Sunday, February 19, 2017

Micro Reviews #8: Hell or High Water & Manchester by the Sea (Micro Reviews)


Hell or High Water:
The closest comparison I can think of with Hell or High Water is it has a similar premise to season five of Breaking Bad, but where I don’t care for any of the characters.  The film's Texas Rangers are…typical Southern cop stereotypes with little depth beyond that, while the brothers…well I flat out didn’t like them: finding their asshole qualities far more defining (particularly with the older brother) than their “sympathetic” ones (which felt too forcefully manipulative to work appropriately).  I actually wanted to see the brothers lose, yet also didn’t care if the cops won.  Such disconnect with Hell or High Water’s characters left the neo-western an indifferent experience that’s been done better in the past and will most likely be done better in the future.

Manchester by the Sea:
I simply did not care for this film.  Manchester by the Sea’s first-third initially held my interest with its intriguing premise and amusing sense of comedy.  By its second-third, however, the comedy died down significantly, while the main plot grew lethargic in pacing.  Soon the flashbacks became the sole aspect holding my attention and curiosity…until they lost me once the mystery was revealed to be insufferably cliché. SPOILERS BEGIN: As soon as the intoxicated protagonist left the house to get beer I was thinking; "Oh jeez, the house better not catch on fire."  And yet the film continued avoiding showing the house and I thought; "I swear if they use the ‘set the house on fire’ trope I will be so mad."…and guess what happened!  The scene felt like a parody of a drama: something I'd see in a comedy satirizing a serious film.  The screaming woman, the melodramatic soundtrack, the fact that the furnace blew up after the firemen just barely got the wife out, but not the kids.  The whole scene being used so seriously really pissed me off. SPOILERS END By its last-third I’d lost all interest in Manchester by the Sea’s story and characters, and was more interested with my phone’s emoticons than the film.

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