Manchester by the Sea Review

Manchester by the Sea

Dir: Kenneth Lonergan

Starring: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, C.J. Wilson, Gretchen Mol, Lucas Hedges, and Matthew Broderick 

Tragedy changes people. It takes a piece of a person, never completely making them whole again. The saying “time heals all wounds” is true, however wounds leave scars, a life long reminder of the pain that you once felt. Kenneth Lonergan, a writer who’s films have a specific and special way of portraying death and the after effects it leaves on a person, manufactures his newest film “Manchester by the Sea” in a lingering fog of a tragedy. 

Lee (Casey Affleck) is a janitor living near Boston. He does odd jobs like fixing faucets, shoveling snowy sidewalks, and plunging clogged toilets; but something is different about Lee, you can feel the frustration and anger in his every motion and see pain and despair behind his eyes. Lee receives an unexpected phone call from his hometown, his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) has died from congestive heart failure. Lee quickly returns to his hometown to handle arrangements but also to take care of his nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges).

“Manchester by the Sea” is about people and the pains of death. Mr. Lonergan handles this aspect deftly and delicately, painting a portrait of ordinary people living in a small town dealing with death in a personal and many times genuine way. Life still moves forward without pause for compassion, little things like dinner still needing to be cooked, preparing for snow that is still going to fall, and partaking in the painstaking process of grieving. It’s uncomfortable to watch yet fascinating to see the process so meticulously staged by such a skillful writer. There is more going on still, the aspect of Joe’s death is just one component. Lee has a history in this small New England town, people recognize him and whisper condemningly in his direction.

 The focus of Lee’s agony is revealed through flashbacks about half way through the film and the result is heart breaking. How do you deal with such immense tragedy? That’s the question that continues throughout the remainder of the film and is displayed through a man still dealing with the affects of death from the past and forced to handle it again in the present. You are offered two separate versions of a man; it’s almost like watching two different characters completely. Lee, as a married family man, is the definition of “the life of the party”. He drinks with his friends, roughhouses with his brother, affectionately teaches his nephew how to fish, and flirts sweetly with his wife (Michelle Williams).  Lee, as a lonely janitor, is cautious and measured. A man clearly dealing with emotions flowing very close to the surface, it takes everything in his power to keep those emotions restrained; sometimes they come through as aggression and anger while other times they come through as nothing more than a long stare into the distance. Mr. Lonergan builds moments that place Lee in the middle of ordinary social situations that are difficult for him function in, then into the middle of complicated situations only to watch the character drown in his own sea of self-destruction and self-loathing. You can never tell exactly how Lee will react to these circumstances, it’s an intriguing quality methodically designed by the writer/director. 

Accommodating the script is a slew of fantastic performances. Casey Affleck is superb, skillfully handling the weight of the emotions in the film and delivering one of the finest, gut-wrenching performances of the year. Add to this the committed performance from Lucas Hedges who plays Patrick, a teenager trying to find a handle on the death of his father. Mr. Hedges develops the character through the different stages of the grieving process, in one moment with the kind of teenage angst you’d expect from someone his age but also with the carefree outlook that you’d expect from a young person who has lived in the same safe community his entire life. 

“Manchester by the Sea” is not a film for every film fan, it's uncomfortable and grueling to watch a character suffer with these kinds of feelings for two plus hours. While the film portrays a tragedy many of us will ever know, pain and sorrow is something we can all relate with in one way or another. We all have wounds that haven't fully healed, some are still aching while others are long past the point of pain. While "Manchester by the Sea" may be polarizing for many viewers, the film displays that we all deal with pain in different ways and some us have unimaginable wounds they may be trying desperately to hide underneath a wealth of different emotions. 

Monte’s Rating

4.00 out of 5.00

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Review

 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Dir: David Yates

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterson, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Carmen Ejogo, Ezra Miller, Samantha Morton, Jon Voight, and Colin Farrell

It’s only been five years since the last Harry Potter film was in theaters. Talk to any Potter fan and it might as well be a lifetime. An amusement park in California and Orlando has been keeping the magic alive, allowing fans to visit their favorite school of witchcraft and wizardry and relive all the highlights from the books and films. Author J.K. Rowling, perhaps seeing the massive potential to continue her written stories on film, makes her screenwriting debut in director David Yates’ film “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”.

