It's hard to believe that another month has passed, but it has, and our patrons were treated to two new movies!
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Sing
Yes, someone caught wind of Zootopia. Yes, there's plenty of
cliché. Yes, it may be more a matter of making money rather than producing
substance, but once Sing gets through glossing over a countless melody of songs
in the first act, most of them featured in the unappealing trailer, Sing really
starts to shine.
In Sing, Matthew McConaughey plays a lovable koala named
Buster Moon. He's ambitious, a little too ambitious, but he's no bumbling fool.
Right now he's concerned about losing his beloved theater, a theater his father
bought for him after working day after day after day washing cars. In an
attempt to save the legacy of the theater, and not let his deceased father
down, Buster cooks up an idea to host a singing competition where the winner
will take home $1,000 - most of the money is coming from earthly possessions,
such as Buster's watch. Unfortunately, his mostly-capable secretary, Miss
Crawly (Garth Jennings) loses her glass eye while typing up the flyers and the
eye hits the zero key two times too many. Everyone and their gazelle shows up
to enter, including a gorilla named Johnny (Taron Egerton), a housewife pig
named Rosita (Reese Witherspoon), and some K-pop foxes. Each character has a
motive, some just want the recognition and others just want the money, but none
of them try to undermine one another, which is refreshing.
Like I said, there's cliché, but Sing does take a few
surprising routes. Buster could have been doing the singing competition just
for his own financial gain, but instead he actually focuses on his work,
recognizes talent and helps them reach their fullest potential, such as with
the bashful elephant, Meena (Tori Kelly). Miss Crawly can actually teach how to
play the piano, as well, instead of bluffing her way through it. She's useful
for more than just comic relief. It's a miracle! Also, I loved him how Buster's best friend, Eddie (John C. Reilly) the sheep, is kind of spaced out, and
yet he's still a great, caring and responsible friend. Who knew seeing a koala
washing a car and a sheep drying the car to the tune of Nessun Dorma could be
such an emotional experience?
Manchester by the Sea
By the sea, by the sea, by the miserable sea!
After a terrible accident costs him everything he holds
dear, Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck) retreats to the dark recesses of depression
and lives his life as a janitor until he gets the call he's been dreading for ten
years. His brother, who was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, has died.
Whether he likes it or not, Lee must return to his hometown, Manchester, to
take care of his brother's funeral and his teenage nephew. He thinks it will only take a few days, but
as his dark past collides with the possibility of a new future, winter begins to
turn into spring and summer.
Honestly, I didn't really see or hear anything exceptional
in Manchester by the Sea in terms of story. Some of the flashbacks actually
confused rather than informed, especially the first one. Also, the dialogue is a hit or a miss. Most of the conversations
just feel scripted instead of genuine. There were a few moments though that
stood out to me, such as Patrick's (Lucas Hedges) panic attack, and Randi's (Michelle Williams) emotional apology to Lee.
Sadly, Michelle Williams time is minimal in this film, but I'm glad she made
the poster! What this film lacks in story, however, is made up by the
performances, which leads right back to the two moments I just mentioned. Casey
Affleck is the only one who took home an Oscar, though, and I guess it was deserved
for his muted, stiff as a board performance.
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If you missed them, both films are now available at the Franklin County Library. We hope to see you on the last Thursday and Friday of May at 1:30 PM to catch two new movies specially selected for your viewing pleasure!
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