Hustlers (2019)

The film slow-motion walks in high heels the fine dramatic lines of morally iffy but thrilling crimes and flawed but engaging characters with few missteps (the interview framework felt unnecessary). Fantastic performances (Lopez as the intoxicating matriarch Ramona and Wu as the volatile Destiny especially), great style (the constant music is perfect) and countless deftly crafted, naturalistic scenes (see first day at the club; rooftop in fur; laughs in the dressing room; lavish Christmas).

8

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Takes a while to get anywhere substantial conflict-wise, and when it arrives it’s weirdly inconsistent (the post-bach party tension was high but dissipated quite quickly; the side plot with Astrid didn’t help). Overall though it has some interesting things to say about prejudice, family, and relationships on its way to a solid climactic confrontation (the Mahjong game) and resolve (cliche but sweet), with lots of laughs filling in the gaps (Awkwafina and Jeong are both hilarious in their roles).

6