Director: John Carney
Writers: John Carney
Stars: Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Aidan Gillen, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Jack Reynor, Lucy Boynton

Synopsis: A boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s escapes his strained family life by starting a band to impress the mysterious girl he likes.

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(Back in 2013, this was the structure we used for our reviews, and I thought I’d bring it back. Let us know how you like or do not like it in the comment section below.)

DIRECTION
John Carney is a director that many people may not know but when it comes to music, he’s become a director who knows how to blend music and imagery seamlessly into one beautiful melody. His 2007 film Once garnered an Oscar win for Best Original Song and Begin Again in 2014 received an Oscar nomination for the same category. Both films were critically praised as well, proving that Carney is both capable of compelling filmmaking and conjuring great music for his movies. And now here we are with his latest film, Sing Street, set in Dublin in the early 1980’s. Given what I just laid out, do I even need to mention the music of this film? Well, it kind of seems redundant but yes, the music of this film is really fun, especially if you’re a fan of 80’s music. Tracks such as “Drive It Like You Stole It” or “Girls” could end up with Oscar nominations at the end of the year. Carney has this evocative ability to use music as a thematic and emotional crux that moves you and helps resonate his characters identities. You especially feel that when you’re able to engage with the film’s characters, and in Sing Street, you do feel for it’s characters. You may question the ability of 15-year-old’s to create such high quality of music but the film overall is less about their natural ability and more about how Carney uses the music to say something about art and how that ties to identity, seeking understanding and building relationships. As a result, the music and emotion of this film amplifies Carney’s thematic undercurrent.

All of that said, there are some pacing issues here and Carney isn’t quite able to balance the supporting characters here like he has in previous films. Outside of Cosmo (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) and Eamon (Mark McKenna), the Sing Street band members are simply introduced and that’s it. You could argue the same for a few others as well but given this is Cosmo’s journey, which Carney handles quite well, it’s forgivable in the long run. Sing Street‘s issues are small and Carney lands all the right beats for this film to still resonate loudly.

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SCRIPT / THEMES
Sing Street opens with a scene where Conor (later named Cosmo) and his family are having a meeting and it’s announced that Conor will be attending a new school, the free state-school Synge Street CBS. At this new school, the principal is very strict and 100% by the book and the school’s bully Barry (Ian Kenny) has decided to target Conor, which leads to a rather unpleasant first couple of days. However, during a break one day, Conor sees a girl across the street and decided to approach her. He finds out her name is Raphina and in order to impress her, he says that he’s in a band and that he wants her for a music video he’s shooting. The thing is, Conor isn’t in a band. Yet. So, he and his new friend Darren (Ben Carolan) set out to start a band which they name Sing Street. With the help of his brother Brendan (Jack Reynor), Conor and his friends start making songs that are inspired by different 80’s bands, which intersects with their journey of seeking identity and well, girls. Conor is eventually able to catch Raphina’s eye but it’s not as easy as Conor would like. They do, however, bond over music and the videos they create together, which leads to Raphina re-naming Conor to Cosmo.

At the heart of Sing Street, it’s about inspiration and what it means to be inspired. However, it’s even more potent in how Carney uses brother relationships as a catalyst for that inspiration. Throughout the film, Brendan is constantly giving advice and love to Conor as it relates to music and art. They have conversations over music videos, why certain artists are more pure than others and Brendan is always giving Connor new music to listen to as homework. We learn Brendan is a college drop out but Carney is intentional about making it known that Brendan is very knowledgeable when it comes to music, something Conor highly respects. In fact, to Conor, everything Brendan says is gold and Conor uses that to drive every action he takes.

Conor is an open slate. He’s vulnerable and looking for identity and starts to find himself in the music his brother shows him. He goes as far as to even dress like the artists he’s inspired by, which does have it’s unintended consequences at times. Cosmo may say and do the wrong things in certain moments but he also shows strenght and will power. There’s a fascinating progression of Conor finding inspiration, rooted in his relationship with is brother, and making it part of himself. When Brendan see’s this, he becomes Conor’s biggest cheerleader and is always pushing Conor to the next level to cultivate the best out of him. It’s really moving and is in turn, inspiration itself. It also leads to some immersive imagery and beautiful symbolism in Sing Street‘s final act.

