Official Casual / OT Wasteman Thread '20-21 Season XI

[Red Shoelace]

The Farewell [Mandarin/English] (2019) - 8.25/10

Spoiler:

The Farewell 2019 ★★★★

Watched Jul 19, 2019
RedShoelace’s review published on Letterboxd :

A special little film that explores the cultural differences between American and Chinese families and the difficulties of saying good bye. Lulu Wang made a remarkable movie here and it is no wonder, because of how personal it was to her. After all, according to the first frame; this story was based on an actual lie. Billi played by Awkwafina moved to America with her parents at the age of six years old, same as Wang. Her meetings with her lovable grandmother Nai Nai are few and far between and for many of us from 1st or 2nd generation immigrant families, can relate. That same relatability is what makes The Farewell such a great story. While not a member that fits into the category, growing up away from the rest of my extended family where a bi annual and some years just an annual trip, left a lasting impression on me. The memories formed on those visits, same for those who grew up visiting family members out of province/country/continent leave an imprint.

So what is The Farewell about exactly? Grandmother Nai Nai who lives on mainland China is given a terminal diagnosis from the hospital, except she doesn't know about it. There is a saying in China as mother to Billi told her "you get cancer, and you die." so the custom of sharing bad news is not what you would think. A faux wedding is planned as an excuse for the family to visit and say their own good byes under false pretenses. An absurd premise on the very truths exploring the contrast between the East and the West. Billi is urged not to visit by her parents because she is someone who wears her heart on her sleeves, growing up in America or even North America, it is something far more common than the more reserved nature of Billi's parents or those from China. So the whole movie plays out as one big game of secret with the lovable Nai Nai at the middle of it.

For a premise that could use the sentimentality as such a crutch, Lulu Wang hesitated to use any close ups if at all. Instead there are terrific shots of the whole family together, sparking the memories in us all about the trips of our youth (for those fortunate enough to have done so) visiting our grand parents in one big gathering. It would have been easy to focus on Billi and even her cousin who is fake marrying his girlfriend of only 3 months who take the custom of not sharing the news with their grandmother poorly. Just as how for most of the film they were attempting their best to hide their emotions, Wang intentionally stayed away from up close expressions. What works so well is grandmother Nai Nai being at the heart and centre of so many frames, quickly warming your heart and preparing you for the worst all at the same time. By the films end you don't want to see Nai Nai go almost as much as her family and Shuzhen Zhou is worthy of the supporting actress praise.

For a film with such a potentially serious story, it manages to bring the laughs. Not the sort of laughs you would expect in an R rated raunchy comedy or lame one liners of a rom-com or superhero film. The film is funny because of all its light hearted situational moments. I feel like often times nuanced comedy like this is when it works best in a film and The Farewell is definitely one that fits in the "you'll laugh AND cry" camp. This is the type of crowd pleaser that inspires you to shout out from the roof tops to urge people to watch. Especially as a Canadian and more importantly one that lives in the greater Toronto area where people from all walks of life have moved to just like Billi and her family. They may not have come from China but the similarities are there and ultimately regardless of custom, saying good bye to a family member is hard to do no matter the circumstances. A terrific film that left me with the passing thought that maybe a dying grandmother is my emotional kryptonite.

8.25/10

https://letterboxd.com/redshoelace/film/the-farewell-2019/

I saw this at Sundance about a month ago. Very good film. The director was there too and she had some interesting stories about the production of it. Many companies she went to told her she needed to have a white guy in it.

Did you watch it at Sundance or did it premiere in your area? I missed the Q&A opening the other week in Toronto presented by Lulu Wang (who the story is heavily based on). Can you give more details to what she said regarding companies wanting there to include a white guy? That doesn't make sense since this film was based on her life story, even the main character Billi moved to America at the same age as her. It wouldn't make sense to include any white person in this movie since the whole film is about the cultural distinctions between being a 1st/2nd generation immigrant and natives of the home land.

Sundance is in end of January - first week of February by the way.

