Lion

Once again we enter the world of films based on true stories as we have seen many times in the past. The range of different people and events that have captured the attention of many a Hollywood writer is both intriguing and, in many cases, unforgettable. Now we are offered "Lion", a film based on a true story of survival, discovery and closure.

In this adaptation of the memoir "The Long Way Home" by Saroo Brierley, a five-year-old Indian boy, Saroo (Sunny Pawar) is adopted by an Australian couple, Sue (Nicole Kidman) and John (David Wenham) after he gets lost from his brother, Guddu (Abhishek Bharate) in Calcutta. He ends up being put on a train traveling thousands of miles from home with many challenges along the way.

As much as 20 years later, Saroo (Dev Patel) struggles with his memories of his birth family and decides, through his girlfriend, Lucy (Rooney Mara) to begin an exhaustive search for them. He loves his adoptive family, however he must find his biological family in order to achieve the closure he truly needs.

Others to rounds out the cast are Priyanka Bose as Kamla, birth mother of Saroo, Tannishtha Chatterjee as Noor and Divian Ladma as Mantosh, Saroo's adoptive brother.

This was soulfully directed in a heartfelt way by Garth Davis ("P.I.N.S." (Documentary) 2000) plus TV. This filmmaker doesn't have a plethora of experience, but after watching this, this guy has quite the future in Hollywood. The emotions in these characters ranged from a slow crawl to a gallop within the same scene. It was creatively written by Luke Davies ("Candy" '06, "Reclaim" '14, "Life" '15) plus a short. I've never read Saroo Brierley's memoir, but Davies certainly gave us a heartfelt screenplay that was adventurous, intensely dramatic and allowed us to somewhat step in the same shoes of Saroo and what he must've gone through considering the separation from his family, the adoption from Sue and John and the subsequent turmoil he went through to reconnect with his biological family once again. Other than a couple of small places of slowness in script, this screenplay was intense, concise and cohesive.

This is a film not so much as entertaining, but one where we are allowed to witness the riggers of what this child and man had to endure in order to find the closure he so desperately needed to obtain that happiness everyone strives to obtain given the same situation.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                 Rated: PG-13                                   118mins.

Sing

Even though animated films are typically released during the summer movie season, once in a while we are offered some animated films during other times of the year--the Christmas season being one of them. Since this is a festive season, the timing of the release of "Sing" was crucial and needed to be presented at this time--the film being a festive one itself.

Set in world like ours but entirely inhabited by animals, Buster Moon (Matthew McConaughey), a dapper koala who presides over a once--grand theater that has fallen on hard times. Buster is an eternal--some might even say delusional-optimist who loves his theater above all and will do anything to preserve it. Now faced with the crumbling of his life's ambition, he has one final chance to restore his fading jewel to its former glory by producing the world's greatest singing competition.

As he opens up the theater for the different auditions, he and his assistant, Miss Crawley (Garth Jennings) finally make their selections in choosing Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), Gunter (Nick Kroll), Johnny (Taron Egerton), Mike (Seth MacFarlane), Ash (Scarlett Johansson), Meena (Tori Kelly) and others.

Others to round out the cast are John C. Reilly as Eddie, Jennifer Saunders as Nana, Peter Serafinowitz as Big Daddy, Jennifer Hudson as Young Nana, Nick Offerman as Norman, Beck Bennett as Lance and Jay Pharoah as Meena's Grandfather.

This was whimsically directed in an entertaining way by Garth Jennings ("The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" '05, "Son of Rambow" '07) plus shorts and TV. What is interesting is that a good deal of this director's experience is live film as opposed to animated. Most directors of an animated film typically work in their comfort zone, but this filmmaker likes to mix it up: live and animated. I can actually appreciate this because it shows that this guy is willing to go out on that limb and show us that he can be versatile. And he proved it amazingly. It was creatively written by Jennings (""Son of Rambow" 07) plus shorts. This script was cohesive, concise, and with clarity. When a storyline flows well and entertains us from the first minute until the end credits, this speaks volumes. What's amazing is the lack of theatrical experience, yet this production simply soared. McConaughey as Moon was pure genius. The emotion and pathos of his character was near perfection. And what can I say about Illumination Mac Guff? Considering this is the same company that created the animation of the "Despicable Me" films, "The Secret Life of Pets", and "Minnions", it is in incredible company.

