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Manchester by the Sea is like many indie films. It deals with death, going back home, reconciling relationships, and morose characters.

In this one, it follows Casey Affleck’s character who comes back to Manchester by the Sea to bury his brother. He had left the town because he found that it reminded him of his dead children. He left his wife there. He comes home to help his nephew become the man of the house. Affleck’s character doesn’t like dealing with these things, but he grows a bit to handle the pressure. He must become a better person for his nephew, and he must become human again.

Like many indie films, this one flits from one vignette to another to highlight Affleck’s character. It also uses flash backs to show us that he wasn’t always so remorse. It was the town that made him such, and returning to it will help him heal. The town is a third character. Each scene makes us follow Affleck’s character. He is who he is because of the town.

I’m sure I’ve seen many films like this one before. It had all the hallmarks of indie-ness. You’ve seen one then you’ve seen them all.

3 of 5 stars.

In this day and golden age of television, it takes a film like Damien Chazelle’s La La Land to help define today’s cinema. Television can’t pull off a story like this because of its serial nature. Cinema does because it compacts a terrific story into a shorter run time. Let’s forget about the super hero and connected universe movies, a one shot, self-contained movie is great to have once in a while.

I had to give into the movie in order to love it. It starts with traffic wherein the stranded motorists break into dance. Neither one of the protagonists do; they are busy honking and minding their own business. Then the film follows each protagonist to their destiny as a couple. The female lead is an actress working at the studio backlot coffee shop serving the movie stars. The male is a jazz pianist chasing his dream of pure musicianship and a club to express it. They meet because of a few bars he plays during a Christmas show. We have to follow these fools in love as they balance their artistic ambition with their love for the other.

This is a musical. There is singing and dancing. There is wonderful scenery. There is also wistfulness for Los Angeles of old as captured in film: Singing in the Rain, A Rebel Without A Cause, etc. Any film that loved or showcased LA is here as well.

I really liked this film. It was probably the best movie I saw this year. It was refreshing to see something like this in the theaters. Films need to be accessible, fresh, and fun to make people want to see them. This one is.

4 of 5 stars.

Office Christmas Party needed more mayhem like the mayhem in Project X. It only had like 45 minutes of mayhem, and it spent a majority of time in an actual story. Too bad. I would love to have spent the time at the party that destroyed the office. It would’ve been a great Christmas present.

Meh. This is another movie that will show up on TBS during the holidays. Or maybe IFC so that we can get the expletives. Watching this makes me want to become Muslim. Don’t watch it.

2 of 5 stars.

I doubt the book version of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is any better than the movie. In fact, I think the book version is just an encyclopedia. Now how did that get made into a movie? Money had to be involved.

J.K. Rowling is looking to make lots of money. She’s spinning out more and more of the Harry Potter world. This is just the first step. I believe they’ll make more movies. Hopefully, they would be as good as the first one.

This one finds Eddie Redmayne, as Newt Scamander, the fictional wizardly writer of the eponymous book. He’s come to America to do some research and work with fantastical beasts. He runs afoul of the American wizarding community. Unlike the Brits, American wizards hide themselves away from the nomajs — normal humans. But doesn’t the British wizards hide, too? Yeah anyway, he comes to America and immediate gets involved in the followers of the dark arts who are trying to unleash mayhem in America. Just like he who should not be named. It is up to Newt to find the fantastical beasts and stop the dark ones.

I thought it was an interesting extension to Harry Potter universe. It’s going to be interesting. I especially was intrigued of the wizarding in America. Need more.

3 of 5 stars.