Sing Street

OU812

Watched this last night. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Great soundtrack. Reynor was brilliant, have only two gripes:

1. The other three members of the band were basically scenery half way into it, but had a lot of potential that wasn't used.

2. U2 were on the verge of being the biggest band in the world at this time & there wasn't one mention of them or track.

Actually think it would have been an excellent miniseries with more exploration of the other characters.

FebruaryStars

Am I alone in thinking that Jack Reynor is a completely **** actor? I honestly can't fathom how he's successful! The film was pretty good. I thought the red-haired kid and the kid whose dad was a musician were the best of the younger actors in it.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

FebruaryStars wrote: »

Am I alone in thinking that Jack Reynor is a completely **** actor? I honestly can't fathom how he's successful! The film was pretty good. I thought the red-haired kid and the kid whose dad was a musician were the best of the younger actors in it.

I think he's alright but he's not at his best in this film, I was surprised by how much praise he got. I'd blame the material he's working with here rather than his own talent. I enjoyed Sing Street when I saw it and it's a real feel good lightweight kind of thing but a bit like Carney's other films there's a very basic idea at the core of it, which works, but when he tries to add layers to the story it's very cliched and a bit basic... if that's not too harsh.

Alonso77

After all the rave reviews I was expecting something a bit more special, twas just .... grand. Didn't really seem that original overall IMO.

FebruaryStars

FebruaryStars wrote: »

Am I alone in thinking that Jack Reynor is a completely **** actor? I honestly can't fathom how he's successful! The film was pretty good. I thought the red-haired kid and the kid whose dad was a musician were the best of the younger actors in it.

I thought he was pretty poor and wasn't sure if he was dodging the draft in Vietnam or auditioning to play James Franco's understudy in Pineapple Express. Reynor is a decent actor but he was poorly served by the script he had to work with but he wasn't the only one. There's a really good film in Sing Street, it just needs a better writer and director to find it.

Outlaw Pete

Deleted User wrote: »

Carney proves once and for all that he's a one trick pony and is happy to simply repeated the past. Sing Street, Once, Begin Again, all three are based around many of the same ideas and use music in similar ways, only here the music feels like those cover versions you hear in Tesco and the like...

What absolute nonsense.

Once, Begin Again and Sing Street were nothing like one another. The only commonalities they shared was that they were about musicians and the relationships they found themselves in. How would that make Carney a 'one trick pony'? Haven't seen Park but On The Edge is well worth watching and much different to anything else he has done.

Carney was a musician himself (once a member of The Frames) and so that is naturally going to come out in his work.

Sing Street, imo, is a pretty decent film. Having a pop at the actors in it is a little cheap given that many of them had never been in a film before. Most were cast when open castings were held throughout schools in Dublin. I felt that worked as it gave the film a certain authentic energy which I don't think it would have if it had been cast with Billie Barry's finest.

Not a perfect film by any stretch but quite a decent one and one I'd happily watch again. Carney to me is a very interesting film maker and I'm very curious to see what he attempts next.

CiDeRmAn

I really enjoyed it but it was poorly served by that ending.
The music was good but I don't remember anyone into music and collecting vinyl like Reynor's character would have really had anything other than contempt for either Spandau or Duran Duran.
Begin Again was a much better film, Once was lightning in a bottle, very hard to replicate.

Outlaw Pete

CiDeRmAn wrote: »

I really enjoyed it but it was poorly served by that ending.

Well, Carney is on record as saying he wished they'd died in the end but then also seems to suggest the end was something of a dream sequence. It's as if he couldn't make up his mind what ending he wanted, which I would say is what resulted in such a disjointed and overall poor ending.

The music was good but I don't remember anyone into music and collecting vinyl like Reynor's character would have really had anything other than contempt for either Spandau or Duran Duran.

Some did (my brother one ) but they wouldn't have dressed like Raynor's character. The new romantics that took that stuff seriously were very much odd balls. But you're right, was more bands like The Cars and Talking Heads that were seen as being credible back then.

