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Exclusive Review: Court Cards is an All-around Masterpiece
via DiscussingFilm, by Andrew S. Sanderson

★★★★★

In the recent years, indie films have been taking theaters around the world by storm. However, none have caught my eye the way that Court Cards, featuring Ben Barnes, Caleb McLaughlin, and newcomer Maia Hoang, has.

Set in the state of Maine in a fantasy magic school, reminiscent of Hogwarts from the Harry Potter series or Camp Halfblood of Rick Riordian's Percy Jackson universe, the plot follows Yelena Tan (Hoang) as she navigates her new found powers alongside one of her mysterious peers, Kazech 'Kaz' De'Veres (McLaughlin)—and that's putting the plot in simple terms. This one singular movie has complex world-building, and a promising storyline all in one, which is a hard feat for some new directors. There's plans for a sequel to come soon, so fans of this new duology-possibly-to-be-turned-into-a-franchise will not have to suffer without content for so long.

THE CAST

Ben Barnes, recently known for playing The Darkling in the Netflix series Shadow and Bone, has re-entered the acting scene, putting his music recording on hold for the meanwhile to play one other dark lord in the form of The Calamity in Court Cards. His performance is nothing less than perfect, as he maintains a threatening, yet complex aura, similar to the likes of Coriolanus Snow from the Hunger Games prequel.

And once again, Caleb McLaughlin makes the movie his own with his charm that still manages to seep through when playing a multi-faceted character like Kazech. Known for his portrayal as Lucas Sinclair in the hit Netflix series, Stranger Things, this new change of character is an impressive switch from the 22-year-old actor.

However, the real showstopper of the 2 hour and 10 minute film has to be the newest face on the scene, Maia Hoang. Having done only small commercials and modeling jobs prior to acting as the lovable, quirky girl known as Yelena Tan, her performance is a standout amongst the rest of the cast, and we can only hope to see Hoang in more films after this. Oh, and did we mention she was studying for mid-terms while she filmed? Practically an Emma Watson or Natalie Portman reincarnate—the 22-year old Australia-born actress is one you want to keep on your radar for years to come.

Buy tickets here!

liked by angiedelrey, therealcalebmclaughlin, and 201,716 others

maiahoa_ng midterms are complete and the court cards premiere is soon, life can't get better than this 💕
[ tagged: angiedelrey ]

iangomezzz Proud of you sis 🙏 who else can say they're acing all their classes while working on a fire film?
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therealcalebmclaughlin 🆙🆙🆙🔥🔥
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↳ maiahoa_ng miss youuu !!

angiedelrey when i borrow that skirt for allison's party on friday ...
↳ maiahoa_ng PLEASE don't spill ranch on it this time
    ↳ angiedelrey NO PROMISES HONEYBUN

benbarnes 🌿💚
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c3.line will you still be acting after you get your degree??
↳ maiahoa_ng that's the plan! :)

maiahoang.source Maia Hoang world domination incoming !!
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NOTES!

short chapter to get a feel for what maia's acting debut was and what her current environment is like :)

ben and caleb won't be making many appearances after this but i wanted to include them just a bit ! also fun fact, court cards is actually based off a book i wrote in middle school, but ended up deleting because i thought the plot was shit

once a writer, always a writer, i guess !!

xoxo, cas