WinterbornTM
Joined Feb 2008
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Sing Street is a 2016 drama written and directed by John Carney and starring Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Jack Reynor and Aidan Gillen.
Being directed and written by John Carney, the man behind movies like Once and Begin Away, it's clear from the start that music is going to be a huge part of the movie. The story is set in 80's Dublin and follows our main character, Conor Lalor, who, after he has a crush on a girl, he decides to start a band so he can win her over.
Even though the plot doesn't sound that original, it's the characters and the setting that really shine in this film. Ireland in the 1980's was a harsh place, with economic problems. Conor is forced to move to a school, where he faces bullying and teacher abuse. Also the state of his family is on thin ice, with his parents being on the verge of divorce.
All these things might make the movie seem a tad dramatic, but there is always a light shining on the main characters, mainly from the antics of the band members, how they struggle to film their music videos, and also the romance that's about to blossom between our protagonist and his crush.
Also, Conor receives a lot of support and training provided by his older brother, Brendan, portrayed by Jack Reynor. I was a bit skeptic about Reynor, knowing him from the last Transformers movie, but he really does a great job in portraying the older brother who refuses to conform, but is aware of the state of his family, and tries to take care of his brother at all costs.
Sing Street is guaranteed one of the best movies released this year, with great characters, epic music, a touch of drama and hints of comedy, with breakout stars like Ferdia Walsh-Peelo and Lucy Boynton. This movie is a must! Final Grade: 9 out of 10.
Being directed and written by John Carney, the man behind movies like Once and Begin Away, it's clear from the start that music is going to be a huge part of the movie. The story is set in 80's Dublin and follows our main character, Conor Lalor, who, after he has a crush on a girl, he decides to start a band so he can win her over.
Even though the plot doesn't sound that original, it's the characters and the setting that really shine in this film. Ireland in the 1980's was a harsh place, with economic problems. Conor is forced to move to a school, where he faces bullying and teacher abuse. Also the state of his family is on thin ice, with his parents being on the verge of divorce.
All these things might make the movie seem a tad dramatic, but there is always a light shining on the main characters, mainly from the antics of the band members, how they struggle to film their music videos, and also the romance that's about to blossom between our protagonist and his crush.
Also, Conor receives a lot of support and training provided by his older brother, Brendan, portrayed by Jack Reynor. I was a bit skeptic about Reynor, knowing him from the last Transformers movie, but he really does a great job in portraying the older brother who refuses to conform, but is aware of the state of his family, and tries to take care of his brother at all costs.
Sing Street is guaranteed one of the best movies released this year, with great characters, epic music, a touch of drama and hints of comedy, with breakout stars like Ferdia Walsh-Peelo and Lucy Boynton. This movie is a must! Final Grade: 9 out of 10.
The BFG is a fantasy movie directed by the great Steven Spielberg based on the Roald Dahl's book with the same name. The movie stars Mark Rylance as the titular character, Jemaine Clement, Rebeca Hall, Bill Hader and also introduces the young Ruby Barnhill.
The movie tells the story of a young girl living in an orphanage, who, during one night, sees a giant and gets taken by him in Giant Country. Mark Rylance performs the so-called giant via motion- capture, bringing much heart and depth to the role, revealing himself to be a, well Big Friendly Giant. It's great too see Rylance work with Spielberg again, after they collaborated in Bridge of Spies (a role that brought Rylance the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor).
The young actress playing Sophie, the girl who gets taken by the giant, Ruby Barnhill, is wonderful in her role and shows lot of promise, although sometimes her performance seems to be more aimed at stage theater rather than the movie screen. Her acting is not bad by any stretch of the imagination however, she is only twelve and in her first major picture role she's directed by Steven Spielberg. All things considered, she does a fine job.
As soon as Sophie enters the Giant Country, she will see that not all giants all friendly, in fact some of them even want to eat children. The villainous giants are played wonderfully by Jemaine Clement and Bill Hader.
With this movie, Spielberg goes back to his more kid-friendly type movies, like E.T., Hook or The Adventures of Tintin, and even though this movie is lovely and will be perfect for children, I feel like the story is not engaging enough at times. Also, and I might be a little too picky, but the CGI doesn't work that well. There are some scenes in which the giant holds Sophie and the special effects are really obvious. Sure, the children in the theater won't notice, but for Steven Spielberg it will get a little distracting.
The movie has humour, adventure and a batch of lovely characters, but the sometimes dull plot elements and the distracting special effects won't make this the best Spielberg movie. It's not a bad movie and you should not skip it, but lower your expectations a tiny bit. I give The BFG a 7 out of 10.
The movie tells the story of a young girl living in an orphanage, who, during one night, sees a giant and gets taken by him in Giant Country. Mark Rylance performs the so-called giant via motion- capture, bringing much heart and depth to the role, revealing himself to be a, well Big Friendly Giant. It's great too see Rylance work with Spielberg again, after they collaborated in Bridge of Spies (a role that brought Rylance the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor).
