Movie Review: Wicked (2024)

Genre: Fantasy Musical  

Director: Jon M. Chu  

Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh  

Running Time: 160 minutes  

Synopsis: The land of Oz is celebrating the death of the Wicked Witch of the West (Cynthia Erivo). When the good sorceress Glinda (Arianna Grande) is asked what made the Witch wicked, she recalls their story in flashback. Elphaba (who became the Witch) is born green and with magical powers. Her stunned parents show her no love, although she is kind to her younger paralyzed sister. Elphaba and Galinda (later Glinda) meet at Shiz University, where they are roommates, enemies, then friends. Elphaba's powers are noticed by Dean of Sorcery Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), and she is promised an audience with the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum).

What Works Well: The cinematic adaptation of the popular stage musical benefits from imaginative world-building, with bright colours and a child-appealing light-hearted sense of fun. The basic inclusion lessons are equally spoon-fed in small and deliberate morsels to register with young minds. Arianna Grande has a lot of fun as the entitled wannabe sorceress adorably convinced that the world revolves around her.

What Does Not Work As Well: The CGI overload is often the most impressive feature on the screen, and drives the experience towards animation wizardry where success is measured by pixel density. The songs are largely forgettable and support the most superficial of societal lessons (be yourself; be kind). From beneath the green make-up, Cynthia Erivo's one demonstrated emotion is seething anger for the entirety of the inexcusably obese running time - and this is only Part 1.

Key Quote:

Glinda: Something is very wrong, I didn't get my way... I need to lay down.



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Movie Review: Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Genre: Fantasy Drama Comedy

Directors: Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert

Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan

Running Time: 139 minutes

Synopsis: In Los Angeles, Chinese American immigrant Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh) is struggling to keep her laundromat business afloat. Her neglected husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) is about to file for divorce, their gay teenaged daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu) is not feeling any love, and Joy's grandfather (James Wong) is a crusty relic. During a meeting with stern tax officer Deirdre (Jamie Lee Curtis), Evelyn is thrust into a bizarre multiverse adventure to save the world from an evil presence embodied within an alternative version of Joy.

What Works Well: A madcap adventure mixing sly humour, martial arts, and hopping-between-alternate-universes pseudoscience, Everything Everywhere All At Once is loud, bold, and unapologetic. Writers, directors and co-producer Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert adopt an irreverent throw-everything-at-the-screen attitude, scoring at least as many hits (Evelyn's many talents brought to life in numerous alternative realities) as misses (hot dog fingers? a raccoon on a chef's head?). Michelle Yeoh leads a spirited cast in a display of brazen courage.

What Does Not Work As Well: The running time is quite excessive for the material, and the brawls quickly evolve from fun to repetitive. In a demonstration of more is less, the human messages about love, family, and the challenges of the immigrant experience are reduced to simplistic platitudes by the manic noise, fury, and undisciplined CGI deployment.

Conclusion: Impressive style tramples any attempts at substance.



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Movie Review: Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

A wild action thriller, Gunpowder Milkshake is a stylish, over-the-top battle fest celebrating girl power. 

Samantha, or simply Sam (Karen Gillan), is an assassin for a shadowy organization known only as The Firm. Her latest job ends in a bloodbath, and one of her victims is the son of powerful gang boss Jim McAlester. 15 years earlier, Sam's mother Scarlet (Lena Headey), also an assassin for The Firm, had to disappear after one of her jobs ended badly.

Nathan (Paul Giamatti) is Sam's handler, and he issues her next assignment, to retrieve money stolen by an accountant. She arms herself with guns provided The Firm's "librarians" Madeleine (Carla Gugino), Florence (Michelle Yeoh), and Anna May (Angela Bassett). 

After Sam kills the accountant, she learns he only stole the money because a vicious gang held his young daughter Emily (Chloe Coleman) hostage. She gets involved to save Emily, disobeying Nathan's orders. With McAlester seeking revenge and The Firm turning against her, Sam is in a lot of trouble, but Nathan provides some support by arranging a surprise reunion.

Gunpowder Milkshake features many good girls with many big guns (and assorted other weaponry), battling many bad guys with just as many big guns (and assorted other weaponry). Director and co-writer Navot Papushado crafts a feminist action extravaganza bathed in surreal neon and ultra-abstract sets, channeling Tarantino, Woo, and Leone with unfettered passion.