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RELATED: Louder Than Bombs Movie Review

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PERFORMANCES
In his big screen debut, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo gives a rather engaging performance as Conor. As mentioned, Conor is very impressionable and Walsh-Peelo is great at depicting Conor’s transparencies. He makes the music feel real and visceral within the context of the film and overall gives a rather striking performance. As good as he is though, Jack Reynor and Lucy Boynton, as Brendan and Raphina respectively, steal the show. Reynor is really funny in parts but gives some rather stirring dialogue that perfectly reflects the film’s tone and overall messages. Boynton’s layered performance is captivating as well. Raphina has problems and is emotionally lost, something Boynton brings out perfectly. She brings such subtlety to Raphina that was needed and she lays it on at just the right times.

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SCORE / SOUNDTRACK
I don’t even know where to start with this section. As mentioned above, the music is quite wonderful. If you’re a fan of the 80’s, get ready for a nostalgic joygasm. The music here is heavily influenced from bands like Duran Duran, Hall & Oats, The Cure and more. This is a soundtrack you need to seek immediately and listen to on repeat. As great as the music is, it’s how Carney uses it that makes it even more resonate. It works both aesthetically and thematically for Sing Street.

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FINAL THOUGHTS
There is a dream sequence that Conor has that is arguably the best sequence Carney has ever shot. Keeping it vague, it essentially reflects this utopia that Conor wants as it relates to his parents, his brother, Raphina, the school and his band but of course reality isn’t quite that perfect. It’s actually a heartbreaking scene but quintessentially represents what this film is getting at in terms of inspiration, music, seeking identity and using all of that to cope with life’s arduousness. It’s a pretty powerful moment that will stand out in film in 2016. Again, this film isn’t perfect but it’s charm and fun will outweigh whatever problems this film does have and the idea of how brothers inspire each other is genuinly affecting.

Overall Grade: A-

Director: Joachim Trier
Writers: Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Gabriel Byrne, Isabelle Huppert, Devin Druid

Synopsis: The fractious family of a father and his two sons confront their different feelings and memories of their deceased wife and mother, a famed war photographer.

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(Back in 2013, this was the structure we used for our reviews, and I thought I’d bring it back. Let us know how you like or do not like it in the comment section below.)

DIRECTION
Joachim Trier’s Louder Than Bombs is certainly one of the more ambitious films of 2016, so far. The film’s structure is at times non-linear and Trier uses flashback montages as a way of reflecting the film’s pathos and thematic undercurrent. The romanticizing of depression, and potential suicide, is slightly off-putting and will leave some audiences disengaged but overall, Trier’s direction and artistic ambition does amplify the film’s strong emotion that linger’s throughout. Trier’s biggest fault, however, isn’t his ambition but rather his inconsistent ambiguity. The narrative purposefully restricts certain details to let the emotion of the characters be the main focal point, but through evocative narration, much of the film’s beautiful subtlety becomes rather suppressed. To be fair, the narration is expertly performed but it does juxtapose what was successfully working with Trier’s understated approach.

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SCRIPT / THEMES
Most of the story focuses on Gene (Gabriel Byrne) and his two sons, Jonah (Jesse Eisenberg) and Conrad (Devin Druid), who are still coping with the loss of their mother/wife, Isabelle (Isabelle Huppert). Isabelle was a world-renowned war photographer who had been battling some inner demons when she was tragically killed in a car accident. Throughout the film, we start to understand that each member of the family is actually fighting for a way to cope, which leads to actions that render them all despicable at some point. However, screenwriters Eskil Vogt and Trier do a great job of balancing each character and making them honest and endearing on top of their juvenile behavior. That balance by Vogt and Trier works well in making each character feel more human and relatable as it relates to coping with death because you know their actions are rooted in heartache.

At the heart of Louder than Bombs, Trier is interested in how family isn’t always what it seems to be on the surface. We all have something to hide and while that can lead to disconnect, we still have a yearning for our family. We see how Jonah is wanting to understand Caleb. Gene is desperate to connect with Caleb and Jonah on some level. He is heartbroken over (ambigious) details he learns about Isabelle but that only fuels his fire for connection with is sons. In the middle of all of this, Trier introduces the notion that sometimes you can change an image to manipulate it’s meaning, which ultimately ties back to life and death and how that can be interpreted the same way. The family may or may not know all the details surrounding Isabelle’s death but her life can be remembered in a specific way depending on their interpretation. Trier brings this full circle by showcasing images of birth and death, which made for some arduous symbolism but powerful imagery.

