275: Manchester by the Sea + The Sea of Trees

[00:00:02] Hello everybody, welcome back to the Film Buds podcast. This is episode number 275 and my name is Henry. It's just me this time around but this is the last time at least for a while that we'll be doing that. I will be back next week for the

[00:00:28] Guardians of the Galaxy show. I've just been taking over going solo for the last few weeks just because of the chaos of life and everything so not too much longer you being stuck with me. Thanks for joining us, make sure to subscribe,

[00:00:40] rate the show if you've not already and thank you to all those who have. Thank you to all of our new listeners, we've had a surge recently and so we hope you stick around, share your thoughts on the show, comment, follow us on Letterboxd,

[00:00:50] on social media, all that good stuff. This time around I figured kind of doing sad movie week a little bit, depressing movie week. I don't know why that was brought up or I thought of the idea but two movies that I've been wanting to talk

[00:01:02] about for a while now so I figured good time as any. Sorry if it's depressing though, sorry about that. I'm gonna be talking about Manchester by the Sea with Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams and then The Sea of Trees with Matthew

[00:01:15] McConaughey and Ken Watanabe, the Gus Van Sant film. So two films that are both dealing with people who have dealt with extreme sudden loss in their lives and they're just having to figure out how to move on and they're dealing with extreme

[00:01:27] depression and confusion and frustration and everything and being lost and so I figured they definitely have a lot of things in common to me and some differences in quality but I think they both have some interesting ideas and

[00:01:40] are worthy of a lot of praise and for various reasons. So hope it's a good selection for this week even though it's a little random, is what it is. As I've mentioned the last few weeks, please go to our Bandcamp page, thefilmbuds.bandcamp.com

[00:01:53] which we have over 30 bonus shows now and counting many many more to come. You can download each one for a dollar or more donation, actors, directors, trilogies, franchises, all that stuff and more to come as I said or you can get all of them

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[00:02:23] have donated and we hope you will subscribe and follow that page as well as this page. Hope y'all are doing alright out there, not a whole lot else to say really, I mean not a whole lot else that is new here really. Just

[00:02:37] trying to you know eat healthy, work out when I can, sometimes I you know slack a little bit but overall doing alright, getting by, enjoying time off, catching up on movies and all that good stuff, looking forward to the fall and winter

[00:02:49] seasons for the holidays and the cooler weather. I wish I had more exciting things to say, hopefully it's not too boring for you and it's you know it is just me so just my life, not crazy exciting but hope that's bearable. I

[00:03:01] don't really have much else to say if we can just get into it, might as well jump in. Let's get to our first review which is Manchester by the sea and we do have a

[00:03:10] clip as always, take a listen. I said a lot of terrible things to you but I know you never, maybe you don't want to talk to me. That's not that. Let me finish. However my heart was broken, it's always gonna be broken

[00:03:41] but I know yours is broken too, but I don't have to carry it. I said things that

[00:03:52] should fucking burn in hell for what I said to you. No, no, no, no, no, Randy no. I'm just sorry. I can't, I can't. I love you. Maybe I shouldn't say that. No, you can say this. It's just. I'm sorry, I've gotta go. We couldn't have lunch?

[00:04:14] I'm really sorry, I don't think so. Thank you for saying everything. You can't just die. I'm not, I'm not. All right so Manchester by the sea came out in 2016. It is written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan who I've actually not seen his other movies and I don't think

[00:04:31] he's done one since. Could be wrong there but stars Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Kyle Chandler, Lucas Hedges, Ivy O'Brien, CJ Wilson, not a lot of other big names and the synopsis is a depressed uncle is asked to take care of

[00:04:48] his teenage nephew after the boy's father died. When this one came out I really, I love Casey Affleck. I think it's really sad that Casey Affleck's personal life has really given him a pretty bad tarnished reputation because I think

[00:05:01] acting wise he's one of the best actors working today and has given some of the best performances over the last two decades like this movie for example is one of his best and then the assassination of Jesse James he's

