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5 out of 6 people found the following review useful: El Stinko!, 3 August 2008 Author: tenpercent from Midwest - USA
This slow paced drama has only one main character who is likable and decent, Sheriff Dave Lockhart (Josh Brolin). Bob, a black man who owns a garage, and his helper Roy, are minor characters and they seem to be nice people, the rest of them are selfish, self-centered, immoral or annoying.In fact, Dave is so easy-going regarding Sonny messing with his wife, Ann (played by Sarah Wynter), that I began to wonder if Dave wasn't in love with Sonny himself!Sonny (played by Timothy Olyphant) is a loser, who has gone to prison, while the other two guys,last name of Vance, who were involved in the crime with him, have remained free because Sonny was apparently too stupid to bear witness against them.Sonny gets out early and comes home, where his best friend, Sheriff Dave Lockhart, begins fussing over him like a hen with one chick, along with Dave's wife, Ann.Ann seems to have the perfect life, marriage to a wonderful guy, and two little rug-rats. So why does she succumb to having an affair with Sonny? Beats me.Another woman, a silly, giggling, twit-brain named Effie Bender (played by Angela Betts), is also quite taken with Sonny, but he prefers to bed his best buddy's wife, Ann.There are some tensions, conflicts and confrontations between Sonny and the Vances, which finally comes to a conclusion. That's pretty much it for this draggy film, there's not much plot, not much action and mostly unlikeable people.3 stars
4 out of 6 people found the following review useful: Disappointing Despite Nunez's Typically Sublime Film-making, 27 July 2007 Author: Nick Dets from US
Victor Nunez is on par with a lot of directors who use their surroundings as their muse. Like Scorcese with New York, Mann with L.A., or Shamalyan with Pennsylvania, Nunez builds his stories around an area he knows well: east coast Florida. His masterpiece "Ulee's Gold" used the enchanting backdrop of Orlando's peaceful outskirts to build on the emotional aspects of its main character Ulee. The movie came alive from Nunez's subtle, but powerful focus on atmosphere, character nuance and rich symbolism.It's disappointing that his follow-up "Coastlines" (which completes his "Panhandle Trilogy") had some of those elements in tact, but failed to use them effectively. The story is about a young man named Sonny (played by a well-cast Timothy Olyphant) who gets released from prison to a home town that has grown up without him. He gets back in touch with his old friend Dave, who is now a police officer and married to Sonny's old crush Ann. Simultaneously, he deals with unsettled issues from his old mobbed-up employers.From that story come some potentially engaging themes like revenge, jealousy, nostalgia, disenchantment and betrayal. However, disappointment quickly sets in when the scenes become more and more dull. The screenplay was written before "Ulee's Gold," and is extremely similar, with many characters and back stories almost exactly mirroring those of the previous film. "Coastlines" brings nothing new to the table, and has no energy with the subject matter at hand. As the movie moves on, it becomes hard to shake the feeling that Nunez had run out of inspiration.What the movie lacks despite energy is originality. The movie contains plenty of drama, but there is nothing happening that hasn't been done better in other movies. What Nunez needed, in order to transcend the clichés, was the rich undertones and subtexts that made "Ulee" so engrossing. Nunez needed another layer of depth to give weight to all the things going on in his story.There is no doubt that Victor Nunez is an excellent independent director. However, that doesn't excuse the fact that "Coastlines" is a movie that simply didn't need to be made.
1 out of 1 people found the following review useful: An unexpected treat, 9 November 2008 Author: ejlabolton from Kimberley, B.C.