This film is definitely for those that want and crave a story that is entertaining, fun, fluffy, with no controversy and total escape. Go to the multiplex, grab the popcorn and enjoy this gem. I know I did.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                     Rated: PG                                    108mins.

Fences

The genre of drama comes in many different layers: light drama, heavy drama and ones that are based on plays and/or musicals. When you get an amazing playwright, actors and director together in one production, the course of that film is destined to become a classic as soon as it is released which makes "Fences" a truly awesome experience.

 

This story centers on an African-American garbage collector named Troy Maxson (Denzel Washington) in 1950's Pittsburgh. Bitter that baseball's color barrier was only broken after his own heyday in the Negro Leagues, Maxson is prone to taking out his frustrations on his loved ones specifically oldest son Lyons (Russell Hornsby) and younger son Cory (Jovan Adepo) who wants to play professional football but Troy only works to squelch his dreams. The main stable stronghold here is wife Rose (Viola Davis) whose compassion, patience, perseverance, long-suffering and diligence help to keep the family intact at all in spite of the other's shortcomings.

 

Others to round out the cast are Stephen McKinley Henderson as Jim Bono, a great friend/ work colleague of Troy's, Mykelti Williamson as Gabriel, Troy's mentally-challenged brother, Saniyya Sidney as Raynell, Christopher Mele as Deputy Commissioner, Leslie Boone as Evangelist Preacher and Jason Silvis as Garbage Truck Driver.

 

This was brilliantly directed by Denzel Washington ("Antwone Fisher" '02, "The Great Debaters" '07) plus TV. He hasn't directed very many films, however the one's he's chosen are of incredible caliber as if his choices have been delineated with extreme caution. He truly knows how to make his characters come alive with just the right amount of pathos and emotion. It was equally well written by August Wilson based on his Pulitzer Prize winning play, "Fences". The delineation of each character was rich in development as it was three- dimensional. there were scenes that were fraught with intensity, grit and acknowledgement of self worth, fear and redemption which is the mark of extremely talented writing. Then there is the acting by Washington and Davis. What can I say be that it was jaw dropping. Both actors won Tony Awards in a 2010 revival of this play. The intensity, pathos, and so many other emotions rang true in each and every scene as these characters were peeling off each layer of that onion to show their respective issues one at a time.

 

This film will be studied in film school for its depth, clarity of character and resonance in the future, because of its quality and assurance of great writing. It's no wonder why this film has been nominated for three Golden Globe Awards. It undoubtedly will be nominated for Academy Awards as well. If you can appreciate fine writing, directing and acting, you will hit the jackpot with this one.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                Rated: PG-13                                   137mins.

 

 

 

Passengers

I may have mentioned in prior reviews that sci-fi is not one of my favorite genres, probably because so many of them are amazingly similar. A few exceptions come to mind: "2001: A Space Odyssey" '68, "The Day the Earth Stood Still", '51, "Silent Running" 71, "Event Horizon" '97 to mention a few. So when I saw my first trailer of "Passengers" I felt this would be one of those sci-fi films that would have that uniqueness that is important in this day of mediocrity.

 

The spaceship, Starship Avalon, in its 120-year voyage to a distant colony planet known as the "Homestead Colony" and transporting 5,259 people, has a malfunction in two of its sleep chambers. As a result of two hibernation pods opening prematurely and two of the people awakening, Jim Preston (Chris Pratt) and Aurora Lane (Jennifer Lawrence), are stranded on the spaceship still 90 years from their destination. What actually caused them to wake up and are they able to get back to 'sleep' as to be able to make their destination?

 

Others to round out the cast are Michael Sheen as Arthur, Laurence Fishburne as Gus Mancuso, Andy Garcia as Captain Norris, Vince Foster as Executive Officer, Julee Cerda as Instructor (hologram) and Jon Spaihts as Voice of Autodoc.

 

This was well directed by Morten Tyldum ("Buddy" '03, "Fallen Angels" '08, "Headhunters" '11, "The Imitation Game" '14) plus shorts and TV. The way he was able to get his actors to exude an alarming and lonely character is well executed. His lead character in "The Imitation Game" was similar in that he was an extremely lonely character, however he chose to be. It was uniquely written by Jon Spaihts ("The Darkest Hour" '11, "Prometheus" '12, "Dr. Strange" '16). This writer certainly isn't a prolific one, but the films he's written are outright quality. If you like his writing, a reboot of "The Mummy" is in post production and will be released in 2017. Other than a couple of very small slow places in script, this storyline was amazingly unique. It is extremely difficult to capture an audience's attention for nearly a 2 hour running time with only four people with any sizeable part in the film, and this writer was actually able to pull it off. As with other big-budget films, the visual effects predominantly designed by MPC (Moving Picture Company) were amazingly seamless.

