Review: ‘The Gentlemen’, Another British Gangster Flick From Guy Ritchie? Sign Me Up.

The Gentlemen – Guy Ritchie’s newest star-studded affair – follows Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey) who has built a marijuana empire throughout London. A Rhodes scholar originally from the United States, Mickey has worked hard to establish himself as the king of the jungle when it comes to marijuana in London – a position of power that he is incredibly proud of. That said, no lion can rule forever, and he is ready to pass along control of his empire to the right bidder and enjoy the fruits of his labor with his wife Rosalind (Michelle Dockery).

In comes Matthew (Jeremy Strong), another United States native who is willing to spend a cool 400 million pounds on Mickey’s empire – including the growing sites, distribution centers, and technology involved. Mickey takes Matthew around, showing him different parts of the business – but makes sure to have his trusty companion Ray (Charlie Hunnam) by his side to protect him. Ray is constantly putting out fires for Mickey – whether it be dealing with a con artist named Fletcher (Hugh Grant, yes…that Hugh Grant) trying to blackmail Mickey into paying him 20 million pounds or having a boxing trainer named Coach (Colin Farrell) take care of some business for him to make up for past discretions – Ray just tries to make Mickey’s life easier.   

When one of Mickey’s locations gets robbed and used in a ‘fight porn’ viral video, the ramifications are magnified due to Mickey's future in the business being in doubt – the security and secrecy of all the sites come into question, the evaluation of the business takes a hit, and rival drug lords begin to question Mickey’s toughness. One of these rivals is Lord George (Tom Wu), who is represented by the enthusiastic (to say the least) Dry Eye (Henry Golding).

Mickey must find a way to balance pressures from Dry Eye, a sale to Matthew, protecting his empire and family, and Big Dave (Eddie Marsan) – a reporter who has it out for Mickey after an unfortunate hand-shaking incident. I know that kind of sounds like a weird dream someone would have, but hey – it’s Guy Ritchie.

The Gentlemen is classic Guy Ritchie and with his fingerprints all over it – he wrote, directed and produced the film – you should expect nothing else. The cinematography, the witty one liners, the outlandish characters that walk around in broad daylight doing whatever the hell they went, and the quick cutscenes – it’s all there.

There are films where the cast look like they are having a hell of a good time and this enthusiasm for their roles shines through – well The Gentlemen is a perfect example of that. All the starts throughout the film truly bring their A game and it just makes for an even more enjoyable experience for the audience and cast alike.

There are times, especially towards the beginning of the film, when things get a little muddled. It can be a bit hard to follow and doesn’t truly establish a coherent plot – good thing there is enough humor and action to get the audience through that. Once it hits its rhythm, The Gentlemen starts firing on all cylinders. It is a fun ride and one that I will certainly be seeing again – I know there are jokes in there that I missed the first time. We were all itching for Ritchie to get back to his roots with another British gangster comedy and The Gentlemen scratches that itch perfectly. Go ahead and check it out, you won’t be disappointed – and if you are, take it up with Ray.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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Review: 'Last Christmas', Emilia Clarke And Henry Golding Warm The Heart This Holiday Season

Christmas movies don't just come and go, they tend to last forever, played in homes like clockwork each year while decorating the tree or opening presents. But unless your name is Frank Capra, few directors are ever thought of for the Christmas movies they've made. The same will probably go for Paul Feig, whose sweeter-than-a-sugar-cookie romance Last Christmas doesn't rank among his best, but has the ingredients to be a holiday favorite to be watched over a mug of egg nog.

Set to the soulful sounds of the late great George Michael, Last Christmas not only checks off the boxes of other easy-to-watch holiday films, but also what Feig's fans have come to expect from one of his comedies. In her most enjoyable non-Game of Thrones role yet, Emilia Clarke plays Kate, a London trainwreck who lives out of her suitcase because she can't stand being around her overbearing mom (Emma Thompson, also co-writer). Kate's self-destructive nature has ruined its share of friendships and thrown her job at an all-year Christmas shop in jeopardy more times than she can count. After recovering from a serious medical condition, Kate has basically thrown all caution to the wind.

