Tag: Michelle Yeoh

Wicked: For Good (2025)

At the end of my review of the first Wicked film, I mentioned how I worried about the fact that, as someone who grew up a fan of the musical, the best songs were always in the first half. That is not to say that the second half hasn’t got its share of good tunes, but it is hard to compete against the likes of “Defying Gravity”, “Dancing through Life”, and “Popular” (which I did a spot on lip sync version to as a camp counselor this past summer. Just saying.)

Now, after a yearlong intermission, we are back in Oz with Wicked: For Good, and I regret to say that my fears were realized: It was not just the songs that did not live up to the first half, but the second half as a whole.

Tags Ariana Grande, Ariana Grande-Butera, Colman Domingo, Cynthia Erivo, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, Rated PG-13, Wicked, Wicked for Good, Wicked: For Good

4 1/2 Stars

Wicked: Part 1 (2024)

“DISCOVER WHAT HAPPENED IN OZ BEFORE DOROTHY DROPPED IN!”

So said the radio ad as I sat in my room as a High Schooler, when I first heard of the musical “Wicked.” My first reaction as a theater kid was genuine: “This sounds like one of the stupidest thing I have ever heard of.” Not long after, in the band room at school, our teacher mentioned we would be performing the music of Wicked, and everyone burst into applause…including me (peer pressure is a powerful thing). A little over a year or so later, I finally saw the show on stage, and was a life long fan of what would be come possibly the biggest musical to hit the 21st century (at least until Lin Manuel Miranda came around).

I had finally trusted my instincts, closed my eyes, and took the leap.

Tags 2024, Ariana Grande, Crazy Rich Asians, Cynthia Erivo, In the Heights, Jeff Goldblum, Jon M. Chu, Michelle Yeoh, Movies, Musical, Part 1, PG, Rated PG, The Wizard of Oz, Wicked, Wicked Part 1

4 1/2 Stars

Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date April 9, 2022
No Comments on Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)

“TAKE THE RIGHT PATH. PG 43”

“TAKE THE LEFT PATH. PG 24”

I am not sure if they are popular with kids anymore, but I remember a good chunk of my free time in elementary school was spent reading some of the “choose your own adventure” book series. The options would make or break the outcome of the mood I would feel all day, which sadly lead to some downer days (I always seemed to be lead to my doom of some kind with my choices). The idea of the choices we make is just one of many, many, many, many ingredients of the film Everything Everywhere at Once.

Tags 2022, Daniels, Dr. Strange, Everything Everywhere at once, Goonies, James Hong, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh, Movie Reviews, Multiverse, R, Rated R, Stephanie Hsu

3 1/2 Stars Movies

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date September 5, 2021
1 Comment on Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

As the second film of the MCU’s Phase 4, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings also holds the distinction of being the first true origin story film of the MCU since 2019’s Captain Marvel.

Of course, one could argue that Black Widow was also an origin story, but we have seen Natasha since 2010’s Iron Man 2. Shang-Chi is a character we had no interaction with until now. Like a good amount of the films in the series, it showcases a character that only true comic book fans know something about (I can still remember when non fanboys like myself needed the movies to introduce the likes of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Thanos, Black Panther, and even Iron Man.)

Tags 2021, Awkwafina, Black Widow, Brie Larson, Captain Marvel, Destin Daniel Cretton, Disney, Just Mercy, MCU, Michelle Yeoh, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Simu Liu, Tony Chiu-Wai Leung

4 1/2 Stars Movies Vintage

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Post author By Mark A. Lester
Post date July 12, 2019
3 Comments on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

The turn of the century was also the turn for me as a moviegoer. I began seeing that stuff happened behind the camera as much as in front of the camera (it also helped that DVDs came into the full). There were so many questions I had to ask the likes of names like Spielberg and Lucas.

Still, I like to think that there is some bit of me that is naïve enough to believe that what I was seeing on screen was real. Which brings us to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), a movie I still refuse to see what happened behind the scenes.

Tags 2000, Ang Lee, Chow yun-fat, Crouching Tiger, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Hidden Dragon, Martial Arts, Michelle Yeoh, PG-13, Rated PG-13, Wire-Fu, Yun-fat chow, Zhang Ziyi, Ziyi Zhang

4 1/2 Stars

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Was I the only one confused by a title like Crazy Rich Asians? I am not sure. It was about a fourth or a third of the way into director Jon M. Chu’s film that I realized how perfect the title truly is. Are they crazy and rich or just “crazy rich”? The answer is a resounding yes. The words can also describe the film as well. Afterall, it is crazy that this is the first film western film in a quarter century to have an all Asian cast (the last was 1993’s The Joy Luck Club). It is rich in comedy, romance, and all out heart.

Also, it is Crazy how the lead actor Henry Golding is able to make his first film performance here so memorable. He plays Nick Young, who has been dating Rachel Chu (an instantly lovable Constance Wu) for over a year. His best friend Colin (Chris Pang) is getting married in one of the biggest weddings ever (more on that later). It is on the plane ride to Singapore that Nick breaks the news that his family is rich (which is a vast understatement).