 

Whether you are a sci-fi fan or not, this is not only an interesting sci-fi flick, but one that is an incredibly well-crafted film as well. It entertains and the chemistry between Lawrence and Pratt is delineated with perfection. This one is worthy of viewing on the large screen, because it will lose everything on a 40 incher.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                  Rated: PG-13                                   116mins.

 

Collateral Beauty

Philosophical films are a fairly new entity for filmmaking today--not that there haven't been a number of them produced, but as compared to other genres, it is a relatively newer one. Whether it be "Hereafter", The Greatest Story Ever Told", "The Passion of the Christ", Seven Years in Tibet", "Sole Surfer", "God's Not Dead", or even something comical like "Bruce Almighty" we all have a tendency to learn while in some way, be entertained as well. So now we have in the offing, "Collateral Beauty" to add to that ever growing list.

 

When a successful New York advertising executive, Howard (Will Smith) suffers a great tragedy by losing his child, he retreats from life. While his concerned work associates/friends, Whit (Edward Norton), Claire (Kate Winslet) and Simon (Michael Pena) try desperately to reconnect with him, he seeks answers from the universe by writing letters to Love (Keira Knightley), Time (Jacob Latimore) and Death (Helen Mirren). He is soon visited by representatives of the three concepts, and they, along with his close friends, help Howard return to some semblance of a normal life. As these letters bring their unexpected personal responses, he slowly begins to understand how these constants interlock in a life fully lived, and how the deepest loss can reveal moments of meaning and beauty.

 

Others to round out the cast are Naomie Harris as Madeleine, a support group officiator and Ann Dowd as Sally Price, a private detective.

 

This was delineated well by director David Frankel ("The Devil Wears Prada" '06, "Marley & Me" '08, "The Big Year" '11, "Hope Springs" '12, "One Chance" '13). Interestingly, most of his films fall into the comedy genre, which, of course this film is not. Going out of one's comfort zone is certainly to be commended as long as the filmmaker knows what they are doing, and this director did in spades. It was effectively written by Allan Loeb ("Streak" '08, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" '10, "The Switch" '10, "The Dilemma" '11, "Just Go with It" '11, "Rock of Ages" '12, "Here Comes the Boom" '12, "So Undercover" '12) plus TV movies, TV and shorts. Whereas the beginning and especially the end of this film was inviting and compelling with some surprises, the center of it was a bit non cohesive and choppy. There were basically places that I wasn't sure what was going on until maybe later in the film, so it seemed confusing. Even though Loeb is a seasoned writer--look at his resume, he just didn't have the polish in this to truly cut the mustard.

 

Certainly this film does have some surprises, but more over, it has a lot to say for those that are grieving over loved ones--in this case a child. But what starts out to be a way that Howard's friends are attempting to 'save his life', ends up giving us all something more to think about in this game called life.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                    Rated: PG-13                                    97mins.

 

 

 

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

We've all seen film franchises grow up around us--franchises have almost become their own genre considering how many there are, past and present. Hold on to your britches--I'm not a true 'Star Wars' fan! Hey, don't judge me! Even when I saw the original "Star Wars" in the theater back in 1977, it just didn't wow me. It wasn't terrible--ILM's state-of-the-art visuals were stunning, but, com'on it was good vs. evil with a sci-fi backdrop. So, after ALL the many films that have come along, including its newest, "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story", we're still getting the same basic premise.

 

This prequel to the very first "Star Wars" film chronicles the thrilling story of how a ragtag band of freedom fighters--including a former soldier-turned-prisoner, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), a Rebel Alliance insider, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), A Jedi, Chirrut Imwe (Donnie Yen) and a sentient robot, K-2SO (voiced by Alan Tudyk)--worked together to steal the Death Star's secret blueprints. Through this eclectic team, with all the harrowing situations they must go through, will it be enough to succeed in the absconding of the elusive Empire's Death Star blueprints?