[Red Shoelace]

I saw this list today, and I've seen 17 of these movies. Of the movies I have seen, I don't love the choices:

The Great Gatsby - I liked this movie, the visuals are great, but I don't think I'd include it on a list like this.
Inside Out - good movie.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi - Hell no. I thought this and Force Awakens were trash.
La La Land - I thought it was cringey, so I shut it off after 5 minutes. You convinced me to give it a chance. I really enjoyed it lol.
Mission Impossible: Fallout - Great fun.
Inception - good movie. Nolan is awesome.
Black Panther - Wildly overrated. It's very generic and boring to me. Another run-of-the-mill superhero movie.
Hereditary - it was okay. I didn't find it to be as good as it was being hyped up to be.
Zero Dark Thirty - okay. Found it kinda boring, actually.
The Grand Budapest Hotel - superb. Probably the only Wes Anderson film I really like.
Boyhood - I thought it was terrible.
Get Out - okay, not great.
The Social Network - great movie.
The Tree of Life - couldn't wait for it to end...
The Wolf of Wall Street - it was okay. Too long. I don't know if I'd put it on this list, but #11 seems high...
Mad Max: Fury Road - One of my favourite movies. The pace is insane.
Inside Llewyn Davis - Another one of my faves. Love this film.

If I were making a list, I would definitely include: Whiplash, Blade Runner 2049, Skyfall, The Place Beyond the Pines, Nightcrawler, Good Time, Ex Machina, etc.

Fair enough on loving the list, I feel the same for the most part but I love lists like these because they open my eyes to films I may have never heard about it. I wrote a paragraph in response to Steelo regarding the list.

I've actually been toying with one of my own but it's tough since I never logged films before letterbox so I rely on my memory of my first impression for stuff before 2017. Anyways lists are personal and change depending on mood and 'growing up'.

The Great Gatsby - Probably included for a new adaptation of the movie and novel that employed great set design and cinematography. I haven't seen yet but have seen this referenced in film textbooks before.

Inside Out - One of my Pixar's best, my favourite of that year. I LOVE this movie.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi - I hated this movie, gave it a 4.5/10

La La Land - I am glad you gave this another shot man. I had the same visceral reaction in theatres, that highway musical scene I felt a physical urge to walk out but am glad I stuck with it. One of my favourite musical scores of the decade and a great gateway into the musical genre.

Mission Impossible: Fallout - In my top 10 of last year, now THIS is how you make an action film.

Inception - I think my favourite of the decade, top 3 at worst.

Black Panther - Agreed but don't discount its significance to cinema and turning more people into movie lovers. I went over this briefly on my thoughts of this list and its choices.

Hereditary - Agreed but I am not a big horror genre fan. I gave this a high mark 7.25/10 last year which was one of the highest in that genre, what was exciting is knowing this was from a first time feature filmmaker. He didn't disappoint this year, Midsommar is even better.

Zero Dark Thirty - Disagree, this was an ideal historical thriller. I would drink Jessica Chastain's bath water

Grand Budapest Hotel - Top 3, top 5 at worst of the decade for me. I am a Wes Anderson stan.

Boyhood - Another example of a film being included for it's significance to cinema. This was filmed over the span of 15 years featuring the same actors. Personally I loved this movie for knowing THAT and for this coming of age slice of life story, which I personally really enjoy.

Get Out - Was in my top 10 of the year but I think would have a tough time making my top 100. One of those important films from a growing director that was both culturally important and contributed to cinema and the horror genre.

The Social Network - Easily in my top 25 of the decade, directing, script, NiN musical score. Objectively this was probably one of the best made films of the decade for sure.

The Tree Of Life - I'm afraid to express my real feelings about this movie to other film buffs (I hated it)

The Wolf Of Wall Street - Disagree, this was a great movie with an all star cast. In fact I'd say it's one of Scorsese's best.

Mad Max: Fury Road - One of my friends texted me the other week and said it was boring. I replied "I'll pretend I never read this."

Inside Llewyn Davis - To me Coen brother's are hit and miss, this was a bullseye.

[Red Shoelace]

Whiplash, Blade Runner, Skyfall, Good Time, Nightcrawler, Ex Machina and Beyond The Pine are all great movies and I would have some of those on my list as well.

Whiplash in particular is one of my favourite movies.

Nocturnal Animals is another one, as well as Killing of a Sacred Lamb.

I would also knock out the Star Wars movies, Zero Dark Thirty, and Black Panther for any of the movies you listed.

Whiplash - Agreed top 5 of that year
Blade Runner - Agreed top 10 of that year
Skyfall - Agreed top 25 of that year
Good time - Agreed top 10 of that year
Nightcrawler - Top 25 of that year
Ex Machina - That was a strong year but a must watch for sci fi lovers
Place Beyond The Pines - Loved this movie, also check out Blue Valentine from same director

Nocturnal Animals had a last impression on me. Even bought the book. The musical score is top notch.