Someone mentioned U2 earlier in the thread. This might be of interested regarding them:

They were actually very helpful early on in the film, in the development stage. Unfortunately, our schedules didn’t match up. I think they were on tour, and we were shooting back at home, and it didn’t work out on a timeline. But Bono and Edge were both really helpful in terms of pitching story ideas, and talking about bands in the '80s, and talking about youth. They set up the ultimate pop band, really. So I’d be a fool not to pick their brains. You know, I was in school bands, and I was in The Frames, but I wasn't in a successful band in that sense that U2 is successful. Bono could give us a good idea of, "If this kid’s band is to succeed, here’s what it’s like". Also, the point of my film is that these kids are in a good band. They do become good, and U2 did become good. I don’t know what they were like as a school band, but I imagine they were always pretty good.

Outlaw Pete

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

What absolute nonsense.

Once, Begin Again and Sing Street were nothing like one another. The only commonalities they shared was that they were about musicians and the relationships they found themselves in. How would that make Carney a 'one trick pony'? Haven't seen Park but On The Edge is well worth watching and much different to anything else he has done.

Carney was a musician himself (once a member of The Frames) and so that is naturally going to come out in his work.

Sing Street, imo, is a pretty decent film. Having a pop at the actors in it is a little cheap given that many of them had never been in a film before. Most had been case when John held at open castings throughout schools in Dublin. I felt that worked ass it gave the film a certain authentic energy that I don't think it would have with had they just case Billie Barry's finest.

Not a perfect film by any stretch but quite a decent one and one I'd happily watch again. Carney to me is a very interesting film maker and I'm very curious to see what he attempts next.

Thematically Once, Begin Again and Sing Street are very similar and rely far too heavily on music, it's striking that after Once Carney made two films that had little to with music, both of which were huge failures and after, he returned to making films centered around music. You take the music aspect out of Sing Street and you have little left that hasn't been done better by a hundred films before.

Saying that you can't have a pop at the cast because they are nonprofessionals is rubbish, should we give every first time film maker a pass as it's only their first go. The acting in Sing Street from both profession and non alike was poor, dialogue is mumbled and performances are never anything more than perfunctory, you'd find the same level of commitment in your average killer shark film on SyFy.

Outlaw Pete

Deleted User wrote: »

Thematically Once, Begin Again and Sing Street are very similar and rely far too heavily on music

Ah come on, that's like saying Saturday Night Fever relied too heavily on music (not suggesting Sing Street is on par with SNF). They were films pretty much solely about people and their relationships with music for heaven sake.

it's striking that after Once Carney made two films that had little to with music, both of which were huge failures and after, he returned to making films centered around music.

It's not striking at all as he made non-music films first.

You take the music aspect out of Sing Street and you have little left that hasn't been done better by a hundred films before.

Take the car racing out of Le Mans and you have very little also. The music was a central element to the story. Absurd to be poorly critiquing it because without it, it would be like other films.

Main point being: just because music has been the theme of three of his films, it doesn't mean that he is a one trick pony because of that. That's like saying that when Scorsese was Carney's age he was a one trick pony just because he had mostly films with similar themes at that point. You make what you know best and he is quite good at making these films. Let him at it.

Saying that you can't have a pop at the cast because they are nonprofessionals is rubbish, should we give every first time film maker a pass as it's only their first go. The acting in Sing Street from both profession and non alike was poor, dialogue is mumbled and performances are never anything more than perfunctory, you'd find the same level of commitment in your average killer shark film on SyFy.

Didn't say you couldn't do it, I just said it was cheap to do so.

At ADIFF the actor that played the lead received the Michael Dwyer Discovery Award.

Outlaw Pete

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

Ah come on, that's like saying Saturday Night Fever relied too heavily on music (not suggesting Sing Street is on par with SNF). They were films pretty much solely about people and their relationships with music for heaven sake. It's not striking at all as he made non-music films first. Take the car racing out of Le Mans and you have very little also. The music was a central element to the story. Absurd to be poorly critiquing it because without it, it would be like other films.