With an entire universe already established, one that had the luxury of having the same lead character in all eight films, how does one reestablish the world that has become so recognizable and beloved? First, you hire the director who worked on half of the films that established the universe. Second, you get a stellar cast lead by an Academy Award winning actor. Third, and most important, you get the author of the books to write the film. It doesn’t take long to see the positive influence these three factors have on the film; “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” reignites some of the magic of the Harry Potter films.

It’s 1926 and Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) has just arrived in New York City for a quick stopover after completing an adventure across the globe to find and document magical creatures. Newt is in possession of a magical case that houses some of the fantastic beasts that he has encountered during his journey. Before Newt can get comfortable in America, a non-magic human named Jacob (Dan Fogler) takes the magical case by accident that allows for some of Newt’s creatures to escape. With tensions heavy between the wizarding world and the non-magic world, Newt’s mishap could spell terrible consequences. 

From the beginning notes of the recognizable score David Yates' film begins to orchestrate the merging of worlds, transitioning the design and style of the Harry Potter films and blending them into a new story in a new location. After a bumpy beginning, with the bumbling Newt accidently switching briefcases with the "No-maj" New Yorker Jacob, the film very quickly begins to find some narrative footing. Introducing all the characters that seemingly will have some kind of influence on the future franchise films, there are already 4 more films planned for development. This proves a little frustrating because many of these characters are given small introductions and some are never really utilized again in the film. Jon Voight makes an appearance as a newspaper owner helping one of his sons run for political office and Samantha Morton shows up as the stone-faced leader of a witch hunting group. Neither are given the time to really develop any kind of connection with the narrative that is playing out.

However, the characters that are given time to develop are very good, especially the group that forms to defeat the evil entity destroying New York. Eddie Redmayne and Dan Fogler are fun to watch together; add in the dynamic of two magical sisters played by Katherine Waterson and Alison Sudol and the whole group have a great chemistry. These characters are highlighted by Colin Ferrell, playing an Auror (highly skilled magical detective) named Graves with equal amounts of swagger and creepiness. It's a great role for Mr. Ferrell.

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" develops a good amount of fun moments, many times tapping into the charm and humor that made the Harry Potter films so memorable. While the film functions as the foundation for an entire new franchise, an aspect you can feel many times throughout, it still crafts some interesting moments and provides fans of this wizarding world with enough mystery to have them clamoring for the next film. 

Monte's Rating

3.75 out of 5.00

  

Bleed For This Review

Bleed For This

Dir: Ben Younger

Starring: Miles Teller, Aaron Eckhart, Katey Sagal, Ted Levine, and Ciarán Hinds

Vinny “The Pazmanian Devil” Pazienza is a boxer with an unbelievable story. It’s not unbelievable because of the amazing fight he had with Roger Mayweather. It’s not unbelievable because of the WBA World Title he won against Gilbert Dele. And it’s not unbelievable because he stood toe-to-toe with one of boxing’s greatest champions, Roberto Duran, and was still standing when the final bell rang. No, it’s because Vinny Paz beat the odds after a terrible car crash, one that nobody in the boxing world thought he would come back from. Vinny Paz broke his neck, refused to stop fighting, and worked diligently to make a return to the ring.

Director Ben Younger directs “Bleed For This” with a constant focus on the charismatic, arrogant Vinny Pazienza, played fiercely by Miles Teller. The film utilizes effectively many of the familiar themes boxing films have employed in order to display the fight of recovery Mr. Pazienza pursued. “Bleed for This” may not be as technically exciting or crowd pleasing like other boxing films, the journey for Mr. Pazienza is completely captivating.

The film begins with Vinny (Miles Teller) desperately working out on a bicycle, his body wrapped in plastic. Vinny is trying to make weight for a big fight against the famed Roger Mayweather. Many boxing insiders, including his trainer (Ted Levine), believe Vinny's career is coming to an end after the fight. This doesn't stop the boxer who quickly finds a new trainer (Aaron Eckhart), a struggling alcoholic, who moves him up a weight class and makes him a contender again. At the peak of Vinny Paz's career as a boxer a terrible event takes everything the fighter has trained for away, placing the future of his fighting career in jeopardy.

