"Southie" is worth a look. We have seen this movie before, only that now instead of being about Italian-Americans, it depicts Irish-Americans in Boston. As directed by John Shea, it misses the mark, but it shows a director who shows a lot of promise, as we already know him as an excellent film actor.

The film has an improvised look, which might have been the case, but we'll never know. The different Boston heavy accents stand in the way for enjoying it much more, in my humble opinion.

Donnie Wahlberg shows his usual intensity. Rose McGowan, as Kathy, shows she has the potential to do bigger and better things. As the Quinn matriarch, it was a pleasure to see Anne Meara, a wonderful actress and a great human being in real life.

Let's hope Mr. Shea will come out with a better film the next time out.

Not able to shake its Low-Budget roots, this good try, once again, at tough Neighborhood Street Stuff, is a somewhat confusing rival Gang Melodrama with strong Characters in front of a meandering Script.

The confusing Story about the troubled financing of an After Hours Club bogs down this otherwise engaging Movie that, in its sincerity, can't seem to find the right Melody. It has some episodic believability with Family interactions on a personal level.

But the problem here is definition. Aside from the strong elements of interpersonal relationships among Siblings and the Home Unit, this gets lost in the Mob stuff where it is difficult at times to tell who is with who and what all the fuss is about.

Worth a watch for some of its intensity and works best in the more quiet introspective moments, it just meanders and its lack of clarity confuses and can be too heavy, at times, with all the fisticuffs and the pushing and shoving going over the top to the detriment of the Drama.

... the Southie that tried so hard from the Garrity era on down to portray themselves as Just Another Heart Of Gold (all-white) Community, or the one that really exists?

This isn't a great movie. The production values are spotty, such plot as exists is threadbare, sound fades in and out, and you won't put the tape back in the box having learned much of anything.

But paintings don't tell stories either; they're evocative mood-setting pieces, and so is this movie. Wahlberg doesn't put phony speeches in the characters' mouths, he doesn't have a happy ending, nothing much is resolved, and no one is any less of a mess than at the beginning. He presents you a moving image of a profane, drunken, violent environment that is a side of Southie the residents and the city of Boston would prefer you not see. It's there nonetheless.

6/10.