Manchester by the Sea

The Afflecks are a talented family:  Ben did wonders in Argo, which garnered numerous awards, including the Oscar for Best Picture.  And who could forget his great role as a working class guy in Good Will Hunting, which he co-wrote with Matt Damon?

Brother Casey is no slouch as an actor.  He got an Oscar nomination for his role as the "coward" Ford who shot Jesse James.  He's also known for his fine work in Gone Baby Gone, a kidnapping thriller.  But my personal favorite is his role as a crazy psychopath in The Killer Inside Me.  Don't miss that one!

Manchester is a serious piece.  No spoiler, but the basic plot is that Casey's character is a perennial loser. He has botched just about everything he's done in life, including marriage and jobs.  Unexpectedly, he's called upon to care for a troubled teen, the son of his brother who died.

Check out the picture:  There they are, the troubled twosome.

Does the "loser" rise to the challenge?  If he can't care for himself, how can he care for the nephew?  What about his own search for success?

These are only the surface questions in this dreary, depressing flick.  The tone:  Yes, somber.  Never anything else.  Good thing the story takes place by the sea: up there, it's always cloudy, rainy, and overcast.  Let's not let any sun shine on this tale!

OK, I'm a bit sarcastic on the tone.  Some will argue it's "real."  In fact, pundits of the "slice of life" genre will say that life is a bitch, so just deal with it.  Or better, view it at the movies!

Here's the rub:  I can live with dark films.  I can handle a bleak view of life.  BUT:  I do expect something in return.  What?  Simple:  Character growth and development.

I would argue that nearly every satisfying film teaches us something.  We usually enjoy seeing folks change, hopefully for the better, given a set of life circumstance.  Some might call this redemption.  I would insist that at the minimum a film needs to present characters who grow.

Does Casey's character grow?  Does he learn anything from life's trials?  What about his ex-wife? Does she grow?  And what about the teen's estranged mother....any growth there?

I would argue:  NO!  But others might disagree.

This is the best reason to see this film.  How will you find the characters?  Will you consider them static or organic?  Will you find a redeeming feature in the dour, sour, gloomy mood of the film?

I hope so!

Please note that I have said almost nothing of the plot. There are several plot details that, I must admit, are intriguing.  Check out the flashbacks.  There's good stuff there.

I never spoil films for the viewer. But I must opine on a film I find woefully weak:  Manchester by the Sea.

My grade:  C-    This is generous.  And, by the way, most reviewers LOVE this film.  Guess I've never been a follower.

Jackie

Hi Readers!

It's been some time since Valerie and I have reviewed films.  We got a bit busy with life!  But I am back, and I hope you enjoy some of my thoughts.

SPOILER ALERT:  There is NONE!  haha  Yes,  just a reminder that I never give away plot details in any review.  I can't tell you how annoyed I get reading other reviews that give away details I would appreciate learning on my own when watching the movie!  My other goal:  To make the reviews SHORT.  So with those parameters in mind, I resume the blog and hope you find the comments fun and useful.

By the way, Valerie and I have covered hundreds of films over the five or so years we've been doing this project, so please feel free to browse our titles.

JACKIE:  Oh my, what an enigma she was.  Before saying anything about the film, we recall some of her conflicts.  She was well-educated, having attending Vassar and studied at the Sorbonne.  But as First Lady at a time when being literate as a woman was not prized, she developed the stereotypic wispy, Marilyn Monroe-esque voice and affect of a dingbat!  She loved Jack, but he played around.  Later, after the assassination, she felt insecure financially and married an old magnate twice her age!  That's why the headlines of the 80s read:  "Jackie O! " or "Jackie OH!"  Yes, she was an enigma.

On to the movie.  There is one major reason to see this film.  Natalie Portman does an exquisite job of capturing Jackie.  The mannerisms are uncannily accurate.  The voice, the face, the gestures...pure Jackie.  Think of Tina Fey doing Sarah Palin.  Yes, viewers, you will rarely see acting brilliance like this.

Unless some other actress comes along with a whopper of a role, consider Natalie Portman a shoo-in for Best Actress.

This would be her second one!  Wasn't she great in Black Swan?  If you did not see it, rent it and watch her enormous talent.  By the way, go back to when she was a young teen if  you want to see her great acting ability in its infancy, in a film called The Professional.

What about the film itself?  Pathetically empty.  I had hoped to learn something of the times. I wanted to learn new things about JFK, about the marriage, about the assassination...about something!  I can't say the film gave me one new piece of information.

Yet the times were entrancing!  JFK and Jackie did create Camelot in the White House.  They epitomized youth and vibrancy.  Who can forget the music soirees they presented?  Who can forget the wonderful pictures of little John-John running around under the president's desk?  Or Jackie wowing Charles De Gaulle by speaking French?