A few months ago a boxing film called "Hands of Stone", about the career of iconic Panamanian fighter Roberto Duran, was in theaters. Duran and Pazienza fought during the same time period, they also fought each other in a particularly classic match. What makes these films so different, and what highlights "Bleed for This", is the nature of the narrative. Both boxers have exceptional careers and have had classic matches but Vinny Paz has the story that feels more cinematic because it is so hard to comprehend the journey after his injury. A boxer with a broken neck makes a comeback and the first fight after injury is against an already established boxing legend, every punch has the potential for catastrophic consequences.

For boxing fans all the moments that define boxing films are here. This helps and hinders the film, it helps when the complicated characteristics of a boxer are accommodated by a fantastic performance from Miles Teller and it hinders the film when fight scenes are composed exactly like everything we've seen before.

Performances throughout the film are great, especially Miles Teller who really embodies the mannerisms and accent of Pazienza. Aaron Eckhart is also good, playing against the type that he is usually cast in. However, what makes these two performances excel isn't the fact that Mr. Teller composes a loud, brass, unapologetic character or that Mr. Eckhart is stepping outside of the comfort zone with a role, it's instead the combined relationship that the two actors compose as coach and athlete. The have an honesty with one another that is so true of the dynamic in athletics.

"Bleed for This" is better than some of the other "based on a true story" boxing films. While the film may not have the spectacle of something like "Creed", it still composes a great character dynamic accommodated by great performances from Miles Teller and Aaron Eckhart. It displays the mentality and heart of a fighter, that no matter what odds are in their path, they refuse to acknowledge defeat.

Monte's Rating

3.50 out of 5.00

Arrival Review

Arrival

Dir: Denis Villeneuve

Starring: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Mark O’Brien

“E.T.”, “Independence Day”, “The War of the Worlds”, “The Day the Earth Stood Still”, “First Encounter of the Third Kind”; these are all films that have portrayed contact with alien beings from outer space in different ways. Some of these films display a curious, confused, friendly intergalactic organism while some portray a hostile, angry, vindictive space creature. No matter how one may examine these extraterrestrials it’s undeniable that the event of such an arrival on Earth would display some interesting characteristics from our divided, emotional population.

Talented director Denis Villeneuve, who directed the impressive “Sicario” last year, returns with another remarkable film called “Arrival”. The filmmaker utilizes the premise of a science fiction film, specifically the invasion angles associated with the genre, to craft a thoughtful and tender film about communication, love, and the human condition.  It’s an incredibly well thought out film that displays the power of genre film and how, in talented hands, a story about extraterrestrials unexpectedly arriving on Earth can also be an incredibly artistic endeavor.

Dr. Louise Banks (Amy Adams), a linguistics expert, is teaching at a college when the world is disrupted by the arrival of alien spacecrafts that position themselves all across the globe. Dr. Banks is called to assist the government in establishing communication with the alien visitors; assisting her is a theoretical physicist named Ian (Jeremy Renner) and an army Colonel (Forest Whitaker). Once on board the ship the team must decipher a language in order to figure out the purpose of the extraterrestrials while the world around them grows progressively more hostile towards the unexpected visitors.

This broad synopsis is all you need to know about the story going in. It may be the best way to approach this film experience. “Arrival” does a great job of creating a detailed and complex, yet completely accessible, narrative. However, its biggest triumph is the genuine and heartfelt emotional experience that is organized along the way. Communication and language play vital roles in the composition of the film, specifically how humans communicate with each another and how they communicate the emotions that motivate their every decision. There is a strong aspect concerning language and how it is used to provide structure in the way we examine history and comprehend the future. The characters composed in the film beautifully explore these aspects, specifically the sensitive construction of Dr. Banks played by Amy Adams.

Ms. Adams conveys a character restrained by emotion yet motivated towards the process of connection. How can you have a genuine connection without emotion? It’s a compelling contrast that is expertly crafted by the actor. Jeremy Renner’s character also brings an important component to the film; the actor’s character is looking for an explanation grounded by some sense of logic, it’s a great character to utilize in the science fiction genre.

Influencing all these narrative and character aspects is the astute direction of Denis Villeneuve. The director continues to grow with every film that he orchestrates, here again displaying the themes of the film through every aspect of the filmmaking process. Mr. Villeneuve connects with director of photography Bradford Young in composing a world filled with images that build an atmosphere of disconnection that is reproduced in the characters. This is utilized in a variety of ways, either with tight close-ups that blur the world around the character or with singular shots that correlate to the loneliness experienced by the barriers imposed with humanity and with the aliens trying to communicate.