In true holiday fashion, Kate's life begins to turn around when she meets that special someone who forces her to look on the bright side of things. Tom (A Simple Favor actor Henry Golding, reuniting with Feig) is unlike anyone Kate has ever met before, encouraging her to "look up" and see a part of London she's always been too self-involved to notice. He always pops up whenever she needs him most, offering advice that steers Kate in a better direction, one that involves looking towards the needs of others and not just herself. He's like her own personal Jiminy Cricket, only hot. But as Kate and Tom grow closer, she gets more invested in their relationship while he stays mysteriously at a distance.

Trailers weren't completely successful at keeping certain plot swerves a total secret. But even knowing what's up, Last Christmas can still warm the heart and give you a stocking full of hearty laughs. Thompson's screenplay is full of the kind of clichés that have made Love Actually such an adored (or despised, okay it's damn divisive) favorite. Kate's a lovable, well-meaning klutz while Tom is a perfect dreamboat just quirky enough to not be dull. There are meet-cutes everywhere, family squabbles, a chance at redemption, and an illuminated rendition of "Last Christmas" for the supporting characters to shine in.

Clarke is a true delight, and I hope this pulls her into doing more comedies than grim dramas and blockbuster franchises. She's surrounded by a supporting cast led by Golding, who for all of his appeal as a sex symbol, is better at playing aloof than anything else. I guess the mysterious quality is a big part of that appeal. Michelle Yeoh is a terrific scene-stealer as Kate's stern-but-kind boss, and while I grimaced at Thompson's Slavic accent and busted teeth, she has some of the movie's best one-liners. Of course, Thompson wrote them for herself.

There's too much that Thompson and co-writer Bryony Kimmings' screenplay wants to accomplish, including a commentary on the anti-immigrant sentiment fueled by Brexit, and perhaps a little too much time on Kate's dalliances with random men. It keeps the film from skating by as smoothly as it should across its 103-minute runtime. Feig and cinematographer John Schwartzman make up for it in a sheer overload of Christmas ornamentation. There's enough tinsel, LED lighting, weird Christmas stocking stuffers and elf costumes to fill a dozen of Santa's workshops. Last Christmas won't let you escape the holiday spirit. While the path it takes to your heart is a familiar one, a little bit of happiness is enough of a gift this time of year.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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'Last Christmas' Trailer: Emilia Clarke And Henry Golding Meet Cute Over The Holidays

We're still three full months away from Christmas, but who cares? It's a perfect time for what's already the second trailer for Last Christmas, a holiday rom-com penned by Emma Thompson, directed by Paul Feig, and inspired by the music of George Michael. Did I mention it stars the red-hot duo of Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding? Merry Christmas!

The film may look like a traditional "girl meets boy over the holidays" comedy, but clearly that's not what Thompson and Feig are aiming for here. Clarke plays a woman recovering from a life-threatening ailment, as she attempts to get her shit together in time for the holidays, only to meet a too-perfect stranger who could be the one to help her do it.

Theories about Golding's character have been flying around since the first trailer, when everybody suspected that maybe he was too dreamy to be an actual person, and maybe we should take the title "Last Christmas", and the words of Michael's song, literally. Feig has challenged those rumors in an interview with Radio Times, stating...

“Anything anybody thinks they know about this movie is not correct. It makes me laugh because it’s this romantic comedy and then everyone is treating it like it’s the Matrix. It’s just a lovely Christmas movie!”

Whatever, here's the actual synopsis: Kate is a young woman subscribed to bad decisions. Her last date with disaster? That of having accepted to work as Santa’s elf for a department store. However, she meets Tom there. Her life takes a new turn. For Kate, it seems too good to be true.


Last Christmas opens November 8th.

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'Crazy Rich Asians' Breakout Henry Golding May Suit Up For 'Snake Eyes' GI Joe Spinoff

Suddenly, everybody's talking about GI Joe again. What with rumblings of a third team movie finally getting off the ground, along with a spinoff featuring the little-seen character Chuckles, we're also hearing of an actor to play the most popular Joe of all, Snake Eyes, in his upcoming solo movie. That choice, Henry Golding, either makes a lot of sense or none at all depending on your perspective.

