Moonlight : Most overrated movie of the Year - BORING

This has to be the most overrated movie of the year (along with Hidden Figures). There's this made up controversy last year regarding race and the Oscars and what do you know, average movies like Moonlight and Hidden Figures are up for Best Picture the year after. Mahershala Ali is in the movie for probably 10 minutes (who knows the actual screen time count), and gets an Oscar nod. I would think these actors and filmmakers would want to earn these nominations, not be given to them because of some made up controversy the year before. I mean this movie literally had no plot, if it did, please somebody explain it to me. What was the story, what was the purpose? They sell drugs in the hood, surprise! His mother was a crack fiend and stole his money and treated him like crap, surprise! From one scene to the next, nothing flowed, nothing made sense. Chiron cracks the dude over the head with a chair and is arrested and shipped off, but the multiple assaults on him go unpunished, in clear view of everybody? Then there's Juan, man was I really looking forward to his performance after hearing about it, seeing the Oscar nom and after watching the first 10 minutes. When he said "no" to the question Chiron asked as a child, I thought I was in for a tour de force. But then he was gone, dead, no explanation, no flashback, no emotions to deal with. Same with Theresa, one scene in act one, another in act two, and then nothing. Then there's Kevin, who initially looks to be Chiron's homie, always helping him out, typical teenager, masculine..a couple tokes on a blunt and he's making out with Chiron and giving him a hand job..what????? He is also portrayed as a LEADER, remember he stuck up for Chiron when they were kids. He literally told him "if you don't stand up for yourself they will never leave you alone (paraphrased)". But for some reason he had no backbone to stand up to the "bullies" when asked to beat on Chiron. A literal waste of two hours. And before I hear how racist I am.Manchester by the Sea was another boring, waste of two hours as well. So save it.

I got you there. I liked the idea of non judging perspective towards the characters if that makes some sense. It is crucial how the ambient reflects their developement and place in the world. Everything was so blue and black. Blue told Black you can label uself whatever you want and be whatever you want.
I consider it overrated too though.
It somehow last years hollywood is too cracky and can't produce really classy stuff.


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"Manchester by the Sea was another boring, waste of two hours as well. So save it."

I agree. Both of these movies are horribly overrated. MBTS was even worse, imo. The praise these two movies are getting is indicative of just how bad Hollywood movies are getting and have gotten.

Have a cousin who claims that the award season is just an excuse for overrated directors to drag out their overly long, boring and depressing films in the hope someone is socially inept enough to appreciate them; an allegation I have always vigorously argued against. However, this year I am beginning to come around to his way of thinking.
Manchester by the Sea 6/10. A film that should of been affecting as the characters struggle with emotions that most of us who have lived long enough know only too well. But its meandering pacing has us too bored to become involved.
Fences 6.2. Way too stagy to be a good film. Viola Davis is always a joy to watch, but not even she can save this one.
Arrival 6.4. Firstly, congratulations to the ones in tune with the director's ambitions. For the rest of us the first hour was almost laughably badand it didn't improve much from there.
Hidden Figures 6.9. Enjoyable enough, but felt more like a feel-good TV movie than an Oscar nom.
Moonlight 7.1. Yep, a real mixed bag, where the good parts weren't really brilliant, but the worst parts were truly woeful.
Hell or High Water 7.1. Another story, reasonably well told, that could not hold the viewer's interest for the entirety of its running time.
Lion 7.7. More than one or two scenes will have the viewer scratching their heads with incredulity, but the tragic parts are well done.
Hacksaw Ridge 7.8. Cheesiness is a valid claim against this film, but the story is sufficiently involving to overcome such complaints.
La La Land 8.7. Have cooled a bit on this one and may be rating it too highly. In most other years it may have struggled, but this year it is a certainty to win at odds on against weak opposition.

The film you gave the highest rating is the one I would most likely attach the headline to for this year with the exception of the word "boring."

Anyone who rates films on a 1-100 scale is doing far too much thinking and not nearly enough feeling.

And if you are rating in decimals, you are indeed rating from 1-100.