“Arrival” is an impressive experience; a film that is more about the human connection and less about the aliens and the ominous spacecrafts. It’s a film that subverts the science fiction genre in ingenious fashion, avoiding formulaic conventions while utilizing genre characteristics in intelligent ways. It’s a film that boldly goes beyond the contemporary expectations that usually defines the genre.

Monte’s Rating

4.50 out of 5.00

Moonlight Review

Moonlight

Dir: Barry Jenkins

Starring: Alex R. Hibbert, Jaden Piner, Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Janelle Monáe, Ashton Sanders, Jharrel Jerome, Trevante Rhodes, and André Holland

Films like “Boyz N The Hood”, “Menace II Society”, “Dope”, “Straight Outta Compton”, portray a world for young men that is fraught with violence, poverty, and drugs. These films depict young black men struggling to escape, working to make ends meet by any means necessary, and many times falling into the trappings of their environment. Scroll through your social media feed or turn the television to any news agency and it’s easy to see that the reality of the fictionalized world isn’t too far off from the lived in world.

This makes Barry Jenkins film “Moonlight”, an adaptation of a play entitled “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue” by Tarell Alvin McCraney, an exceptional achievement in filmmaking. “Moonlight” displays how violence or the threat of violence can dehumanize and destroy young people, is shows the depth of poverty for entire communities, and it also illustrates the heartbreaking affect of drug abuse. But that is a small piece of a much bigger and breathtakingly beautiful story. “Moonlight” is a film composed of moments, small pieces in the developing life of an adolescent child, who then becomes a maturing teenager, and finally grows into an adult man. Each piece portrays the same person but is played by different actors that fit the specific age. 

We are introduced to a young, quiet boy named Chiron (Alex R. Hibbert) running away from some kids who are trying to beat him up. Chiron, nicknamed Little, finds safety in an abandoned apartment. Juan (Mahershala Ali) is a local drug dealer who helps Chiron and offers him dinner and a place to sleep. Chiron lives in a housing project with his mother Paula (Naomie Harris), a drug addict who ignores and takes advantage of him. The story doesn’t stay here; Chiron is also portrayed as a self-conscious and confused teenager, tormented by a bully at his high school and befriended by a friend from his childhood. Chiron is then shown as an adult, a changed man with a confidence that is ultimately a protective mask so that he doesn’t have to experience the pain that has come to define his life.

From the first frames “Moonlight” establishes a very calm, quiet quality. Even when the film becomes aggressive or ominous, a unique atmosphere is constructed that changes the way you analyze the emotions and attitudes of the characters. It almost feels like standing in the eye of the storm, watching destructive things happen all around you.  Director Barry Jenkins begins to ask very tough questions from the beginning. Chiron answers many of these questions without words but rather with his actions. You can feel the discomfort, the awkwardness, the struggle, the pain, and the vulnerability in everything that he does. Mr. Jenkins shows significant restraint, never attempting to manipulate these themes but instead introducing them and letting the characters progress authentically and specifically. It would be easy to turn this film into a blatant perspective on race or a deliberate analysis on male gender roles, however Mr. Jenkins is both purposeful and ambiguous with his character choices. The director deconstructs aspects of race and gender, at times providing enough stereotype or easy categorization to then destroy whatever you perceived or assumed about the characters. 

The filmmaking technique utilized throughout compliments the narrative perfectly. The photography is exceptionally restrained and simplistic, composing that independent film look viewers are very keen to identify and manipulating it to create stunning moments of everyday life, both the delicate and painful moments. For instance the comfort of sitting at the dinner table in an early scene, the uncertainty of the beach at night in the second act, and the freedom of a road trip at the end of the film, it’s all utilized to bring more identification to Chiron’s changed character. The music also composes another powerful element as well, whether the use of Aretha Franklin’s “One Step Ahead” to bring definition in certain scenes, the classical pieces during transformative character transitions, or the use of the hip-hop song “Cell Therapy” by the group Goodie Mob in punctuate Chiron specifically within the framing of the story, it all serves a very important reason to the structure of the narrative and the development of the characters. It's some of the best use of music in film this year. 

