mannacio Reviews

La Mante (2017)

La Mantis is a stain on French police stories

[2/10 · 7 January 2018]

While this is not a movie the French have some wonderful police mystery/crime dramas such as La Circle Rouge. Those story lines do not paint the police as bumbling idiots as this one does nor use implausible actions for dramatic effect as it also does.

For example, La Mantis is being held secretly in a mansion converted to a prison guarded by ONE person. Got that, only one. Escape could be very simple but they would like to show how smart La Mantis is. So she puts food in an air duct to breed insects whose feces are poison then takes these feces and puts them inside a medicine capsule she had been given for migraine. She fakes collapse and when her guard gives her mouth to mouth she forces the capsule into his mouth so he will swallow it. REALLY? Even with just one person who knows just a little wouldn't the first thing they do be do take a pulse and not give mouth to mouth if it isn't required? And why use this hokey method when there are much more straightforward ways to overcome captors? Has anyone seen Silence of the Lambs? Its escape scene is much more intelligent.

And that's not all. The main character gives his cell phone number to a childhood friend (who turns out to be his brother) and tells him to call it is the suspected serial killer calls. Then he proceeds NOT to answer his cell phone and let the call go to voicemail. Even when he finally picks up the message he doesn't send the closest police units but goes there himself - without an ambulance - to make sure it takes too long.

And the copycat serial killer uses a cell phone whose location they can't identify because they say he is scrambling. Excuse me. Even for through away units you use triangulation so who are they trying to kid.

There also is a very annoying lady who wanted to lead the team but the task is given to an undercover person who is La Mantis son because she wants to deal with him. She doesn't follow orders and really ought to be fired. When she does find out the team lead is La Mantis son she erupts with absolutely no understanding of why it was done and the captain tolerates this.

The guards for the team leads wife get killed from sheer incompetence - they have no idea how to clear out a house. They put an easily removable tracking device on La Mantis. They do not use a helicopter to keep track of her. How many things can they do wrong? This is, frankly, slander to the French police and very bad drama.

Brad's Status (2017)

Over wrought

[5/10 · 23 September 2017]

Most people, even successful ones,have doubts about themselves but Brad really needs a psychiatrist for his feelings of inadequacy and this movie lays it on so thick viewers may feel they have been recruited to the position. There are a few moments when some dim realization begins to set in that material success may not be everything but not enough to provide any kind of balance. If this was intended as a comedy it is too dour. If it was intended as a slice of life it is not a slice I would want to see.

A Quiet Passion (2016)

A Good Idea Gone Wrong

[4/10 · 7 May 2017]

There are two things that spoil this movie:

1) The actors are simply not up to the task especially when it involves reciting poetry. (We went home and watched a DVD of Judi Densch in Ibsen's Ghosts and the contrast between actors who know how to read their lines and actors who don't was striking.) 2) The movie is far too melodramatic.

There are other lesser problems too. Characters refer to male-female issues as "Gender" which is the modern PC way to put it while in the 19th century and through half of the 20th century it was simply called "Sex". Does no one remember the job applications that said SEX: M or F? This is the way it was and, if the movie was to be more accurate, the way it used to be in the 19th century too.

In all this is the Simon and Garfunkel version of "and you read your Emily Dickinson, and I my Robert Frost". Here's hoping they don't do another movie of the latter.

Lion (2016)

How Fully Committed

[6/10 · 18 December 2016]

As some critics have noted, during the first half of this move we can identify with Sharu who manages to survive after being lost far from home. The second half is more problematic and not just because it is hard to portray, in a movie, the difficulties involved in finding "home". But also because the character himself doesn't seem fully convinced of his effort. On the one hand he disparages the first world lifestyle and privilege but he fails to relearn the Hindi language at all. If and when he finds the town in which he grew up one would think he would want to be able to communicate with his relatives and friends without a translator. Of course, this is not just a movie but is based on a true story so that this failing would seem to apply to the real life character. To the extent it does, we identify less with the adult Sharu. The film also has some awkward cuts.

Moonlight (I) (2016)

To Walk in His Shoes

[7/10 · 18 December 2016]

Those of us who are not poor and black would do well to see this movie if only to begin to understand what it is like. Too many of us still blame blacks with little understanding of the obstacles they face. That said, this movie tries to do more than was necessary. Chiron is not simply poor and black. His mother is a drug addict and he is gay too. This many issues simply muddies the waters. The movie is still fairly effective and worth seeing, but it could have been better if it didn't try to do so much. It may be the movie was trying to appeal to a black audience, that already knows what it is like to be poor and black, and felt the need to add what it is like to have a drug addict for a mother and be gay too. This seems to have gone too far.