[Red Shoelace]

The 100 Best Movies of the Decade

https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/best-movies-of-2010s-decade/under-the-skin-4/

How many of these have you guys seen? I dare not ask how many you haven't seen. Check out the link, has great reviews from good writers if you're interested in watching any of these in the top 100.
(I underlined ones I have yet to see)

98. “The Great Gatsby” (Baz Luhrmann, 2013)
88. “We Need to Talk About Kevin” (Lynne Ramsay, 2011)
84. “Beasts of the Southern Wild” (Benh Zeitlin, 2012)
78. “Inside Out” (Pete Docter, 2015)
75. “A Star Is Born” (Bradley Cooper, 2018)
74. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (Rian Johnson, 2017)
73. “La La Land” (Damien Chazelle, 2016)
66. “Force Majeure” (Ruben Östlund, 2014)
65. “Melancholia” (Lars von Trier, 2011)
64. “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” (Christopher McQuarrie, 2018)
63. “Inception” (Christopher Nolan, 2010)
60. “Black Panther” (Ryan Coogler, 2018)
57. “Tangerine” (Sean Baker, 2015)
55. “Frances Ha” (Noah Baumbach, 2012)
49. “Before Midnight” (Richard Linklater, 2013)
45. “A Separation” (Asghar Farhadi, 2011)
42. “Zero Dark Thirty” (Kathryn Bigelow, 2012)
37. “Roma” (Alfonso Cuarón, 2018)
36. “Spring Breakers” (Harmony Korine, 2013)
32. “The Grand Budapest Hotel” (Wes Anderson, 2014)
31. “Somewhere” (Sofia Coppola, 2010)
25. “Amour” (Michael Haneke, 2012)
24. “Boyhood” (Richard Linklater, 2014)
21. “Get Out” (Jordan Peele, 2017)
18. “Call Me by Your Name” (Luca Guadagnino, 2017)
16. “The Social Network” (David Fincher, 2010)
13. “The Tree of Life” (Terrence Malick, 2011)
11. “The Wolf of Wall Street” (Martin Scorsese, 2013)
10. “Lady Bird” (Greta Gerwig, 2017)
9. “Mad Max: Fury Road” (2015)
8. “The Master” (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2012)
7. “Carol” (Todd Haynes, 2015)
6. “Holy Motors” (Leos Carax, 2012)
5. “Inside Llewyn Davis” (Ethan & Joel Coen, 2013)
2. “Under the Skin” (Jonathan Glazer, 2013)
1. “Moonlight” (Barry Jenkins, 2016)

Have seen the films listed

I can't say I love this list. Spring Breakers at 36 represents this person's taste which is assuming anything artistically experimental must be deep

Ask kai bouche how I feel about Spring Breakers

Already wrote my thoughts on this top 100 list and probably why some are and aren't included in response to Steelo and Crooked Refs.

[Red Shoelace]

Letterbox is great, you can mark films as being watched then sort them by release year. This allowed me to come up with rough Top 25 lists for each year and eventually do a top 100 of the decade. Here are mine but I emphasize rough because I'm sure I forgot including movies I've watched in the earlier years. Also release years are weird so I go by whatever it is on letterbox (usually the year it premieres at a festival) which is wide release minus 1.

2010 Top 25 Ranked: https://letterboxd.com/redshoelace/list/2010-top-25-ranked/

1. Inception
2. The Social Network
3. Toy Story 3
4. Incendies
5. Black Swan
6. Boy
7. The Fighter
8. Exit Through The Gift Shop
9. The Town
10. Kick-Ass
11. 127 Hours
12. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
13. How To Train Your Dragon
14. Senna
15. Marwencol
16. True Grit
17. It's Kind Of A Funny Story
18. Barney's Version
19. Super
20. Greenberg
21. The Man From Nowhere
22. I Saw The Devil
23. Biutiful
24. Monsters
25. Beginners

