THE DARTMOUTH ARTS
PAGE 8
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017
Review: Despite critical acclaim, ‘Manchester by the Sea’ sinks By SEBASTIAN WURZRAINER The Dartmouth Staff
If “Manchester by the Sea” was a fairy tale, it would be the most downbeat one you’ve ever heard. Instead, it is a film that draws out every painful and saddening moment of its characters’ lives as they grieve the death of a beloved family member. In past reviews, I’ve tried to make clear that I have a special admiration for smaller, more personal films that are more concerned with character and story than spectacle. “Manchester by the Sea” should fit perfectly into that niche. And for some people it clearly did. The film is not only nominated for Best Picture at the 89th Academy Awards, but many critics have also declared it as 2016’s best film. I only wish I felt the same way. “Manchester by the Sea” is by no means a poorly-made film. Kenneth Lonergan’s directing is restrained yet beautiful, and the film’s smaller aspect ratio brilliantly reminds one of home video formats, which perfectly fits the
more intimate nature of the story. More importantly, many of the performances have been rightfully lauded. Prior accusations of Casey Affleck’s possible sexual misconduct are resurfacing, and the negative attention may well stop him from an otherwise deadlock win for Best Actor. And if the accusations are true, then rightfully so. But if the man can be separated from the performance, then there is no denying that this is some of the finest acting in recent years. Like Lonergan’s directing, Affleck as Lee Chandler, a sad, lonely janitor, is restrained but brilliant. I never knew there could be so many flavors of misery. Lucas Hedges, who plays Chandler’s nephew, holds his own as a grieving son. Michelle Williams’ minor role as Lee’s ex-wife has also received considerable buzz, which surprised me. Her performance was fine, but her subplot is never really resolved, a choice that doesn’t do the film any favors. Also, what was Matthew Broderick doing in this movie? I know it’s a trivial thing to harp on, but throughout his
entire cameo, all I could think was: “What the hell is Ferris Bueller doing in this film?” It was such a meaningless part that left me endlessly distracted. However, Broderick’s presence is the least of my grievances with the film. I almost welcomed the distraction because at least it shook me out of my melancholic stupor. The film isn’t crushingly depressing like, say, “Schindler’s List” but is instead persistently somber. I want to make clear, though, that my problem with the film isn’t that it’s too depressing. It’s that the film has no real justification for its dourness. Compared to “Schindler’s List,” which is sad enough to ruin your week because it depicts one of the greatest tragedies in human history, “Manchester by the Sea” never seems to have a real reason for its sadness. Instead, I think what it wants to do is be a “slice of life” type of movie, telling a story which captures life as realistically as possible. “Boyhood” is a brilliant example of this; it sets out with no intention that you find deeper
meaning in it, but its depiction of a simple life is so powerful that you’re bound to find something profound beneath the surface. I never felt that way with “Manchester by the Sea.” I felt genuinely sorry for some of the characters, but that was the extent of my emotional investment. That being said, the biggest missteps actually come when Lonergan tries to lighten the mood, so I suppose there’s just no winning. With better direction, the many moments of awkward humor sprinkled throughout the film could have been used to transform it into a dark comedy, but the humor just isn’t well integrated. Consider, for example, the following moment: medics are trying to load an injured woman on a stretcher into the back of an ambulance, but they accidentally keep banging the stretcher into the bumper. The problem here isn’t with the scene itself but the fact that it occurs during the story’s most devastating plot point. As a result, it feels almost repulsive to laugh right in the middle of the surrounding tragedy.
