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Reviews
City by the Sea (2002)
Long Beach doesn't look that bad.. (no spoilers)
So 'City by the Sea' is referring to Long Beach, CA where I was born, not raised just born there. I grew up not too far from there in Huntington Beach and at one point worked in the LBC (Long Beach City, werd up Snoop Dogg, hehe). Well, my main gripe about the movie is how they portray the Long Beach area. Sure back in the 50's up into the 70's it looked beautiful from the beach front houses all the way back to Cherry Ave. Today most of it is still pretty well kept throughout except in the industrial parts and surrounding housing, that part resembles South Central LA or something along those lines, but when you hit the beach along PCH and the houses around that area it is still the same or even more glamorous. Downtown has all new buildings and still looks good. DeNiro keeps talking about 'how this used to be such a great city' and all that, well it still is a good city overall but what IS like the 50's anymore? Nothing.
Final (2001)
Denis Leary's greatest performance.
Honestly at first the idea for the film does not sink in, you don't get the whole outline of what to expect from this film simply by tuning in and not paying attention. There is a brief moment where they let you know what type of a world they are living in. Denis Learvy and Hope Davis (Myth of Fingerprints, love that movie) give a great performance in an off-broadway type stage performance, if there was an adaptation from or to the theatre it would be seemless as there is nothing more than a room and their dialogue. Shockingly impressive performance from Leary who simply blew my stereotype of him away. Must see movie if you enjoy the concept the movie has to offer, I won't spoil it for anyone who has not seen it but it's a good one.