The Crazy Rich Asians and A Simple Favor heartthrob, who just had a trailer for his holiday rom-com Last Christmas drop a few hours ago, is in talks to play Snake Eyes in Paramount and Hasbro's movie. He'll be taking over the role from Ray Park, who played the Joe's resident ninja warrior in both GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra and its sequel, GI Joe: Retaliation. The film is being set up as a prequel following Snake Eyes' attempts to join the Arashikage Clan. The Arashikage would also be where Snake Eyes meets his ultimate rival, Storm Shadow.

Okay, so to me this makes no sense. Golding is a very handsome man who is charming and commands the screen whenever he's on. Snake Eyes is popular for the opposite reasons. The silent ninja badass is almost never seen without his mask or outside of his iconic costume. He's tough to get along with and usually strikes out on his own. He's basically the Wolverine of the GI Joe squad.  Granted, this is a prequel so maybe they are doing a different take on the character, but then why make a Snake Eyes movie at all if that's the case?  On the other hand, Golding is a rising star and locking him into the franchise long-term makes some business sense.

Snake Eyes opens October 16th 2020, directed by Robert Schwentke. What do you think of Golding possibly playing Snake Eyes? [TheWrap]

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'Last Christmas' Trailer: Emilia Clarke And Henry Golding Lead Paul Feig's Holiday Rom-Com

If anybody should know what it takes to make an ever-lasting holiday comedy, Love Actually star Emma Thompson would be it. The upcoming holiday confection Last Christmas was not only developed by Thompson, but she co-wrote the script and co-stars alongside the film's charming leads, Emilia Clarke and Henry Golding.

Backed by the soulful sounds of George Michael, whose song lends the film its title, Last Christmas stars Clarke as an unhappy London woman who works at a year-round Christmas shop. Golding plays the perfect guy who enters her life at the perfect moment and sees through her harsh exterior.

The film is directed by Paul Feig, who helped turn Golding into one of 2018's breakout stars with A Simple Favor. Paired with Clarke's buoyant personality, we could see Golding become the smoldering leading man that many have been predicting. This certainly looks like the movie for it.  Michelle Yeoh co-stars, and there will also be brand new unreleased music by George Michael powering the soundtrack.

Last Christmas spreads some holiday cheer beginning November 8th.

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Matthew McConaughey, Kate Beckinsale, And Henry Golding To Star In Guy Ritchie's 'Toff Guys'

Before Guy Ritchie made the move to blockbusters such as Sherlock Holmes, King Arthur, and Aladdin (I still can't believe he's doing that), he was the guy for British gangster films. Ritchie made his bones with Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, RocknRolla, and more, and now he's returning to the genre with an all-star cast led by Matthew McConaughey.

Ritchie will direct McConaughey, Kate Beckinsale, and Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding in Toff Guys,  crime film he co-wrote with Marn Davies and Ivan Atkinson. According to Deadline the film will "explore the collision between old-money European wealth and the modern marijuana industrial complex with new gang entrants swarming."

So it's a movie about pot dealers. Got it.

Production should kick off in May following a sizable $30M investment by Miramax to acquire the worldwide rights. While I don't think Ritchie's name is much of a draw anymore, the cast he assembled definitely is.

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Emilia Clarke And Henry Golding To Star In Paul Feig's Holiday Romance 'Last Christmas'

With Game of Thrones coming to an end, Emilia Clarke is about to have a big window of time to fill. Rather than jumping into another series, she's landed her next major movie role, and it'll be with two people with films currently burning up the box office.

Clarke will join with Crazy Rich Asians breakout Henry Golding for Last Christmas, the latest from director Paul Feig. Feig's currently hot with his dark comedy A Simple Favor, which Golding also had a key role in. Plot details are few but it's being described by Variety as a holiday romance set in London.