[00:05:12] incredible in as well as really all the movies he's in but I love Casey Affleck. It's just too bad that his his personal life again has given him a bad reputation in Hollywood and with audiences. I don't think I even watched

[00:05:25] a trailer for the movie beforehand. I just heard it was getting a crazy amount of buzz, one of the best movies of the year. Sad though but you know you have to

[00:05:33] see it and so I went in pretty blank and I think the movie it was on my best of list of the 2010s. It still is I think it is one of it is one of the most

[00:05:41] depressing movies I've ever seen but at the same time one of it's still so entertaining there's still so much humor it feels so natural and real the conversations the direction it feels so lived in, natural, unrestricted. It just

[00:05:57] feels like it is real life and I think especially the humor between or the conversations with family members like Casey Affleck and Lucas Hedges that those scenes where I think everyone can relate to where you might be having an

[00:06:09] argument getting pissed at each other and then you have to just move on. Like hey could you drive me to go to my friend's house or what are we gonna do for dinner

[00:06:16] and you just kind of drop it and you go on. I think it seems like that that the writing especially speaks to where it just feels so real. It's brilliantly written of course the flashback sequence where you see the

[00:06:28] spoilers here where you see the mistake Casey Affleck makes where he doesn't fasten the fireplace correctly and he comes back in his whole house is burning and his kids have died and of course that ruins his marriage and it's

[00:06:42] most of the movie is about him trying to find a way to live after that being obviously not was not intentional but still was the cause of it and it's just completely shattered forever you know he won't ever really recover from that and

[00:06:54] this nephew coming in and him being very very weary of wanting to take on any care of a child because he's just so scared of what might happen and not wanting to have that fear of what could happen again and wanting to stay away from

[00:07:07] Michelle Williams because he just hurts too much and it is an incredibly tragic depressing shocking movie especially if you don't know that's coming but it is still so it's of course very emotional but very funny very just very dramatic

[00:07:22] and in a compelling way entertaining way not in a self-serious look how important this movie is it just feels again very natural one of the most natural feeling movies that probably that I've ever seen it I think he wrote it over the course

[00:07:36] of several years and it feels that way it feels like everything is very meticulous and very well thought over Casey Affleck is incredible he won the Oscar for the movie well-deserved I just think he's an incredible actor in the

[00:07:50] context of Hollywood and as an actor he's incredible in this Lucas Hedges one of his best I don't always love Lucas Hedges but I think he's very good in this very good score I like the hymnal music and then just the regular score is

[00:08:02] very good as well it the northern US setting is very good as well I you know a lot of great little historical towns and beautiful parts of America another thing very very well told in a nonlinear way there's a lot of flashbacks that

[00:08:15] flow completely fluidly it is a little bit long I don't think I'm ever bored but I also love the ending of the movie where you think Casey Affleck is gonna take Lucas Hedges and you know under ownership but he just says I can't I

[00:08:28] can't beat this depression I can't beat this past that I've experienced and so he he doesn't take him on as a I guess being you know ownership over Lucas Hedges but then that ending scene where they're still getting along and hanging

[00:08:42] out which is just so such a beautiful moment and it's a feel so real you know it's like things just don't always work out there's still those moments of love and of warm but hey it doesn't always work out perfectly and I think it's just

[00:08:54] a brilliantly done movie in every way I wish it's a movie that everyone should see for a variety of reasons it's one I always want to show people even though it is super depressing you know you've got to be in the right mood for because

[00:09:06] while there is a lot of humor a lot of lighter moments there are some of this probably the saddest moments you'll ever see in movies and so you really gotta be ready for but still one of the best movies of the 2010s to me by far one of

[00:09:19] my favorite movies of all time as well I think it always will be and yeah it's it's a must-see a must-see despite the heaviness of the story and of the emotional weight please check it out if you have not seen it sorry if I spoiled

