Cinema and Popcorn

The Best Supporting Actress feels a little volatile this year: the only sure thing seems to be Laura Dern for Marriage Story , with all the other spots with no rock solid contenders besides Margot Robbie for Bombshell (maybe!). But why is Laura Dern such a solid contender? Well: first, Marriage Story is a Best Picture contender and it has the giant Netflix backing its award campaign... and since Best Supporting Actress (and Best Supporting Actor) are closely related with Best Picture, things sound good for her; second, she has the rave reviews, the Golden Globe win and the critics prizes, for a truly supporting review (not my favorite performance from her, but predicting it's not only about "me"); third and last, she's a member of the Board of Governors in the Actors Branch, which means she's part of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (really, she's a Governor!). Plus, she's living a sweet moment in her career and there's a lot of good...

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 ...