As the snow falls, and my first family Christmas party is complete, there are a couple movies to talk about.
First on NetFlix they had Sing Street which was a movie that I had wanted to see in the theatre. This is a film, like the Commitments, where we have a group of Irish teens who are looking for their creative outlet. In truth, it really is “all about the girl” as the young man who is moved to a new school due to his parents’ financial troubles sees a girl across the way and channels Duran Duran in offering her a role in his band’s upcoming video shoot. All he needed now was the band!! The setting is 1980s Dublin with few jobs and a country struggling. The boy finds some talented classmates (very talented indeed as it turns out) and they write original material that reflect the influence of that moment (The Cure, The Clash, The Jam etc). All the while our band leader changes his look and continues on. There are effective performances throughout, and notably by the older brother (living at home and guiding his younger brother through music – both good and bad). And there is the Dad (noted from Game of Thrones and Mom who was actually IN The Commitments). I liked how the young people played and you saw the creative process at work. I also liked the resolution to a number of situations in the school setting for our young band leader. In the end a feel good story with talented kids and worth the time watching it.
Netflix also had Captain America Winter’s Soldier out and I wasted two hours of my life on this. Captain America as a superhero I simply do not get. He’s a dude. Human. Like Batman. Just a guy. Yet what materials is that bloody shield made from? It stops bullets, it goes through glass panes, it can be ridden when exiting a moving vehicle on a highway. So many times when logic must be suspended and it falls down for me. Baddy old friend with the metal arm – he is also a dude. Just put a bullet in his head. Problem solved. Captain America has a shield? Shoot at his legs and watch him fall down. He falls from extraordinary heights into water and survives. So beyond going further and further into my issues, I will sum up by saying that it’s yet another superhero movie for me that I just don’t need to watch. To borrow from the Chaos Scientist (Jeff Goldblum) in Jurassic Park – “they were so busy worrying about whether they COULD do it, they didn’t think about whether they SHOULD”…Here, they shouldn’t have made this. Some comic books should remain as dust collectors on the shelves.
Mondays With Robbie 