So why didn't the film capture some of the magic?  Why didn't it show us the charm and wonder of the JFK years? Why didn't it get deeper into the marriage? Why didn't it give us some Jackie history via flashbacks, say when she first met JFK?

No idea. Maybe the director did not want to portray any of the joy of the times.  Or maybe everyone just wanted to focus on Natalie's acting.

Without giving any spoiler details, I'd simply label the film DOUR.  Sad, depressing, bleak, dark...like a two-hour funeral.  You'll get to see just that:  lots of shots of the funeral, folks in black, folks with tears, folks in shock.

Sure, the terrible days when JFK was shot, the ensuing funeral, the murder of Oswald, and the transition of power were daunting and heart-wrenching.  But there was so much more to the story!  In fact, the major question I'd have addressed is this: Why did America love this couple so much?  Why did they love Jackie?

So my grade for the film is C-.  That's generous, because I'm a former teacher, and I hate to give failing grades!

However:  A+ for superb acting.

Love and Mercy

When I heard there was a movie about the Beach Boys I thought, "Yes!"  I,  for one,  always loved the extraordinary harmonies of the California group.  Remember their classics?  I still like to listen to Barbara Ann, Sloop John B, I Get Around, Surfing USA, California Girls, and the 1989 smash hit Kokomo.

Of course I expected lots of Beach Boys songs in the movie.  Well, yes, there was a bit of music.  But mostly the focus of the flick Love and Mercy is about Brian Wilson.  So this is really a biography about one of the Beach Boys rather than a history of the group or a review of their fantastic songs.

Never the spoiler, I won't say much more.  But suffice it say that you will be entranced by the story of Brian Wilson.  He was the major creative impulse behind the Beach Boys, much as John Lennon was with the Beatles.

I had no idea that the gifted songwriter was a very troubled soul.  How?  Can't give it away.  Yet as is often the case, great geniuses are frequently plagued with neurosis and anxiety.  Brian was no exception.  It is worth seeing the movie to learn how he coped with his emotional troubles, found the lady of his life, and fought life's battles with a continued devotion to music.

Great acting in the film:  Paul Dano plays the young Brian Wilson with intensity.  John Cusack plays the older musician with even more subtlety.  Elizabeth Banks is a knockout as the girlfriend who meets Brian later in life and bravely helps him.  And don't miss a fantastic performance by Paul Giamatti, who is the rather despicable psychologist.

After viewing this film, you will have a new appreciation for the Beach Boys and the man who wrote so many of the great songs.

Grade of A.  Definitely a must-see!

Run All Night

Do you like thriller gangster films?  The genre is fun!  If the story and acting are right, you can get mighty tense!

Run All Night is way up there when it comes to action.  I am reminded of the tone of the original Godfather.

NO spoiler, but here's the basic story:  A hit man, played by Liam Neesan, has worked for years for his closest friend, a gangster capo, played by Ed Harris.  The hit man is weary and retired, but he is still close with his former boss.

All would be fine in gangsterland if each of the main characters did not have grown up sons who, well, don't exactly behave themselves!  When the fathers get involved, mayhem follows.  Soon old friends are deadly foes!

Add to that situation crooked cops who chase the hit man.  If you can't trust the cops, who can you trust?  Oh, by the way, even the honest cops are after the hit man!

So you've got your basic gangster vs gangster with a little twist:  The son of the hit man is really a good guy, a family man, but he might go down with his father!

Yikes!

With actors like Liam Neesan and Ed Harris, the film would get my attention right away.  But what really sold me was the storyline:  taut, edgy, gritty, hold-onto-your-seat tense.

Are there good shooting scenes?  You betcha!  Some of the flying bullets are captured in slow-motion.  Count on lots of shootouts in a variety of settings, from train tracks to the woods.

Is there much redeeming value to this flick?  Sort of.  Even gangsters have their own morality, and odd as it may seem, the viewers become part of that dark and different world.

Prepare to watch the film without a break....you can barely breathe, because the pace never lets up.

It is somewhat mindless....but fun nevertheless.  If you're into thrillers, this one is a gem.

Grade:  A+

Badlands (1973)

In my last review, I noted that Hollywood has produced some wonderful cult films about young, lawless folks on the run.

In Love and a .45, I commented on Renee Zellweger in a very early "bad girl" role.  Remember Thelma and Louise?  Gina Davis and Susan Sarandon wowed viewers with their cross-country escapades.  Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis dazzled us with Natural Born Killers.  Who can forget their crazy journey across rural America?  Of course, don't forget about Bonnie and Clyde...with the fantastic acting of Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.

Amid the great films about felonious types in souped up cars one step ahead of the cops, a little known winner was the 1973 film Badlands.  It is right up there with the other kids-on-the-run gems.

Check out Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek in the pictures above!  Aren't they young?  They were up and coming actors when they did this chase film.  Martin had not yet done his famous Apocalypse Now.  And Sissy had not yet done Carrie.

