Sing Street, a must-see

As we await the return of several band members from college, there isn’t much news to talk about other than some new shows booked for the summer. You can view our current dates on the events area of our website.

In the meantime, I would like to recommend Sing Street, a movie that I had the pleasure of screening this past month.

I have to thank my friend Sue, who has a AMC Stubs membership, for giving me the heads up on this movie. She thought it sounded like something up my alley, and through her Stubs membership, I was able a attain a screening pass for April 11 at the AMC Loews in Webster, NY.

The synopsis pulled in me: Set in 1980s Dublin, boy forms band with friends at school to impress girl. Boy learns a lot about himself in the process. The story was written and directed by John Carney, a name I was not familiar with.

Despite my bias against contemporary movies, which tend to be too short on plot and character development, too long on car chases, explosions, and crass content, I reasoned that this was costing me nothing more than an hour and a half of my time on a Monday night — no biggy! So, on I went to the Loews that Monday night.

I could not have been more pleasantly surprised! The acting, by a cast of unknowns, was first-rate. I found myself being drawn into the plot and feeling for each one of the main characters, especially Conor, AKA Cosmo, and his older brother, Brendan. And then there was the elusive, mysterious, Raphina. Raphina is the unattainable girl who drives Conor from a ruse to reality. In an effort to capture Raphina’s heart, Conor, forms a band called Sing Street, with some of the misfits from his new school. Although his motive is to capture Raphina’s heart, the creation of the band represents a pivotal moment in Conor’s maturation. The evolution of Sing Street the band becomes a metaphor for Conor working through his life hurdles, and the tale is brilliantly spun by John Carney. To top it off, the cinematography presented 1980s Dublin in a fairy-tale setting. This heartwarming story can’t be missed.

If you were not a teenager in the 1980s, John Carney’s Sing Street is likely to beguile you with the sweet, universal energy of youth. – A. O. Scott, New York Times

The soundtrack, revolving around the year 1985, will give anyone who was around at that time pause to smile. For me 1865 hits home, as it was in this year we formed IT’S MY PARTY! In addition to the artists of that day like The Cure and Spandau Ballet, Carney included nifty original tunes by the band Sing Street, each one inspired by 1980s hit songs — think That Thing You Do! 

The original tunes in the movie sound like they could have been recorded in 1985, save the Adam Levine contribution, though it was nice to actually hear Levine sing without auto-tune. There were no glaring anachronisms, although “Rio,” by Duran Duran would not have been on the TV show Top of the Pops in 1985, having charted years earlier.

So, if this movie is playing in a theater near you, you should consider going out to see it. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, it is not showing in the Rochester, NY area, but I’m keeping my eyes open.

Here’s a link to the Sing Street Facebook Page, as well as a review by Bono of U2 and a link to the movie soundtrack.

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