Sounds like another change of pace for Feig, who is typically known for his all-female comedies. With the exception of the romance drama Me Before You, Clarke's work on the big screen has mostly consisted of big studio efforts, such as Solo: A Star Wars Story and Terminator Genisys. Given how those failed maybe a move like this is the right thing to do.

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Review: 'A Simple Favor', Anna Kendrick And Blake Lively Are Devilish Fun In Paul Feig's Comic Caper

While we may recognize Paul Feig for his many successful comedies, he's always been keen on using the genre to explore the relationships between women. That predilection hasn't changed but he's doing it in a slightly different way with A Simple Favor, a slick romantic caper that's both chic and campy, a thrill and a laugh riot thanks to brilliant opposing performances by Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively.

Based on the Darcey Bell book but clearly drawing some inspiration from the New Wave works of French directors such as Francois Ozon and Yves Caumon, A Simple Favor is more delightful than Gone Girl and just as twisted. Anna Kendrick, always at her best when playing dorky and over-eager, is perfectly cast as Stephanie, an energetic single mom with a food vlog and a serious need for some friends. She thinks she's found one in glamorous and high-powered PR rep Emily, played by a strident and ferocious Blake Lively. The two seemingly have nothing in common other than their sons and the suburban Connecticut elementary school they share. Emily certainly doesn't act like the mothering type; she cusses like a sailor, openly dismisses the idea of a play date between their sons ("Mommy already has a play date with a symphony of antidepressants"), and has nothing good to say about her husband, Sean (Crazy Rich Asians' Henry Golding), a writer who never got over his one hit book.

Emily should eat poor Stephanie alive; that's certainly what the other neighborhood mommies think will happen, but she actually teaches her a thing or two about being confident and to stop apologizing for everything. Before long they're sharing secrets over martinis, the good kind, the French way. When Emily asks for a "simple favor" picking up her son from school, she never returns to pick him up. Days pass, the cops are called in to investigate, and it's unclear if something horrible has happened or if she has simply run away from her life.

A "darker side" is teased for every character, but it's most fun to watch emerge in Stephanie, who begins using Emily's disappearance as a hook for her show. Tune in for the homemade brownies, stay for the murder mystery! Kendrick is wonderful playing amateur detective, digging into Emily's past while also taking on some of her nastier traits. She can make any interaction awkward, and make the smallest embarrassment seem like a national crisis. Lively lives up to her name with the most deliciously fun role she's had. It's always worked in her favor that she's so often cast as the enigmatic beauty, but here she's outwardly forceful, venomous, manipulative, and a joy to watch. When Emily is gone for long stretches it definitely hurts the film a little bit, the weird dynamic between her and Stephanie one of its strongest points. The final act is utterly and intentionally ridiculous. There are so many twists and double-crosses you never know who is zoomin' who, but screenwriter Jessica Sharzer plays the ultimate reveal just right. The silliness is all part of A Simple Favor's simple pleasure, served best in a chilled martini glass.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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Review: 'Crazy Rich Asians' Is Worth Falling Crazy In Love With

I went into Crazy Rich Asians thinking it looked like a Chinese version of The Prince and Me, and came away thinking I'd just seen one of the freshest romantic comedies in years. The amount of pressure on this film, an adaptation of Kevin Kwan's smash novel, can't be overstated. As the first major Hollywood movie with an all-Asian cast in more than two decades, Crazy Rich Asians is being seen as a litmus test for diversity. Sad as that may be, it's just a fact that movies which look like this simply don't get made. Fortunately, there is now a reason to expect and demand that there will be a lot more.

Crazy Rich Asians works even though my initial fear of its formulaic nature is totally true. What is so special about the script by Adele Lim and Peter Chiarelli is how the familiar elements, the Cinderella love story, the fish out of water aspects, are presented through a Chinese culture most of us are unfamiliar with. But you don't have to be Asian to find so much of this story relatable, funny, and gorgeous to watch unfold.