This movie impressed way beyond my expectations. My wife left shortly after the beginning of the first viewing but stayed throughout on a second viewing and rated it as a very competently produced movie with deeper meanings which we were able to discuss at length.Without its excellent script, direction and acting the story could have descended into the realm of a daytime dreary. For a casual viewer inured to daytime drearies, perhaps that's all they'd gain from "Coastlines" but, unfortunately, they'd be missing out on much more.In Australia, we live directly above a superb beach and are quite familiar with the coastal atmosphere depicted in "Coastlines". In its US setting, however there was a freshness and many local differences which were brilliantly depicted and thoroughly enjoyable. One of the film's visual highlights was an aerial depiction of potentially intersecting car journeys between husband, Dave, and his wife, Ann. The tension of them possibly meeting was dramatically underscored by the loneliness of the chosen roads and the flat coastal scenery. The cars do not meet however and the camera moves up the show the vast hinterland. This sequence quintessentially underscored what was happening to the characters. It was one of many just brilliant parts of the film.Typical of the film's authenticity was detail such as Dave's competent night-time manoeuvring of an outboard-powered boat as he reversed it from its moorings and even the screen on its depth sounder being alight. A lesser production would have the craft just ready to zoom into the night.A previous reviewer takes issue with Victor Nunez "sound design choices". I'm not quite sure what this reviewer's referring to but, if its the film's background music, I couldn't disagree more. Normally, I enjoy only classical music, but in this film, the predominantly percussive music score faithfully echoes the drama of the dialog. All this is done at a virtually subconscious level. It's incredible Experiencing such powerful sound being kept so unobtrusive is worth a separate viewing of the film just to appreciate this achievement. The film's acting was also first class. I'm not familiar with any of the actors but any director who avoided giving the part of Ann to the ubiquitous Meryl Streep, playing Meryl Streep, is a friend for life. Sarah Wynter playing Ann was brilliant, not only in the subtleties of her facial expression but in the small detail of gesture such as rubbing her fingers on a fat lady's shoulder as she ushered her through a medical centre or in responding to the children in the film, including her own. A previous reviewer observes that Ann's character "is at first heart warming but rapidly becomes disturbingly uncomfortable and tense, and oddly enough more so to the viewer than to the characters when the movie ends with a tentative resolve." This is an excellent description of the character's emotional spectrum. For me one of the most memorably tense exchanges was where she challenges her husband with her infidelity. He counter replies, "Is that it then?"There are truly many layers of meaning to examine in this wonderful movie. A well-earned eight stars! A previous reviewer believes the two other movies in Nunez "Panhandle Trilogy" are superior to "Coastlines". It is difficult to believe this but they're certainly well reviewed. We'll look forward very much to obtaining copies and watching them.
3 out of 5 people found the following review useful: Coastlines, 14 December 2005 Author: bad_robot_13 from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
COASTLINES, a Victor Nunez film Timothy Olyphant Josh Brolin Sarah Wynter Angela Bettis(the following contains no plot spoilers, only commentary on performances and general tone)Someone's certifiably insane. Why this movie was never released is inexplicable. It portrays a complex intermingling of the relationship between three people with some close to startling revelations that lead to the ultimate resolve of their feelings.What is not surprising, having seen all of his post and previous work, is Tim Olyphant's flawless portrayal of Sonny Mann. Like his warm honey voice, Tim's seamless performance slides across the screen with a subtle but decidedly dangerous undertow. He plays Sonny quietly with a couple of notable exceptions when that unmistakably sensed volcano just under the surface throughout erupts, yet with an amazing control. It's Tim's control that conveys the feel of Sonny's quiet and determined desperation without skipping a beat and meshes his tentative yet confident tenderness effortlessly into the character. Tim doesn't let you escape knowing, with brilliant understatement at times, that Sonny has some already heavy baggage that gets a brick added to it. Tim is always accomplished at "throwing the looks" with those huge eyes, and being so completely present in any role he assumes that it reaches out, grabs you, draws you into the character, and absent any distraction from other actors draws you into the storyline simultaneously.Credit is also due to Brolin and Wynters for the everyday believability seen in their characters. Angela Bettis's performance also falls neatly into that category, though I kept waiting for her to morph more completely into Juliette Lewis, but haven't bothered to figure out quite why that is yet - though it's probably a flashback to Lewis's character in Kalifornia.The friendship between Sonny and Dave and his wife, Ann, is at first heartwarming but rapidly becomes disturbingly uncomfortable and tense, and oddly enough more so to the viewer than to the characters when the movie ends with a tentative resolve.The almost too evenly paced plot is coherently interrupted five times, which is enough to save it from flatness; three times by physicals events involving Olyphant's character, and twice by dialog between Brolin and Wynter. The interesting thing is that the dialog shockers are at least as effective as the physical ones, and if Brolin's last deceivingly quietly delivered zinger in the storyline doesn't make you jump then you're in an alternate universe, or at the very least have the volume turned off.The examined dynamics of love and friendship alone make this a worthwhile view. Then there's Tim Olyphant - more icing than any cake can handle.
