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Sing Street (2016)
Good music and setting, but lacks in story
I wanted to enjoy Sing Street - what's not to love about a story of a teenage band in the era of some of the best British music? Unfortunately, the overall story disappoints, with a shambling plot, underdeveloped characters and a confusing ending.
Mainly it suffers from trying to be too many things at once. Sing Street has elements of kid-vs- bully, kid-vs-bully-teacher, punk-kid-vs-society, kid-vs-parents, kid-trying-to-get-the-girl . . . And then the film surprises us almost at the end by revealing itself as more of a big-brother-mentor story. Too many threads, too many messages. It would have been much better for the subplots to remain in the sideline. That's the magic of film - some small suggestions of the parents' divorce, for example, would have set the scene fine without having to show us everything. If the story had just focused on the one journey of the kid trying to woo the girl, it would have been far more successful. It felt like there was too much unnecessary drama, and too little lighthearted musical fun.
As for the characters, the main kid's motivation wasn't convincing. He suddenly decides to start a band with some people he doesn't know, just to impress the girl? And all he knows about pop music is what his brother told him the night before, which he parrots to his new-found friends. If he was a true music lover from the start, perhaps his character would have been more likable and relatable. The other characters are mere cardboard cutouts. Teenage characters can be really cool and convincing, like the hilarious gang in JJ Abram's 'Super 8', but Sing Street's teens had no personality at all. You don't even find out the love interest's name til halfway through, and although she's supposed to be mysterious, it ends up taking away from the character.
The ending of Sing Street was unconvincing as well. What, these two fifteen-year-olds are just going to drive a little boat all the way from Dublin to England? This kid who never showed an interest in music at the start of the film is going to try forge a career as a singer/songwriter in London? Sorry, but it was totally unsatisfying. It should have ended with them running away into the night with the city lights behind them, just as the love interest alluded to earlier.
There are some cool songs in here, except the finale song wasn't quite as awesome and climactic as some of the others. It was cool to see and recognise bands and stuff from that era, and I guess the film was entertaining. I recommend skipping the intense, uncomfortable drama and just watching the "Riddle of the Model" music video scene on YouTube instead.
The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death (2014)
Genuinely scary film, especially for horror newbies
I'm not much of a horror-movie person, having only managed to sit through a full 3 horrors in my life without running from the room. So maybe I'm not such a good judge – but still, I thought that this was a fantastic film.
This has gotten bad reviews from other people, but I think that is because Angel of Death is a different style from the popular horrors like the Conjuring etc. It's a British horror – it relies not on what you do see, but on what you don't see. It's not filled with blood and exorcisms, but long shots down dark corridors, cobwebbed cellars, dusty mirrors . . . Your worst enemy is your own imagination. Is there something moving there in the background? Will there be a figure in the window? The art direction, cinematography, and lighting were perfectly creepy. And there are some real frightening parts too, jump scares and dead children and of course the Woman in Black herself.The tense music adds tons of suspense to these scenes as well. You'll be screaming at the TV, telling the characters "No, no, don't go down there! Don't go exploring at night! Don't open that door!"
The story and characters are quite good, all developed with their own little back stories and traits. Yes, sometimes the lines are a bit cliché, and it's somewhat predictable. But that's all part of the genre and for a horror film, I think the characters and story were well done.
The one thing that stands out for me about this film is the ending (spoiler alert!). Harry, played by the great Jeremy Irvine from War Horse, was my favorite character. So when he got dragged down into the mud at the end, sacrificing himself for the others despite his fear of the sea – Well, it was heart wrenching, for me at least. Then at the very end, lulled into a sense of safety, I had to come out from behind my cushion to look at his photo on the mantelpiece . . . and shrieked with terror when the Woman in Black appeared!
I think that this movie is probably not as scary as the first film, especially since there are more characters, as opposed to Daniel Radcliffe wandering through Eel Marsh House all alone. I could only stand watching ten minutes of that before I fled, but I could handle all of Angel of Death (albeit half of it hidden behind a cushion).
So to conclude, I thought that Angel of Death was a genuinely terrifying movie, as well as having an interesting plot line and characters. It mightn't be so good for hardcore horror fans or if you're not interested in the WW2 period setting, but it's great for newbies to horror like myself. The filmmakers certainly know how to milk your fear for all its worth!