Hi there. This is my first review of a current release:
. Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri.
Although I' m a newbie here I really have enjoyed the spirited exchange of ideas, so feel free to add your comments re: this movie, if you like.
Rating: C plus.
Review: When I was a young girl, a small group of us went trick or treating on Halloween. There were only a few of us that year because it was cold and drizzly, but we made our rounds and soon each of us had two full shopping bags brimming with treats.You may surmise that these were the days when children could safely roam their hometown on Halloween; and you may even surmise that it was long ago enough that we toted bags of heavy-duty paper. Alas. So when I stopped to rest, I put my bags down, without forethought-, which is not so unusual at the age of 8 or so- on the wet road. Of course when I picked up my bags by the handles, all the candy slipped out the soggy wet bottom. Onto the muddy road. Irredeemably so.
This true life story of my youth flashed to my mind after seeing this movie: which began with such promise. Strong performances from the superlative Frances Macdormand and the others- surprisingly effective acting of depth from Woody Harrelson, and all parties. Lovely backdrop of scenery, not of Missouri apparently, but of the quietly lyrical mountains of North Carolina. Cinematography was also skilled, and the music apt- I was pleasantly surprised to see the songs of Townes Van Zandt: a songwriter s songwriter-listed in the credits. The premise was a grabber, the characters involved you from the get go , and the pacing and storyline seemed on board to be a classic , both as a mystery thriller, and a character study evaluating the profound questions of the human condition.
And then, somewhere along the line, the bottom fell out and all the candy spilled out and lay wasted in the mud. For me it was about 2/3 of the way in. Why, I thought, would anyone even use billboards in the age of the Internet, to rouse interest. Why did these character s personality 'evolve' suddenly and implausibly and as often as not, devolve again. Why should anyone even care about these people at all. The universal appeal of most of the characters just waned as the movie wore on, and I could no more 'suspend disbelief' of the preposterous and draining plot , than if a cat started singing Figaro and playing the tuba outside my doorstep. My companions felt the same about the ending, trite and unsatisfying.
And for those unfamiliar with the director, as I was, the gratuitous violence made me turn my head more than once.
Why this received such high acclaim is beyond me. I do think Frances M has an Oscar nomination in her future, perhaps even from this film, but I hope she finds another vehicle for her exemplary talents. But this movie, imho , wasn't the one I d like to remember her for.
. Three Billboards Outside Ebbings, Missouri.
Although I' m a newbie here I really have enjoyed the spirited exchange of ideas, so feel free to add your comments re: this movie, if you like.
Rating: C plus.
Review: When I was a young girl, a small group of us went trick or treating on Halloween. There were only a few of us that year because it was cold and drizzly, but we made our rounds and soon each of us had two full shopping bags brimming with treats.You may surmise that these were the days when children could safely roam their hometown on Halloween; and you may even surmise that it was long ago enough that we toted bags of heavy-duty paper. Alas. So when I stopped to rest, I put my bags down, without forethought-, which is not so unusual at the age of 8 or so- on the wet road. Of course when I picked up my bags by the handles, all the candy slipped out the soggy wet bottom. Onto the muddy road. Irredeemably so.
This true life story of my youth flashed to my mind after seeing this movie: which began with such promise. Strong performances from the superlative Frances Macdormand and the others- surprisingly effective acting of depth from Woody Harrelson, and all parties. Lovely backdrop of scenery, not of Missouri apparently, but of the quietly lyrical mountains of North Carolina. Cinematography was also skilled, and the music apt- I was pleasantly surprised to see the songs of Townes Van Zandt: a songwriter s songwriter-listed in the credits. The premise was a grabber, the characters involved you from the get go , and the pacing and storyline seemed on board to be a classic , both as a mystery thriller, and a character study evaluating the profound questions of the human condition.
And then, somewhere along the line, the bottom fell out and all the candy spilled out and lay wasted in the mud. For me it was about 2/3 of the way in. Why, I thought, would anyone even use billboards in the age of the Internet, to rouse interest. Why did these character s personality 'evolve' suddenly and implausibly and as often as not, devolve again. Why should anyone even care about these people at all. The universal appeal of most of the characters just waned as the movie wore on, and I could no more 'suspend disbelief' of the preposterous and draining plot , than if a cat started singing Figaro and playing the tuba outside my doorstep. My companions felt the same about the ending, trite and unsatisfying.
And for those unfamiliar with the director, as I was, the gratuitous violence made me turn my head more than once.
Why this received such high acclaim is beyond me. I do think Frances M has an Oscar nomination in her future, perhaps even from this film, but I hope she finds another vehicle for her exemplary talents. But this movie, imho , wasn't the one I d like to remember her for.