The point is that the only thing separating it from a hundred other similar films is the music, and even with the music there's little in the film that hasn't been done before and done better. Le Mans is a bit of an odd comparison, a better one would be comparing it to Bullitt and saying that without the car chase Bullitt would be little more than a very familiar crime thriller, and you know what it would.

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

Main point being: just because music has been the theme of three of his films, it doesn't mean that he is a one trick pony because of that. That's like saying that when Scorsese was Carney's age he was a one trick pony just because he had mostly films with similar themes at that point. You make what you know best and he is quite good at making these films. Let him at it.

He's a one trick pony because after Once he made two films, both of which failed miserably, the latter one failed so bad that it has yet to receive a proper release. After the two failures he fell back on the tried and tested, and that's making generic films which use music to separate themselves from a dozen others.

When Scorsces was Carney's age he had made Raging Bull, After Hours, The King of Comedy, New York, New York, The Last Waltz, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Taxi Driver, The Color of Money and Boxcar Bertha. A more diverse and unique set of films as you are likely to find. Yes, they shared similar themes but the films were worlds apart where as Carney has made the same films three times at this stage. Sure there's been a few changes but at heart he's just repeating himself/

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

Didn't say you couldn't do it, I just said it was cheap to do so.

At ADIFF the actor that played the lead received the Michael Dwyer Discovery Award.

So what do you suggest, we should give first time actors in a professional production as pass as it's only the first time, or does this only apply to films that you enjoy. Is it cheap to say the acting in Troll 2 is bad given that for many it was their first role?

david75

False equivalences up the yazzoo.

*scorsese is a one trick pony let's be honest. Made a career from it though.

Outlaw Pete

Deleted User wrote: »

The point is that the only thing separating it from a hundred other similar films is the music, and even with the music there's little in the film that hasn't been done before and done better. Le Mans is a bit of an odd comparison, a better one would be comparing it to Bullitt and saying that without the car chase Bullitt would be little more than a very familiar crime thriller, and you know what it would.

You're just extrapolating on a moot point. The music is central to the film. Nobody is suggesting otherwise.

When Scorsces was Carney's age he had made...

Was a poor example perhaps, but his major successes were films about New York early on was the point (Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull) and so would be foolish to call him a one trick pony just because of that as he later went on to make very successful films (some of which you named) that had nothing to do with New York and likewise I am sure Carney will make successful films which have nothing to do with music, as it is clear that he has a lot of talent.

Once defiantly a stand out, and of which there is a lot to like about other than it's soundtrack.

So what do you suggest, we should give first time actors in a professional production as pass as it's only the first time, or does this only apply to films that you enjoy. Is it cheap to say the acting in Troll 2 is bad given that for many it was their first role?

Sorry, you're misunderstanding my point. I don't think there was anything wrong with the acting and feel that you were just taking a cheap shot. If acting is bad then of course it should be called out. I just feel that it wasn't and as I have shown, others seem to think so also to the point that they are giving some of them awards.

He's a one trick pony because after Once he made two films, both of which failed miserably, the latter one failed so bad that it has yet to receive a proper release. After the two failures he fell back on the tried and tested, and that's making generic films which use music to separate themselves from a dozen others.

Well, if you really think that John Carney is a "one trick pony" then how come you said the following about Zonad:

Deleted User wrote: »

Has anyone seen Carney's new film Zonad? Saw it last summer and quite enjoyed it. Certainly a step up from Once and it bodes well for his future.

Was your account hacked? :P

Outlaw Pete

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

You're just extrapolating on a moot point. The music is central to the film. Nobody is suggesting otherwise.

It is but it's what makes Carney a one trick pony, take the music out of his films and you have generic as hell films. Carney makes unexceptional films that are elevated a little because of music.

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

Was a poor example perhaps, but his major successes were films about New York early on was the point (Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Raging Bull) and so would be foolish to call him a one trick pony just because of that as he later went on to make very successful films (some of which you named) that had nothing to do with New York and likewise I am sure Carney will make successful films which have nothing to do with music, as it is clear that he has a lot of talent.

New York was the backdrop of Scorsese films but they were about so much more than that, also all the films I mentioned were make by Scorscese before he was 44, which is the age Carney is now and what you based your point on. Also, Scorscese never seemed afraid of failure, he didn't simply go back and repeat the past and in his later years delivered some very interesting films

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

Once defiantly a stand out, and of which there is a lot to like about other than it's soundtrack.

I thought that Once was bad, the acting was woeful and the story was poor. The relationship between the two leads was a little creepy given that he had known her since she was 13 and then started dating her a few years later

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

Sorry, you're misunderstanding my point. I don't think there was anything wrong with the acting and feel that you were just taking a cheap shot. If acting is bad then of course it should be called out. I just feel that it wasn't and as I have shown, others seem to think so also to the point that they are giving some of them awards.

So what you are saying is that getting an award means something must be good. Not like most award ceremonies are meaningless token gestures. The acting in Sing Street was poor, the young actors mumbled many of their lines and had little presence. Sure when have acting awards ever been wrong, looking back on Cuba Gooding Jr. and he really deserved that best actor win over Edward Norton and William H. Macy.

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

Well, if you really think that John Carney is a "one trick pony" then how come you said the following about Zonad:

Was your account hacked? :P

That is so sad and pathetic that you would search through thousands of post in order to what, I really don't know. Yes, I enjoyed Zonad becuase unlike so many other directors Carney tried something different, he didn't with the follow up to his major hit though that said, the version of Zonad I saw wasn't the version that was released in cinemas and on DVD around the world. I recently tired to rewatch Zonad in the version it exists now and it was beyond awful, I turned it off after 20 minutes and had to wonder just what it was I saw in it first time around.

I called Carney a one trick pony because after the failure of his two follow up films to Once he retreaded back to the formula that worked that one time for him and simply repeated it.

Outlaw Pete

Deleted User wrote: »

Carney makes unexceptional films that are elevated a little because of music.

If Once was only "elevated a little" by the music... then how do you explain it's success?

I thought that Once was bad, the acting was woeful and the story was poor. The relationship between the two leads was a little creepy given that he had known her since she was 13 and then started dating her a few years later.

Ah, I remember your posts on that now and I, still, couldn't disagree with you more

So what you are saying is that getting an award means something must be good. Not like most award ceremonies are meaningless token gestures. The acting in Sing Street was poor, the young actors mumbled many of their lines and had little presence. Sure when have acting awards ever been wrong, looking back on Cuba Gooding Jr. and he really deserved that best actor win over Edward Norton and William H. Macy.

Well, that's true, yes, awards aren't always given to the most deserving of nominees, 100%, but that doesn't mean that there are actors who can't act getting awards. Two entirely different things. You think that's what happened here, fair enough, but I don't think many would share your opinion on that as from reading reviews on it he seems to be consistently being singled out for praise for his performance in the film.

That is so sad and pathetic that you would search through thousands of post

I didn't 'search through thousands of posts'. I remembered you had an issue with Once / Glen, couldn't remember the ins and outs of it, so pulled up the relevant thread and as I was reading it, I seen your post where you mentioned having seen Zonad and enjoying it. Just made me laugh is all, given what you are saying here now.

Yes, I enjoyed Zonad..

I called Carney a one trick pony because after the failure of his two follow up films to Once he retreaded back to the formula that worked that one time for him and simply repeated it.

Well, that's contradictory though, as on one hand you are saying he is a 'one trick pony' but yet on the other you admit to having "quite enjoyed" one of his non-music films. Surely you can see that. Okay, you later seen another version of that film and didn't like it (which I find a little convenient tbh) but that's of no real relevance here as we're not talking about the later version, we're talking about the earlier one, given that that's the one you seen.

You can't unenjoy something, Darko. Be like me saying I met this chick one night and she blew my mind, best night of my life! Then a year later I tell you I hooked up with her again, only now she has a boobjob and hair extensions and as a result, it just wasn't the same. So much so that not only did I not enjoy myself, but I now no longer enjoyed that first night we got together either :P

Outlaw Pete

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

If Once was only "elevated a little" by the music... then how do you explain it's success?

Am, because of the music. No one remembers Once for the story or the performances but rather the music.

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

Ah, I remember your posts on that now and I, still, couldn't disagree with you more

Disagree all you want but the relationship between them is a little unsettling.

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

Well, that's true, yes, awards aren't always given to the most deserving of nominees, 100%, but that doesn't mean that there are actors who can't act getting awards. Two entirely different things. You think that's what happened here, fair enough, but I don't think many would share your opinion on that as from reading reviews on it he seems to be consistently being singled out for praise for his performance in the film.

Lots of bad actors get singled out for praise, doesn't mean that it's good. A lot of people seem to think that because most of the actors were first timers they should get a pass. It's not just the kids who are bad, Jack Reynor is awful though that may be down to the caricature of a character he has to play.

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

I didn't 'search through thousands of posts'. I remembered you had an issue with Once / Glen, couldn't remember the ins and outs of it, so pulled up the relevant thread and as I was reading it, I seen your post where you mentioned having seen Zonad and enjoying it. Just made me laugh is all, given what you are saying here now.

Outlaw Pete wrote: »

Well, that's contradictory though, as on one hand you are saying he is a 'one trick pony' but yet on the other you admit to having "quite enjoyed" one of his non-music films. Surely you can see that. Okay, you later seen another version of that film and didn't like it (which I find a little convenient tbh) but that's of no real relevance here as we're not talking about the later version, we're talking about the earlier one, given that that's the one you seen.

You can't unenjoy something, Darko. Be like me saying I met this chick one night and she blew my mind, best night of my life! Then a year later I tell you I hooked up with her again, only now she has a boobjob and hair extensions and as a result, it just wasn't the same. So much so that not only did I not enjoy myself, but I now no longer enjoyed that first night we got together either :P

It's quite easy to revisit something an find it awful, something as simple as being in a good mood can alter how you initially experience a film. Zonad, the original cut was decent enough and bode well for Carney as it appeared that he wasn't just going to fall back on making musically themed films. The subsequent cut released was muck and when it and his next nonmusic film failed Carney went back to making films about music and nothing much else. In that regard he is a one trick pony, the only films of his which perform are the ones about music, also it's not really a John Carney film given that it was co-written and directed with his brother and I have heard some people say that one brother liked the initial cut and the more famous brother preferred the one that was released.

If you look at the films Carney has done by himself over the past decade, three have been about music and all pretty generic coming of age/love stories only noticeable from the crowd thanks to the music. The other film, The Rafters, has yet to see a release and from what people have said about it, it's for the best. Carney delivers crowd pleasing formulaic films and there's nothing wrong with that, doesn't mean though that they are good films. Sing Street much like Begin Again will be all but forgotten in a few years and it's a shame that Carney seems afraid to try something different. Hell, he's gone on record to say that he kind of wished that at the end they had died while crossing over to Wales and that would have made for a much more interesting film. Instead what we got was generic and familiar and in desperate need of a better script and a better performances.

seachto7

Saw this last night and was disappointed. Like music, don't believe the hype or someone else's opinion/review. Watch it yourself and make up your own mind. My opinion ain't worth Jack sh*t, but the music sounded like a rip off of tonnes of other songs you've heard.
Jack Reynor's character was cliched and forced and just not good. The model's accent was rubbish. The ending was rubbish. Not a good film, but might be if you're 15.
Just watch The Commitments instead.

BunkMoreland

Can't believe how highly rated this is. What a boring forgettable film. And the music is terrible.

MilesMorales1

BunkMoreland wrote: »

Can't believe how highly rated this is. What a boring forgettable film. And the music is terrible.

In your opinion you mean.

Wailin

MilesMorales1 wrote: »

In your opinion you mean.

And plenty of others by the looks of it...

horse7

It's actually a terrible movie.

Slydice

Come on now folks!

Not everybody likes all films even if you do!

As you can see below:
From 29,739 on IMDB, it only got 8/10
It only got 79 out of 100 from 37 reviewers on metacritic
and of 13,072 users on Rotten Tomatoes, only 93% liked it .. EVEN if it got a 96% Fresh rating from 167 reviews. I mean like... that still put it down at 8/10

The message here is... even a popular film will have a range of opinion.