The young actress playing Sophie, the girl who gets taken by the giant, Ruby Barnhill, is wonderful in her role and shows lot of promise, although sometimes her performance seems to be more aimed at stage theater rather than the movie screen. Her acting is not bad by any stretch of the imagination however, she is only twelve and in her first major picture role she's directed by Steven Spielberg. All things considered, she does a fine job.
As soon as Sophie enters the Giant Country, she will see that not all giants all friendly, in fact some of them even want to eat children. The villainous giants are played wonderfully by Jemaine Clement and Bill Hader.
With this movie, Spielberg goes back to his more kid-friendly type movies, like E.T., Hook or The Adventures of Tintin, and even though this movie is lovely and will be perfect for children, I feel like the story is not engaging enough at times. Also, and I might be a little too picky, but the CGI doesn't work that well. There are some scenes in which the giant holds Sophie and the special effects are really obvious. Sure, the children in the theater won't notice, but for Steven Spielberg it will get a little distracting.
The movie has humour, adventure and a batch of lovely characters, but the sometimes dull plot elements and the distracting special effects won't make this the best Spielberg movie. It's not a bad movie and you should not skip it, but lower your expectations a tiny bit. I give The BFG a 7 out of 10.
Green Room is a 2016 horror thriller film directed by Jeremy Saulnier and starring Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole and Patrick Stewart.
The movie tells the story of a punk rock band that play a gig in a neo-nazi skinhead bar, but when they witness something they shouldn't have seen, the skinheads trap them in a room, and so begins a cat and mouse game between the members of the band the skinheads. Jeremy Saulnier directs this movie beautifully, creating a lot of tension and suspense, but also offering a great deal of violence, reminiscent of Tarantino.
All the performances in the movie are very good, especially with great praise for Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots. But the one who really stands out in the movie is Patrick Stewart as Darcy, the leader of the white supremacists. It's great when you see an actor who usually plays wise, good characters turn into such a chilling villain. His performance is great because it never goes over the top, but it's subdued throughout the movie.
The tension in this movie is mostly created by the fact that most of the plot takes place in a single location. You get a sense a dread while witnessing how the members of the band try to survive, especially since they don't really have a place where they can escape to. They don't really have the survival skills necessary when dealing with a pack of maniacal skinheads that want to kill them. Aside from the tension, the movie is also very gory. If you're faint of heart, or simply not used with scenes of graphic violence, you will turn your head away from time to time. Green Room is one of the better horror movies I've seen in a while, mostly because it doesn't focus on easy jump scares or pointless violence. Jeremy Saulnier creates a very unease experience, and the performances work really really well. Green Room deserves a 8.5 out of 10!
Also, in closing, I would like to talk a little about Anton Yelchin. So far, this is his last movie to be released this year, considering his death on the 19th of June. It saddens me so much when I see such promising talent go at such a young age. I won't lie and say he was my favorite actor, but I will always remember him in a movie that I love very much and hold very close to my heart, and that's Hearts in Atlantis, in which he co-starred and held his own with Anthony Hopkins. He was only 12 when he made that movie, showing great talent from such a young age but also evolving in a great adult actor. You will be missed, Rest in Peace!
The movie tells the story of a punk rock band that play a gig in a neo-nazi skinhead bar, but when they witness something they shouldn't have seen, the skinheads trap them in a room, and so begins a cat and mouse game between the members of the band the skinheads. Jeremy Saulnier directs this movie beautifully, creating a lot of tension and suspense, but also offering a great deal of violence, reminiscent of Tarantino.
All the performances in the movie are very good, especially with great praise for Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots. But the one who really stands out in the movie is Patrick Stewart as Darcy, the leader of the white supremacists. It's great when you see an actor who usually plays wise, good characters turn into such a chilling villain. His performance is great because it never goes over the top, but it's subdued throughout the movie.
The tension in this movie is mostly created by the fact that most of the plot takes place in a single location. You get a sense a dread while witnessing how the members of the band try to survive, especially since they don't really have a place where they can escape to. They don't really have the survival skills necessary when dealing with a pack of maniacal skinheads that want to kill them. Aside from the tension, the movie is also very gory. If you're faint of heart, or simply not used with scenes of graphic violence, you will turn your head away from time to time. Green Room is one of the better horror movies I've seen in a while, mostly because it doesn't focus on easy jump scares or pointless violence. Jeremy Saulnier creates a very unease experience, and the performances work really really well. Green Room deserves a 8.5 out of 10!
Also, in closing, I would like to talk a little about Anton Yelchin. So far, this is his last movie to be released this year, considering his death on the 19th of June. It saddens me so much when I see such promising talent go at such a young age. I won't lie and say he was my favorite actor, but I will always remember him in a movie that I love very much and hold very close to my heart, and that's Hearts in Atlantis, in which he co-starred and held his own with Anthony Hopkins. He was only 12 when he made that movie, showing great talent from such a young age but also evolving in a great adult actor. You will be missed, Rest in Peace!