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RELATED: The Invitation Movie Review

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PERFORMANCES
Isabelle Huppert is a stand out here. She’s not on screen a ton but her character is the centerpiece of most of the action and she delivers some potent blows when she is on screen. In one scene, after coming back to the U.S., some of Isabelle’s recent photos make it into a big story featured in the New York Times. Her and Gene are celebrating when Isabelle notices a man nearby glancing at one of her photos in the paper, but he briefly turns the page. For all of Isabelle’s ambition and sacrifice, it only took a second for a stranger to see the image and move on. There’s a close up on Isabelle that raises some heartbreaking questions about sacrifice and how far we are willing to go to distance ourselves from family in order to do something we love. And as rich as that is, it only works because of Huppert and her incredibly understated performance. That one scene alone brings understanding to how Gene, Jonah and Caleb respond to Isabelle. Speaking of, Eisenberg, Byrne and Druid are all terrific as well, especially Druid who makes you sympathize with his inner turmoil and why he acts out the way he does. It’s quite the performance from a newcomer.

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SCORE / SOUNDTRACK
Ola Fløttum gets the nod to score here and the music is quite good. It brings a dourness to the film that serves the films tone very well but it also has heart. There’s a fine balance in the music that reflects the emotions of our characters very well and it lingers beautifully.

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FINAL THOUGHTS
While the ambition of this film does come with it’s faults, Louder than Bombs is a film worth checking out if you’re a fan of emotion and how people can interpret that emotion is very different ways. The transformation of that struggle throughout is felt at the end and the final image of Louder than Bombs does resonate powerfully.

Overall Grade: B+

Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Writers: Christopher Markus (screenplay), Stephen McFeely (screenplay), Mark Millar (comic book)
Stars: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Daniel Brühl, Chadwick Boseman, Tom Holland, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp

Synopsis: Political interference in the Avengers’ activities causes a rift between former allies Captain America and Iron Man.

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Anthony and Joe Russo surprised many back in 2014 with their first leap into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) with Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The Russo’s found a way to transcend the superhero genre by not only giving us fun, superhero action but they also made a riveting spy-thriller in the process. Back in the director’s chair for Captain America: Civil War, they have once again transcended the genre, this time by deconstructing it leaving behind large-scale destruction for more confined action sequences and by stripping away all cliche villain tropes.

After seeing mass amounts of devastation and casualties, based upon events in The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron, as well as an explosion at the beginning of Civil War, the United Nations has created the Sokovia Accords, which will essentially control when the Avengers are released upon the world. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), shouldering the blame for Ultron, is in favor of the Accords. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) isn’t convinced. As a result, the team becomes divided and there’s a heavy debate over what’s best for the Avengers. The debate becomes more intensified after an explosion at the signing of the Accords, which causes Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) to retaliate, making the situation even more vulnerable. This all leads to Cap and Iron Man recruiting allies in an attempt to contain the situation and find resolution.

There are a lot of characters in Civil War, and the plot could have felt convoluted, but the Russo’s spend so much time investing in the characters, while getting fantastic performances, that everything feels fluid and authentic. There is some action in the first hour but the film pauses often to let the characters reflect, making them feel very human in a world were our heroes are, well, more than the average Joe. The side effect of being that intentional is understanding. It’s easy to sympathize with the motives of every character introduced into this story and why they are here, even down to William Hurt’s Thaddeus Ross, who is now Secretary of State. It would have been easy for screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely to villain-ize Ross as the “big, bad” government who is trying to take control, but everything Ross says is reasonable and makes sense. Really, that argument can be made for every character involved here. By the end of the film, Markus and McFeely make it known where you should stand but throughout most of the film, you don’t know which side to stand on because everyone is right. And the Russo’s do a great job of resonating both sides effectively.