The plot is almost irrelevant, providing just enough of a string to hang the thrills on. The dialogue scenes focus on establishing a sorority of women, mother-daughter bonds, and surrogate parent relationships. Sam is the node around which her mother, the three librarians and Emily revolve, creating three generations of strong and morally sound women battling to rid the world of men either faceless, evil, or both.

The levels of violence and the action set-pieces are wildly enjoyable at the cartoonish level. The exquisitely choreographed highlights include a hospital battle between Sam and three goons, her arms paralyzed by a serum while the villains are compromised by laughing gas and a previous altercation. This is quickly followed by a cat-and-mouse parkade duel with young Emily (eight and three quarters of a year old) at the wheel. Papushado leaves the best for last, a linear, slow-motion beauty of a single-shot gun-down at a supposedly neutral diner.

At 114 minutes and with next to no genuine narrative depth, the energy does start to flag. A battle at a library goes on, and scene after scene of bone-crunching combat with the women mowing down an army of men get repetitive. But with cool attitude to spare, Gunpowder Milkshake is unapologetically always craving the next explosive slurp.



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Movie Review: Memoirs Of A Geisha (2005)

A drama and romance epic, Memoirs Of A Geisha reveals a corner of Japanese culture from the perspective of a young girl sold into a life of service. The film weaves a cultural spell but is overlong and cloaked in haughty self-importance.

The setting is Japan in the period between the two World Wars. Chiyo is a young girl with beautiful eyes, the daughter of a struggling fisherman. At nine years old she is separated from her sister Satsu and sold into the care of Nitta (Kaori Momoi), the "Mother" responsible for training and nurturing future geishas in Kyoto. At Nitta's house Chiyo meets another young trainee Pumpkin, as well as leading geisha Hatsumomo (Gong Li), who is arrogant and unfriendly.

One day a despondent Chiyo has a chance encounter with a distinguished businessman known as the Chairman (Ken Watanabe), and sets her sights on becoming the best possible geisha to win his heart. Soon the kindly geisha Mameha (Michelle Yeoh) selects Chiyo as a mentee and accelerates her training. The adult Chiyo (Ziyi Zhang) adopts the name Sayuri and indeed becomes a coveted geisha, creating a vicious rivalry with the resentful Hatsumomo.

Sayuri never gives up hope of reuniting with the Chairman, but to increase Sayuri's desirability and market value, Mameha introduces her to other men, including the engineer Nobu (Kōji Yakusho), Dr. Crab (Randall Duk Kim) and The Baron (Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa). The intervention of World War Two soon changes everything.

The settings, production design, costumes, cinematography and make-up are all lavish, and Ziyi Zhang in the central role delivers understated dedication. But Memoirs Of A Geisha is ultimately an effusive production teetering on the tip of a small story. The novel by Arthur Gordon is brought to the screen by director Rob Marshall, and the film is too grandiose for its own good. The substance of the twee story is overloaded with petty inter-geisha jealousies and infantile infatuation, and is simply incapable of sustaining or justifying a 145 minute epic.

After a slow start and excruciatingly repetitive scenes of young Chiyo yearning to be reunited with her sister, the second act starts to flow better. The introduction of Michelle Yeoh's steady presence as mentor Mameha boosts the energy level, and Chiyo's transformation into Sayuri offers an intriguing peek into the geisha culture.

But then the bland interpersonal conflicts with Hatsumomo kick in, and despite a powerful Gong Li antagonist presence the film quickly sinks into the amateur theatrics of geishas undermining each other. These are followed by a sordid loss-of-virginity auction, the film's emphasis on portraying geishas as elegant companions adept at music, culture and reading undermined by a straightforward sex-for-sale subplot.

Finally an interminable post-war fourth act combines stereotypical boorish Americans abroad with a late-in-the-day romantic triangle plus petty score settling, and by this stage the sun of enthusiasm starts to set even in the east. Memoirs Of A Geisha wears a pretty kimono, but takes an inordinate amount of time wrapping it up.

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The Movie Of Michelle Yeoh

All movies starring Michelle Yeoh and reviewed on the Ace Black Movie Blog are linked below:

Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Memoirs Of A Geisha (2005)

Morgan (2016)

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

Wicked (2024)

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The Movie Star Index is here.

