Cinema and Popcorn

Well, it was a Golden Globes edition full of surprises. From the Missing Link win over the Disney giants Toy Story 4  and Frozen II to the win of 1917 over The Irishman , Marriage Story or Joker . Pleased to see the HFPA didn't go for Jennifer Lopez ( Hustlers ), but for Laura Dern ( Marriage Story ) instead - not that I don't like JLo's performance, but it would be too cliché! The Irishman was completely defeated and it went home empty handed. Even Marriage Story underperformed here! This edition made one thing clearer: Best Picture is anyone's race and Laura Dern & Brad Pitt seem to have an Oscar win waiting for them (they're having the biggest sweeps of the season between the Globes and the critics prizes). I just got a 43% prediction accuracy this Golden Globes, which is extremely low when compared to other ye ars, but I really didn't see 1917 winning Best Drama and Best Director coming. But 3 of my predicted spoilers made the win, so...! Well...

THE FAREWELL Led by a surprising effective dramatic performance from Awkwafina (an actress you can't help but to link to comedic genre), The Farewell is a heartfelt tale of preparation for grief and a study about cultural shock: it's the East v. West, it's Old China v. New China. The ensemble acting is strong, but it's Zhao Shuzhen who stands-out as Nai Nai - she's the heart and joy of the whole movie, making you fall in love for her. In fact, Zhao Shuzhen delivers one of the year's best performances with her comedic timing, subtles moves and warm smile - it's a breakthrough performance in Hollywood that only a veteran actor could deliver. You can see director's Lulu Wang sensitive approach of a personal journey and how much love and tenderness she pulls from the actors in every scene. The wedding scenes are both funny and bittersweet - you feel people saying goodbye to Nai Nai without saying anything and it just breaks your heart. And that last ...