Manchester by the Sea

Manchester by the Sea

A better name for this movie would be Misery by the Sea. This movie is so depressing it could be an ad for Prozac. I fell for the Art House mystic. Rotten Tomato’s gave the film a 97 rating, the banter on in the press was effusive and I went to Times Talk to hear Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams and the director Kenneth Lonergan extol the film.  One thing I did not do was read reviews or had any idea about the plot.

There are two main story lines. Affleck has been told he is the legal guardian of his nephew, played by Lucas Hedges, after his brother died and a tragic incident in the past ending his marriage to Michelle William’s character and driving him into numbing despair. Affleck’s approach to his character is low keyed almost monotoned. The only time he breaks out of his funk is to have a bar fight. Even when he rises above the fray his passion is subdued. It is even keeled numbness.

Affleck was surprised to be his nephew’s guardian. He does not want the responsibility nor does he want to return to Manchester. For his part the Hedges, the nephew, does not want to be looked after by his uncle or leave Manchester. Hedges coping mechanism after the death of his father is to try to get into the pants of his girlfriend (he has two of them). Affleck’s relationship with his nephew is raucous. They achieve a tentative truce and manage to be with each other.

Michelle Williams is Affleck’s ex-wife. She delivers an excellent performance and shows a range of emotions that frames the film. Whereas Affleck stymied his life, she has moved on, grew and started a new family. She has empathy for Affleck but he shuts her out.  A light moment in the movie was when she uttered of the “F” word in an effected Boston accent.

Flash backs are used to reveal the terrible past and how relationships crumbled. The flashbacks were done well. I though the tragic incident was a bit contrived. What made this picture so depressing was bad situations were mainly unchanged. There was no redemption. Sadness was not resolved, it just got old. It did not seem right to pay $12.00 for a depressing movie ticket when I can get all the depressing news for free.

Hacksaw Ridge

Hacksaw Ridge

This is more than a war movie. It is about love, faith, the human spirt and yes the horrors of war. Andrew Garfield gives a tour de force in his portrayal of Desmond Doss the Medal of Honor recipient. This is a true story of Doss who during WWII signal handedly as a medic saved several wounded soldiers. As a Seventh Day Advantest, he could not carry a gun and wanted to serve as a conscientious objector. His soldiers labeled him a coward.

Garfield’s performance in impassioned. It ranges from a smittened farm boy, to a wrongly persecuted coward to a war hero dedicated to saving the lives of his comrades. His execution of these phases anchors the film. Commitment to his religion is the source of his denigration by military commanders and the foundation of his courage. Garfield maneuvers these transitions with aplomb.

Vince Vaughn played his role as Sargent Howell with modified swagger (that must have been very hard). His repartee was front and center assigning tender humiliating name to the troops. This was a new level of acting for him which he executed well.

Hugo Weaver is Desmond’s tortured father a veteran of the first world war suffering from survivor’s guilt and is an abusive alcoholic. His convincing performance as a broken man who knows the horrors that will confront his son. Sam Worthington plays Captain Glover. Not much to say his performance, but it was nice seeing him again.

This movie has been compared to Saving Private Ryan. Hacksaw Ridge is more nuanced. Desmond’s back story of falling in love at first sight with his wife and remaining true to his faith give the movie more dimensions than a straight forward war movie. One thing in common with Saving Private Ryan is the horrific portrayal of war. You are no less a man or woman for closing your eyes.

Mel Gibson is many things. He is an Uber Catholic, an anti-Semite and a drunk. He is also an Academy Award winner director (Brave Heart). This film is a bravo performance and unless there is movie magic in the next two months the film may get an academy nomination.

In the end of the film there is footage of the real Desmond Doss. He was a slight man but he carried the Medal of Honor with same valor he rescued his commands. He saved an estimated 75 men. He died in 2006, he was 87 years old. God bless.

Dr. Strange

Dr. Strange

The recent crop of super hero movies has been disappointing, especially for DC. This sentient is well founded but you will be sorely remised if you skip Dr. Strange. If not the best 2016 super hero film it is right up there. The script is well written and all plot twists are comprehensible. The end does get a bit weird, a small deficit compared to the whole.

Benedict Cumberbatch is wonderful as Dr. Strange. He plays it straight showing vulnerability undermining supreme confidence. He is a renowned neurosurgeon who finds himself in the Himalayas seeking guidance (God forbid I say why). Tilda Swinton “The Ancient One “is his sensei of dark arts. Her que bald head lends credibility to the mysticism she projects. Her solemnity and tranquil confidence underlie formidable superpowers and dark secrets. As with all “grasshoppers” (Google Kung Fu 1970’s TV show) Strange gets the crap beat out of him until he masters the mysterious arts.

The villain is Mads Mikkelsen (The guy with the bleeding eye in Casino Royal). Mads is currently the go to villain, it must be that warm Nordic blood. His face glows with vengeance through sinister eyes. He is a master of the black arts and Dr. Strange’s foe. The battle scenes are epic and fit the fantastic realm of the story.

Racheal McAdams is Dr. Strange’s girlfriend in the physical world. She to is a surgeon working in the same hospital. She is always a delight to see but her role here is minimal. She is in some important scenes and her repartee with Strange provides some levity. Another character is played by Chiwetel Ejiofor who is an ally of Strange and a fellow master. There are many other characters and they all work well together making for a smoothly cohesive film. The director’s vision comes through.

The big star of the movie is the special effects, they are fantastic. The film liberally took concepts from Chris Nolan’s “Inception” with the folding cities. The scenes here are more complex and extreme; Escher would have been very impressed. There were many fight scenes and none boring. I think the special effects will be at least Oscar nominated. As proof of how good the film was I did not fall asleep, at least I think I did not.

If you think I am over selling this film, I am not. Given the elections we need a little magic to make someone go” POOF!!!”.

Deep Water Horizon

Deep Water Horizon

This is a disaster movie with sub-titles. The oil rig’s catastrophic destruction overwhelms the film. Any human-interest stories are marginalized by non-stop devastation. This is a very technical film. Laced in the dialogue are explanations of the rig’s operation and what went catastrophically wrong. Big pressure dials, lots of buttons are displayed to show the rig’s complexity. Peter Berg, the director, did an effective job depicting the disaster and fatal decisions leading up to the explosion. But the annihilation becomes wearisome.

The first hour of the movie is set up. The movie starts with Mark Walberg and Kate Hudson wife and husband waking up in bed. Walberg has lost his Calvin Kiln underwear model six pack replaced by just one pack and Hudson is puffy in the wrong places (desperately needs a manicure). From there things escalate. There are some fine performances. Kurt Russell who plays Mr. Jimmy the tough but compassionate rig boss and John Malkovich is his counter point. Malkovich is the BP executive desperate to meet deadlines by cutting expenses. The clash between Russell and Malkovich is the start of cataclysmic dominos culminating in the death of eleven men and culminating in billions of dollars in damage.

The movie gives short shrift to the ensuing ecological disaster. Over 130 million gallons of oil was released into the Gulf polluting 1,100 miles of shore lines. Countless numbers of wild life perished. BP would pay $20b to settle claims. Berg just gave one sentence at the end of the film.

Unless you are a rough neck or a bored retired catastrophe underwriter this film is not for you.