“The Farewell” (Drama/Comedy: 1 hour, 40 minutes)

Starring: Awkwafina, Shuzhen Zhao, Tzi Ma, and Diana Lin

Director: Lulu Wang

Rated: PG (Thematic material and brief language)

 

Movie Review: Director-writer Lulu Wang provides one of the best movies of the year with this drama based on an actual lie. 

“The Farewell” is a beautiful tribute to family and the respect eastern cultures apply to their most senior citizens. A mainly Asian cast exhibits humanity at its best, even during moments of deception.

The deception is a Chinese family keeps a secret from beloved matriarch Nai Nai (Zhao). Doctors have diagnosed the grandmother with cancer, and she only has a short time to live. The family believes it is best they do not tell Nai Nai she is living her last days. 

Her family plans a fictitious wedding as part of a larger ruse to spend time with their mother, grandmother, sister and aunt. A very independent and strong-willed Chinese-American Billi (Awkwafina) struggles with the family’s decision not telling Nai Nai about her condition but puts her family’s wishes ahead of her own. 

The note to keep in mind while watching this movie is that it is based on a real lie. One must wonder why. “The Farewell” gives a convincing rendering of why one family determined its actions were proper. The good writing and directing by Lulu Wang and talented cast make the lie an engaging tale, a familial tribute of love.

Awkwafina is known for comedic turns in movies such as “Crazy Rich Asians,” (2018). Her distinctive voice makes her easily recognizable. Here, she is sound as “Farewell’s” lead actress. She excels.

Awkwafina is better when paired with Shuzhen Zhao, whose last name is listed as Zhou in the credits. Zhao is a superb grandmotherly character. Zhao often steals scenes, becoming the film’s true center. She makes each one count in a convincing manner as the domineering matron. Zhao and Awkwafina’s scenes are a tribute to the relationship a grandparent has with a grandchild.

A family’s major deception becomes a touching tribute to the genetic connections and the loving between a grandmother and her grandchild. A lie is bad, but this movie proves for eastern cultures, a family bearing the pain for an ailing loved one is honorable.

A family with the best intentions, their act renders humor and drama that inspires.

Good dramatic moments are present throughout this movie. These are convincing. Additionally, Wang’s screenplay adds natural comedy in manner, unlike most western movies that trivialize dramas with ill-placed humor.

Wang (“Posthumous,” 2014) offers a window into the eastern world view on life, death and aging. Her script provides a principled cast with words and actions that matter. She rises above what appears an absurd action of a family to make individual actions considerably brilliant, even if some are puzzling bits occasionally.

Grade: B+ (A farewell provides a good greeting to eastern thought.)

“Brian Banks” (Drama: 1 hour, 39 minutes)

Starring: Aldis Hodge, Greg Kinnear and Sherri Shepherd

Director: Tom Shadyac

Rated: PG-13 (Thematic content, violence and profanity)

 

Movie Review: Brian Banks’ story is a tragic one that shows the American justice system is blind unless one is part of the wealthy ruling class. That is the case for Banks, who was arrested on rape charges that were later proven to be false. The movie rushes his story, but an inspirational narrative is potent enough to warrant audiences attention.

The tragic true tale follows the young adult years of Brian Banks (Hodge). He is a standout Polytechnic High School football star with plans to attend the University of Southern California. His dream is to one day play for the NFL. 

That goal ceases when he is falsely accused of rape by a classmate renamed Kennisha Rice in the movie and played by Xosha Roquemore. Banks spends close to six years in prison. After his release from prison and with the support of Justin Brooks (Greg Kinnear) and the California Innocence Project, Banks fights to clear his name and achieve his dream of playing professional football.

The inspirational true story of Brian Banks is engaging, despite its rushed pace. Often, much attention is paid to the woman as a victim, but in this case, the man is the victim. As portrayed in the movie, Banks never has sex with the alleged victim yet still is imprisoned.

Bank had several strikes against him in the American justice system — none warrant his arrest. He is a poor black male, and the United States’ system never gave him an adequate trial until support from the California Innocence Project. Audiences also find that money was a major motive behind why Banks’ accuser stood by her falsehoods as an innocent man spent time in jail.

The movie presents a tragic story, but it inspires by telling Banks’ story in a natural manner. No over-the-top dramatics exists, just story about a man receiving justice and reaching his dream. Of course, this is also the movie’s weak point, too.