2011 Top 25 Ranked: https://letterboxd.com/redshoelace/list/2011-top-25-ranked/

1. Drive
2. The Intouchables
3. 50/50
4. A Separation
5. Moneyball
6. Midnight In Paris
7. The Raid
8. The Artist
9. We Need To Talk About Kevin
10. The Cabin In The Woods
11. Warrior
12. X-Men: First Class
13. Jiro Dreams Of Sushi
14. The Grey
15. The Rise Of Planet Of The Apes
16. Contagion
17. Crazy, Stupid, Love
18. Attack The Block
19. Take Shelter
20. Bridesmaids
21. Win Win
22. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
23. Source Code
24. The Descendants
25. The Adventures of Tintin

2012 Top 25 Ranked: https://letterboxd.com/redshoelace/list/2012-top-25-ranked/

1. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
2. Moonrise Kingdom
3. Silver Linings Playbook
4. Cloud Atlas
5. Life Of Pi
6. Django Unchained
7. Seven Psychopaths
8. Skyfall
9. Zero Dark Thirty
10. Wolf Children
11. Searching For Sugar Man
12. End Of Watch
13. The Act Of Killing
14. Safety Not Guaranteed
15. The Place Beyond The Pines
16. The Master
17. The Invisible War
18. Frances Ha
19. Looper
20. The Imposter
21. Argo
22. Dredd
23. The Impossible
24. The Hunt
25. Wreck It Ralph

2013 Top 25 Ranked: https://letterboxd.com/redshoelace/list/2013-top-25-ranked/

1. The Wolf Of Wall Street
2. Before Midnight
3. Her
4. Short Term 12
5. About Time
6. Gravity
7. We Are The Best!
8. Prisoners
9. Inside Llewyn Davis
10. Ida
11. 12 Years A Slave
12. Stoker
13. American Hustle
14. Blue Ruin
15. Like Father, Like Son
16. All Is Lost
17. Blue Jasmine
18. Locke
19. Rush
20. Nebraska
21. Luncbox
22. Starred Up
23. Philomena
24. Blue Is The Warmest Color
25. The Way Way Back

2014 Top 25 Ranked: https://letterboxd.com/redshoelace/list/2014-top-25-ranked/ (Top 5 this year was STACKED)

1. Mommy
2. Grand Budapest Hotel
3. Edge Of Tomorrow
4. Whiplash
5. Boyhood
6. Phoenix
7. Interstellar
8. John Wick
9. Ex Machina
10. Nightcrawler
11. Guardians Of The Galaxy
12. The Raid 2
13. What We Do In The Shadows
14. The Theory Of Everything
15. Gone Girl
16. Wild Tales
17. The Guest
18. Inherent Vice
19. St. Vincent
20. Foxcatcher
21. Chef
22. Heaven Knows What
23. The Babadook
24. Eden
25. Selma

2015 Top 25 Ranked: https://letterboxd.com/redshoelace/list/2015-top-25-ranked/

1. Inside Out
2. Room
3. Spotlight
4. The End Of The Tour
5. Me And Earl And The Dying Girl
6. Sicario
7. The Hateful 8
8. The Revenant
9. Louder Than Bombs
10. Bone Tomahawk
11. Mustang
12. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
13. Mad Max: Fury Road
14. The Little Prince
15. Brooklyn
16. Spy
17. The Martian
18. Straight Outta Compton
19. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
20. 45 Years
21. Bridge Of Spies
22. Mistress America
23. Green Room
24. James White
25. Magic Mike XXL

2016 Top 25 Ranked: https://letterboxd.com/redshoelace/list/2016-top-25-ranked/ (This was by far the most stacked year, top 5 are all 9+/10)

1. Swiss Army Man
2. Raw
3. Moonlight
4. Hell or High Water
5. Manchester By The Sea
6. Your Name
7. Lion
8. Sing Street
9. Arrival
10. La La Land
11. The Red Turtle
12. Dangal
13. My Life As A Zucchini
14. Kubo And The Two Strings
15. American Honey
16. Zootopia
17. Nocturnal Animals
18. Hunt For The Wilderpeople
19. Captain Fantastic
20. I, Daniel Blake
21. Nocturama
22. All These Sleepless Nights
23. Silence
24. Midnight Speicla
25. The Lost City Of Z

2017 Top 25 Ranked: https://letterboxd.com/redshoelace/list/2017-top-25-ranked/

1. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
2. First Reformed
3. On Body And Soul
4. Coco
5. Call Me By Your Name
6. Good Time
7. War For the Planet Of The Apes
8. The Florida Project
9. Blade Runner 2049
10. Logan
11. Lean On Pete
12. Wind River
13. Brigsby Bear
14. Columbus
15. Thelma
16. Wonderstruck
17. Phantom Thread
18. Beast
19. Get Out
20. The Shape Of Water
21. I, Tonya
22. The Rider
23. The Cakemaker
24. The Breadwinner
25. The Killing Of A Sacred Deer

I stopped there since some stuff that will show up in 2018 list have yet to come out yet according to release dates.