Constance Wu (from ABC's Fresh Off the Boat) plays Rachel Chu, a Chinese-American economics professor at NYU and the daughter of a single mom. We see Rachel's got some street smarts, too, as she bluffs one of her students in a hand of poker, teaching him a lesson about playing the opponent and not the hand he's dealt. We get it; that lesson is one she's going to have to remember herself at some point, but that's okay. A little foreshadowing never hurt.  Rachel is dating the handsome Nick Young (Henry Golding, a Brit-Malaysian actor who will also star in A Simple Favor this year), and for over a year things have been going well. He seems normal and down to Earth, stealing bites of her meal at a local diner. But little do they know, his being seen out in public with Rachel is a big deal. Director Jon M. Chu (he of the Step Up and GI Joe flicks) cleverly and quickly whisks us through social media as this little date cracks a certain segment of the Internet. Within moments it's like the world knows Nick has a girlfriend. But who is he that anybody would care?

Nick wants to take Rachel back home to Singapore to attend his best friend's wedding. She agrees, but when he escorts her into the luxury-class private suite aboard the flight, it's the first time she figures out that Nick's family may have some money. Turns out, the Youngs have what is called "old money". They are the richest of the richest, the elite, and a family dynasty that Nick has chosen to avoid in New York. For him, coming home means dealing with his mother Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh), a firm believer in the old traditions that have kept them thriving for generations. She instantly disapproves of Rachel, who she perceives as an American commoner unfit to be with her son, and incapable of handling the thankless life of a woman in their ruthless world.

Crazy Rich Asians has a lot going on, and I was taken aback by how easily it juggles numerous storylines and themes while plunging us feet first in the culture of China's rich and famous.  While the Youngs show off their wealth with a regal flair, the "new money" families, like that of Rachel's filter-less college friend Peik Lin (the terrific Awkwafina, last seen in Ocean's 8), are loud with it, drawing unnecessary attention to themselves. Peik's parents, including a hilarious Ken Jeong as her father, live in a home so big and tacky it looks like it ought to be bulldozed as a crime against architecture. But Jeong also has some of the film's best lines. When one of their many kids refuses to eat, he says “Eat. There are a lot of children starving in America." Peik thinks Eleanor sees Rachel as a banana, "Yellow on the outside, white on the inside."

The love story between Rachel and Nick is sweet but not without its difficulties. She has to deal with more than just Eleanor, but also Nick's jealous ex-girlfriend relishing in making her life miserable. Yes, it's a classic story of a plucky girl winning over the rich snobs, but there's more to it than that. Crazy Rich Asians is a film about lineage and history, something Eleanor wears as a badge of honor one moment, then uses as a bludgeon the next. It's up to Rachel to take charge of who she wants to be, and to accept where she comes from. Strip down all of the gloss, and there is certainly a lot of that in this extravagant feature, and you have an empowering story of a woman coming into her own. That idea is mirrored in a subplot involving Nick's sister, Astrid (Gemma Chan), and her marriage to a man uncomfortable with having his wife as the breadwinner.

There's so much to look at here that sometimes it's hard to decide where to focus. The cast itself is stunning, and Mary Vogt's costume designs accentuate while informing us of each character's personality. We know Peik Lin the instant we see her rockin' her first pair of Jimmy Choos and Stella McCartney pajamas. The locations are breath-taking; gigantic neon mansions lighting up the Botanical Gardens in Kuala Lumpur, the stunning Marina Bay Sands casino hotel, and an impressive array of floral arrangements, including the rare Tan Hua plant which blooms only at night and wilts before dawn. The decadence is so thorough that it becomes laughable during the silly underwater-style wedding for Nick's closest friends, Colin (Chris Pang) and Araminta (Sonoya Mizuno).

Predictable? Yes, but Crazy Rich Asians definitely isn't your typical Hollywood rom-com. With lack of representation on the big screen such a major issue right now, we may finally have the film that swings the pendulum in the opposite direction. No matter who you are or where you're from, you might just fall crazy in love with Crazy Rich Asians.