nice performances by everyone except the writer, 14 April 2008 Author: rsternesq from United States
Well, the actors did well. The men are all really easy on the eyes and the women look better than real people ought to. The camera work is pretty good and overall values (filmwise) are more than respectable. The message here is that male bonding trumps love. Well, here's a bit of a news flash. It doesn't work this way. Men can and do love each other in all kinds of ways and some men love women but not in this way. The end is more than an effort to tie up the loose ends. it tries to make a STATEMENT. The statement is wrong. Go watch Wuthering Heights, take two aspirin and watch Coastliners once more. Then it will seem pretty obvious that the old saying isn't "greater love hath no man than to lay down his wife for his friend." I for one understand the lag in releasing this. They should have redone the ending and maybe it wouldn't be so hard to remember the actual quote, "greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for his friend."
saw at sundance premier with josh..., 1 January 2006 Author: justnicestuff from United States
i drove josh for 5 days at this sundance film festival premier... he scored a nice seat for me to watch this film when i dropped him off at the theatre... i loved this movie too, hopefully it will be available soon... there were some slower parts, as there are with all movies, but it was paced very well overall and the anxiety intended was portrayed very nicely by the actors involved... i wouldn't say it was fantastic, but it was definitely a well written, well acted script with some crazy twists in plot that kept me wondering what the hell would happen next - those movies i like... and sarah wynter, come on already - what a sweet woman with a wonderful Aussie accent and personable spirit... josh is a great guy also, down to earth, funny, talented, and a wonderful person to work for...
2 out of 5 people found the following review useful: simplistically engaging, 30 July 2006 Author: mbodle from lake worth, fl
while characters were stereotypical, i allowed a distance cuz i' ve spent quite a lot of time time in the locations. Moments of recognition weren't validated by level of script, although enjoyable for noir-ish elements, but too-oversimplified and limited. Folks in small towns know everything about each other (Appalachicola/ Carabelle, FL) but this script didn't provide the full sense of community or shared knowledge.There was a broadened sense of family but only in a limited way. Characters were broad and not too realistic. Saw the director's premiere of "Gal Young'un." Without a world-class writer (Rawlings) a possibly-limited was further limiteda. Yet, a simple (overly?) engaging tale with some lovely cinematography. Miami Vice crossed with The Yearling?.\
0 out of 2 people found the following review useful: See this movie, 2 July 2006 Author: rhopkins from Tallahassee, Florida
This movie seems to be in commercial release finally, and you should see it. It is a companion to Ruby in Paradise and Yulee's Gold, both by Victor Nunez, and has most of their virtues (and drawbacks, maybe -- for example, I don't like the sound design choices that have been made in any of these movies....). The languid feel of the coastal towns from Carabelle to Apalachicola (Florida) is well evoked -- though the story could, I suppose, happen most anywhere. The three lead actors are all outstanding.Many of the locales in which the film is set look very different today, after hurricanes Ivan (2004) and Dennis (2005), not to mention further commercial development.
13 out of 31 people found the following review useful: I think this is a terrific movie-- and I wonder why it has not been released!!, 30 June 2003 Author: lindsley@earthlink.net from L.A., CA.
I was in this movie, and I am terribly disappointed it is not available to the public-- not just because I am in it, but because it is well acted, written, and directed. Victor Nunez was lauded for his other works... why not for this one?
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