[FreshyFlames]

What it doooooo babyyyyy

[Mr.Raptorsingh]

Letterbox is great, you can mark films as being watched then sort them by release year. This allowed me to come up with rough Top 25 lists for each year and eventually do a top 100 of the decade. Here are mine but I emphasize rough because I'm sure I forgot including movies I've watched in the earlier years. Also release years are weird so I go by whatever it is on letterbox (usually the year it premieres at a festival) which is wide release minus 1.

2010 Top 25 Ranked: https://letterboxd.com/redshoelace/list/2010-top-25-ranked/

1. Inception
2. The Social Network
3. Toy Story 3
4. Incendies
5. Black Swan
6. Boy
7. The Fighter
8. Exit Through The Gift Shop
9. The Town
10. Kick-Ass
11. 127 Hours
12. Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
13. How To Train Your Dragon
14. Senna
15. Marwencol
16. True Grit
17. It's Kind Of A Funny Story
18. Barney's Version
19. Super
20. Greenberg
21. The Man From Nowhere
22. I Saw The Devil
23. Biutiful
24. Monsters
25. Beginners

2011 Top 25 Ranked: https://letterboxd.com/redshoelace/list/2011-top-25-ranked/

1. Drive
2. The Intouchables
3. 50/50
4. A Separation
5. Moneyball
6. Midnight In Paris
7. The Raid
8. The Artist
9. We Need To Talk About Kevin
10. The Cabin In The Woods
11. Warrior
12. X-Men: First Class
13. Jiro Dreams Of Sushi
14. The Grey
15. The Rise Of Planet Of The Apes
16. Contagion
17. Crazy, Stupid, Love
18. Attack The Block
19. Take Shelter
20. Bridesmaids
21. Win Win
22. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
23. Source Code
24. The Descendants
25. The Adventures of Tintin

2012 Top 25 Ranked: https://letterboxd.com/redshoelace/list/2012-top-25-ranked/

1. The Perks Of Being A Wallflower
2. Moonrise Kingdom
3. Silver Linings Playbook
4. Cloud Atlas
5. Life Of Pi
6. Django Unchained
7. Seven Psychopaths
8. Skyfall
9. Zero Dark Thirty
10. Wolf Children
11. Searching For Sugar Man
12. End Of Watch
13. The Act Of Killing
14. Safety Not Guaranteed
15. The Place Beyond The Pines
16. The Master
17. The Invisible War
18. Frances Ha
19. Looper
20. The Imposter
21. Argo
22. Dredd
23. The Impossible
24. The Hunt
25. Wreck It Ralph

2013 Top 25 Ranked: https://letterboxd.com/redshoelace/list/2013-top-25-ranked/

1. The Wolf Of Wall Street
2. Before Midnight
3. Her
4. Short Term 12
5. About Time
6. Gravity
7. We Are The Best!
8. Prisoners
9. Inside Llewyn Davis
10. Ida
11. 12 Years A Slave
12. Stoker
13. American Hustle
14. Blue Ruin
15. Like Father, Like Son
16. All Is Lost
17. Blue Jasmine
18. Locke
19. Rush
20. Nebraska
21. Luncbox
22. Starred Up
23. Philomena
24. Blue Is The Warmest Color
25. The Way Way Back

2014 Top 25 Ranked: https://letterboxd.com/redshoelace/list/2014-top-25-ranked/ (Top 5 this year was STACKED)

1. Mommy
2. Grand Budapest Hotel
3. Edge Of Tomorrow
4. Whiplash
5. Boyhood
6. Phoenix
7. Interstellar
8. John Wick
9. Ex Machina
10. Nightcrawler
11. Guardians Of The Galaxy
12. The Raid 2
13. What We Do In The Shadows
14. The Theory Of Everything
15. Gone Girl
16. Wild Tales
17. The Guest
18. Inherent Vice
19. St. Vincent
20. Foxcatcher
21. Chef
22. Heaven Knows What
23. The Babadook
24. Eden
25. Selma