Elle (I) (2016)

Bizarre

[6/10 · 27 November 2016]

It's hard to tell if there is a competition afoot to see who can produce the most bizarre movie with this film following on the heels of The Handmaiden.

Far be it from the French to avoid blatant sexuality in their movies, even though this movie cannot possibly compete with The Handmaiden on those grounds. But, if one excludes this dimension, Elle is more than just an unusual film about an unusual character. Rather, Michelle Leblanc (played by Isabelle Huppert) defies our expectations at almost every turn. Nor can we entirely attribute this to the tragedy of her childhood. Even her choice of whom to help her after a car accident is beyond belief. Advocates of the film will suggest her bizarre actions are an outgrowth of her unfortunate childhood. Hogwash. They are simply a way to rationalize the sensationalism injected into this film by its director.

To the extent that the film is well acted, well shot, and has a consistent plot line, it can still be considered mildly entertaining, especially if bizarre and unexpected behavior is your cup of tea. But it is decidedly not a movie that will be appreciated or liked by women who have been raped.

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

Good but not Great

[7/10 · 27 November 2016]

There have been many great movies about personal tragedy and the difficulties involved in facing them. One must take special note of the films of Ingmar Bergman and Yasujiro Ozu as masters of this genre. Kenneth Lonegran, who directed this film, can only aspire to their mastery and this film, which is currently rated 8.6 by IMDb viewers certainly is not worthy of a rating higher than Citizen Kane (The highest rated movie of all time according to AFI).

It is, quite simply, a good movie with many flaws. The two most noticeable are first the abrupt and poorly demarcated flashbacks. And second is the over wrought musical score drawn from classical music. Most notably, the use of the Adagio attributed to Albinoni (a contemporary of Bach who never wrote this kind of treacle) but actually written by Remo Giazotto - his 20th century biographer. Modern Italians certainly know how to pour it on, emotionally, in their music as you can also observe in the film Cinema Paradiso - another good movie rated an astonishing 8.5 on IMDb. The problem is, using tragic music to supplement the emotional content of a movie does not make it better or more important.

To be clear, this movie was well acted and has a good plot line. However, even apart from the technical flaws mentioned above, it is not great because it fails to open a new dimension for us. There are many tragedies that are quite compelling which happen every day, most especially parents who lose their children to war. This kind of tragedy is played out in film and in "real life". When it is, we find it familiar. This films tragedy is also familiar. But great films give us much more. Films like Le Grande Illusion show us tragedy in a way that is unique and that makes it monumental even without the need for special musical support. These great works are worthy of being seen again and again as, each time, we absorb their full intent and the brilliant yet subtle ways this is communicated. This is not such a film. It is worth seeing, once.

Nocturnal Animals (2016)

Doesn't Make its point

[6/10 · 24 November 2016]

Another over rated movie given a score of 8.0 by IMDb viewers. I won't recount, again, the famous movies in the top 100 that barely achieved this score but will provide some context. The beginning of the movie is unnecessary to the plot and if it doesn't gross you out you have very thick skin. You may reply that this display shows the way in which Susan has been corrupted to accept sensationalism as art. Perhaps. It still seems gratuitous and the movie is also, in some sense. The acting is good. The set design is good. The cinematography is good. The plot doesn't quite make it.

The concept is that Susan is asked to read a book her ex-husband has written. But, it becomes apparent that the book is a weapon used to abuse her. A form of revenge. Of course, it is not all that unusual for an ex to want to take revenge. But using fiction to do it is.

Now, despite the acting, you may not be too sympathetic to Susan. She lives in a world in LA that is very superficial. But, when you see the mental violence her ex inflicts on her he doesn't seem all that sympathetic either. This is where the movie falls apart. Even in a tragedy, of the form "man against himself", the author needs to create some sympathy and identification with the protagonist. But the protagonist is an abuser who is immersed in revenge by novel and cannot get our sympathy. Susan may be worthy of some sympathy but this does not carry the movie.

An unfinished idea that was somewhat disappointing.