Can you articulate the difference between say Fences getting a 6.2 and Arrival getting 6.4? What was that 2% that separated them?




Never defend crap with 'It's just a movie'
http://www.youtube.com/user/BigGreenProds

Walls of text are boring.

4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42

Lol. I was waiting for someone to come up and *beep* on this movie. Personally thought this was the best film Ive watched so far. Better than Arrival, Manchester By The Sea and Hacksaw Ridge. Movie's craftmanship and honesty is I think the best aspects of the film. It's completely understandable why someone would find it boring.
Btw, the movie is a minimalistic movie as they didn't have a lot of budget. Plus it's not necessary they fill in and answer everything as they expect the audience to fill in the gaps themselves. Juan probably died due to the war on drugs. Chiron probably moved on from Teresa after becoming a drug dealer. Childhood values don't always stay with you when you're in high school as you have to gain acceptance of peers, just like him having to punch Chiron to be cool with his friends. Plus it's obvious Kevin was interested in Chiron from the start and he was bisexual.
Only problem was the police arresting Chiron was rather weird, considering his bullies never got punished. And the last portion dragged a little. Other than that it's quite an accomplishment that in an age where exposition is the standard for storytelling, this is a movie that tells the story through visuals, which is how movies should be, otherwise it could just be a novel or a play and novels can do that better. Visual storytelling is its own artform and the director definitely had a love for that, as he frequently watched foreign films.

I'm not *beep* on the movie, a lot of people worked hard on it, and are proud, as they should be. It just wasn't entertaining, nor did it evoke any emotions inside me, which I feel a movie should do. Either allow me to shut off the brain for two hours, or engage me in a thought provoking film. I just didn't get either from this movie. I also disagree with many of your points. Regarding not filling in all the answers, that I get, but come on, this guy was obviously meant to play such a MAJOR factor in Chiron's life. To just fade to back one scene and never see the guy again, only to have a sentence or two thrown in to actually "fill the gap" to me was sloppy. "Chiron probably moved on from Teresa after becoming a drug dealer", see I disagree, he mentions Theresa when he is talking to his "sober" mom as an adult, so it intimates she is still in his life. Why not explore that relationship further. So to me, to just have her disappear after being such a presence in his life was weird, she didnt even have the backstory of being dead lol. "Plus it's obvious Kevin was interested in Chiron from the start and he was bisexual", again I didn't pick up on this AT ALL. We see Kevin as a youngster, telling little to stand up for yourself etc. etc., he is obviously his only friend. Then they talk in school and Kevin is talking about girls. Not once did I see any inclination of him being Biuntil he was giving handies to Chiron. I'm sorry, I also couldn't take grown Chiron seriously, he never acted tough, he was just bigger, with grills and a chinstrap beard. Maybe if they would have shown him beating on an underling, something to show his power as a juxtaposition to how weak and vulnerable he became around Kevin. I understand the totality of the story, and how it all came together, I just thought the execution was off. I'm going to try and make a concerted effort to see every movie up for Best Pic. I initially had La La Land as best pic, but then I saw Hacksaw Ridge, and that movie is fantastic. I still have to see Lion, Hidden Figures and Fences, but something tells me I'll still come away thinking Hacksaw was the best. Just my opinion, doesn't make anybody else's wrong.

Prior to the scene of his arrest, there's a school official trying to get Chiron to tell who had attacked him. Of course, it was Kevin at the goading of the bully, but Chiron was still traumatized from the attack and ends up screaming at the woman that she doesn't know anything, which is totally true. She has no idea what was at stake in that moment. So the perpetrators never got caught. Chiron, on the other hand, slammed the bully backside the head with a chair in front of his classmates and teacher, in what I confess was a cathartic scene for me. Too bad he was held back. I wanted to see that little **** annihilated.

BTW, the image of Chiron giving his face an ice bath marks the moment when he changes into the present day Chiron. Shortly after, he goes on the attack. The image is mirrored minutes later when he's an adult.

