I Am Your Father - 5 stars out of 10

I Am Your Father - 5 stars out of 10

Since everybody else is out seeing “Rogue One” and I am at home with the baby, I am getting my Star Wars fix by reviewing “I Am Your Father.”  At first, this documentary appears to be an homage to cinema’s greatest villain but it quickly reveals itself to be a tribute to David Prowse, the actor that played Darth Vader.  When Prowse signed on to play this role, he believed that he would be the body AND the voice of Vader.  This film is very one-sided but its perspective paints Prowse as a victim who had his voice replaced by James Earl Jones; moreover, during the filming of “Return of the Jedi,” the director secretly filmed the scene where Darth Vader’s helmet is removed with a different actor!  This divisive issue reminds me of a main plot point from “Singing in the Rain” only it happened in real life.  The documentary succeeds in building sympathy for Prowse as he is not invited to official Star Wars conventions and is basically ignored by Lucasfilm due to tension during the filming of the trilogy.  At the same time, I have to question how much of this story is exaggerated after 30 years of bitterness.  The documentary fails at properly representing the other side of the argument.  It also falls short of the excitement that you expect from anything involving Star Wars.  When I watch a film like “Man on Wire,” I could look up all of the information online but the story is so compelling that it necessitates seeing the documentary to gain a complete understanding of the subject matter.  Conversely, I feel that I could have learned everything about this story by reading a quick article online.  It is worth seeing for any Star Wars fan because it is Star Wars.  However, the film lacks that is generated by a documentary that unfolds like a mystery novel.  “I Am Your Father” is informative that will give you a greater appreciation for the actor behind the mask of Darth Vader but I definitely would have rather been watching “Rogue One” (or any film from the Star Wars catalog other than “Episode I”).

[Pictured: It is pretty cool to see David Prowse in the Darth Vader costume nearly 40 years after filming "A New Hope," but the documentary is dry and mainly opinionated]

Heathers (1988) - 2 stars out of 10

Heathers (1988) - 2 stars out of 10

“Heathers” is a fascinating high school story spoiled by an endless stream of crude remarks and volatile language.  This 1980’s attempt at being edgy goes too far, even by modern standards.  The entire movie feels like an internal conflict as it fails to blend comedy with drama, realism with far-fetched circumstances, and humor with situations that should not be humorous.  It is a shame because the film contains some important themes about suicide, bullying, and guilt, but the misplaced levity of the script prevents it from being taken seriously while the serious subject matter does not align with the comedic tone.  The end result is an uncomfortable 100 minutes of trying to absorb the morals in spite of the script.  Though we are used to seeing the critics hate blockbusters that make a killing at the box office, this film did the opposite when it failed at the box office even though the critics loved it.  I blame its box office failure on its lack of a target audience as the synopsis does not have much appeal for your average adult but the R-rating would prevent most high schoolers from gaining admission (and thank goodness for the rating because this film is definitely not high school appropriate).  It did gain enough attention to develop a cult following  as well as thrusting Winona Ryder and Christian Slater into the limelight.  “Heathers” lacks everything that I love about a drama while also lacking everything that I look for in a comedy.  The amount of unnecessary crude language is offensive and should be saved for period dramas that require the language to bring the setting to life.  Meanwhile, it lacks the jokes and inherently comedic situations that make a comedy entertaining.  Don’t waste your time on this one.  I wish that I hadn’t.

[Pictured: Ryder and Slater develop great chemistry and a romantic comedy would have been lovely.  Unfortunately, that is not what you will find in "Heathers"]