Arrival (II) (2016)

Alien Encounter as a Device

[8/10 · 12 November 2016]

This is an exceptional movie, better than its nearest equivalent: "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". What makes it better is, in part, that the Aliens and their Arrival are largely a device. This device explores several issues. One is how our species reacts to a perceived threat. Another is how language may shape our thoughts. The third is our notion of time. Each one could merit a philosophical paper of its own so it would be far too much to expect of this tale to resolve all of these issues. Yet in its somewhat touchy-freely way it succeeds well enough because it make us think about these issues. Some of us anyway since overheard conversation leaving the theater suggested to me that some people really didn't get it. The rating I have given could, despite how good the movie is, still be a bit high in light of the rating some of the best 100 movies of all time were given. But as a recent film compared to recent films it seems about right.

The Handmaiden (2016)

Sex Still Sells

[4/10 · 7 November 2016]

It it preposterous that, at the time of this review, The Handmaiden had an 8.1 rating on IMDb which would make it the equal of such films as: The Wizard of Oz, The Grapes of Wrath, the Best Years of our Lives and Annie Hall. And that would rank it higher than Shane, The African Queen, The Searchers, and Sophie's Choice. All of the aforementioned films are among the top 100 films of all time, according to the AFI. Nor was this movie overrated by one demographic group.

This movie did not have an MPAA rating but would certainly have deserved an X rating with the number of explicit sexual scenes. None of this would matter if the sexuality needed to be so explicit to advance the plot. It didn't.

There are movies which are fundamentally about a sexual relationship, and are honest about it, such as The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover or the Last Tango in Paris. One should expect THESE films to be quite explicit. The Handmaiden is NOT such a film. There IS a story being told and EVEN THOUGH the father is quite depraved it is not necessary to exploit this in telling the story. In fact, it is a diversion from the telling of the main story line.

So why was the story told in this way? The answer is clear: sex sells. It even sold a substantial number of those who reviewed the film at IMDb. Amazon appears to have mastered the use of the sensational. Now it is true that there is some excellent cinematography, but that cannot redeem this film.

Clearly, a film goer cannot depend on IMDb or even on the combined ratings of the critics to find worthy entertainment. More caution is required.

Anomalisa (2015)

Wasted Effort

[4/10 · 17 January 2016]

Anomolisa is about a man's search for identity and meaning in his life but the movie never really finds its own identity. The conceit of using animation really adds nothing to this movie except the ability to include scenes which, if used with live actors, would have turned this into an X-Rated movie. (Parents take note.) At the end of a movie in this genre I think it is reasonable for the viewer to believe the movie has, at least, presented a novel view of life, or how one copes with his day-to-day existence. Unless you are very impressionable or haven't seen many movies about self-examination, you will not go away from this movie with that outcome.

The Revenant (I) (2015)

Is this much Violence Necessary

[6/10 · 11 January 2016]

While my review of the Hateful Eight gave it some latitude since the violence was, at least, directly tied to the plot, The Revenent is a movie whose violence is over the top. We cannot fault Leonardo DiCaprio for his excellent acting, not the special effects that allowed much of this movie to be filmed.

But, how long ago do you think it was that this movie would have been X-Rated? We have become inured to violence and that is a bad thing for all of us but especially the younger generation. Seeing extremely violent movies is NOT the same as the imaginary characters of comic books 50 years ago. The movies are SO real that the line between violence in the real world and violence in the movies has blurred.

Have we inadvertently caused the more violent culture around us. I think we have and we should be afraid of the consequences.

The Hateful Eight (2015)

Bloody but Unbowed

[7/10 · 2 January 2016]

If there was one thing you should know about The Hateful Eight it is that the violence is tame, by modern standards, and Quentin Tarantino does not revel in it as Angelina Jolie seems to have reveled in the torture of the movie Unbroken. The violence is entirely driven by the plot and there is no more nor less than what the plot demands. That said, the plot and all of the plot twists clearly were written to maximize the blood. So, is the plot worth 168 minutes of your time? The plot? No. The acting, yes.

The plot suffers from being somewhat contrived. The dialogue is clearly anachronistic especially if you seen any accurate post-civil war movies. As examples the word "blacks" would not have been used then. Negros, in polite conversation, darkies, or "Niggers" as is sometimes used in the movie. The use, by one of the characters, of the word "dispassionate" to describe himself also seemed forced, and out of place. As others have pointed out, the portion which is narrated also detracts from your involvement in the action.