2015 Top 25 Ranked: https://letterboxd.com/redshoelace/list/2015-top-25-ranked/

1. Inside Out
2. Room
3. Spotlight
4. The End Of The Tour
5. Me And Earl And The Dying Girl
6. Sicario
7. The Hateful 8
8. The Revenant
9. Louder Than Bombs
10. Bone Tomahawk
11. Mustang
12. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
13. Mad Max: Fury Road
14. The Little Prince
15. Brooklyn
16. Spy
17. The Martian
18. Straight Outta Compton
19. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
20. 45 Years
21. Bridge Of Spies
22. Mistress America
23. Green Room
24. James White
25. Magic Mike XXL

2016 Top 25 Ranked: https://letterboxd.com/redshoelace/list/2016-top-25-ranked/ (This was by far the most stacked year, top 5 are all 9+/10)

1. Swiss Army Man
2. Raw
3. Moonlight
4. Hell or High Water
5. Manchester By The Sea
6. Your Name
7. Lion
8. Sing Street
9. Arrival
10. La La Land
11. The Red Turtle
12. Dangal
13. My Life As A Zucchini
14. Kubo And The Two Strings
15. American Honey
16. Zootopia
17. Nocturnal Animals
18. Hunt For The Wilderpeople
19. Captain Fantastic
20. I, Daniel Blake
21. Nocturama
22. All These Sleepless Nights
23. Silence
24. Midnight Speicla
25. The Lost City Of Z

2017 Top 25 Ranked: https://letterboxd.com/redshoelace/list/2017-top-25-ranked/

1. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
2. First Reformed
3. On Body And Soul
4. Coco
5. Call Me By Your Name
6. Good Time
7. War For the Planet Of The Apes
8. The Florida Project
9. Blade Runner 2049
10. Logan
11. Lean On Pete
12. Wind River
13. Brigsby Bear
14. Columbus
15. Thelma
16. Wonderstruck
17. Phantom Thread
18. Beast
19. Get Out
20. The Shape Of Water
21. I, Tonya
22. The Rider
23. The Cakemaker
24. The Breadwinner
25. The Killing Of A Sacred Deer

I stopped there since some stuff that will show up in 2018 list have yet to come out yet according to release dates.

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood looks fun.

[Jon_3232]

Who here knows dog breeders, specifically Rhodesian Ridgebacks ?

[Dr Positivity]

My new youtube video, the top 5 most influential TV shows of 21st century

Watch on YouTube

[720]

So Moreland is apparently dating Scottie Pippen's exwife. lol

[Duckrice]

The Farewell [Mandarin/English] (2019) - 8.25/10

Spoiler:

The Farewell 2019 ★★★★

Watched Jul 19, 2019
RedShoelace’s review published on Letterboxd :

A special little film that explores the cultural differences between American and Chinese families and the difficulties of saying good bye. Lulu Wang made a remarkable movie here and it is no wonder, because of how personal it was to her. After all, according to the first frame; this story was based on an actual lie. Billi played by Awkwafina moved to America with her parents at the age of six years old, same as Wang. Her meetings with her lovable grandmother Nai Nai are few and far between and for many of us from 1st or 2nd generation immigrant families, can relate. That same relatability is what makes The Farewell such a great story. While not a member that fits into the category, growing up away from the rest of my extended family where a bi annual and some years just an annual trip, left a lasting impression on me. The memories formed on those visits, same for those who grew up visiting family members out of province/country/continent leave an imprint.

So what is The Farewell about exactly? Grandmother Nai Nai who lives on mainland China is given a terminal diagnosis from the hospital, except she doesn't know about it. There is a saying in China as mother to Billi told her "you get cancer, and you die." so the custom of sharing bad news is not what you would think. A faux wedding is planned as an excuse for the family to visit and say their own good byes under false pretenses. An absurd premise on the very truths exploring the contrast between the East and the West. Billi is urged not to visit by her parents because she is someone who wears her heart on her sleeves, growing up in America or even North America, it is something far more common than the more reserved nature of Billi's parents or those from China. So the whole movie plays out as one big game of secret with the lovable Nai Nai at the middle of it.