“Moonlight” is a beautiful and at times complex film with exceptional performances all around. It’s a coming-of-age film, a film about sexual identification, a film exploring masculinity, a film that doesn’t succumb to easy stereotypes or simple exploitation. What “Moonlight” does best is show the power that a film can possess, and how that power has the ability to transcend, destroy barriers of preconception. 

Monte’s Rating

5.00 out of 5.00

Doctor Strange Review

Doctor Strange

Dir: Scott Derrickson

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Tilda Swinton, and Mads Mikkelsen 

What makes a good superhero? The kind of powers they possess? The kind of origin story they have? Perhaps how cool they look in their costume? Yes, all of these assist in making a good superhero, however a great personality can go a long way with these characters. Look no further than Tony “Iron Man” Stark, the charming genius with enough personality for ten different heroes. Adding Robert Downey Jr. as the actor tasked with bringing this personality to life could be one of the best casting choices of the decade. 

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is charging along, moving into the third phase of character and story implementation. The first phase began in 2008 with the first “Iron Man” film. We’ve seen standalone films, team films, human heroes, alien and mutant superheroes, and other dimensional superheroes. Now, with “Doctor Strange”, we have a mystic magical art superhero. More importantly we have another unique personality and the great casting choice of Benedict Cumberbatch. 

Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a brilliant, arrogant neurosurgeon with a perfect surgical record. For Dr. Strange it's less about saving lives and more about beating the odds. Dr. Strange walks and talks like a man invincible, until a car accident almost takes his life and renders the nerves in his hands disabled. Looking for any kind of hope for recovery, Dr. Strange travels across the globe to Nepal to find a Celtic guru known as The Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) in hopes of being healed. Dr. Strange is introduced to the mystic arts and learns that logic no longer applies to the world that he knows. 

The traditional journey of the hero that has categorized heroic tales in film is on full display here. The foolhardy, egotistical Dr. Strange falls and needs to build himself into something different, nothing particularly new with this story structure here. While this film brings emphasis to a different kind of Marvel universe, one with sorcerers and conjured spells, it also wisely allows enough room for the characters to develop. Obviously there are plans to keep this character around for a while. As with any origin story it's important to understand the protagonist, to have some kind of definition of the character so that as the character grows you can empathize with their journey. It's unfortunate that the same kind of time wasn't given to the overall story here. It doesn't help that "Doctor Strange" comes on the heels of some very strong Marvel properties, "Captain America: Civil War" and the Netflix series "Luke Cage". Still, even though it's been done hundreds of times in film, a good journey and character is the foundation for a quality film and franchise.

Director Scott Derrickson infuses so much visual flair into the film that you sometimes forget about the boring narrative design. This is one of the few films that I would advise watching in IMAX 3-D. The world, when the battles between good and evil start, are manipulated in extravagant ways; cities fold onto one another and roads venture in sharp angles in every direction. It’s confusing at times but the emphasis never moves from the characters in action, which adds a grounded element to everything that is going on. 

It also helps that the film cast fan favorite Benedict Cumberbatch in the lead role. Mr. Cumberbatch is perfect for the role with his smug demeanor and dry sense of humor. Rachel McAdams is also good as a working associate to Dr. Strange. Add to this the committed performances from Mads Mikkelsen, somewhat underutilized villain named Kaecillius, and Tilda Swinton, a entire movie could be made of her character, and the silly aspects in the narrative are easier to accept when such accomplished actors discuss time travel and multiple dimensions with such conviction.

The build up to the final showdown will display the issues with the story, it's just not that exciting or intriguing like other comic book films. Villains are usually given the indulgences and bravado not afforded to a hero, which makes them an interesting counterpart to the hero and builds a dynamic quality that makes the final battle exciting. This is where "Doctor Strange" is different from the pack because the heroic character here is consistently interesting. Look at the first "Iron Man" film, you had the fantastic talents of Jeff Bridges playing the big bad guy but that's not what you remember about the film, it's always about Tony Stark. "Doctor Strange" operates in the same way because the hero is provided with enough complexity and charisma to fill all the scenes, Dr. Strange is his own worst enemy. It's a battle that composes every scene, it makes Mads Mikkelsen's villain unnecessary. This is the overall success of "Doctor Strange", proving that personality goes a long way.

Monte's Review

3.50 out of 5.00