 

Others to round out the cast are Wen Jiang as Baze Malbus, Ben Mendelsohn as Orson Krennic, Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera, Riz Ahmed as Dodhi Rook, the pilot, Mads Mikkelsen as Galen Erso, Jyn's father, Jimmy Smits as Bail Organa, Alistair Petrie as General Draven, Ben Daniels as General Merrick, James Earl Jones as Darth Vader and Genevieve O'Reilly as Mon Mothma.

 

This was directed by a filmmaker that certainly was in his comfort zone, Gareth Edwards ("End Day" (TV movie) '05, "Monsters" '10, "Godzilla" '14) plus TV. By his very resume, this is the kind of film that Edwards was born to direct. With the intensity, amazing visuals, the good vs. evil backdrop, Edwards made his characters come alive which one has come to expect considering the franchise involved. It was written by Chris Weitz ("Antz" '98, "Nutty Professor II: The Klumps" 2000, "About a Boy" '02, "The Golden Compass" '07, "Cinderella" '15) plus TV and Tony Gilroy ("Dolores Claiborne" '95, "The Bourne Identity" '02, "Michael Clayton" '07, "State of Play" '09) plus many others, based on a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta, which is based on characters created by George Lucas. OK, this is where the difficulty lies: first of all, this was a good 15 minutes longer than it needed to be, and secondly, there were a bit too many slow and slightly choppy areas in storyline. Considering the seasoned writers here, especially Gilroy, I'm actually surprised by the script. Did they not put their best in this and decided to let the Star Wars name carry its audience? Or did they just have a bad day at the laptop? Not sure, but when the next installment is produced, Hollywood needs to encourage its writers to be a bit more cohesive and concise when the storyline is developed. Of course, the visual effects by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic) were seamless, but one already knows this before they walk into the theater.

 

Don't get me wrong, this certainly wasn't a wash, it had merit, but the storyline is about as old as dirt, and like a ton of other franchises, to continue the franchise isn't so much for the audience as much as it is for the box office. Ca-ching! All in all, if you're planning to see this, it's definitely better to see it on the large screen if for no other reason than to enjoy the Super Panavision 70 format it is filmed in. Grab the popcorn!

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                  Rated: PG-13                                    134mins.

 

La La Land

Hollywood has been fascinated with the musical genre ever since movies have been made. Audiences could go to the theater and escape into a song and dance world where they would be entertained and just have fun with. As the genre has evolved, there has become more of a connection between the storyline and the songs at hand. So when "La La Land" came along, it proved that one could enjoy, not only the song and dance, but the storyline as well.

 

Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress in Los Angeles, serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a jazz musician, scrapes by playing cocktail party gigs in dingy bars. They subsequently meet and start a whirlwind romance as they continue to pursue their dreams. But as success mounts, they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart. Will they end up another statistic like so many other successful people end up or are they completely committed to each in spite of the friction involved?

 

Others to round out the cast are John Legend as Keith, another musician, Rosemarie DeWitt as Laura, J.K. Simmons as Bill, a boss of Sebastian's, Finn Whittrock as Greg, Josh Pence as Josh, Miles Anderson as Alistair, a photographer, Tom Everett Scott as David, Valarie Rae Miller as Amy Brandt and Damon Gupton as Harry.

 

This was whimsically and wistfully directed by Damien Chazelle ("Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench" '09, "Whiplash" '14) plus a short. As "Whiplash" was a fresh, concise, well paced and staged film, this film was treated with the same technique. This is a musical with a fantastical side to it that, not only worked well, but actually enhanced the production. It was also well written by Chazelle ("Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench" '09, "The Last Exorcism Part II" '13, "Grand Piano" '13, "Whiplash" '14, "10 Cloverfield Lane" '16). This writer knows how to take a subject matter and give it that shot in the arm so as to make it fresh, and seemingly more original than it very well might be otherwise. "Whiplash" was an incredibly well-crafted film, which I believe surprised many people. This film surely will do the same thing.  Choreography is key to any musical and this being choreographed by Mandy Moore ("Silver Linings Playbook" '12, "American Hustle" '13, "Sleeping with Other People" '15, "Joy" '15), it was amazing. First frame of the film, we see drivers in bumper to bumper traffic. All of a sudden, a driver starts singing, gets out of her car a dances toward other cars, then other drivers get out of their cars and start singing and dancing, singing about another day with sun in LA. And when the number ends, it ends abruptly and the title of the film is emblazoned on the screen. What a way to start a film! The photography, editing and music and lyrics are all incredible. It was enough to encourage me to want the soundtrack.

 

Whether the musical genre is your cup of tea or not, this film has something for all to revel in. The well panned photography tightly edited with the choreography, the crisp writing and directing will give its audience that good feeling because of the sheer escape factor involved.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                     Rated: PG-13                                  127mins.

 

Miss Sloane

There have been many political thriller films based on a true story and/or person, but finally we get treated to one of these films that is straight out of a writer's head--pure fiction, which makes "Miss Sloane" refreshing as well as entertaining. All in all, it's simply a pleasure to see a film based on pure imagination for a change.

 

In the high-stakes world of political power-brokers, Elizabeth Sloane (Jessica Chastain) is the most sought after and formidable lobbyist in D.C. Known equally for her cunning and her track record of success, she has always done whatever is required to win. But when she takes on the most powerful opponent of her career, she finds that winning may come at too high a price.

Sloane, through a Brady Bill advocate company run by Rodolfo Schmidt (Mark Strong) takes on a powerful gun lobby headed up by George Dupont (Sam Waterston) and Pat Connors (Michael Stuhlbarg) in the wake of several mass shootings, but Sloane's mission quickly becomes a frustrating ordeal that threatens to derail her career.

 

Others to round out the cast are Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Esme Manucharian, Alison Pill as Jane Molloy, Jake Lacy as Forde, John Lithgow as Senator Ron M. Sperling, Ennis Esmer as Brian, Douglas Smith as Alex, Dylan Baker as TV Host, Lucy Owen as Cynthia, Al Mukadam as Ross and Chuck Shamata as Bob Sanford.

 

This is directed by, what I have deemed as a chameleon, John Madden ("Ethan Frome" '93, "Golden Gate" '93, "Mrs. Brown" '97, "Shakespeare in Love" '98, "Captain Corelli's Mandolin" '01, "Proof" '03, "Killshot" '08, "The Debt" '10, "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" '11, "The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" '15) plus TV and TV movies. I say chameleon because of the eclectic resume this filmmaker has been able to acquire. Each one of his projects are completely different--so much so that he doesn't really have a trademark to his films which makes his work definitely artistic. The subtlety of emotions in his characters in this production is amazing. Interesting, this was written by a newcomer, Jonathan Perera who has never written anything before, not even TV. Considering the obvious lack of experience, this screenplay was definitely played out well. Besides a number of choppy areas in script, this was a well honed storyline. This format has certainly been executed before--where the story starts at a pivotal point, and then flashbacks to a certain time and then builds up to the place you came in at and then goes beyond that point to its final conclusion. This format is not an easy one--even seasoned writers can have a problem with continuity and cohesiveness. So with this knowledge, Perera actually was able to pull this off. Jessica Chastain was certainly at the top of her game as Sloane. Although she is a consummate actor, she definitely shined in this film

 

If you like pure fictional political thrillers, you will revel, because this is certainly as good as it gets for excitement and adrenaline. The script definitely jumps around a bit, but between Chastain's performance and the sheer tenseness of the storyline, this will surely entertain you all the way until the film's end.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                  Rated: R                                   131Mins.

 

Moana

Have I mentioned that Disney is the largest marketers on the planet? Yeah, I thought I did. And because of this, I figured that quality has to take a back seat for the bottom line. When I saw the trailer of "Moana", it didn't actually wow me, but after viewing it, I came to realize that you can't judge a book by its cover.

 

Young navigator Moana (Auli'i Cravalho), the daughter of a Polynesian chief, Tui (Temuera Morrison), is chosen, through the eyes of her Gramma Tala (Rachel House), to find a precious artifact that could save her people. She eventually teams with reluctant demigod Maui (Dwayne Johnson) to locate a legendary island, and together the pair explore fantastical islands and encounter incredible sea creatures. Their team efforts are tested time and again as their banter back and forth increases which hampers the success of their journey. Will their bickering interfere with succeeding in the mission at hand?

 

Others to round out the cast are Jemaine Clements as Tamatoa, Nicole Scherzinger as Sina, Alan Tudyk as Heihei/Villager #3, Oscar Knightley as Fisherman, Troy Polamalu as Villager #1, Puanani Cravalho as Villager #2 and Louise Bush as Toddler Moana.

 

This was effortlessly team directed by Ron Clements and John Musker ("The Great Mouse Detective" '86, "The Little Mermaid" '89, "Aladdin" '92, "Hercules" '97, "Treasure Planet" '02, "The Princess and the Frog" '09). It was co-directed by Don Hall ("Winnie the Pooh" '11, "Big Hero 6" '14) and Chris Williams ("Bolt" '08, "Big Hero 6" '14), One would think that with four directors in tow, this would be a mismashed film with little to no continuity, but each director obviously had their section of film in which to work. The pacing, staging and clarity with this was executed with expertise. It was well written by Jared Bush ("Zootopia" '16) plus TV, based on a story by Clements, Musker, Williams, Hall, Pamela Ribon, Aaron Kandell and Jordan Kandell. For a screenwriter with the limited experience that Bush has, this script was amazingly well thought out. I would expect less from seasoned screenwriters. There was a couple of small places of choppiness, otherwise this storyline soared. The characters were delineated with clarity, conciseness, and richness. And, of course, the visuals and animation were seamless, but you'd have to know this before entering the theater, this being a Disney production.

 

Trust me, the trailer doesn't sell this film. It was superiorly different and better than the trailer depicted. The animation, the music, the writing and directing were all worthy of seeing this in the multiplex. It has humor, heart all wrapped up with an entertaining theme. Grab the popcorn and enjoy this one.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                 Rated: PG                                 108mins.

 

 

 

Manchester by the Sea

With all the films that are based on a particular person or situation, it's a pleasure to see a story of pure fiction. It's getting quite common place to see biopics these days, so when I saw my first trailer of "Manchester by the Sea", I felt it was going to be an extremely well-crafted film and my suspicions were fulfilled.

 

After the sudden death of his older brother Joe (Kyle Chandler), Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) is shocked to learn that Joe has made him sole guardian of his 16 year-old nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges). Taking leave of his job in Boston, Lee reluctantly returns to Manchester-by-the-Sea to care for Patrick.

A hardened handyman, Lee, soon after his arrival, also unearths his checkered past. Soon Lee comes back in contact with his estranged ex-wife, Randi (Michelle Williams) as he deals with life in his tight-knit former community. As he continues to meet with the people of his past, he becomes more and more convinced that he cannot reside in this community even though Patrick is firm on his inability to live anywhere else but in this seaside community.

 

Others to round out the cast are C.J. Wilson as George, Gretchen Mol as Elise, Kara Hayward as Silvie, one of Patrick's girlfriends, Anna Baryshnikov as Sandy, another one of Patrick's girlfriends, Matthew Broderick as Jeffrey, Christian Mallen as CJ, Oscar Wahlberg as Joel, Tom Kemp as Stan Chandler, Lee's dad, Liam McNeill as Josh, Tate Donovan as Hockey Coach and Josh Hamilton as Wes, Joe's lawyer.

 

This was painstakingly directed by Kenneth Lonergan ("You Can Count on Me" 2000, "Margaret" '11). Surely this filmmaker doesn't have a ton of experience, but he is an incredible director. His experience is mostly in the writing realm, but he has obviously learned his craft as director just being around so many others. The way he was able to get his actors to emit just the right type and amount of emotion is mind-bogging. Other than writing, this filmmaker has found his niche. It was also written by Lonergan ("Analyze This" '99, "You Can Count on Me" 2000, "The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle" 2000, "Analyze That" '02, "Gangs of New York" '02, "Margaret" '11). Certainly after writing "Gangs of New York", one can see why he could easily write this film considering the pure seriousness of each production. This film definitely has similarities to that of '08's "Revolutionary Road" in that each film was played out in a way that it was as if the audience was eavesdropping in on the characters, because these actors seemed so real, and each film had a depressed feeling to them, otherwise these films were definitely their own films. The audience watches films like these for the artistry of the film as opposed to the entertainment package. Other than a few slow areas in story (the running time could've been about 10mins less), this screenplay was powerful. Affleck could be looking at an Oscar nod come that time.

 

As stated, you are not seeing this film for the entertainment factor as much as the fact this is an incredibly well crafted gem, but as the film comes to an end, this will leave the moviegoer thinking quite a lot after the end credits roll.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                     Rated: R                                  137mins.