Not Interested..."Manchester By The Sea"

Manchester By The Sea (2016)

Rated R

Starring Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, Kyle Chandler, Michelle Williams, C.J. Williams

Written and Directed by Kenneth Lonergan

The Story:

Lee (Affleck) is a bitter handyman that nobody really likes. When he gets the news that his brother (Chandler) has passed away, he goes back to Manchester By The Sea to pay his respects and learns that his brother has named him as guardian.

Ugh.

These are the times when I consider giving movies the grade of incomplete when I give up on watching them.

There's nothing inherently wrong or bad with the movie... it's just not my cup of tea.

Affleck's character is not someone I want to watch for over 2 hours.

He's a bitter, angry man, and while he has his reasons, quite frankly, I didn't care to want to invest anymore time or energy as each of the flashbacks revealed a new layer to the story.

I get it, but I just wasn't that interested.

I invested 30 minutes into the film, 10 more than I normally give, but I just wasn't absorbed or interested in the story.

Bravo for Amazon Studios for making a film that received Golden Globes, Oscars and other awards.

But nope, this one wasn't for me.

If I want to see an angry Affleck brother punch something, I'll go watch Batman vs. Superman again.

:)

Final Grade:   D

Twists And Betrayals Everywhere..."Triple 9"

Triple 9 (2016)

Rated R

Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Casey Afffleck, Anthony Mackie, Gal Gadot, Woody Harrelson, Aaron Paul, Kate Winslet, Norman Reedus,

Directed by John Hillcoat

The Story:

Some dirty cops are finally in over their heads when they are blackmailed by the Russian mob to pull off a daring heist. The only way to make it work, they will have to call in a "Triple 9": officer down call. The only problem, the rookie officer they choose to eliminate isn't going down without a fight.

The problem that usually happens with these "all-star cast" movies, is they just aren't that great.

They're good, but the plots are thin or too convoluted for their own good or there are issues with the narrative that make the movie seem like a direct to DVD feature versus that of a must-see theater experience.

Triple 9 does nothing to change my perception on that being the reality of these types of films.

:)

It's good, but not great.

It wants to be a crime / thriller / heist / action / drama / twisty action film that needs to juggle so many characters, situations and motives that it ends up doing a disservice to most of them.

This is of course, no fault of the stellar cast that do their best to make their characters someone to root for, or against, as the movie rolls along.

Again, nothing spectacular, but it's entertaining enough for a viewing, but I can't find any reason to come back in the future to revisit the film.

C+

"The Finest Hours" Is A Great True Story...But A Mediocre Movie

The Finest Hours (2016)

Rated PG-13

Starring Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, Eric Bana, Holliday Grainger, John Ortiz,

Directed by Craig Gillespie

The Story:

During a tremendous blizzard in 1952, a tanker rips in two and the Coast Guard sends just about everyone they have to try and save any survivors.

This is not that story.

You see, there was a second tanker that also ripped in half and had survivors on it. What was left of the Coast Guard was dispatched to try and find the remnants of that ship and bring in any survivors.

This is that story.

And it's true.

The biggest problem with this, the story and much of the acting and pacing is stiff, wooden and rather boring.

Which seems really weird when you have a thrilling rescue mission at sea that bogs down while trying to be told.

Weirder still that it was a product of Walt Disney studios who excel at these true life stories.

There's equal parts of blame to go around all over the place, even the leading man, Chris Pine, and quite possibly especially him, is not above finger pointing.

His character is probably supposed to be shy and humble, but it just comes across as stiff and unlikable.

Things do pick up considerably once the storm is raging and the rescue attempt begins, but the buildup to it with Pine and Grainger's romance...

Goodness that's some painfully dull cinema to endure.

Good intentions, a great real story that just gets muddied when it was turned into a film.

Final Grade: C