[00:09:33] anything hey it's like six seven years old so I think it's okay well heavy heavy five out of five for that one love it completely all right let's get to our other review which is Gus Van Sant's the Sea of Trees and we do have a clip so

[00:09:49] take a listen so I have another showing tomorrow about a quick lunch and I can pick up something on the way over tomorrow I'm pretty busy you don't care your mind's always somewhere else what about you Arthur my article yeah it's a

[00:10:07] fantastic article have you read it Joe no she doesn't read my work well you think it's right that your wife does all the heavy lifting so you can pretend to be an intellectual there we are Blake house I love that like

[00:10:20] yeah it's my paradise I want you to just be happy for me because I'm too busy feeling bad for myself the MRI detected a small mass how risky is the surgery it's a highly invasive

[00:10:36] procedure all right so the Sea of Trees came out in 2015 one year earlier is directed by Gus Van Sant who also did milk Good Will Hunting and many others he's a great filmmaker it stars Matthew McConaughey Ken Watanabe

[00:10:52] Naomi Watts honestly not many other actors well-known actors and the synopsis is a suicidal American befriends a Japanese man lost in the forest near Mount Fuji and the two search for a way out this one I heard about it opened very

[00:11:09] to not much financial results you know I'd say kind of bomb not a big budget but did not perform very well didn't really get the best reviews but this was the year where there was also that other movie about the suicide forest in Japan

[00:11:23] just called the forest with Natalie Natalie Dormer came out so weirdly there are two movies about the same real actual forest in Japan called the suicide forest came out and within just a few months of each other I did not see

[00:11:34] that one at the time I only saw this one I love Gus Van Sant this was when Matthew McConaughey was in his real reconnaissance and was coming back as a real more bonafide dramatic actor I love Ken Watanabe and everything I think

[00:11:47] he's a great actor I always loved seeing him and I've always been a big fan of Gus Van Sant so I was definitely curious I love emotional heartfelt dramas I don't I'm some people stray away from sad movies I love sad movies you know it just

[00:12:02] I'm a total sap for him and I don't care if they're melodramatic or what I think if they're done right I am drawn to them and I think it brings out some of the best performances and direction and stories so I was very curious about this

[00:12:16] one and overall I do like the movie I definitely do not think it is as is a bad movie or as bad as some people say like oh this is a horrible movie so like

[00:12:25] TV movie or you know soap opera that kind of thing and I it is melodramatic but I just I don't in comparison to the majority of other movies that come out I don't really understand the extreme criticism for it I really don't get that

[00:12:39] at all maybe someone hey if you hate the movie it's trying to explain it to me why you feel that way I'd love to hear you letterboxed social media whatever let me know love to hear from you I think Matthew McConaughey is awesome

[00:12:50] Ken Watanabe is great the look of the forest is great and beautiful it's of course there's a dark history to that where many many people go up from all around the world to commit suicide there so it's a very dark creepy place and

[00:13:03] there's a lot of story about ghosts and all that and spirits and all that kind of thing so it's a pretty interesting setting for a movie but I think in this case it is about this guy who whose wife dies and he's just trying to figure out

[00:13:13] how to move on with his life why he's suicidal to that point and there are flashbacks where you see his wife dying him being just left to try and pick up the pieces all that works that's probably my least favorite part is the

[00:13:27] actual part where it's showing the flashbacks I think him with Ken Watanabe who turns out to be not real is the best part of the movie by far their conversations they're writing their stories about sadness life moving on

[00:13:41] with life dealing with troubles and all that I think is for the most part really works I think it is a very emotional film and it works in that way for me

[00:13:48] maybe it doesn't for others but it does for me a good score and I just find that overall it's a movie that does not deserve as much hate as it gets I think it's still it's not a masterpiece it's not one of Gus Van Sant's best but I