There are also some points no one has mentioned but might be noticed by one who is familiar with music: How does a piano stay in tune in a very cold cabin? It doesn't, or course. With all the things they had at their disposal why should they have been incapable of building a door latch with the wood they had? The pacing also suffers at points but the photography, the film score, and the acting are unimpeachable. So the movie is good enough to hold your interest, good enough to see and good enough (barely) for the rating I have given it.

Suffragette (2015)

Intense Movie showing the Violent Struggle for Women to Vote

[8/10 · 7 November 2015]

If you read some of these reviews before going to the movies you may notice that almost all the reviewers gave this a score between 7 and 10. Why then was the average only 6.6 (at the time of this review)? Simply because on reviewer who thinks he knows British History gave it one star for its inaccuracies. According to him, only men with property could vote in the UK of 1912. He should read the Wikipedia Article about the Reform Act of 1867 which tells us that by 1868 ALL male heads of households were entitled to vote. It IS true that most of those who fought in WWI were not allowed to vote, as they were too young.

Perhaps I have already spent too much time rebutting the claims of another reviewer. The fact is: this is a good movie. It is well written, well acted, well cast, and well filmed.

Even if one disagrees with it's historical accuracy, with those qualities, a one is clearly unjustified. Were you to give a one to all movies based only on historical accuracy you would shudder at the thought what most of the films about Roman times would get.(Think Burton and Taylor for example.)

I highly recommend you see it.

Breathe (2014)

Genre Undefined

[6/10 · 25 October 2015]

If you are an adult, mature enough to find teenage silliness boring, the first part of this movie will seem a bit slow paced. Once the pathological relationship between Sarah and Charlie become clear it will evince somewhat more interest. But I think the "surprise" ending will not prove to be a surprise to most intelligent adult viewers. And when it's all over you may justifiably ask yourself, what was the purpose of this movie? Entertainment? Only for those who find themselves entertained by a rather lurid world of teenage passions. I hope you're not sitting next to one of those. A cautionary tale for parents? Hardly. A character portrayal in which one can empathize with the difficulties of the two girls because their high school experience is so much like our own, or like others we knew? Not very likely. So the movie, if it serves any purpose at all, is for the vicarious enjoyment of a seemly existence and its consequences. At many points in the movie you are almost sure to ask yourself whether Charlie couldn't have made much better decisions in her relationship with Sarah. The class, at the beginning of the movie, which tells the students (and surely warns the rest of us) that passion and intellect cannot coexist is certainly a very French view and this comment is surely meant to underline the rest of the movie. Perhaps if this were the inflamed passion of adults, as in the Postman Only Rings Twice, this forewarning would be appropriate - but unnecessary. Here it is needed but doesn't help.

Steve Jobs (2015)

Less than I expected

[5/10 · 24 October 2015]

I can't say whether the portrayal of Steve Jobs as a misanthrope is accurate or if the redeeming aspects of his personality were as few as the movie would have us believe. However, true or false, the protagonist of this tale does not inspire much empathy from the viewer no matter his genius. Even Beethoven, who was a true genius, and also something of a misanthrope, would not engage my interest were he portrayed in this manner. Yet, despite his temper, and poor housekeeping no biography or movie has ever concentrated so mercilessly on his faults as this movie did on those of Steve Jobs. Thus, despite good acting by the entire cast, this is not a movie I can recommend.

Unbroken (I) (2014)

Unbalanced Vision with Questionable cross cutting

[5/10 · 3 January 2015]

First, while we all must stand in admiration of the extraordinary courage and perseverance of Louis Zamperini, the extent of the portrayal of torture in this film far exceeds what would be required to comprehend his experience. In some respects torture is like sex: if there is too much of it we have pornography. In that respect, though I am hardly a prude, one must wonder how this film ever got a PG-13 rating. For an adolescent moviegoer this movie could be overwhelming and a source of nightmares.

Second, the way the cross cutting is handled - with extensive use of flashbacks - the narrative sometimes suffers from what one might call "bottom spin". That would be the reverse of "top spin" where (just before a short TV commercial, for example) you are held in suspense for a brief period then brought back to the main action. Here, the suspense that might have been present is demolished by rather long flashback sequences.

The cinematography and the acting, on the other hand, are commendable, which is the only reason I can give this movie as much as a 5/10. For movies in this genre the Railwayman is far better.