Sing Street - 9 stars out of 10

Sing Street - 9 stars out of 10

Who can resist a story about writing music and pursuing your dreams?  Maybe I’m biased because of my profession but I feel like this is always a winning equation for a successful film.  “Once,” “Music & Lyrics,” “Begin Again,” they’re all great for one reason: we love to see the music in someone’s heart come to life, especially when the characters use music to express what they cannot say out loud.  “Sing Street” takes these concepts and transports them into 1980’s Dublin to create a magical coming-of-age story about a group of outcasts who are united by rock music.  The story is a good balance of comedy and drama (heavier on the drama) with catchy 80’s music at its core.  The soundtrack of classic 80’s songs by Duran Duran and Phil Collins is nostalgic but actually gets outshined by the original songs written by Gary Clark.  These songs infuse the sound of the 80’s with a modern feel that makes the characters’ reaction to the music seem relevant and authentic.  Each song is catchier than the last and you will find yourself buying them online before the end credits finish rolling.  Director John Carney deserves a lot of credit for his originality.  “Once” captured our hearts with its folk music and unique boy-meets-girl-and-she-inspires-his-music story.  It was so good that they turned it into an award-winning Broadway show.  It seemed like “Begin Again” was doomed to either feel like the same story with a new setting or lack the imagination of the original, but it was wonderful in completely new ways and felt so original that you would never believe that it came from the same director.  “Sing Street” seemed like it would face the same challenges but a different time period, style of music, and age range of its characters makes it feel fresh with few comparisons to Carney’s other films.  The film is beautifully shot through the eyes of both the band members and the music videos that they create.  Every great movie musical has some sort of “fantasy” scene and they nailed it with the first school dance sequence.  I personally adored the “Up” sequence when the camera pans around the room and the different characters appear with their instruments.  I can’t figure out how it was shot and I love that.  Of course, this film completely hinges on the casting of Ferdia Walsh-Peelo as Conor.  I am so thankful that Carney casts his films with real musicians who possess real musical talent.  Ferdia began his career as a trained classical singer which allowed him “regress” his voice to a weaker singing tone at the beginning and give the illusion of a vocal maturation throughout the film.  Most actors-turned-singers can only show us their best phase of singing because they have limited time to learn proper vocal technique but the casting of a singer opens up the possibility to see this growth.  His transformation is both vocal and physical as his clothing and make-up seem to progress through several phases of 80’s rock.  Essentially, he becomes what every insecure teenage boy wishes he could be.  I also love the casting of Lucy Boynton as Raphina.  She has that “80’s dream girl” look and the chemistry between the leads is as good as you will find in any film with teen actors (especially considering that they are over 4 years apart in age)!  My main criticism is that this is a two-man show, much like Carney’s other films.  I wish that we could have gotten to know the other members of the band a bit better and I felt like I needed some closure with characters like Conor’s brother.  Perhaps the beauty of the ending is contained in the unresolved storylines as each character is left with hope, regardless of how high or how low they may be at the moment.  “Sing Street” is a dynamic story with relatable high school characters and catchy original 80’s music.  You won’t want to miss this one and now it’s time to start holding our breath for whatever project John Carney might tackle next!

[Pictured: "Sing Street" is a feel-good movie with an important dose of realism]

In the Valley of Elah - 5 stars out of 10

In the Valley of Elah - 5 stars out of 10

“In the Valley of Elah” is a crime-solving drama that focuses more on the drama than the action.  Part of my unimpressed reception of the film could be due to the number of fast-paced thrillers that I have been watching lately.  The investigative portions of the film are very interesting but the entire thing is so slow-paced that it seems like a lot of waiting for each little discovery.  I realize that the theme of the film is post-traumatic stress disorder and not the investigation itself, but the lack of action really makes it tough to wait for the next thing to happen.  The story is a complete downer with constant anti-war sentiments, so be ready for that when you start watching.  Even the score is two hours of sad violin music.  Tommy Lee Jones is okay in this purposely emotionless role but it doesn’t have the luster that we expect from an Oscar nominee.  Charlize Theron has a few moments, though many of them become too drawn out as we’re waiting for the next thing to happen.  Susan Sarandon, James Franco, and Josh Brolin are completely underutilized and I couldn’t really even figure out why they were in this film (unless they just wanted to be a part of the film’s political statement).  The casting directors would have done better to save money and cast unknowns for the two minutes of screentime that each of these characters received.   “In the Valley of Elah” is a decent drama with a few interesting crime twists, but the purposeful desensitized emotions of the characters cause it to plod along to its slow and dismal ending.

[Pictured: Neither Jones or Theron reach their potential, but you have to love the scenes where he does her job better than she does]