As fleshed out as that debate is, it’s not just the hero’s you sympathize with in Civil War. Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl) represents something that has influenced the MCU more than any “villain” has to date. I use those quotations very purposefully too. Zemo is not so much a villain as he is a victim masked as a villain. The true villain of Captain America: Civil War is guilt, the potential for guilt and heartache. That emotion is scattered throughout this entire film and it drives every action see on screen. Pretty much every character, in some form or another, displays guilt or the potential for guilt and how that has affected them in some way. It’s especially at the root of Zemo’s motives, which has elicited a strong emotional response that the Russo’s do a great job of depicting, along with a solid performance by Brühl. However, it’s not just Zemo, it’s Stark, it’s Rogers, it’s T’Challa, it’s Bucky Barnes, it’s Wanda Maximoff, it’s Peter Parker and both Natasha Romanoff and Vision verbally express this emotion at one point. The brilliance of Zemo’s character is that he’s fully aware of his place in this world. He can’t compete with the Avengers and he doesn’t try to. In all honesty, he really doesn’t do that much. All he does is plant the seeds of guilt and heartache and then let the Avengers foster that emotion to dangerous levels where eventually they take it out on each other. It’s brilliant writing and the way the Russo’s layer those emotions throughout the film is poignant and expertly crafted. It gives the film an emotional resonance that not only drives the plot, but the characters in making them feel vulnerable in a dire situation. The MCU may not have a great history with villains but how Civil War uses an idea, an emotion, as a villain, that causes severe turmoil for the heroes, is truly impressive.

Civil War may not be Citizen Kane but there is thick, delicious meat that separates this film from most blockbuster fare. And as satisfying as the meal is, the dessert is pretty dang delicious too. This film is a lot of fun on top of being dramatically compelling. Civil War introduces Peter Parker (Tom Holland) and Spider-Man to the MCU, a notion many Marvel fans have been salivating over for quite some time (myself included). Some were a little hesitant on Holland in the role but he nails it. His nerdy Parker is on point and his dialogue and one-liners in the Spider-Man suit also come off with that witty tone that defines the character. Simply, Holland is really funny, charming and had instant chemistry with Downey Jr. that made for a quintessential debut for Spider-Man in this Universe.

Paul Rudd is also hysterical reprising his role of Scott Lang, or Ant-Man. He has some significant screen time during the airport sequence that is just a blast to watch. Anthony Mackie as The Falcon may be at his very best here too. Don Cheadle, Sebastian Stan and Emily VanCamp are also worth mentioning and have some solid moments that work very well. Scarlett Johansson is always great but one of the bigger surprises come from her best friend, Hawkeye. Jeremy Renner is a great actor and he’s proven his comedic abilities in the MCU but overall, Marvel has kept Renner rather restrained, that is, until the third act of Civil War. There’s a scene between Hawkeye and Tony Stark that Renner just chews on so wonderfully, making for a potent moment in the film. I could continue to go down the list but in essence, everyone gets their time to shine, and boy do they.

If you go see Civil War and you walk unhappy and didn’t enjoy yourself at all, these films simply just aren’t for you. Civil War is one of the best superhero films of all-time, and I’m not using that phrase lightly. The heavy consciousness and moral dilemma of our heroes is beautifully on display, and with real purpose. The MCU has proven that it’s not blind to the collateral damage it’s featured in it’s previous film, and not just the physical damage, but the emotional damage. The way Zemo taps into our heroes emotions adds a great pathos to the film and it makes for a riveting final fight between Iron Man and Captain America that ends on a really intense moment. Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans won’t win any awards for their performances here (and they probably shouldn’t) but what they deliver in this final act is emotional perfectionism. The film begins with guilt and heartache, cultivates richly and eventually becomes a pivotal crux that weighs heavily at the very end, in a way that will drastically change the course of the MCU.

Overall Grade: A

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Director: Jeremy Saulnier
Writers: Jeremy Saulnier
Stars: Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Patrick Stewart, Macon Blair

Synopsis: After witnessing a murder, a punk rock band is forced into a vicious fight for survival against a group of maniacal skinheads.

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Finishing out his “Inept Protagonist Trilogy” alongside Murder Party and Blue Ruin, Green Room has cemented writer/director Jeremy Saulnier as one of the best up-and-coming filmmakers in the industry today. Saulnier has proven himself as a director who has craft but also the ability to resonate potent themes with his aesthetics and imagery. Green Room, one of our most anticipated of 2016, is no different and does not disappoint. The film certainly has commentary on the nature of violence but it’s incredibly effective as a horror/thriller, taking full advantage of it’s riveting 90 minute run-time, making the final product absolutely thrilling and unnerving.