Movie Review: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

A martial arts adventure, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a lyrical story of warriors, vendettas and revenge, brightened by magically fluid fight sequences.

In ancient rural China, warrior Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-fat) gives up his legendary sword Green Destiny to his long-time colleague and close friend Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh). He is despondent about being unable to track down assassin Jade Fox, who killed his revered master years ago. On a trip to Beijing, Shu Lien gives the sword to the respected elder Sir Te (Sihung Lung) for safekeeping.

At Sir Te's compound Shu Lien meets the young and strong-willed Jen Yu (Zhang Ziyi). She is the daughter of a powerful Governor and about to be ensnared in an arranged marriage, but dreaming of a life of freedom and independence.

Soon Green Destiny is stolen by a masked thief, and before long Jade Fox (Cheng Pei-pei) appears as the thief's mentor, although she is also being stalked by a detective seeking revenge. Mu Bai is hot on Jade's trail, while desert barbarian Dark Cloud (Chang Chen), who has a history with Jen, reappears in her life. Jen has to make a decision to define her destiny, while Mu Bai and Shu Lien head towards a showdown with Jade Fox.

Directed by Ang Lee, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is most notable for flowing, gravity-defying float-on-air action scenes, with plenty of gliding across roofs and wall climbing. Initially distracting, the highly kinetic and exquisitely choreographed balletic showdowns eventually create a mesmerizing new normal, enhancing the mystical ancient world dominated by codes, noble warriors and malevolent assassins.

The film offers a good mixture of character development and action set-pieces. Gradually, Jen's story moves to centre stage, as she stands at the launch point of various life trajectories available to her. Settle down to an arranged marriage, accept a mentor (good or bad), live independently, or join forces with Dark Cloud for a life of wild adventure. Mu Bai, Shu Lien, Jade Fox, Dark Cloud and an unseen and unwanted husband-to-be are enablers, but Jen owns the decisions, and all her choices come with compelling complexities enriching the film's soul.

The in-the-desert flashback interlude introducing Jen and Dark Cloud's backstory takes too long and features plenty of repetition. Better are some moments of humour, including Jen taking on all-comers at a canteena on one of her independence sojourns. Despite the no-mercy combat ethos, Lee avoids almost all displays of blood and genuine pain, keeping the overall mood on the lighter side.

The film features three strong women characters. Michelle Yeoh as Shu Lien takes on the role of cerebral observer and creates the film's sturdy soul. Shu Lien stands on the side of integrity, ready to support Mu Bai's quest and to guide Jen as long as she wishes to be guided.

Zhang Ziyi is a source of coiled energy as Jen, acting with her expressive eyes and cat-like lithe movements as a young woman with the world at her feet, if only she knew which world she wanted to seize. And Cheng Pei-pei as Jade Fox is the dark version of Shu Lien, resentful at women's exclusion from the highest echelon of warrior training and choosing the path of subterfuge to fight back.

Eloquent and graceful, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon may be set in a bygone era, but is devoted to the timeless conflict between conformance and independence.

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Movie Review: Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

A romantic comedy set among Singapore's hyper wealthy set, Crazy Rich Asians freshens up the context but otherwise just recycles old and stale genre cliches.

In New York City, Nick Young (Henry Golding) convinces his girlfriend Rachel Chu (Constance Wu) to travel back with him to Singapore to attend a friend's wedding. Rachel is an economics professor at New York University, but knows little about Nick's family background. Upon arrival in Singapore, it becomes apparent the Youngs are incredibly rich, own half the island city-state, and have set high expectations for any future wife of Nick's.

Rachel was born and raised in the US and her modest family background is simply not good enough for Nick's domineering mother Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh). In the lead-up to the wedding she struggles to fit in and prove her worth. She meets various members of Nick's family, including his cousin Astrid (Gemma Chan) who has marital problems of her own. Rachel's old friend from college days Peik Lin (Awkwafina) tries to help navigate the local culture and customs.

Directed by Jon M. Chu, Crazy Rich Asians is a Hollywood-backed adaptation of the Kevin Kwan novel, with an all-Asian cast. Set primarily in a foreign culture and breathing deeply from the customs of exceptionally affluent but nevertheless traditional Asian families, the film tells its story with fresh faces in fresh places, and adds plenty of flashy style and attractive Singaporean scenery.

