Wonder Woman / Conan review

Quickly put: I really enjoyed Wonder Woman / Conan. Gail Simone does a masterful job of crafting a fantastic fantasy story. Pacing-wise, it's pretty great - it has a bit of a slow start, but builds really, really nicely, weaving in so many excellent elements thanks to the medium (particularly the flashbacks). There are some great themes, setup-payoffs, fantasy motifs, and the relationship / dynamic between Wonder Woman and Conan is excellent. It ends really nicely, too. Solid job, all around.

Plus, the artwork by Aaron Lopresti was just fantastic (and the included covers, including those by The Boys' Darick Robertson, are awesome). The coloring brought the world to life in a stunning way.

I'd love this as a movie, complete with an epic score (RIP Basil Poledouris), but I'm glad we have the story in excellent form as a comic. In a brief exchange on Twitter, Simone revealed she listened to Poledouris score while creating the book, and that makes me love both even more.

Conclusion: HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

"The Farewell" movie review

I very much enjoyed The Farewell! It reminded me in ways of Destination Wedding with its honesty and directing, plus a bit of "anti-genre" elements.

Definitely loved Nai Nai the grandma (Shuzhen Zhao) the most. Also enjoyed Haohao the cousin getting married (Han Chen), who was mostly played for laughs, but really enjoyed him. The parents (Tzi Ma and Diana Lin) had lots of great subtle elements. On the whole, the cast was excellent.

Awkwafina was fine. She did a good job of playing the inner conflict in each scene, but didn't seem to own her character the same way others did. Granted, it's more challenging with her in the lead/"straight man" role, for which everyone largely plays against her. I did think her "big" scene fell a bit flat and was rather expositional. Regardless, she's on the up-and-up for acting and will likely only be getting better (she's picked some solid movies so far).

Direction was very impressive - and I loved how Lulu Wang used atypical angles, unlike most dramas / dramedies that use front-on mid-shots or close-ups. I haven't been this enthralled by the backs of peoples' heads in quite some time. There were some awkward moments / shots / scenes, but they were few and far between. However, the general scenework with the actors was just fantastic.

Color tones were interesting, on the more muted side to probably roll with the bittersweet tone of the story.

Loved the themes of the movie (truth vs lies, family vs individual), though, plus how it highlights how relatable family drama is regardless of culture, though it certainly highlighted the differences. And it beautifully doesn't say one is better than the other, just different.

Plus, the film does pose an excellent question on the weight of emotional burdens. Having been working on honesty and vulnerability lately, I want to say I'd prefer the honesty, but I can certainly understand the other side of it.

Conclusion: Very much RECOMMENDED. There's a genuine earnestness in the film that creates numerous comedic situations, playing with both the awkwardness and drama of both family and cultural dynamics. Plus, at just under 100 minutes, it's on the nice and tight side.