The story is told in a manner that feels frequently emotionless because of an expediency to deliver just the highlights. This major milestone of Banks’ life needs a more subtle approach. Still, the screenplay is slim but passionately engaging under the direction of Tom Shadyac (“The Nutty Professor,” 1996; “Patch Adams,” 1998).

Grade: B- (Mild-mannered approach is delivered, yet you can bank on it.)

“The Good Boys” (Adventure/Comedy: 1 hour, 30 minutes)

Starring: Jacob Tremblay, Keith L. Williams and Brady Noon

Director: Gene Stupnitsky

Rated: R (Strong crude sexual content, violence, drug and alcohol material, and profanity – all involving tweens)

 

Movie Review: Three tweens are on the verge of maturity in this adult comedy. The problem is the previews for this movie show most of its best scenes. The remainder is tweens behaving badly and repetitive sexual-related humor and other adult-themed jokes that often fall flat. The result is boys behaving badly.

Max (Tremblay), Lucas (Williams) and Thor (Noon) are three sixth-graders. They decide that they must go to a party at the house of a popular classmate to be liked. The three tweens let peer pressure get the best of them, a measure that almost costs them their friendship.

Where “Good Boys” scores many of its points is with its adventure and talented young actors. Three boys go trekking through a California neighborhood looking to score points at a party. They cause major problems in the process, all to learn how to kiss and look cool. The mindset is keen for kids their age, but this screenplay by adult producers is an adolescent execution.

Grade: C+ (So-so boys)

“47 Meters Down: Uncaged” (Thriller: 1 hour, 30 minutes)

Starring: Sophie Nélisse, Corinne Foxx, Brianne Tju and John Corbett

Director: Johannes Roberts

Rated: PG-13 (Sequences of intense peril, bloody images and brief strong language )

 

Movie Review: This thriller is the sequel to “47 Meters Down,” which Johannes Roberts directed in 2017. Both movies deal with sharks being overly aggressive. 

The original was convincing and thrilling enough to garner good attention. The latest is difficult to observe because camera angles capture the action scenes with sharks poorly. No worry, the majority of the movie’s runtime is just four women screaming and hyperventilating for nearly an hour and 15 minutes. 

Sisters Mia (Nélisse), Sasha (Foxx) and two of their friends, Alexa and Nicole (Tju and Sistine Stallone), are exploring a newly found underwater cave connected to deep blue ocean. After they become trapped there, the women realize they are not alone. Sharks are also present, and the animals are hungry.

“47 Meters Down: Uncaged” is the perfect movie to show how a feature can be diverting without being substantial in a lasting manner. This is a survival movie. The biggest challenge is audiences surviving the movie with a mediocre story that merely tries to capture an economic echo from its prequel.

Grade: C (Fails to rise to sea level.)

“Where’d You Go, Bernadette” (Drama: 1 hour, 49 minutes)

Starring: Cate Blanchett Billy Crudup, Emma Nelson and Kristen Wiig

Director: Richard Linklater

Rated: PG-13 (Profanity and drug material)

 

Movie Review: “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” plays like an eccentric piece that entertains but never quite reaches its arranged plateau. Despite the talented Cate Blanchett and a good start, the movie takes a while for Bernadette to go somewhere. 

Renowned architect Bernadette Fox (Blanchett) lives in Seattle with her husband, Elgie Branch (Crudup), and their daughter, Bee Branch (Nelson). The family lives in a spacious, dilapidated home the family is remodeling. In the middle of a midlife crisis, Bernadette goes missing,

An adaptation of Maria Semple’s novel, it is directed by Richard Linklater, the talented man behind movies such as “Boyhood” (2014) and “Before Sunrise” (1995). Linklater is an artist behind the camera. He takes characters with everyday lives and makes them intriguing. He attempts to do the same with “Where’d You Go, Bernadette,” but in a less than persuasive manner.

The problematic issue is — despite the title — it takes a while before Bernadette goes somewhere. The movie consists of multiple cameos and everyday situations that creep along as Blanchett does her best to keep her character interesting. The actress is good but the script does not match her.

Grade: C+ (Blanchett is good but her character goes in the wrong direction.)

 

Adann-Kennn Alexxandar works and lives in Valdosta.