Begin Again

Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo team up to bring music to the streets of New York City

Can a song save your life? That is the question posed by John Carney’s new musical drama Begin Again in which a chance encounter between a disgraced music-business executive and a young singer-songwriter turns into the musical collaboration of a lifetime.

Mark Ruffalo stars as Dan, a once popular record producer who has fallen into obscurity after being shunned by his own indie label. Separated from his wife, Miriam (Catherine Keener), and estranged from his daughter Violet (Hailee Steinfeld), he lives alone in a small city apartment and spends his days smoking, drinking and sleeping in. One miserable evening he drunkenly stumbles into a bar on open mic night and falls head over heels in love with a song by Brit folk singer and guitarist Greta (Keira Knightley).  He is convinced she is the next big thing but Greta needs persuading. Sure enough, a few drinks later, she warms to the idea after he promises to produce the tracks himself on a low budget. What follows is a story about the making of a musical record that explores an amalgamation of themes including musical purity versus commercial success, broken families, unrequited love and the saving grace of music.

Knightley supplies her own understated vocals; her melodic tone serendipitously matches Greta’s timid confidence. In a spot of perfect casting, Adam Levine plays her self-absorbed boyfriend and musician partner on the cusp of stardom. While he is drawn to fame, Greta remains comfortable enjoying a level of anonymity – “I’m not a singer. I just write songs from time to time,” she confesses. 

Director John Carney follows in the footsteps of his last musical feature Once by giving the drama a naturalistic quality and filming largely by improvisation. There is an in-the-moment freshness about the musical numbers, which take place in the grit of New York City with the trashcans, car engines and sirens blazing. The script doesn’t take the expected routes but instead remains fresh and heartfelt. It actively rejects easy romantic troupes while the accompanying soundtrack inspires all the right warm and fuzzy moments (and some not-so-warm-and-fuzzy moments) that an audience desires. The film is not a musical but rather a film with music – an ode to artists and creativity in the city of blinding lights.

Begin Again has a personal element that’s missing from most contemporary romantic comedies. There’s a level of reality to the performances and a bitter sweetness in the music. Director John Carney has put his heart and soul into a story we all can relate to, whether we are musicians or happy listeners, that is told in a genuinely gentle and romantic way. It hits the sweet spot just right.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes Review

All hail Caesar!

Andy Serkis as Caesar

It is an extremely rare occurrence when a movie rightly deserves to be called epic. Scale alone can be impressive but it takes a level of nuance for a big film to make an equally big impact on an audience. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes understands that which most blockbusters don’t, that epicness isn’t defined by length or bombasticity but by engaging strong characters with a sweeping landscape. That landscape happens to be in the hills of the forest North of San Francisco where Caeser governs a new generation of hyper-intelligent apes who communicate via sign language. Following the events of the first film, a virus has caused the collapse of human civilization and the apes have found a familial peace with each other in the new world order.

All is well in the rocky treetops where they have built Swiss-Family-Robinson-like homes for themselves. But life in Eden is about to change because humans are not all yet extinct. Those genetically immune to the virus have survived and are looking to rebuild.  Soon enough a pack of rangers led by a man named Malcolm crosses paths with the apes and attempts reconciliation in exchange for granted access to a hydroelectric dam to power the fallen city. But Ceasar is hesitant to trust humans after suffering at their hands. He senses war is looming and will do anything to protect his family, anything to prevent apes from falling – ‘Apes together, strong,’ he signs. Indeed Caesar is an epic character and we are drawn to him like a magnetic. The fact that he is entirely rendered on a computer is beside the point that he elicits more emotion than any other character – Andy Serkis is completely transparent in role. I don’t know how the special effects team pulled it off and I don’t want to know. The magic is in the not knowing.

From the offset, Dawn exudes a feeling of timelessness unlike I’ve ever felt from a Hollywood sci-fi. It effortlessly lured me into believing the unbelievable, that computer technology, when used as an aid to story rather than a distraction, can advance cinema in ways I once thought impossible. The skeptic in me was floored by the realness of the motion capture that captures every frown, every crease, every eye movement from the real actors. Some of it may look silly on the posters or in the trailer but it doesn’t feel silly once you’re swept into the narrative. The screenplay is intelligent and engaging on many levels, the core moral drama is weighty and moving. The tension is high, the emotion even higher: for a big blockbuster that’s almost unheard of. I got so used to watching pulp I’d forgotten what it was like to be treated as a thinking, breathing audience member.

It’s not so much the plot I was surprised by, as it was the confidence and gusto with which it was carried out. The human characters are secondary to Caeser who is the hero of the piece. The very real dilemma of peacemaking between species is endlessly fascinating and poses some serious moral questions. From the personal to the spectacle, the film stands above its competition produced this year. Like in the case of Peter Jackson’s King Kong and Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity, this is not one to miss on the big screen. (Although I suspect it holds up remarkably better than the others on a small screen).

Since the series reboot in 2011, all storytelling and technological triumphs have grown from strength to strength to create a haunting setup for a third installment.  Now having been spoiled, I don’t think I’ll ever understand why filmmakers of talent waste their time producing meaningless dribble. Director Matt Reeves has made something I suspect will only grow in prolificness in years to come. If my praise sounds too high, it is only because it has previously been very low. Once in a while a movie comes along and takes you by surprise simply because it believes itself as is the case with Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. The lack of gimmickry and flashiness only strengthens the appeal of the visual. Say goodbye to the boorish kineticism of loud and clangy blockbuster counterparts. When mature and considered, tech and story together, strong!

