FLASH REVIEWS: "The Farewell" + "The King" + "Hustlers"

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 scene you see Nai Nai on-screen...! The Farewell about grief and self-doubt, yet, it can work as a comedy - and as one of the most honest movies you've seen in years and one of the best movies of the year, by far.

RATING: 4,5 / 5

Oscar potential categories:

Best Picture
Best Director (Lulu Wang)
Best Actress (Awkwafina)
Best Supporting Actress (Zhao Shuzhen)
Best Original Screenplay

THE KING

You don't expect The King to be as engaging as it is. In fact, it looks like a boring historical movie, but the thing is: it isn't. While some historical movies sin when they are trying to cover a long span of years, the screenplay focus on a very particular moment: Henry's ascension to the throne and his initial struggles. David Michôd is able to keep the movie on track without the temptation of celebrating a king's sexuality too much - a common mistake in this genre. And you don't expect Timothée Chalamet to have such a commanding voice like he shows here - in fact, he makes for a commanding and mature performance. Joel Edgerton also shines here as Falstaff and Robert Pattinson has some scene-stealing moments thanks to... his accent (I still don't know if it's purposely bad for comedic effect or if it was a misstep). The colors' palette is beautiful to look at and cinematography, production design and costume design departments show balanced works that elevate each other's. Makeup work is great and so it is Nicholas Britell's score. But, in the end, you feel the movie misses something, specially when Lily-Rose Depp steals the final act in order to have zero development. In the end, you feel this movie needed more half an hour... or a sequel!

RATING: 3,5 / 5

Oscar potential categories:

Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
Best Makeup & Hair

HUSTLERS

So a tale of criminals on heels? Kind of...! Hustlers surprised me a lot! It is a movie with a lot of heart: in fact, much more than you would expect! It follows the struggles of Destiny (Constance Wu, who's a delight to watch) as a naive young woman at the very beginning of the movie, then her crazy life with Ramona (Jennifer Lopez) and, finally, their struggles together when economic crisis strikes and everything changes. In fact, Hustlers is a movie about women struggling, but they never assume themselves as victims - they assume themselves as fighters. It's a movie about female empowerment without sacrificing female sexuality - sexuality isn't a weapon here, but an extension of each character. Great editing work, shiny costumes, sexy moments and some comedic relief, Hustlers could be an average movie, but Wu and, specially, Jennifer Lopez elevate it. For Lopez case, it's a showy commanding (almost scene-stealing) performance - not brilliant, but far better than what we could expect from her - and she makes the most of the material she's given to work with. Lopez is dynamite as Ramona and she brings the thrills, but it's Wu's nuanced and complex performance that gives this movie a heart.

RATING: 4 / 5

Oscar potential categories: