Category: Movies

The Infiltrator

Here is another movie based on true events during the 1980’s.  US Customs agent, Robert Mazur, brilliantly portrayed by Bryan Cranston, goes undercover and inside the Medellin Drug cartel.

It is a fast paced, high rolling story about money laundering, drug smuggling, violence, suspicion, coercion and deception.

There are more twists and turns than the best roller coasters.  Stellar performances by Cranston, John Leguizamo, Diane Kruger, Juliet Aubrey and a spine tingling role by Yul Vazquez as a creepy money man and killer.

It is not always easy to watch.  There are plenty of scenes that will make you cringe from tension or violence.  It is quick paced and often very suspenseful.  There may be some Oscar material here, just saying…

Rating:

Captain Fantastic

The father of six children sets up home in a remote “off the grid” wilderness where the children are home schooled, taught to think and reason at a sophistacted level well above the norm.  They are each well rounded individuals, extremely physically fit, cultured and worldly even though their exposure to the outside world is quite sheltered.

The news their mother’s death sends shock waves through the family which  ultimately leads to a road trip to the funeral, several states away in the self contained family bus.

The wife’s parents defy the wishes of their daughter and then threaten to take the children away from their father because they object to how the children are being raised.

It is ultimately a story of adventure, family love, fulfillment, forgiveness and perserverence.  It is a unique film, well acted and beautifully produced.  It was our favorite of the week and one of the best films of 2016 so far.

Cast includes Vigo Mortensen, Annalise Basso, George MacKay, Frank Langella and Steve Zahn among others.

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Our Little Sister

This film is about three twenty-something sisters and the arrival of their half sister following the death of their father.

It is meticulously filmed, capturing the rhythm of life just outside of Tokyo and the life the sisters enjoy.  It is a peek at a different society that most rarely have the opportunity to observe.

Sometimes funny, then sad, then surprising, even silly.  Overall, it is charming and a slowly revealing look at these characters lives.

Note:  We were in Japan last October and it brought back nice memories of small town Japanese life.

Japanese with English subtitles (sometimes very fast).

Rating:  

Microbe and Gasoline

Two very different 14 year old misfit boys become friends through challenges at school and embark on an adventure after building a mini RV that looks like a playhouse, but powered by a tiny 2 stroke engine they salvaged from a junk yard.

With conflict at home, they decide to escape on a road trip dodging the cops, facing bullies and escape to the countryside.  It is clever, charming, touching and inventive.

Microbes Mom is played by the talented Audrey Tautou (of Amelie and DaVinci Code fame).  The boys are played by Ange Dargent as Daniel and Theophile Baquet as Theo.

This is not a unique plot nor a ground breaking production.  But it is an authentic French production and perspective on a coming of age tale told through excellent performances of talented young actors.

Rating: 

The Innocents

A true story of survival and renewal is set in Warsaw 1945 in the aftermath of post WW2.  A Polish nun seeks help from a French Red Cross doctor who refers the nun to the non-existent Polish Red Cross.  Against orders the French doctor follows the nun back to her convent.

The doctor discovers many of the nuns had be raped and pregnant.  The Mother Superior insists the nuns continue their monastic life of prayer and obedience.

This is a powerful film telling the relatively unheard of story.  It is beautifully filmed and directed by Anne Fontaine.  There are heartbreaking scenes of despair and emotional struggle.

There is also an uplifting moment at the end.  Overall, it is an amazing movie that should be seen.  You’ll need to seek this out as distribution is limited.  Polish and French with English subtitles.  115 Minutes run time.

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Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates

Mike (Mike Strangle), and Dave (Zac Efron) are young party animals with a history of causing havoc at family gatherings.  With their sister’s wedding on the horizon, the family demands they bring acceptable girlfriends to the planned Hawaii event.

What you get is a juvenile script, with over acted scenes, predicable slapstick, crude humor, characters you don’t really ever care about and just about every other corny cliche you’ve ever heard.

We didn’t care for the trailers when they first came out but one of the best Bay Area critics “raved” saying EVERY SINGLE SCENE was perfect and hilarious.  Total opposite was true.  It was horrific!  Your time is worthy of so much more.

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The Secret Life of Pets

The much anticipated Secret Life of Pets was finally released last Friday.  The movie was well made with interesting characteristics incorporated into most of the critters.  And there were a lot of critters.  Good ones and, well, not so good.

It was good solid animated entertainment, often funny, sometimes madcap, sometimes a bit belabored.

It is already a box office sweetheart generating more than a $100 million in revenues during its opening weekend.

We thought it dragged a bit too long too many times to deserve a score any higher.  The preceding Minion short film was a pleasant surprise though.  Overall, good, but not great.

Rating: 

Hunt for the Wilderpeople

This movie from New Zealand is fresh, unique, family friendly, visually satisfying, and just quirky enough for high marks all around.

The talented director, Taika Waititi, tilts this story line to a child’s point of view.  That is not easy to do considering the depth of adult topics and situations encountered by the welfare child in the lead role and his would be adopted Dad hiding in the wilds for months from Child Services authorities.

Sam Neill plays the Dad character, arguably his best role in years.  His performance alone is worth the time and ticket.  But this story is so well developed, with so many surprises and subtle messages, it is not to be missed.

This is sure to become a classic.

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Swiss Army Man

This is a most unusual film starring Paul Dano and Daniel Radcliffe.  It is causing quite the stir by the critics and audiences.  We will admit it is different! Hank (Dano) is at his wits end after being stranded on a small deserted island when he spots a body washed ashore (Radcliffe).

Hank quickly realizes the body is dead but also discovers the body has been adrift for some time and is quite flatulent.  He manages to use the body as a watercraft to get back to the mainland.  (This is the first clue, this is no ordinary story!)

There is a extensive series of adventures and challenges that take place.  At some point the corpse talks so it is easy to assume everything is imagined.  The end is quite powerful, albeit confusing.

See this if you want to view great creative performances or a peek behind the creative mental and supernatural scenes that become rational under the circumstances.  Rated R with good cause.

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The Legend of Tarzan

First, check out this cast!  Alexander Skarsgard, Samuel L. Jackson, Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz, and Djimon Hounsou!

Next, this film cost $180 million in production!  It shows. Layers of special effects, beautiful cinematography, a classic story line and nonstop adventure.  It checks all the boxes.

That said, it is not perfect. There are too many flashbacks and digressions leaving the audience to wonder ‘what just happened?’ or ‘what is this?’.

The film does toggle back and forth in time a bit too much; from Tarzan’s childhood, life long encounters with the animal kingdom and his adult life with wife and his role as Lord back in England.

All that said, it is so well done, any Tarzan fan must give this rendition a look.

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The BFG

Disney and Steven Spielberg’s debut of The BFG (The Big Friendly Giant) apparently did not meet the industry’s financial expectation over the 4th of July weekend holiday.

No worries, this is still a creative and visual success.  It is a story about Sophie, a 10 year old orphan girl in London who meets a 24 foot giant one night and befriends him.  She travels with him back to his world where she discovers more oddities; bigger giants that love to munch on ‘beans’ (human beings actually).

The production is filled with monumental special effects.  As a whole, it is a visual cornicopia resulting in a stunning movie going experience.  It is not perfect, some of the scenes may be disturbing to young viewers (although our 8 year old nephew seemed undisturbed by it all).

Mark Rylance plays the giant.  Ruby Barnhill is Sophie.  Penelope Wilton plays a hilarious Queen of England.  On the critical side, the script was sometimes difficult to follow due to Giant’s speech impediment and the odd invented words like “fleshlumpeater”, and “bloodbottler”.

Nonethless, this is sure to become a classic in time.  See it on the biggest and best theater available.

Rating: 

The Shallows

It was interesting to read some reviews of this movie AFTER viewing it.  Generally favorable, but those that didn’t like it, really didn’t like it.  On further exploration, it was a surprise to discover many prominent news sources trashed the film.

Oh well, we thought it was well done.  Quiet surfing vacation getaway to a secluded beach to enjoy nature and decompress from some life complexity.

Disaster strikes when a really big, mean ol’ shark spots humans encroaching on his/her whale kill.  The rest you already know…  Surfers get eaten, our star, injured and trapped off shore with no one to help…

That said, it was done well, the right mix of angst and tension, surprise and suspense.  Award material?  Probably not.  But if you like this type of movie, don’t let the smack talk keep you from seeing it.

Rating: 

Our Kind of Traitor

This is a really good film.  It has all the elements of a great espionage novel.  Jaded Russian oligarch Dima is a financial genius at risk when extensive money laundering lands on the doorstep of the British Banking system.

Seeking a way out for himself and his family, Dima befriends an unlikely British man and his wife.  Together they navigate through a very dangerous mine field of corruption and deceit.

There are more twists and turns than a roller coaster.  The pace is tense, riddled with danger and lots of tension.  Somewhere along the ride we grow to care about these core characters.  And that is where it gets even more intense.

It is well acted with Ewan McGregor, Naomie Harris, Stellan Skarsgard and Damian Lewis in the leading roles. Rated R for violence, some sexuality, nudity and drug use.  A very intense 107 minutes.  Beautifully filmed.

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Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words

This documentary about the musical life of Frank Zappa, the famed musician and composer uses old footage to recreate the person, his music and impact on the music industry of the day.

Frank Zappa was fiercely intelligent and brutally honest when interviewed.  He was a skilled classical composer but preferred creating abstract operatic interpretations that challenged his audiences to stray from conformity.

He was irreverent and challenging but also charismatic and inventive.  This film is a rare peek behind the curtain of a truly unique and talented personality.

Personal note:  When younger, I did not care for his music or his persona; however, it was clear he was a master of his craft then.  This documentary sheds light on his life’s work and legacy.  It is well worth a look if you are a music fan.

Rating:

les Cowboys,

This is a unique look at France, social/cultural conflicts and a family tragedy set in the remote countryside.  Screenwriter Thomas Bidegain is the Director of this striking drama.

Apparently the cowboy culture was a strong influence of rural France in the 1990s.  The story is vaguely based on the 1956 John Ford classic The Searchers when John Wayne searches for his niece, Natalie Cole, after being kidnapped by Comanches.

In the French production, the father and son of the kidnapped daughter, apparently abducted by the jihadist boyfriend, search for years to find their loved one.

This film is not always easy to watch.  It is often confusing and difficult to follow. It is also riveting and beguiling.  I will take a chance here and predict you have seen nothing quite like it before.  Much of the subject matter is timely and the run time of 144 minutes seemed to fly by.

Rating: 

Independence Day: Resurgenence

Independence Day: Resurgence is the newest in the film series just released, coincidently, a week before our 4th of July holiday.  Only this time the aliens are coming with a space ship some 3,000 miles wide.

Earth has built extensive defense outposts on the moon (talk about too little, too late?!), and earth’s brave warriors engage the foe in an attempt to thwart the attack.

All the special effects and the few cameo appearances that add a little humor to the ridiculous script are not enough to make lemonade out of this sour fruit.

There are a bunch of new releases that will more than make up for this disappointment.  Save your money.

Rating:

Free State of Jones

This movie is based on true events near the end of the Civil War and the beginning of Reconstruction.  It is my understanding Director Gary Ross was acutely respectful of history during the making of this film.  Critics are mixed on their satisfaction.  We liked it with a few misgivings.

Most importantly, it is a reminder of our history, in this case, much of it horrific and unimaginable.  But is also a story of hope, tenacity and perserverence.

The acting is quite good and its release is undoubtedly targeted at the current political process and the turbulent cultural landscape.  It’s not perfect but it is pretty darn good.  It is two hours and 14 minutes long.  Good idea to stock up on popcorn and soft drinks!

Rating: 

Tickled

This is arguably one of the most unique documentaries we’ve ever seen.  What began as a lighthearted expose of the on-line tickling phenom and the industry behind it takes a turn to the creepy underworld of adult erotic entertainment and the not nice people behind that.

Reporters from New Zealand seek to learn more and become embroiled in a weird undercurrent where lighthearted fun becomes some sort of mean spirited control including character assassination.

Truly unbelievable film making, storytelling and investigative reporting.  You have never seen anything quite like it.  It is one of those stories where the reality is really stranger than fiction.  Seek this out.  Very limited distribution.

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We have not seen a movie worthy of our 4 globe rating since early April.  Finally, the log jam broke this week with the release of several award worthy films.

Finding Dory and the preceding Pixar’s Animated Short film Piper will clearly be early Oscar contenders in their respective categories.

The Conjuring 2

As was the case in the first Conjuring film, The Conjuring 2 is based on real events in 1977, in the Enfield borough North of London.  The Hodgson family, mother and four children, struggle when the family encounter demonic and malicious spirits.

Real life paranormal investigators , Ed and Lorraine Warren are summoned by the church to journey to Britain to help the family.

This movie is well crafted, well acted and is certain to make audience squirm.  While it was often quite tense, it is sure to become another classic.  Do not miss the final revelation just before the credits!

Rating:

Finding Dory

The much anticipated Finding Dory opened this weekend topping the box office charts over $136 million.

Our theater was filled with parents children in tow.  The best surprise, the children were absolutely quiet.  Not a peep until the very end when a toddler announced, “Wow, that was good!” to thunderous laughter.

The youngster was right.  It was not only good, it was exceptional.  The right balance of Dory’s confusion, discovery, and acceptance.  It introduced a bunch of new supporting characters, many will undoubtedly become regulars to the already enormous Pixar/Disney stable.  You can expect to see more of a  new octopus superstar very soon.

Rating:

Genius

I was surprised to discover so many mixed reviews about Genius, a film about the famed Editor Maxwell Perkins (brilliantly played by Colin Firth) and his friendship/guidance with author Thomas Wolfe (portrayed for Jude Law).

The screenwriter, John Logan, shines.  I have a new admiration for Editor’s of the period, and their staff.  Imagine those poor typists with manual typewriters hammering away on thousands of pages of text, most of which would never see print.

It is the amazing cast that really brings this story about complex lives and conflicted relationships to fruition.  Add to Firth and Law; Nicole Kidman as the needy Author’s wife and Laura Linney as the Editor’s spouse.  Guy Pearce as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dominic West as Ernest Hemingway and Vanessa Kirby as Zelda Fitzgerald.

Ultimately, it stimulated my imagination.  What a fascinating time in history.  What interesting people.  What extraordinary perspectives and personalities.

Rating:

Now You See Me 2

Here is another release with mixed reviews.  I’m not sure why.  It was more of what the first release offered, clever concepts, mostly likable characters, an original presentation, and enough twists and turns to compete with a rollercoaster.

Yes, there are scenes that are less than perfect.  Others stretch plausibility to the extreme.  And some scenes make no sense at all, did anybody really believe Daniel Radcliffe as the thug?!

Okay, so less than perfect, but I will say, the 129 minutes run time flew by.

Rating:

De Palma

OH MY!  We were intrigued when we saw the previews and immediately hooked to see this documentary on the opening weekend.  First and foremost, this is a must for all cinephiles.

It is virtually a chronology of Hollywood filmmaking from Hitchcock forward.  At 75, De Palma delivers a ‘no holds barred’ explanation of his life’s work, behind the scenes perspective of how the industry really works and a wild romp through some unforgettable footage you won’t soon forget.

To be fair, at times it seemed like narcissistic rambling but there was so much information flowing out of him one is challenged to keep up and process the data.  What a goofy, crazy, amazing, creative creature.

Rating:

The Lobster

The critics LOVED this film, ranking it in the top 5%.  Audiences apparently really liked it too.  Me, not so much.  Unique?  Yes.  Original?  Absolutely.  Funny?  Some folks thought it was hilarious!  Me, occasionally in a perverse sort of way that would not be regarded as a compliment.

In some other world, single people must go to a pseudo re-education hotel where guests must find a mate within 45 days or be transformed into an animal of their choice.  Guests can extend their stay by shooting rouge guests with a stun gun to “buy extra days”.

Yup!  It goes downhill from there.  The entire story is delivered a constant monotone by every single character who spoke.  Call me madcap, but I did not get it.  I found it tedious and annoying.

Great cast!  Colin Farell, Rachel Weisz,  and John Reilley.  Let me know what you think if you see it.

Rating: 

Me Before You

This is a romantic drama where an inexperienced working class girl seeks employment as caregiver to wealthy young man paralyzed by an accident.  What starts as a employee/employer relationship evolved into something personal, then more.

His bitterness and resentfulness are slowly replaced by the right balance of struggle and the joy of life.  The banter between these characters is crisp and believable.

The acting is just right.  Emilia Clarke plays the assistant Louisa (Lou) Clarke.  Sam Claflin plays the quadriplegic William Traynor.   The story is based on the best selling novel by Jo Jo Moyes titled the same as the film.

Rating: 

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping

This musical comedy mockumentary about a boy band, Conner4Real, and its front man, brilliantly play by Adam Samberg.  The Band hits box office gold with the mega success of their first album.  Boy Band makes good.  Lead singer believes his own hype.  Boy band crashes.  Boy Band breaks up….

It sounds far fetched yet so familiar.  Humm…how many groups come to mind?!  What makes this movie work is it never stops.  The pace is quick, so is the humor, goofy stuff and theatrics.  Think Saturday Night Live on musical steroids.  Some of the scenes are cliché but others are quite inventive.  It is relentless and well crafted.

The last third really brings the story all together.  There is soul searching and the healing of prides and egos.  And…drumroll…a music awards appearance that brings everything together; including funny appearance by Mariah Carey.

It is probably not going to win any awards but it was an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.

Rating: 

Maggie’s Plan

This drama/comedy is about a 30 something New York single woman , Greta Gerwig as Maggie, who decides it is time to have a child without the help of anyone but a sperm doner, a bit part played by Travis Fimmel, as the local the pickle producer becomes National distributor.

Enter, Ethan Hawke’s character, John, as professor and his wife, Julianne Moore as the tenured Nordic scholar.  Throw in eccentric neighbors, played by Bill Hader and Maya Rudolph and a you have a revolving love triangle involving three children.

The acting is what makes this film work.  It’s not perfect and the premise is pretty flawed but in some respects, its not all that unlike the real world.  (I’m just glad its not mine!)

The Julianne Moore character is the superstar, intelligent, witty, and driven.  Her performance alone is worth the time and admission.

Rating:

X-Men: Apocalypse

In this ninth installment in the X-Men series, the ancient (original) mutant is awakened and attempts to take over the world while the X-Men try to stop him.  That is about it…  Well, maybe a bit understated.  But only a bit.

En Sabah Nur, bad mutant, is a really good really bad dude.  He recruits four of the X-men as the “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”  They raise havoc around the planet.  In the mean time, the good mutants are circling the wagons…

There are really good special effects, lots of unexpected surprises and reasonably good acting.  James McAvoy, the always awesome Michael Fassbender, and the consistently good Jennifer Lawrence are the most noteworthy.

Critics were not pleased and audiences shunned this episode.  We thought is was fun and worth the time and money.  Maybe there are too many Marvel movies in release these days.  Just a thought.

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Alice Through the Looking Glass

Well…it had to be made.  After all the 2010 Alice in Wonderland racked up a whopping $1 Billion box office.

So now we have Alice Through the Looking Glass with many of the original actors in tow.  Jonny Depp with better than ever make up and still stupid accent plays Hatter.  Ann Hathaway is still the White Queen tormenting her sister the evil Red Queen played by the incredible Helena Bottom Carter.

Sacha Baron Cohen plays Time and Mia Wasikska plays Alice, now all grown up and cheated by her extended family of fame and fortune.

Ultimately Alice tries to use time to go back in time to save Hatter’s family from oblivion.  Visually stunning, mostly entertaining but ultimately fatiguing, we were disappointed.

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The Nice Guys

The good news is this was a fun romp through Hollywood of the1970s: drugs, sex and mayhem.  It was well crafted, held your interest and was often very funny.  Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling have excellent chemistry together.

On the down side, the main characters bordered on dumb and dumber.  They were not “nice guys”.  In fact, they were conniving, irresponsible shysters and terrible professionals.

On the bright side, it was not boring.  It clips along at a quick pace and once you embrace this as a silly comedy, it becomes an easy watch.

Audiences and critics liked this much more than we did.  I’ll watch it again on a long plane ride and reconsider my opinion.

Rating:

Weiner

Oh my!  This documentary is about the former New York Congressman, Anthony Weiner, who ran for Mayor of New York in 2013.  “Former” because in 2011, he was forced to resign after texting a series of sexual pictures of himself to women that became public and the subject of relentless ridicule.

His wife, still a top aide to Hillary Clinton, struggled to “stand by her man” but, nonetheless, endured and supported her husband.

It seemed odd that anyone would agree to a documentary like this.  It is both riveting and creepy at the same time.  The critics loved it.  I found it pitiful.

Rating:

 

 The Darkness

This psychodrama meets the supernatural after a vacation in the Grand Canyon by a Southern California family was not well received by the film critics.

It was a tad confusing.  The writers threw in a bit of autism, bulimia, alcoholism, and infidelity just to make it interesting, if you will.  That just muddied the waters.  We all saw the creepy guys from the beginning, all the rest was window dressing for the finale.

Kevin Bacon is the most notable star and delivers a fair to middling performance.  This will undoubtedly be available on pay per view very soon.  Save your money unless you are in the mood.  It will be on a network channel or airplane sooner than later.

Rating:

Love and Friendship

This film is based on the unpublished novella Lady Susan written by Jane Austen in 1794.  That’s amazing because this period piece is sharp, witty, funny and unpredictable.  Sometimes all of the above concurrently.

Kate Beckinsale channels Lady Susan Vernon and oozes impeccable taste and scheming ambitions.  There are more ins and out, ups and downs than your favorite soap opera.  The costumes, sets and humor are flawlessly delivered.

Do see this on the big screen if you can.  This is sure to become a popular classic.

Favorite line: Lady Susan’s daughter says: “but marriage is for one’s whole life!”  Lady Susan who has recently been widowed replies “Not in my experience,”

Rating:

Dough

This is a comedy/drama that does not take itself too seriously.  Good thing because otherwise the storyline is implausible and kitchy, albeit funny and endearing.

Aging Jewish baker hires young black Muslim immigrant to help bake kosher goods in an evolving British neighborhood.  It sounds benign until the young apprentice starts adding marijuana to certain recipes and conceal an added “surcharge” for the fortified goods.

There is no Oscar material here but just enough laughs and twists to make it worth a watch.

Rating:

Viva

This is an interesting and fascinating film.  Interesting because the story is about a young man, Jesus, who ekes out a living as a hairdresser in the slums of Havana, Cuba.  One of his customers is the owner of a seedy drag club who offers Jesus the opportunity to perform.

Suddenly Jesus’s father appears, recently released from prison and inserts himself into Jesus’s apartment and life.  The father is a drunk, a bully and is verbally abusive toward Jesus’ life choices.

Oddly enough, this film is an Irish production, filmed entirely in Cuba.  Viva means “to live”.  This is a harsh peek at life in the slums but also a look at compassion and perseverance.

Very limited theater release.  Seek this one out for a look at a unique film.

Rating:

Money Monster

 

It seems the critics were expecting a Wall Street epiphany from this Jodie Foster directed film about a live Investments Television show that is derailed when a young disgruntled blue collar investor takes over the set and threatens to blow everyone up with a bomb.

I’ll admit, it’s not perfect and there are some wrinkles that are a bit far fetched, but the core story is pretty good.  Strong performances by George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Jack O’Connell as the would be bomber whose character is way out of his league.

The tension factor is about right.  The police as mislead heavy handed public servants is reflective of the current public perception.  It was an entertaining way to spend a couple of hours.  Just don’t expect any big industry awards for this one.

Rating:

Dark Horse

 

It is hard not to like this true story.  A hand full of working class friends from a poor mining village in Wales pool their meager resources to buy a broodmare who produces a foal that eventually becomes a champion race horse that wins the Welsh Grand National.

It is a documentary that flows like a soap opera or sit com.  There are plenty of social commentaries woven into the story.  In fact, it is core to the story.  It’s the winner of several audience awards including the 2015 World Documentary Award at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

It is a feel good film that offers a rare glimpse into simple village life in rural UK.

Rating:

High Rise

 

This is suppose to be a Fantasy Science Fiction film about class warfare that erupts in a modern urban high rise residential building resulting in chaos and  carnage.  The idea seems to reveal or exploit the extreme socioeconomic canyons between the “haves” and “have nots”.

Instead, the story degenerates into obscure violence, strong sexual content/nudity, and a plethora of disturbing images and language.  I am surprised with only an R rating.

The great cast and well intended plot could not save this film. At almost two hours, we were delighted when the movie ended.  Note the rare rating.

Rating: ZERO GLOBES

Sing Street

 

Here is a feel good movie that will remind you of your youth (hopefully).  Set in Dublin, Ireland in 1985 and filled with music of the era.  Fourteen year old school boys from a poor rough Catholic neighborhood decide to start a band.

The lead singer falls for the young “model” across the street.  The suitor uses the “band”, not yet created, to draw her into the making of a music video to promote the new venture.

The talented young want-to be-band members quickly find their ‘sound’ (think Duran Duran) and eventually land a gig at the school.  Of course there is the parallel love interest and a great ending.  Rated PG.  Some strong language, bullying and drugs.  (It was the 80s!)

Special note: There is a scene in the movie set in the Dublin suburb of Dalkey.  John and I and John’s Mom were there in 1985 (same year the movie is set in).  It looks as charming now as it did then.

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