'Boy Erased'

'Boy Erased' Movie Review

'Boy Erased'

Posted on Nov. 9, 2018 on FanBolt.com

'Lady Bird'

'Lady Bird' Movie Review

'Lady Bird'

Posted on Nov. 17, 2017 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Photo courtesy of A24

Lady Bird (2017)

From Lady Bird’s first scene to its last, the film nails the angst, wonder, sorrow, and fun of one young woman’s journey as she navigates the halls and parties of her senior year in the high school. The film opens with Christine ‘Lady Bird ‘McPherson (Saoirse Ronan), and her mother are coming back from a long trip visiting a prospective college with her very opinionated mother, Marion (Laurie Metcalf). Their relationship is summed up in their conversation, which goes from enjoyment to downright despite in what seems like seconds. As the argument gets heated, Lady Bird gets so fed up that she opens her door and rolls out of the car, no matter that she will get hurt. The heart of the film is this mother/daughter dynamic; mom can’t help herself from constantly criticizing her daughter and daughter can’t understand why her mom won’t just let her alone, let her live her life the way she wants to. Caught in between this constant war of wills is Lady Bird’s father, Larry (Tracy Letts), an even-keeled kind of guy who can see the points of view of both of the women in his life. Complicating things is Larry and Marion’s adopted older boy, Miguel (Jordan Rodriques) who, though he has graduated from college, lives at home with his girlfriend Shelly (Marielle Scott) and works as a grocery store clerk in town.

Lady Bird, who continually reminds people not to use her real name, is a high school girl who when she makes her mind up, acts on those decisions without doubt or hesitation. When she sees a cute boy Danny (Lucas Hedges) look at her in class, she sees it as an opportunity to talk to him, instantly letting him know that she is willing to go out with him. When told by a counselor that she might like theatre, she drags her best friend, Julie (Beanie Feldstein) to a tryout and gets cast in the school’s musical. When told by her mother that she should go to a local college, Lady Bird instead applies for schools on the East Coast, even though she has been told she doesn’t have the grades or the money to get in.

Lady Bird is all about dreaming for a better life. She desperately wants out of Sacramento, where she lives, thinking. Lady Bird and Julie fantasize about living in a big house, one that they walk by almost every day on their way to school. Like all teenagers, she is susceptible to following fads and other’s tastes. When she sees a boy she is interested in reading Howard Zinn’s People’s History of the United States; she starts reading it too.

The film takes place between 2002 and 2003, so 9/11 and the Iraq War fill the TV. It’s a time where you had email, but there wasn’t iPhones or Snapchat to obsess over, so Lady Bird’s obsessions are boys, theatre (for a while) and getting into a college far away from Sacramento. Like any other high school girl, Lady Bird is all about boys and finding someone to date. When she sees an opportunity to be a part of the ‘in’ crowd by helping out the most popular girl, Jenna (Odeya Rush), she goes for it, dropping her best friend Julie without putting any thought to the consequences.

Lady Bird moves at a quick pace as it shows snippets of Lady Bird’s life throughout her senior year and is filled with memorable moments, like Lady Bird getting into a debate with a pro-life speaker at an assembly, that leads to her getting suspended from school. Her first time having sex has a beautiful moment where she realizes that the too cool boy that she has fantasized about is not as caring and cool as she thought he was. It’s these moments that hit the hardest, that make this such a memorable film.

Saoirse Ronan gives the performance of a lifetime, making Lady Bird seem so real and making it a moving experience to watch her up on the screen. Ronan is a joy to watch, as she brings life to every scene that she is in. Ronan is perfect as the teenager who is desperate to get out from under her mother’s gaze and is ready to make her place in the world. It’s a performance that will surely be rewarded by the upcoming end of the year awards and hopefully, next year’s Academy Awards.

Equally up to the task is Laurie Metcalf who plays the mom that can’t keep her opinions about her daughter to herself. It’s to Metcalf’s acting prowess that we don’t hate Marion, in fact, we know through Metcalf’s actions and body language that she loves her daughter, she just doesn’t know how to relate to her.

