by
Julien Faddoul
The Farewell ***
A Chinese family discovers their grandmother has only a short while left to live and decide to keep her in the dark, scheduling a wedding to gather before she dies.
Tender, exceptionally well-acted dramedy – based on a true story – on culture clashes, racial and generational differences, and the problems of living up to your parents’ expectations. It is shot and paced in a functional manner (with an unnecessary use of a 2.35:1 ratio) but beautifully makes light out of situations without ever concealing their truth or pain.
wd – Lulu Wang
ph – Anna Franquesa Solano
pd – Yong Ok Lee
m – Alex Weston
ed – Matt Friedman, Michael Taylor
cos – Athena Wang
p – Anita Gou, Daniele Tate Melia, Andrew Miano, Peter Saraf, Marc Turtletaub, Chris Weitz, Jane Zheng
Cast: Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, Zhao Shuzhen, Lu Hong, Jiang Yongbo, Gil Perez-Abraham, Ines Laimins, Jim Liu
Good Boys
A group of young boys on the cusp of becoming teenagers embark on an epic quest in the San Fernando Valley to fix their broken toy before their parents get home.
An attempt by Eisenerg & Stupnitsky to cajole laughter out of incredulity. Strictly for those who find an adolescent’s view of sex to be automatically hilarious. At least it’s short.
d – Gene Stupnitsky
w – Lee Eisenberg, Gene Stupnitsky
ph – Jonathan Furmanski
pd – Jeremy Stanbridge
m – Lyle Workman
ed – Daniel Gabbe
p – Lee Eisenberg, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver
Cast: Jacob Tremblay, Brady Noon, Keith L. Williams, Molly Gordon, Midori Francis, Will Forte, Josh Caras, Retta, LilRel Howery, Millie Davis, Enid-Raye Adams, Chance Hurstfield
The Art of Racing in the Rain
A family dog with a near-human soul and a philosopher’s mind, evaluates his life through the lessons learned by his human owner, a race-car driver.
On a craft level, this is a truly awful film, with almost every single plot machination or aesthetic choice being spoonfed to the audience as if they had never seen a movie in their lives. Even dog lovers should find it condescending.
d – Simon Curtis
w – Mark Bomback (Based on the Novel by Garth Stein)
ph – Ross Emery
pd – Brent Thomas
m – Volker Bertelmann, Dustin O'Halloran
ed – Adam Recht
cos – Monique Prudhomme
p – Joannie Burstein, Patrick Dempsey, Cattleya Executive, Tania Landau, Neal H. Moritz
Cast: Milo Ventimiglia, Kevin Costner, Amanda Seyfried, Martin Donovan, Ian Lake, Gary Cole, Kathy Baker
The Kitchen
Set in 1970s Hell’s Kitchen, NYC. After the mobsters are sentenced to jail, their wives take their place — and do as good of a job, if not better.
A crime film with all the correct elements (including an all-star cast) that just lays there like a lead balloon, with far too much hamming, unmotivated character decisions and music montages. One wonders whether its first-time director might have had her vision comprised by an uncooperative studio.
wd – Andrea Berloff (Based on the Comic Book by Ollie Masters, Ming Doyle)
ph – Maryse Alberti
pd – Shane Valentino
m – Bryce Dessner
ed – Christopher Tellefsen
cos – Sarah Edwards
p – Michael De Luca, Marcus Viscidi
Cast: Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, Elisabeth Moss, Domhnall Gleeson, Common, Margo Martindale, Bill Camp, Brian d'Arcy James, James Badge Dale, Alicia Coppola
Blinded by the Light
In 1987, during the austere days of Thatcher’s Britain, a teenager learns to live life, understand his family, and find his own voice through the music of Bruce Springsteen.
Yet another corny British jukebox musical with broad comedy and savage helpings of sentimentality, coasting a great deal on the poetry of Springsteen’s classics. Another loser from Chadha.
d – Gurinder Chadha
w – Paul Mayeda Berges, Gurinder Chadha, Sarfraz Manzoor
ph – Ben Smithard
pd – Nick Ellis
m – AR Rahman
ed – Justin Krish
cos – Annie Hardinge
p – Jane Barclay, Gurinder Chadha, Jamal Daniel
Cast: Viveik Kalra, Nell Williams, Hayley Atwell, Kulvinder Ghir, Aaron Phagura, Dean-Charles Chapman, Meera Ganatra, Nikita Mehta, Tara Divina, Rob Brydon, Frankie Fox, Sally Phillips, Sofia Abbasi
Wings of Desire ****
Two angels glide through the streets of Berlin, observing the bustling population, providing invisible rays of hope to the distressed but never interacting with them. When one falls in love with a lonely trapeze artist, the angel longs to experience life in the physical world, and finds that it might be possible for him to take human form.
A film that truly feels like no other; one that is haunted by the past and nostalgic for the present. Impeccably photographed, it is filled with moments of quiet joy, and marvellously reticulates Germany’s history with the country's struggle for humanity in the 1980s. It certainly has some longueurs and the poetic dialogue is at times arch, but no other film has really achieved its texture.
d – Wim Wenders
w – Wim Wenders, Peter Handke
ph – Henri Alekan
pd – Heidi Lüdi
m – Jürgen Knieper
ed – Peter Przygodda
cos – Monika Jacobs
p – Wim Wenders, Anatole Dauman
Cast: Bruno Ganz, Otto Sander, Solveig Dommartin, Curt Bois, Peter Falk, Hans Martin Stier, Beatrice Manowski
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