Google:
[URL="https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/1955/405056.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

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IMDB:
[URL="https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/1955/405057.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

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Metacritic:
[URL="https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/1955/405058.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

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RottenTomatoes:
[URL="https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/1955/405059.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

A Dub in Glasgo

Slydice wrote: »

Come on now folks!

Not everybody likes all films even if you do!

As you can see below:
From 29,739 on IMDB, it only got 8/10

only? a score of 8 on IMDB is a very good score!

Slydice

A Dub in Glasgo wrote: »

only? a score of 8 on IMDB is a very good score!

I know

BunkMoreland

I've never seen a 8+ IMDB rated movie which wasn't genuinely good. It's a surprisingly accurate guage for all genres.

So I was looking forward to sing street with its 8. Very disappointed with it.

A Dub in Glasgo

Slydice wrote: »

I know

Too quick for my own good :pac:

The Black Oil

Watched it last night. Tbh, the style of it bothered me quite early on. It just felt very much like it was shot in someone's front room over a weekend. I've not seen Once or any of Carney's other work. I don't know Jack Reynor, either. That said, I was less distracted by its amateur vibe (imo) as the band came together a little more. It's a nice and simple film, that raised a few laughs, but I don't get the high praise for it. The music rights must have cost a fortune.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Just noticed that Sing Street is now up on Netflix Ireland - look forward to giving it a re-watch this evening now while I'm recovering from the New Year's weekend...

Yourself isit

A Dub in Glasgo wrote: »

only? a score of 8 on IMDB is a very good score!

His point I think.

I liked it. On netflix today. The male lead was great. The female lead not so much.

Of course clichés and references to other movies abound,and Irish tropes, someday we will have a nice Christian Brother in a movie (and is Synge Street really that bad?) but that doesn't mean it wasn't fun. Most movies are not original.

Preferred this to Once.

senordingdong

The Commitments for the south side.

Sad Professor

A question for people who grew up in the ‘80s and would be of Carney’s generation: did young Dublin men really adopt Glam rock fashion as seen in the movie and survive? I’m from D8 and went to a CBS school not far from Synge Street in the late ‘90s. It was a very repressive environment and if I turned up one day wearing eyeliner and a silk scarf my body would had been found floating in the canal. Different times obviously, but I have hard time believing it was ever any different.

david75

Let's not forget at the time you could allows find your niche. The cureheads n goths congregating at the central bank on Saturdays etc. Little pockets of skaters here n there.

Tipsy McSwagger

I thought it was a great little film.

El Duda

Sing Street - 9.5/10

A bunch of 80's schoolkids form a band so that one of them can impress a girl. The closest thing I've ever seen to this is probably The Commitments. It's bloody brilliant, I laughed all the way through and cried at the end. The older brother character played by Jack Reynor is one of the best written characters i've seen in a long time.

The original songs are way better than you could expect and the rest of the soundtrack is really well put together. It isn't afraid to be gritty and violent at times. The characters all feel very real. A fantastic piece of uplifting cinema.

JP Liz V1

Looks to be premiering on RTE 1 this coming Monday

gmisk

El Duda wrote: »

Sing Street - 9.5/10

A bunch of 80's schoolkids form a band so that one of them can impress a girl. The closest thing I've ever seen to this is probably The Commitments. It's bloody brilliant, I laughed all the way through and cried at the end. The older brother character played by Jack Reynor is one of the best written characters i've seen in a long time.

The original songs are way better than you could expect and the rest of the soundtrack is really well put together. It isn't afraid to be gritty and violent at times. The characters all feel very real. A fantastic piece of uplifting cinema.

Spot on a terrific film imo

JP Liz V1

TICKLE_ME_ELMO wrote: »

The actress playing Raphina is English so she was putting on an Irish accent, that's why it was a bit dodgy. The Dublin bit when talking about working in McDonalds was, I assume, supposed to be a reference to the "type" of person who would end up working in McDonalds.

Interestingly Lucy Boynton is going to play Marianna Faithful in a biopic