride the coattails of his Dad. Great actor in his own right.

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  21. These all sound GREAT! Two of them were even on my own “to see” list! We don’t hit the theater as often as we used to – now only making it a couple of times per year. With our busy schedules and the need to purchase tickets in advance (we prefer hitting up Cinetopia and sitting in the cushy seats with our feet up and food delivery services to our chairs, which book up fast), we just don’t manage to plan ahead well enough to see the movies we want to catch in theaters before they’ve moved on.

    We DO watch a bunch of DVDs at home – I think they fit in better with our busy schedules so we can decide at the last minute to watch a movie and have the comforts of home to boot! Gotta love being able to pause a movie for a potty break!

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    1. Watching movies at home is great too and most of the stuff we see on the big screen we re-watch at home on HBO or STARZ when the movies get there. However, there is something about going to the theater/cinema though that I really love, as described in my piece….Yes, you’re right, it’s hard to find the time to go when life gets super duper busy but going to the movies is a part of my self care routine😃, believe it or not. It relaxes me and generally puts me in a good mood, depending on what I am watching.

      Cinetopia sounds like a few of them we have out here in Brooklyn, where we can sit, put our feet up and order food. Those are my favorite types of cinema, in fact I saw “Searching” and “Blackkklansman” in one of those types of cinemas. Those are often sold out fast here too, especially on opening weekends.

      Glad you enjoyed my piece, Heather. It ws fun writing and reliving the movies. I can’t wait to see each and everyone again. 💕

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      1. Oh, I think it’s great that you make the time to get to the theater! I generally enjoy the experience too though, I’ll admit, I definitely prefer the extra spoiled experience of today’s cushy seats, footstools and personal service!

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  22. I was planning on going to the movies later, thanks for making it easier for me to choose, after reading your reviews…I know exactly which ones I want to see. Interesting reading as usual. Looking forward for your next post.

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  23. I haven’t been to the movies in over a year. I loved it when I went tho. That comment about going alone struck home.
    Why not?
    Thanks for the teasers with no spoilers.

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  24. Those all sound good! I will probably go see Searching, love that genre. I only see a few theatre movies per year , sad to say. The last one was A Quiet Place. Saw it with my kids in a very run down dollar theater in Houston. The ceiling tiles were stained and missed and it looked like it should be shut down , but we loved the movie! And we always eat a ton of popcorn. 😁

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    1. Hi P! Are there no great theaters in your neck of the woods? The description of that theater was so vivid you have me picturing the place. 😏 At least the popcorn was good.

      I saw the “The Quiet Place” twice. I went by myself the very first time and loved it so much I encouraged my family to see it with me the second time. Great movie.

      Thanks for reading, Luv!

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      1. I live in the country and the closest theater is 45 minutes away. We do love the reclining, leather-like seats and stadium seating! Yesterday I watched the Mr. Rogers bio movie on DVD. Loved it!

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      2. No wonder where you live is so picturesque…I always enjoy viewing your running photos.

        The Mr. Rogers bio movie was excellent. Saw that one in the theater too.

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  25. You’ve got me adding these to my list! My son works at our small local theater when he’s not at college, and I’m just realizing I didn’t go see very many this summer! Time to remedy that. Great piece!

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  26. Great post, Sis! I actually wanted to see Searching. I love John Cho because he was able to break away from only comedy roles. You know POC can get typecast with the quickness smh…LOVE movies, check out Proud Mary(if you haven’t) and Unsane(I wrote a review)

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  27. You made reading movie reviews interesting and fun. I’m now considering seeing a movie or two I would never have before. Look forward to your next reviews!

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  28. I love films and going to the movies as well! Sometimes a bit tricked now being in Copenhagen but I love Netflix! I think I would enjoy all these movies that you have seen, so these will go on my list to watch in the next few months!!! 🙏🏻😌

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