The Pros And Cons Of Being The Youngest Child (And How They Carry Into Adulthood)

#5 Pro: You Have Less Responsibility

You’re the baby and that means there’s an assumption placed on you that you can’t do anything but, better yet,  you don’t need to do anything! Your disappoints have no reverberation on your older siblings – it’s almost like they fully expect you to be reckless.

And granted, this has its ups. It means that when you’re young you can do what to want because no one expects you to be the wiser. You don’t have to chase around snotty-nosed younger brothers or sisters and stop them from doing wrong. Instead, you ARE that snotty-nosed younger brother or sister and you can ride that carefree attitude right into 1st grade!

Con: You Are Underestimated

The bad thing is, this role placed upon you doesn’t go away. And so your decision-making and general abilities are underestimated all the way into adolescence. Basically, your opinion doesn’t count because you haven’t had to work for it. You may be the wiser and most well adjusted but no one sees it like that. Your older siblings could very well be nutjobs but their vote will always count twice as much as yours and that’s just natural law.

Your family creates that role for you so what can you do but fit it!

#4 Pro: You Generally Don’t Give A _____

When you’re the youngest, failure is familiar to you. You’re older brothers and sisters have already been there, done that and basically see you as some kind of pariah that poses a threat to their delicately structured social scene. From being ‘the baby’ to the underachiever at school, there’s an unwritten but generally accepted label on your head that reads ‘uncool’. Your older siblings forever see you as somewhat of an enigma and, as a result of being constantly disappointed, you’re expectations take a rather rapid plummet. This sounds all rather damning, but I think this is a good thing, because by the time you’re a teen, you really couldn’t care less. Peer pressure is all of a sudden a thing of the past and all your previous concerns of ‘fitting in’ seem rather juvenile.

You learn early on that disappointments are a natural part of life and so when you get to school and are let down by your friends it doesn’t sting as much. If you don’t crumble under the pressure of expectation, you’ve grown a pretty impenetrable thick skin.

Con: You’re Less Aggressive and More Passive

On the flipside of that, you take things as they come – the good, the bad and the ugly – even if they are underserved. You can be more accepting of circumstance and less willing to stand up for yourself. All those years of being talked down to and put in your place can lead to a high tolerance. Arguments that you would otherwise fight for feel altogether pointless in the grand scheme of things. You’ve got nerve but it rarely presents itself.

While not a victim of peer pressure, there is a certain amount of resignation you take to authority even if you know they’re stupid (and more often than not, you’ll think they’re stupid). Hey, that boss of yours might be a dick but standing up to him isn’t in your rulebook.

#3 Pro: You Have the Best Sense of Humour / Are the Life of the Party

If you're the youngest, your parents are probably already confident in their caretaking abilities, and therefore are more lenient in their discipline. They don’t pay attention to your every move or milestone as they did with your older siblings and so you learn to charm the crowd through humour.

From witnessing the tears, tantrums (throwing some too) and living with sibling drama, you find funny in the absurd – the thrills, the spills, it’s all hilarious to you. More often than not, your older siblings take themselves way to seriously and it’s your job to knock them off their pedestals.

There’s no use trying to surpass their achievements and so you have to carve your own path. Generally your faults are on display for elders to see and so your best weapon to combat their judgments is by being sarcastic and sardonic.

Con: No One Takes You Seriously

This means you’re a clown and everything that comes out of your mouth will be taken with a grain of salt. After all, your family is a fountain of wisdom and can tell you what to do (Beware the patronizing hand on the shoulder).

You’re probably the best people-person but they don’t know that and so it’s kind to humour them.

#2 Pro: You’re the Most Creative and Observant

From being on the sideline all your life, you’re going to identify with the underdog. You’ve had years of spectating and learning and, usually, this has rewarded you in being a good judge of character - you can detect bullshit from a mile away.

You fight for the little guy and probably champion egalitarian causes because you’re the most creative. You want to inspire and, as a result of being teased, tend to back those who are perceived as “powerless”. While your elders are ambitious and follow family traction, you’re in the vein of following artistic pursuits.

Con: You’re Less Confident

When you’ve outgrown childhood, self-doubt creeps in the back of your mind because you’ve been living in the shadow of your siblings. Your decisions up until now have largely been influenced by their successes and failures and now you’re all alone and your confidence can take a beating.

To prove to yourself you have what it takes you’re inclined to go against the grain of what came before you. Throw yourself in the deep end and see if you come up breathing.

#1 Pro: You Don't Have to Babysit your Younger Siblings.

Con: You Have to Babysit your Nieces and Nephews.

Enough said.

And now for a flashback:

I recently found this image in an old shoebox of school stuff. It dates back to when I was in Grade 2 and my class was learning about dinosaurs. As you can see, I was a Picasso-in-the-making and tried to depict some sort of human-dinosaur hybrid.

The note reads:

I am a Sameosaurus. I am a friend to other dinasaurs. I watch TV all day. Some times I go out to have a drink at nightime. Some times I am late for school in the morning.

It would seem not much has changed.