No plot spoiler, but here is a hint:  As usual, the kids fall in love and their love is forbidden by the powers that be.  Hey, don't blame Sissy's onscreen dad, played by Warren Oates.  If the local bad boy, who could not keep a job, carried a pistol, and wooed your teenager dropped by, wouldn't you tell him to scram?

Of course the dad does.  And that's when things go mighty awry!

As in all the chase films, there is murder and mayhem galore.  But as usual, we are entranced by the amoral, wayward kids on the lam.  He's a real bum, and not too likable.  She's rather innocent, yet totally devoid of any understanding of right from wrong.

The scenery:  It's remarkable.  You follow the kids in their cadillac as they race across the Montana plains toward Canada, where they hope to find freedom.  You see the dust kicking up from behind their car as they traverse deserts and back roads, committing all kinds of felonies!

If you like the chase film genre, you'll love Badlands.  You'll also see why both Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek emerged as top level actors.

Buckle up.  It's a wild ride!

Love and a .45

In the early 90s, Hollywood was focused on cult films about lawless folks on the run.

Remember Thelma and Louise?  The 1991 classic about two women on the lam caught the imagination of viewers. We will always remember Gina Davis and Susan Sarandon on their cross-country escape.  Then in 1994, Quentin Tarantino did Pulp Fiction.  What a masterpiece!  That same year, Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis wowed viewers with Natural Born Killers.

Amid the spate of films about felonious types in souped up cars one step ahead of the cops, a little known gem got lost:  Love and a .45.  It has recently replayed on the film channels, and if you loved some of the movies mentioned above, you'll be glued to this one!

Check out the picture.  That's a very young Renee Zellweger sitting atop the getaway car.  Next to her is Gil Bellows, when he was all of 26 years of age.  They're a dashing couple.  They are down and out, of course, like all the characters of those early 90s felons-on-the-run movies.  They are illiterate and downtrodden. They have lived a life of petty crime.

But there is something vaguely sympathetic about them.  They get into trouble more out of stupidity than larceny. Trouble?  You have no idea!

Never the spoiler, I can only hint at the plot:  Our heroes, or perhaps anti-heroes, are living on the fringes, deeply in debt, and deeply in love.  They need cash!  They owe the mob and they have no way of paying back the gangsters.

So a heist is in order.  Problem is, it is a heist gone bad.  Mayhem ensues.  The couple must hit the road and run for their lives!  They are chased by a bunch of evil cops, very bad gangsters, and a hodgepodge of offbeat characters.  Everyone is after the couple, either for money or for revenge.

This movie is downright fun!  You will be rooting for the couple to make it.  The characters are charming, likable, and real.

Fasten your seatbelt and enjoy the ride.

The Imitation Game

What's in a name?  A lot, it would seem.  I, for one, kept shying away from seeing this movie because the title told me nothing...or maybe something....that did not really attract me.  The Imitation Game?  What imitation?  What game?  Huh?

Of course, the film got some buzz, so the word sort of got out that the movie had nothing to do with any imitation game of any kind.  It had to do with the guy who invented computers.  Even that does not seem so enticing.  We all know that someone way back when invented computers...so?

Okay, this review starts with a strong negative. The title is misleading and dumb.  But the film isn't.

What's it really about?  No spoiler here, but I'll give a few clues.  Go back to WWII, when the Germans used codes to communicate their military positions.  Now consider that the Germans had a very complex coding system that the allies could not break.

Enter Alan Turing.  He is a math whiz.  A very eccentric professor.  England calls upon him to break the German codes.  How does do so?  With the world's first computer, that he invented.

Back to the title:  If the film had been called "The Turing Machine" my curiosity would have been piqued.  Actually, that is how the world referred to computers for many years until the word "computer" became more popular.

This is a very tense film.  Will Mr. Turing, the extremely weird professor, figure out the code?  Every day that he tries and fails more soldiers are dying on the battle fields.  How can the ragtag team of scholars he has assembled help him save the world?

Good stuff!

What makes the film fun is not only watching a mad genius at work, but trying to figure out how the social outcast can find success among military men who don't quite understand his style!  There's more:  The professor is gay at a time when gays were shunned and blackmailed.

Turing is brilliantly played by Benedict Cumberbatch.  If you can't pronounce his name, that is because you have probably never heard it mentioned before.  The actor somehow emerged from bit roles in prior movies (Star Trek into Darkness, The Hobbit, Atonement) and landed this very important lead role.

Kiera Knightley is equally as good as the sole female on the code-breaking team.  She got her start as a twelve year old in Bend it Like Beckham and is now an A-List British actress.

Bottom line:  Ignore the silly title and watch this film on Netflix.  It is a winner.  You will be entranced by the odd man who invented today's computers and helped England win the war.