As usual, with the Super Bowl last weekend, there was very little of significance or worth watching in theaters. As such, I used the time to sample my final two of the nine movies nominated for Best Picture in this year's Academy Awards.
Sadly, neither of these two dramas, "Manchester by the Sea" or "Hell or High Water" has played here in The Bahamas as yet, but they are among the best-acted, written and directed films of 2016.
Manchester by the Sea
(U.S. rated R)
Cast: Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler
Genre: Drama
Dwight's rating: 3.5 stars
As with anything, it is often hard to live up to massive hype.
This is especially the case with movies. Summer blockbusters often fall short. And even the buzz surrounding some Oscar contenders can be head-scratching.
While not as over-hyped as, let's say, this year's Oscar-nomination-leading "La La Land", quite a lot has been said about "Manchester by the Sea".
Thankfully, this touching family drama might even surpass the widespread acclaim it has garnered since debuting at the Sundance Film Festival in January last year and its release in Unites States (U.S.) theaters in November.
The film stars Casey Affleck as Lee Chandler, a brooding, irritable loner who works as a handyman for a Boston apartment block. One damp winter day he gets a call summoning him to his hometown, north of the city. His brother's heart has given out suddenly, and he's been named guardian to his 16-year-old nephew. As if losing his only sibling and doubts about raising a teenager weren't enough, his return to the past re-opens an unspeakable tragedy.
This is a very simple story, but told in quite an interesting way. Director and screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan implements the most effective use of flashbacks I've seen in a long time. This over-used and often annoying and even disruptive gimmick is instead a tool to build suspense here.
We begin seeing Lee as a withdrawn, antisocial, monosyllabic, cold, zombie-like figure living life as if he were a serial killer. Suddenly in flashbacks we see him as someone who was filled with life and love, and even good cheer and humor. What in God's name happened?
We go quite a while before we learn about the "unspeakable tragedy". In the meantime, there's a sense of unease as you sit on the edge of your seat, racking your brain, trying to pick up any clues as to what might have gone wrong.
This piecemeal approach is a great choice, accentuating the stunning performances. It serves as a great showcase for Affleck, who has lived most of his career in the shadows of his big brother Ben.
Those days may be over!
The younger Affleck, who has been largely a supporting actor up to this point, moves firmly and comfortably into leading actor territory. He's essentially playing two characters, his former happier self, and this solemn shell of man. Remarkably, we can see the joy and enthusiasm in his eyes with the former, and the pain and frustration in those same eyes.
While soul baring and raw, it's still a very subtle performance. In the hands of another director or actor, it could easily have become over-the-top or overbearing. It's no wonder Affleck has been a dominating force this award season in a year with particularly strong leading male performances.
However, Affleck's won't be the only performance you talk about or remember; 20-year old Lucas Hedges is a revelation as Lee's teenage nephew. This scene-stealer has some of the movie's best lines and adds a great deal of levity to the often-somber story.
The rest of the supporting cast is also amazing. Michelle Williams, who has perfected the art of playing the long-suffering wife, is also strong, as is Kyle Chandler (TV's "Friday Night Lights"), as Lee's brother.
Yes, "Manchester by the Sea" is sad, but it's not dour. It's actually much more humorous than has been promoted, and is even uplifting. If there is a criticism, it's the two hour and 17 minute running length, which does feel a tad long by the time we cross the 120-minute mark.
Otherwise, the film certainly deserves its six Oscar nods -- the aforementioned Best Actor nomination for Affleck and Best Picture, plus supporting nods for Hedges and Williams, and director and screenplay for Lonergan. "Manchester by the Sea" has earned all its hype.
Hell or High Water
(U.S. rated R)
Cast: Chris Pine, Jeff Bridges, Ben Foster, Gil Birmingham
Genre: Crime drama
Dwight's rating: 3.5 stars
"Familiarity" has been as bad as that other F-word for the movie industry in the past year.
With 2016 seeming to be the year of the remake/sequel/prequel (like probably every year before it for at least the last decade), there's been a lot of familiar material. And in most cases, some may have wished the original work had never seen the light of day.
There's a familiarity about the crime drama "Hell or High Water" too. But it's a refreshingly different kind. It's definitely an original story, but it's reminiscent of many of the crime dramas from the 1970s and early '80s. I can almost picture a Clint Eastwood or Charles Bronson starring in it.
This neo-Western feels like a number of classic westerns too. And there's a "Bonnie and Clyde" aura as well.
But unlike most of last year's 'familiar' material, "Hell or High Water" should not be dismissed or ignored.
Two brothers -- Toby (Chris Pine), a straight-living, divorced father trying to make a better life for his son; and Tanner (Ben Foster), a short-tempered ex-con with a loose trigger finger -- come together to rob branch after branch of the bank that is foreclosing on their family land.
The hold-ups are part of a last-ditch scheme to take back a future that powerful forces beyond their control have stolen from under their feet. Vengeance seems to be theirs until they find themselves in the crosshairs of a relentless, foul-mouthed Texas Ranger (Jeff Bridges) looking for one last triumph on the eve of his retirement. As the brothers plot a final bank heist to complete their plan, a showdown looms at the crossroads where the last honest law man and a pair of brothers with nothing to live for except family collide.
I'm not sure why this fine drama never made it here. Released in the U.S. on August 12, at the winding down of the summer blockbuster season (the same weekend as "Florence Foster Jenkins" -- another good film that never made it to these shores), we instead got the interestingly named duo of "Sausage Party" and "Pete's Dragon".
That's too bad. Even though it's set in West Texas, the story is relatable on many levels, especially as it addresses anger with the banking sector, and mortgage and foreclosure challenges.
The biggest draw is the best dialogue of any movie I've seen this year, and perhaps in many years. No it's not Shakespeare, but Taylor Sheridan (who also wrote 2015's very well done "Sicario") has penned an extraordinarily entertaining script.
The authenticity and pace of the conversations is astounding. At the top of the list is the constant verbal sparring between Bridges and Gil Birmingham, who play the Texas Rangers investigating the bank robberies. Their witty and playful back-and-forth is very amusing.
The attention paid to even minor interactions with waitresses or bank robbery witnesses is shocking. These real conversations are exactly what you might say or expect to be said, and the most natural reactions to these scenarios.
Social commentary alert:
And to the many Bahamians who believe the time has come for "responsible citizens" in this country to be allowed to carry handguns for their own safety and protection, I challenge you to tell me the scene in which our bank robber brothers try to rob a crowded West Texas bank, that wouldn't play out exactly the same way here in this country!
So with the immensely entertaining dialogue, great character studies, the fantastic cast of Pine, Foster and Birmingham, but especially the superb Jeff Bridges, it's no surprise that "Hell or High Water" is up for four Academy Awards -- Best Picture, Film Editing, Original Screenplay and Supporting Actor for Bridges.
Despite the endless photocopies and rehashes of the same old ideas, "Hell of High Water" proves that even out of a not entirely new concept, something spectacularly fresh can still be achieved.
o Dwight Strachan is the host/producer of " Morning Blend" on Guardian Radio. He is a television producer and writer, and an avid TV history and film buff. Email dwight@nasguard.com and follow him on twitter @morningblend969.
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