Rating: 4 out of 5

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'A Simple Favor' Trailer: Anna Kendricks Searches For A Missing Blake Lively In Paul Feig's Thriller

Breaking free from the comedy genre that has defined his career, Paul Feig goes into thriller territory with A Simple Favor. Feig's Gone Girl-esque adaptation of Darcey Bell's 2017 novel still puts the focus on female characters, as all of his movies have, played by Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, who he's working with for the first time.

So unless she's got a secret cameo we haven't found out about, there's no Melissa McCarthy anywhere. The film centers on two best friends, one a mommy blogger played by Kendrick, with Lively as the mysterious one who suddenly vanishes from their small town. Henry Golding, who is set to make a splash later this year in Crazy Rich Asians, plays Lively's husband who gets in on the investigation.

The tone still feels a bit off as Feig tries to be thrilling while maintaining a dark streak of humor.  But Feig hasn't really had a total dud yet and I doubt he'll start here. Here's the synopsis:

A SIMPLE FAVOR, directed by Paul Feig, centers around Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), a mommy vlogger who seeks to uncover the truth behind her best friend Emily’s (Blake Lively) sudden disappearance from their small town. Stephanie is joined by Emily’s husband Sean (Henry Golding) in this stylish thriller filled with twists and betrayals, secrets and revelations, love and loyalty, murder and revenge.

A Simple Favor opens September 14th.

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'A Simple Favor' Trailer: Anna Kendrick Tries To Solve The Mystery That Is Blake Lively

Paul Feig is doing something a little bit different with his latest film, A Simple Favor. Veering away from the female-led comedies he's turned his attention to something a little more Gone Girl-esque. Well, maybe with a tiny dash of Spy thrown in for good measure?  Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively star in the film about a pair of mismatched friends and the mystery that emerges when one goes missing.

Kendrick plays Stephanie, a mommy blogger whose son befriends the child of the chic and glamorous Emily (Lively). The two moms become martini buddies, but when Emily goes missing Stephanie begins to realize she doesn't know her friend as well as she thought. The film is based on Darcey Bell's bestselling novel and it promises twists and betrayals galore, like any good mystery should. Is she a secret agent? Is she having an affair? Or is it something far worse?

Also starring Henry Golding, Jean Smart, Eric Johnson, and Linda Cardellini, A Simple Favor opens September 14th.

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The Long-Awaited Trailer For 'Crazy Rich Asians' Is Finally Here

That Crazy Rich Asians is being adapted for the big screen shouldn't be a big deal, the same way a film like Love, Simon shouldn't have. But there has been a severe lacking of representation for Asian-Americans in Hollywood for far too long. It's like there are more white-washing scandals per year than American movies with Asian casts. Well that changes now, and it actually looks like a lot of fun.

Directed by Jon M. Chu (Jem and the Holograms) and featuring an all Asian cast, Crazy Rich Asians is based on the novel by Kevin Kwan about Rachel Chu (played by Fresh Off The Boat's Constance Wu), a Chinese American who joins her boyfriend Nick (Henry Golding) to his home country of Singapore for a friend's wedding. Little does she know that Nick is not only filthy rich but one of Asia's most eligible bachelors, drawing the attention of the press and Nick's family.

While this wouldn't normally be my cup of tea, it kinda looks like the Asian version of The Prince And Me, I'm won over by the interactions between Wu and the always-great Michelle Yeoh. Others in the cast include Ken Jeong, Jimmy O. Yang, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan, and Harry Shum Jr.

Here's the synopsis: The story follows native New Yorker Rachel Chu (Wu) as she accompanies her longtime boyfriend, Nick Young (Golding), to his best friend’s wedding in Singapore.  Excited about visiting Asia for the first time but nervous about meeting Nick’s family, Rachel is unprepared to learn that Nick has neglected to mention a few key details about his life.

It turns out that he is not only the scion of one of the country’s wealthiest families but also one of its most sought-after bachelors.  Being on Nick’s arm puts a target on Rachel’s back, with jealous socialites and, worse, Nick’s own disapproving mother (Yeoh) taking aim.  And it soon becomes clear that while money can’t buy love, it can definitely complicate things.

Crazy Rich Asians opens August 17th.

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