I am so glad there are people who share my opinion about this movie because I felt so lonely when I realized that it picked up 98% on rotten and over 80% on imdb. Absolutely overrated. The biggest problem about it is that it doesn't have a point. Story is 0. Dialogues are empty and pointless. What is the message of this movie? Some black folks are gay? We knew that. Absolute waste of time. I expected so much more. Realistically this movie deserves 6.5 out of 10. If this was European movie, it would have been so average. There are literally tons of movies like this.

So pleased to find this thread and see all of the comments. I have just come back from a screening of the film and was seriously thinking I was the only person who did not like it and thought it was boring. The supporting actor nominations are a joke, surely both characters are on screen for 10 mins max?



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1. This movie isn't being given recommendations now because of the year before

2. Doesn't matter how long actors are on screen. Judi Dench was maybe in Shakespeare in Love for 5 minutes and picked up a nomination the year that came out.

3. It did have a plot. It's about a sensitive young kid with no role models, no place to go in life rather than be a drug dealer or dead, no help from a school that allows bully to beat on him, no way to really be himself for fear that it will get him beaten down more.

4. Do we need an explanation for the Juan death? Like I said, drug pusher or dead? Sometimes one leads to the other.

5. Does it matter that Kevin is masculine? Your making it out like there are no gay or bisexual guys who come off like masculine guys. These are school kids in a rough neighborhood. Being different in any way is something you don't want to be. And before you say it, no, this is not just a gay movie either. Who knows what Chiron is or isn't because again, the movie is about a kid forced to keep his own feelings, desires, personality inside.

6. Kevin isn't going to stand up for Chiron in front of these kids, he'd get beat down.

Calling this a waste of 2 hours just says to me you didn't really watch or think about it much at all.

Trying to create a channel based on interpreting, reviewing, and even giving you something to laugh about film. Hope you enjoy what you see. Thanks in advance.

Review of the film here-

you did a wise thing and hid your ratings so ppl can't counter your possible bad taste. Haven't seen moonlight but you seem to have no ethics watching slow paced dramas, there's always *insert transformers quotes here* type of movies waiting for you my friend. Do you like Bergman?;)

Agreed. Does not deserve any of its Oscar noms. Ali was alright, but he wasn't there long enough to deserve a nom. And his mom just played a generic crack addict. Feel like this got recognized because they felt racist when blacks boycotted last year. At least Fences and Hidden Figures deserved praise.

My top 150ish http://www.imdb.com/list/ls072051346/?publish=save

I agree with the OP Moonlight is stereotypical trash but since it involves black actors the white film critics are praising it. What I notice is the kind of movies involving blacks which get white critical support. WOW a movie about a gay black thug who is a drug dealer LOL! And people want me to have sympathy for a gay thug? No way! The movie is so stereotypical about blacks and the mother is a crack head. It is just stereotypical racist trash. Definitely over hyped blacks in the hood have a hard life film.

morrisey:

Fyi,Moonlight is an indie film (which took five years to make) not a Hollywood film by any stretch of the imagination.It was also written by two black men,one of whom is gay,and he based the film on his own life story. The other directed and co-wrote
So,no, it wasn't made for white audiences either. Nothing stereotypical about this film,eitherin fact,it doesn't have your car chases or shooting scenes that you would normally see in a Hollywood filmbecause it's not a Hollywood film to begin with. And it's not a piece of "trash" just because it's about black people in the ghettothey're people too,with stories to tell about their lives,too. Both the director,Barry Jenkins,also grew up in an area like the one in the film. And for most of the main character isn't a thug. Being black myself,I found this film refreshing to look at,and more realistic than the typical hood film (which isn't even being made anymore,except in indie flicks.) I liked how the film showed the characters' humanity,and dealt with them on that level. Obviously,you couldn't even get pass your hangup about the main character being black and gay long enough to even see that. And obviously,you're not black either so you couldn't relate to it. Most black indie films rarely get this kind of attention,no matter how good they are. And to claim that black people don't like the filmyou're obviously not black,so who the hell are you to say what black people like and don't like?
And forget what the OP said,because he/she obviously didn't like the film because it didn't have explosions and car chases every damn five minutes. They also don't know what the hell they're talking about. You sound borderline racist trashing a film just because its about black people in the hood. How ignorant and short sighted you areit the film was about a white thug,you wouldn't even be saying all this stupid
BS in the first place. Get real.