[00:14:01] think it's still solid it has some great poignant moments and some good performances and good a good concept and good writing so yeah it's it's not on par with something like Manchester by the Sea but it's still worthy of watching

[00:14:13] if you like that kind of movie or emotional films films dealing with depression or or loss grief anything like that this movie has all that and the suicide force is a pretty crazy thing to think that that's actually a

[00:14:27] real place Japan and because at the time before these this movie and then the forest movie came out I hadn't heard of that I was like there are two movies coming out about the suicide forest in Japan I was like what are you talking

[00:14:39] about I had no idea that was real so maybe that'll spark people's interest for better or worse I don't know but check it out if you like this kind of movie if you like Gus Van Sant it's a solid McConaughey performance after he you

[00:14:51] know bounced back won an Oscar for Dallas Buyers Club this came out just a few years after that definitely is it in a good groove here just one that I think is easily forgotten maybe the critics were too harsh and so nobody like oh I

[00:15:02] heard that was terrible eyes I won't I won't waste my time with that and I don't think it deserves that at all it is a solid movie with a good amount to

[00:15:09] offer so do check it out I'll give that one a three and a half out of five all right well let's end off with some stuff I watched not a lot to be honest I rewatched I guess in the same vein a little bit rewatched Blue Valentine by

[00:15:23] Derek see in France with Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams as well actually from you know Manchester by the sea I love Derek see in France place beyond the pines is where my all-time favorite movies I loved his miniseries I know

[00:15:34] this much is true the light between oceans I'm just a big big fan of his I think he's incredibly underrated as a writer director producer the movie about a marriage breaking down but you also see the happy moments and the sad

[00:15:46] moments so it feels very very real similar to something like Manchester by the sea very poignant Ryan Gosling and Michelle Michelle Williams are both fantastic it's a movie very worthy of great praise to me just you got to be

[00:15:59] ready for it because it's not an easy watch it's pretty uncomfortable pretty sad at times but it is a showcase for performances and for good storytelling and also another nonlinear storytelling similar to Manchester so yeah definitely

[00:16:12] check that out if you haven't seen it and place beyond the pines especially if you have not seen that with Ryan Gosling and then I also watched I might do a bonus show on it at some point but I watched James Gunn's show the

[00:16:24] Peacemaker which is the DC show about John Cena's character from the Suicide Squad and this is on HBO max or just max at this point and this takes place after the suicide the Suicide Squad movie takes him on another wet weird wacky

[00:16:38] gruesome adventure and overall I thought it was a lot better than I thought it would be I like I think John Cena has really grown he's not an amazing actor but I think for this role it works James Gunn there's a lot of gore creepy gore

[00:16:52] creepy characters creepy monsters and all that stuff but I like all that stuff it's it's very James Gunn you know if you've seen any of his other movies like Guardians of the Galaxy the Suicide Squad and some of his earlier works very

[00:17:05] solid show I like it's only eight episodes most episodes are only around 40 minutes so I kind of burned through it looks very good very good soundtrack maybe a little too over overbearing on the soundtrack but very solid show and

[00:17:17] if you like the DC stuff I definitely would check it out because it is a nice little corner of the extended universe for DC so if you like that kind of thing or if you like action shows or comic book shows anything like that definitely

[00:17:30] give it a look on on max because it was better than I thought it would be and since James Gunn was essentially the primary writer and director that also helps because he has that level of command and creativity opposed to it

[00:17:41] being 20 different writers and directors and all that over the course of the episode so very solid check that out on max as I said that is about it for the show next week we will be doing Guardians of the Galaxy volume 3 and

[00:17:53] then Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania and L will be back as I said so stay tuned for that subscribe rate the show go to Bandcamp check out our bonus shows subscribe follow us there we have a lot of content from a lot of years and we

[00:18:07] really hope you enjoy it and stick around follow us on social media at film buds follow me and L on letterboxd and all that will be in the show notes and yeah we hope you enjoyed it even half as much as I did and see you next time