The film opens with an introduction to the punk rock band The Ain’t Rights, who is finishing out a recent tour in their dilapidated and rugged van. They eventually wind up at a bar that is owned by Darcy (Patrick Stewart) and his group of skinheads. After teasing the crowd by doing a cover of “Nazi Punks, Fuck Off”, which doesn’t go over well, the band eventually wins over the crowd with their own original music. After the show, Pat (Anton Yelchin) walks into the green room to get a phone when he accidentally witnesses a murdered body lying dead on the floor. This sets in motion a series of events that include the skinheads trying to contain the situation by ridding the cops with inaccurate information and locking the band in the green room without any knowledge of what is really happening. Feeling trapt, the band realizes they are going to have to fight their way out and it turns into a rather bloody affair.

Saulnier’s command of Green Room is masterful. He builds thick, unrelenting tension that gradually becomes more and more intense as the film moves forward. His camera techniques brilliantly heighten the band’s confinement and visceral panic, which in turn does the same thing for the audience. The sound design is also quite excellent, using punk motifs in the score that add to the film’s eerie ambiance. The dogs’ bites feel too real, the sound of flesh being sliced is rather sickening and in some parts of the film, the lack of sound is harrowing. Everything about Saulnier’s direction is purposeful and often the imagery comes with rich symbolism.

At the heart of Green Room, Saulnier has a lot to say about violence and it’s unpredictability. Some films make violence look smooth and “cool” but Green Room is more interested in how violence is less calculated and sometimes more random and clumsy. Remember, this is part of the “Inept Protagonist Trilogy” after all. Inept is actually a great word to describe it though. Saulnier meticulously builds the tension of the situation and the panic in the characters in such a way, that when the violence does happen, it feels unpredictable, intense and pretty chaotic. And for the lack of a better term, clumsy. The band is obviously in unfamiliar territory and in most scenes we see them panicky and uncertain. Their lack of experience with violence supplants the film in realism and relatability. It’s not just the band too. The skinheads, while more equipped for violence, aren’t always sharp and depict some rather inept behavior at times.

Simultaneously, Saulnier has something to say about our capability of violence. You could say both parties (the band and the skinheads) are in a situation against their own will and both are reacting to what they perceive is a threat. And both parties become capable of violence when that threat becomes very real. At the same time, we see how both parties are capable of logic and reasoning too. Initially, the skinheads, in particular Gabe (Macon Blair) and to an extent Darcy, just wanted to contain the situation without using violence. It eventually gets too out of control for Gabe and Darcy, and the band really, which leads to a viscous climax. Despite intentions, both sides render this capability of violence when they are forced into it to protect themselves.

The way Saulnier keeps this film balanced is excellent, and more importantly, it’s pivotal in showing us how each side does reflect humanity. You may or may not agree with the skinheads philosophy but the Gabe character is human, timid and just as stuck as the band (and audience) is in this situation. Green Room‘s themes are depicted arduously but are fundamentally layered and structured with powerful and purposeful imagery. In fact, all these notions collide beautifully in one image at the end of the film. During the band’s first escape attempt, we saw how the skinheads used a pair of dogs for some heinous acts of viscous violence. At one point, one of these dogs gets loose and near the end of the film, takes an action that shows us he’s capable of sympathy and connection. It’s a potent moment, with strong symbolic imagery, that reflects impeccably Green Room‘s themes regarding the nature of violence, non-violence and how unpredictable it all is.

You also have to give credit to the film’s cast for making these notions feel so visceral. The band in particular, including Yelchin, Joe Cole, Alia Shawkat and Callum Turner, alonside Imogen Poots, give exactly what you need for the situation to feel relatable as it ties to their instincts and urgency. These characters aren’t dumb, but there’s a cluelessness that percolates through each character due to their inexperience with this type of panic. They simply don’t know how to react to their confinement and the performances make that feel very real. The culmination of these performances, alongside the always looming suspense, gave the film a palpable sense of futility that is quite mesmerizing.

Macon Blair is also noteworthy given his importance to the film thematically as well as Patrick Stewart, who is terrifying. Stewart’s subtlety and calm demeanor gave his character of Darcy a chilling effect that lingers every moment he’s on screen. The two work together so brilliantly.

Green Room is a film that will go down as one of 2016’s best films. It builds extremely well, adds intense thrills and features a robust thematic undercurrent with powerful commentary on the nature of violence in our culture today. Green Room stands out as a film that takes genre conventions and flips them in the most compelling fashion possible, and as a result, Saulnier’s offers something that both thrill-seekers and art-house nuts can both enjoy.

Overall Grade: A

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