I saw “Manchester by the Sea” a day after watching “Moonlight,” and in both cases, I correctly identified the films’ final shots. This is usually a good sign; it indicates that the director has control over his or her medium and knows how to wrap up the story with a seamless single image. With “Moonlight,” I felt the rush of emotions that I’m sure the director intended to convey. With “Manchester by the Sea,” I knew which emotions Lonergan wanted to emphasize, but did I actually feel any of them? Not really. A part of me is glad that this movie has gotten as much attention as it has. More personal stories like this need to be told, but this particular film is not one I have any intention of seeing again. It’s not bad, but I don’t know if I’d call it good either. Some may be like me, but many will actually get a great deal out of this movie. It will speak to them in a way that it didn’t speak to me. Sometimes you can’t love them all. And that’s okay, too. Rating: 5/10
The arts staff share and compare their Grammy predictions By LONG DO
The Dartmouth
Some claim that the Grammy Awards don’t matter anymore. Regardless, I, along with the rest of the arts staff, offered predictions for this year’s Grammys, which aired this past Sunday. Here’s how the staff fared with the results. Best New Artist The nominees for this category were Chance the Rapper, Anderson .Paak, Maren Morris, Kelsea Ballerini and The Chainsmokers. Historically, this award went to the most commercially successful artist, leading some to peg The Chainsmokers as the likely winners. The DJ duo also had an advantage based on a “vote-splitting” theory, seeing as Chance and Paak could split the R&B and hip-hop vote while Morris and Ballerini split the country vote to put the EDM artists “closer” to a victory. I believe the voters chose the right winner in Chance, whose latest album, “Coloring Book,” received unanimous acclaim throughout 2016 for its experimentation and empowering content. The majority of the staff also called it, with 83 percent picking Chance for the award. Record of the Year
There weren’t many surprise nominees in this category. Adele’s “Hello” appeared to be the likely winner as soon as the single came out. Meanwhile, “Formation” by Beyoncé, “Stressed Out” by Twenty One Pilots and “7 Years” by Lukas Graham were locked in as nominees for months. Rihanna and Drake’s “Work” got in, perhaps, over Drake’s “One Dance” and Justin Bieber’s “Love Yourself ” in a tight race for the last spot. This category clearly favors the hits. Still, it would have been nicer had the Grammys noticed young alternative artists like Solange (“Cranes in the Sky”), Mitski (“Your Best American Girl”) and The 1975 (“The Sound”). Just wishful thinking, but they all deserved the recognition. The arts staff remained evenly split, with three people voting for Beyoncé and three people for Adele. Critics may also love Beyoncé, but the Grammy powers-that-be did not “get in formation,” and Adele walked away with this award.
Song of the Year The category, which honors the songwriters, featured Adele, Beyoncé and Graham along with Bieber (“Love Yourself ”) and Mike Posner (“I Took a Pill in Ibiza”). Some people predicted that rock legend David Bowie’s “Blackstar” would make the
list, but Posner surprisingly received a nomination instead. I can see why voters went for “Love Yourself,” but I have yet to comprehend the love for “7 Years.” Not that Graham’s track is a bad song, but other artists like Bowie are more deserving of the recognition. In the past, if the winner of this category differed from that of Record of the Year, it is typically because the winner of one category is not nominated in the other. That said, Posner’s record, whose EDM remix never does its lyrics justice, could have received the win. But no one on the staff agreed. Two people voted for “Formation,” two people voted for “Hello” and one person voted for “Love Yourself.” The champion in this category was, in fact, Adele, who at this point is two-for-two. Album of the Year Before the announcement of nominees for this major category, Radiohead’s “A Moon Shaped Pool” and Bowie’s “Blackstar” were widely expected to claim the eventual victory. Then, the voters made embarrassing mistakes and snubbed both records. The race, however, remained as competitive and unpredictable as in any other year. In addition to a threeway competition among Adele (“25”), Beyoncé (“Lemonade”) and Sturgill Simpson (“A Sailor’s Guide to Earth”),
Drake and Bieber were nominated for “Views” and “Purpose,” respectively. Although “Lemonade” is one of the most acclaimed LPs released in 2016, the Grammys have been reluctant to recognize urban albums in this category, having rewarded hip-hop and R&B artists only twice in the last 20 years:
Lauryn Hill in 1999 and OutKast in 2004. Still, four out of six members of our staff picked “Lemonade” to win. Regardless, the Grammys love Adele. While it is extremely hard to win Album of the Year twice she managed to secure the win for the most prestigious award once again.
NALINI RAMANATHAN/THE DARTMOUTH SENIOR STAFF