Writer/director Greta Gerwig has done the impossible; making a coming of age film about a teen girl seems fresh and not contrived. Lady Bird is an enchanting film that is full of surprises, meaningful moments and performances that you don’t want to miss. Lady Bird was so unbelievably great that I didn’t want it to end.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again

My movie rating system from Best to Worst:  1). I Would Pay to See it Again  2). Full Price  3). Bargain Matinee  4). Cable  5). You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again

Lady Bird Website

"Manchester by the Sea"

"Manchester by the Sea" Movie Review

"Manchester by the Sea"

Posted on Dec. 2, 2016 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

Wayback Machine Archive Post

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

On a fishing boat, uncle Lee (Casey Affleck) is teaching his nephew, Patrick (Ben O’Brien) about fishing with a rod and reel, while Patrick’s dad, Joe (Kyle Chandler) is at the wheel. They are having fun as Lee is telling tall tales about fishing while Patrick does not believe a word that Lee, and his dad are telling him. One thing is for sure; the three are having a great time out on the water.

We cut to ten years in the future, and the fun-loving uncle is gone; he now is a quiet and sullen man working as a janitor/handyman in a Boston apartment complex. Lee has a reputation for being an unfriendly guy. We see this as he goes from apartment to apartment fixing big and small problems, the tenants treating him as if he doesn’t exist unless he isn’t giving them the answers they want. Has a run-in with a troublesome tenant who wants her plumbing problem fixed now, while Lee gives her two choices, both of which she doesn’t like. She reports Lee to his supervisor, who warns Lee that he must improve his attitude, Lee’s response is if he does his job, he doesn’t have to be nice.

Lee goes to a bar after work and proceeds to get drunk. After fending off the passes of a young woman, he gets into a fight with a couple of men who he thinks are staring at him too much. Lee stumbles back to his tiny one-room apartment and crashes on the bed. It’s evident that this is a pattern that he repeats on most nights.

The next day, as he is shoveling snow off the sidewalks, he gets a call that his older brother Joe has had a heart attack and is in serious condition. Lee gets in his truck and rushes to Manchester by the Sea where his brother is. He searches the hospital and encounters a family friend and a nurse that knows him, finding out that his brother has just died. He discovers that his nephew is a hockey practice and heads there to tell his nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges) the hardest news he will ever deliver, that he is now an orphan.

Writer/director Kenneth Lonergan brings us a tale of heartbreak, grief and the attempt to heal wounds from the past. It’s an achingly beautiful film that follows Lee and Patrick as they try to deal with all the big and small stuff that has to be handled after a death in the family. Lee is in no shape to handle a teenager, and his first priority is to figure out what to do with Patrick. Lonergan exploits the underlining tension between Lee and Patrick, as both know this is their biggest obstacle. Patrick’s fear of abandonment, and Lee’s fear of having an instant family are always there in their interactions as if both know just one incident could tilt the uneasy peace the two have with each other. As the story moves along, Lonergan uses flashbacks to let us understand why Lee is so broken and why Patrick feels abandoned by his parents. The film slowly peels back the layers in a way that makes the film feel full and multi-layered.

The heart of this film are the performances by this exceptional cast. Kyle Chandler is perfect as the big brother who everyone likes. He easily projects that good-guy vibe that makes you instantly admire him. Michelle Williams, playing Lee’s ex-wife, is fantastic in her role. She doesn’t have a lot of scenes, but her powerful scene near the end of the film with Affleck is one of the best performances I have ever seen. And give credit to Affleck in that scene, as he lets Williams share the screen in a situation that he could have easily dominated. I loved the chemistry between Lucas Hedges and Affleck. They play so well-off each other, making their every scene together a joy to watch.

Make no mistake; this is Affleck’s film, and he is brilliant in the role. Full of pain and guilt, his performance is a wonder to watch. It’s a complex performance worthy of what should be an Academy Award nomination. Affleck doesn’t have a lot of lines in the film, as Lee isn’t one for small talk and can be quite a brooder, but Affleck makes that work to his advantage. There is a magical scene in the film that shows Affleck’s talent to the fullest. Hedges character freaks out due to all the changes in his life and has a bit of a breakdown in his room. Lee comes into his room and tells Patrick that he will just sit there with him until he calms down. With only a slight movement of his body language, Affleck lets his character comfort his nephew without touching him. It’s a moving and touching scene made better by not what is said, but what is not said in that scene.

Manchester by the Sea is a film that perfectly explores the sense of loss when a death occurs, but it even better explores the human reaction to bad things when they happen to good people. Why did it happen and will the people left behind forgive themselves for surviving is what this film answers.    My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again

My movie rating system from Best to Worst:  1). I Would Pay to See it Again  2). Full Price  3). Bargain Matinee  4). Cable  5). You Would Have to Pay Me to See it Again