A truly stereotypical film minimizes people to a limitation often for the amusement of outside viewers while obscuring purpose, detail & context of the said subject. The claim that any portrayal of the difficulties of black life as "stereotypical" regardless of purpose, detail & context is just as minimizing to a limitation as any stereotypical film. In other words, your statement reeks of hypocrisy and I haven't even gotten to the falsehoods of it.

Moonlight does not minimize people to a limitation, which is evidenced by the fact that the characters are not simply "crackheads and drug dealers" as you obviously saw them. They are seen beyond their personal failings and treated with a humanity that weighs in their motivations, contradictions, goodness and the larger context of the unfortunate circumstances they're in. By doing so, they're not minimized to their poor choices as you falsely claim.

If this is not acceptable, then you obviously believe all movies with black people in it should be versions of The Cosby Show, in which a completely unrealistic, Utopian fantasy of black life in America should function as a politically correct method of hiding any unpleasant truth so not to seem "stereotypical." None of this benefits anyone and its a completely unnecessary, old knee-jerk quip that needs to be questioned/dismantled as its a terrible argument with no merit meant to cave in to a negative perception of black Americans that was created by non-black people. There can be a balance of films about black people struggling (Moonlight, Fences, Precious), succeeding (Hidden Figures, Red Tails) and everything in between. The presence of Moonlight, Fences and Hidden Figures in 2016 is evidence of moving in this direction.

Yea I defintely agree with some of that, though i did really like the first half of the movie, so I still liked but the 2nd half was kindof all over the place starting from "the incedent" I actually started to fall asleep during that scene, woke up momentarily and was really surprised when i saw thatand thought it was not very realsticand then fell back asleep.

Anyway, so I think the problem is that it was based and co written on material by a gay playwright from the same niehgbohorhood as the director (Who is not gay) so to do the film he said he had to work with the material written from someone who was actually gay etc.

But the problem isa gay character in that area would probably be more outwardly "gay" and would not just be "normal" like that. It didn't make sense and was not fully realistic, so the casting and directing did not fit the material properly and is like an imagined "masculinity" put on to make a social statement, wheras I bet the guy who wrote it was probably pretty openly gay and you would know by looking or interacting with him. (my hunch.)almost certain.

Also I read when the director was filming in his old nieghborhood the people were telling him how people talked and what they would do and they said they knew who all the gay people were and they didn't talk like that. The nieghborhood kids even said itbut he had to direct it to make the homosexual characters "masculine" to prove some kind of political point or some nonsense and then the characters did not even make sense after thatno idea what the motivation was for either oneit did not make sense and was just not realistic and the whole film kindof lost me a bit at that moment and went from being a realistic pretty good film.to something strange and contrived and forced by a director to try to "look good".

So yeaI highly doubt there is any gay guy in Miami that was that awkward that went on to become a ripped up drug dealer. It just would not happen. Invented and the film lost its core when it did that. and yes.it was a little bit boring after that as well and meandered until it reached a strange and another unrealistic conclusion.

Over-ratedYes, unfortunately.

It doesn't make you racist or homophobic just because you dislike the film. But it doesn't make you not that just because you also dislike another film. But I don't think you are anyway.

I think you're more likely someone who likes to work things out. Someone who likes to see a cause and effect. Someone who likes to know definitively 'why did that happen?'

But I think this film and the protagonist offers a different view. And I think that view is put forth within the story so it's unfair to judge it on preconceived notions and not take the film for what it offers.

'Who are you?' is a question the film asks more than once. 'What did you expect me to be?' is a question given back. It's more open-ended in its portrayal of life. We are who we are. Our environment and upbringing may change us. It may shape us. But does it break us? And who ultimately, if anyone, is responsible for who we become?

The answer is not in the film. That is what is open to interpretation. And if you'd rather have solid answers to questions, then this is probably not your type of film.