But unfortunately, it's the same old story. A fish-out-of-water modest girl trying to win the support of a vehemently disapproving potential future mother-in-law is a yawn-inducing tired premise, and for all the razzmatazz and colourful background characters thrown onto the screen by Chu and screenwriters Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim, at its core Crazy Rich Asians is exceptionally familiar.

For a long stretch Nick and Rachel become passengers in their own movie, as a parade of the wacky, wealthy and wicked move across the screen. In addition to the disapproving mother Eleanor, Rachel gets to meet the icy Astrid, the elderly family matriarch Shang Su Yi, as well as Nick's spiteful former lover Amanda, plus a large assortment of other family members, friends and hangers on. A few are supportive of Rachel but others live down to what it means to be rich, stupid and condescending. Some of the subplots, including Astrid's disintegrating marriage to her husband Michael, nursing a pointed inferiority complex, are agonizingly underdeveloped.

But carrying the film through all its rough patches is Constance Wu, who delivers an agreeable performance and frequently rises above the material. While Henry Goulding is often a blank slate and the rest of the actors are loyal to their mono-dimensional characters, Wu portrays a smart woman in love, navigating a new culture and admirably standing up for herself.

The Young family are Crazy Rich Asians capable of hosting the most lavish parties, but even they cannot escape the clutches of routine romantic comedy trappings.

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Movie Review: Tomorrow Never Dies (1997)

The 18th James Bond movie adventure maintains the momentum regained by the series re-boot that GoldenEye provided. The action is sustained, the characters dynamic, the humour appropriately dry, and the set-pieces deliver. The package may be familiar, but Tomorrow Never Dies nevertheless provides shiny entertainment with creative touches.

Megalomaniac media tycoon Elliot Carver (Jonathan Pryce) has a simple plan for world domination: create the news and be the first to report on it. He deploys his resources to build a combat stealth warship, and he hires master criminals Henry Gupta (Ricky Jay) and Stamper (Gotz Otto) to do his dirty work. Gupta has in his illegal possession a highly coveted piece of American military hardware that allows him to manipulate satellite signals, and Carver uses this gizmo to trick a British warship into straying into Chinese territorial waters, sparking a bloody international incident that threatens to erupt into World War Three. A side-benefit to Carver's war plan is the decapitation of the Chinese leadership, the installation of a Carver-picked new leader, and securing exclusive Chinese broadcast rights for his media empire.

Both the British and the Chinese intelligence services send in their agents in the form of James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) and Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh) to foil the plan. Bond is re-acquainted with an old flame called Paris (Teri Hatcher), who is now Mrs. Carver. After Paris pays the ultimate price for betraying her husband, Bond and Lin start to work together to bring down Carver's empire and to fight off the countless goons on Carver's payroll, including the sadistic Stamper. They also need to stop Carver from launching a massive killer missile that the Chinese will blame on the British.

Tomorrow Never Dies does suffer from an overtly cartoonish villain. Jonathan Pryce as Elliot Carver quickly steps into over-the-top histrionic territory, and makes no attempt at cultivating quiet nuance or controlled menace as the evil mastermind. Carver is outright nuts, and he is totally nuts from his first scene. Also blatant is the BMW-obsessed product placement, with the Munich firm supplying both Bond's four-wheel and two-wheel rides.

But the weaknesses are easily outweighed by the strengths of the movie, and Tomorrow Never Dies enjoys some terrific highlights. The pre-credit sequence with Bond spying on a terrorist arms bazaar is gritty and explosive. Bond navigating his BMW by remote control in a multi-level parkade while being chased by bad guys armed with machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades is ridiculously fun. And the best sequence features Bond and Lin handcuffed together in Vietnam, having to escape by motorcycle from Carver's henchmen and a killer helicopter.

Roger Spottiswoode directs with a light touch, complemented by brisk but seamless editing work and excellent use of the Bond theme music. Two years after his Bond debut in GoldenEye, Brosnan is fully into his stride as the smooth agent, effortlessly dispatching enemies and seducing ladies. Michelle Yeoh holds her own opposite Brosnan's Bond, matching him in innovative combat and steely-eyed determination.

Tomorrow Never Dies does not stress the intellect, but it does celebrate Bond at his action-packed best in the spy series that never ends.

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