For a premise that could use the sentimentality as such a crutch, Lulu Wang hesitated to use any close ups if at all. Instead there are terrific shots of the whole family together, sparking the memories in us all about the trips of our youth (for those fortunate enough to have done so) visiting our grand parents in one big gathering. It would have been easy to focus on Billi and even her cousin who is fake marrying his girlfriend of only 3 months who take the custom of not sharing the news with their grandmother poorly. Just as how for most of the film they were attempting their best to hide their emotions, Wang intentionally stayed away from up close expressions. What works so well is grandmother Nai Nai being at the heart and centre of so many frames, quickly warming your heart and preparing you for the worst all at the same time. By the films end you don't want to see Nai Nai go almost as much as her family and Shuzhen Zhou is worthy of the supporting actress praise.

For a film with such a potentially serious story, it manages to bring the laughs. Not the sort of laughs you would expect in an R rated raunchy comedy or lame one liners of a rom-com or superhero film. The film is funny because of all its light hearted situational moments. I feel like often times nuanced comedy like this is when it works best in a film and The Farewell is definitely one that fits in the "you'll laugh AND cry" camp. This is the type of crowd pleaser that inspires you to shout out from the roof tops to urge people to watch. Especially as a Canadian and more importantly one that lives in the greater Toronto area where people from all walks of life have moved to just like Billi and her family. They may not have come from China but the similarities are there and ultimately regardless of custom, saying good bye to a family member is hard to do no matter the circumstances. A terrific film that left me with the passing thought that maybe a dying grandmother is my emotional kryptonite.

8.25/10

https://letterboxd.com/redshoelace/film/the-farewell-2019/

I saw this at Sundance about a month ago. Very good film. The director was there too and she had some interesting stories about the production of it. Many companies she went to told her she needed to have a white guy in it.

Did you watch it at Sundance or did it premiere in your area? I missed the Q&A opening the other week in Toronto presented by Lulu Wang (who the story is heavily based on). Can you give more details to what she said regarding companies wanting there to include a white guy? That doesn't make sense since this film was based on her life story, even the main character Billi moved to America at the same age as her. It wouldn't make sense to include any white person in this movie since the whole film is about the cultural distinctions between being a 1st/2nd generation immigrant and natives of the home land.

Sundance is in end of January - first week of February by the way.

Sundance now runs in London too, that's where I saw it. Other tidbits from the Q&A - I was surprised that there were many non Chinese people in the audience who had similar experiences of not telling their grandparents that they were sick. I thought this was a Chinese thing (I'm ethnically Chinese). Lulu herself was very entertaining and and endearing. I really hope she can build a great career for herself.

As for the whitewashing stuff, you can find more info here:

https://www.indiewire.com/2019/07/the-farewell-lulu-wang-interview-a24-1202158932/
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/07/why-lulu-wang-almost-said-farewell-to-hollywood?fbclid=IwAR1ZGmRmuZD9CWVYzaeWXRcVzDBpKd-KQTvQ8_O33vOTOQYvoCwa6zepupk

[Kevin Willis]

Watch on YouTube

Big Sean with a Kawhi shoutout. The song is not his best work though.

[LoveMyRaps]

Here's my 8000th post:

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[Dr Octagon]

Wishing all Mans an amazing weekend

God Bless

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RHJ will win MIP. QFT.

[LoveMyRaps]

first naz

then kawhi

now stro

[TheBoi10]

We really went from Kawhi and Danny to Stanley Johnson and Cameron Payne



Ban Kawhi and Uncle Dennis from Canada

[Northface82]

pillar
jv
naz
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nightmare offseason continues

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Wishing all Mans an amazing week

God Bless

[Red Shoelace]

Sundance now runs in London too, that's where I saw it. Other tidbits from the Q&A - I was surprised that there were many non Chinese people in the audience who had similar experiences of not telling their grandparents that they were sick. I thought this was a Chinese thing (I'm ethnically Chinese). Lulu herself was very entertaining and and endearing. I really hope she can build a great career for herself.

As for the whitewashing stuff, you can find more info here:

https://www.indiewire.com/2019/07/the-farewell-lulu-wang-interview-a24-1202158932/
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/07/why-lulu-wang-almost-said-farewell-to-hollywood?fbclid=IwAR1ZGmRmuZD9CWVYzaeWXRcVzDBpKd-KQTvQ8_O33vOTOQYvoCwa6zepupk

Did not know that about Sundance, cool. Did you watch anything else of note? Any chance you watched Honey Boy, that one is near top of my list for Sundance stuff now that I've seen The Farewell. I saw The Souvenir in June which won and I absolutely loathed that movie....

Thanks for the links.