I break the top ten of my favorite films of the decade (Or 10's) with this post!!
Here are 11-10-9!!!!!!!!!!
11
SING STREET
Directed by John Carney
Screenplay by John Carney
Starring Ferdia Walsh-Peelo; Lucy Boynton; and Jack Reynor
This film is set in Ireland, Cosmo's (Walsh-Peelo) family is having money trouble. So now he has to go to a "rougher" school. Along the way he meets a beautiful girl (Boynton) and he tries to impress her by starting a band with some of his new classmates.
I remember I thought WOW when I first saw this film. what a surprise!!!
This film would make a great Broadway Musical, and it probably will end up being so..
It has a wonderful tone set by Director John Carney (Once), it is lite, yet you feel Cosmo...you somehow understand him.
It is a musical. It is a comedy. It is a love story.
What makes it work? The three leads perfectly cast. Three actors I at this point I had never seen before in film!!
Walsh-Peelo as Cosmo. He is smart and funny and brave. Yes, he does not have the perfect voice, however that even works. He is a teenager with dreams. His voice is not going to be perfect but that makes the film real. Walsh-Peelo owns this character.
Lucy Boynton as Raphina is a find ( she went on to star in Bohemion Rhapsody)!! She is beautiful. Smart and funny. She also adds a sensitivity to her role. Just wonderful. Boynton understands that sometimes a look says a lot more than a word. Sometimes young actors try to push and explode in their parts. She lets her character almost smolder.
Jack Reynor (was just seen in Midsommar) as Brendan, Cosmo's brother. I think I love his character the most. He is like a Yoda to his brother. He also has a little remorse or longing for things he did not do, or that he was not brave enough to do. I thought Reynor. was really good.
Screenplay:
It is almost a teenage version of another Irish film, The Commitments.
A sweet love story with humor.
Some pretty good 80's music, and some bad 80's music. Strangely, even the bad music is enjoyable.
There is a story line about being bullied and how to handle it. Also, there is something here about finding your niche in an atmosphere where you feel like you are on the outskirts.
Still all these story lines are under one big umbrella about following your dreams.
Sing Street is available for home viewing
10
SUPER 8
Directed and Screenplay by J.J. Abrams
Starring Joel Courtney; Elle Fanning; and Kyle Chandler
For some reason the forgotten J.J. Abrams movie. I say it may be one of his best.
What is Super 8?
It is a film about a young boy in 1979 dealing with loss.
It is a film about a father dealing with loss and learning how to communicate with his son.
It is a film about a summer adventure of a group of boys and a girl who decide to make a Super 8 film and stumbling on a government secret.
It is a film about a boys summer crush with a girl, who up until this summer, had not said a word to him.
It is a film with an alien that may or may not represent what is happening in this boys life.
If you love Netflix's Stranger Things...you will love this!!!!
There is a lot going on in this film and it all works. The film takes you back to a time and place where kids rode bikes freely and had adventures within their own town (Like Goonies or Stand By Me). Where you had to wait DAYS to get a film developed. Where kids made up films or games to keep busy. All this captured perfectly by J.J. Abrams (Who is of course directed the new Star Wars film).
The look of this film is fantastic!! With a dash of blue light coming across the screen once in awhile giving us the feel that we are watching a Super 8 film. He also is the screenwriter and you can see the nods to his producer Spielberg in this film with the bikes and humor and the adventure.
Here he put together a great ensemble of young actors to work with. Highlighted by:
Elle Fanning who swoops in and almost steals the film. Watch her in the scene when she asks Joe how she looks acting like a zombie. She owns the screen.
Joel Cortney in the lead as Joe. Joe is lost in the world, and is in love and is scared all at the same time.
Also, another great performance by Kyle Chandler as the father and police officer.
Now for fun and not so fun facts:
-Originally when the boys were waiting for Alice to pick them up they were supposed to be talking. However JJ Abrams heard them singing and changed things up....thus My Sharona.
-5000 children auditioned for all the parts
-In the first draft the alien was never shown at all
-During the town hall meeting if you look close Dakota Fanning...Elle's sister is at the meeting.
When the film came out I do think it was a hard film to market because it touched on so many things...so they went with the alien theme but the film is so much more.The Film plops you down in the 70's. You know that house. You know those bikes. You know those cars on your street. You know those friends. Well written. Well directed. Well acted. Exciting and funny.
Watch the credits!!
Super 8 is available for home viewing.
9
INSIDE OUT
Directed by Peter Doctor
Screenplay by Peter Doctor; Ronaldo del Carmen; Meg LeFauve; and Josh Cooley
Starring the voices of: Amu Poehler; Phylliss Smith; Richard Kind; Bill Hader; Lewis Black; and Mindy Kaling.
The best PIXAR movie of the decade!!!!!!!!!!!!
After 11 year old Riley is uprooted from her life in Minnesota (in fact she plays ice hockey which I love about her) and moves with her parents to San Francisco, Joy (Poehler), Fear (Hader), Anger(Black), Disgust(Kaling) and Sadness(Smith) - conflict on how best to navigate her new surroundings and her brain/emotions.
Now director Peter Doctor also did UP, and if you think back there is a umbrella of sadness in UP. Carl lost his wife and it is emotional for him, and you can feel it coming off the screen. Now UP had Dug to add a little levity. In Inside Out Doctor pokes at our emotions again...without much levity.
This film is heavy. Riley is sad through about 85% of the film. You feel her sadness. You feel the parents sadness. At times it is so real it is heartbreaking. This does not make the film bad, just different. I never thought this film was for young children, not that there is anything bad for them to see, they just may not get it. Riley is 11, and I think the film plays better for 11/ 12/teenagers/and parents.
The screenplay is very good. The look of the film is awesome (I never like to watch Pixar films in 3D, I think 3D mutes colors and Pixar films pop in color and it makes the films from that studio unique), in fact it is like nothing you have seen from Pixar. There are layers of colors muted and also very bright, it takes a bit to get use to.
A quick note of maybe two unsung people: Richard Kind as Riley's imaginary friend Bing Bong is just ...words cant say (no spoiler)!! Kaitlyn Dias is Riley and this film relies on us loving Riley, so her voice makes it work.
We learn there is no joy without sadness and no sadness without joy, so sadness is okay just talk it out with your parents and do not hold it inside. And also memories and time can be sadly fleeting.
I remember I saw this originally saw this film at a private screening. We also had a Q and A with the voice stars of Inside/Out. Here are some Highlights that I can remember.
Richard Kind cried while making the film.
In fact Peter Doctor said Richard Kind's Bing Bong was molded after an old vaudeville act that keeps thinking he has one more show.
Peter said 11 years old was chosen mainly because that is about the age where not puberty but social changes happen.
Peter noted that if you listen the memory balls that are fresh, when hit together, have a sharp noise; and the older memories when hit together have a clunk noise like cinder blocks.
Amy noted she felt it was important that she and Richard were in the room together for their parts.
Amy studied Tom Hanks as Woody to get the feel for the part. She felt Joy best resembles Woody, trying to keep things happy and focused.
Peter said that Amy brought so much energy to Joy that you notice she is like energy or light when they were drawing and coloring her character.
Inside Out is available on Disney+ Congratulations San Francisco You Ruined Pizza
Well there are 11-10-9!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well from the shadows thanks for your time as always.
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