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SIng Street (2016) is absolutely worth watching

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Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_YqJ_aimkM

97% on Rottentomatoes

Plot Synopsis:

A boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s escapes his strained family life by starting a band to impress the mysterious girl he likes.
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As an American, I had never heard of this movie until today. It was an absolute delight. The movie captures middle school drama, teenage years, parental dysfunction, and 80s music incredibly well. The characters are super lovable and real. And of course it has a killer soundtrack.

Its excellent Irish cinema. Give it a watch GAF. Its outstanding.
 
Great film but I had faith in the director so I went in expecting to like it.

My only real issue is that I felt the last two songs (excluding credit songs) were really weak compared to those before them. I'd argue they're meant to have a big impact but I just didn't enjoy them all that much. I've listened to the other songs outside the film a handful of times but I skip those two.
 
Does this director only do indie band love stories? And made vague dickish comments about the talented Kiera Knightley he had to take back and admit was his insecurity? Or do I have the wrong impression?
 
Top 5 of the year for me. Directors best movie by far imo too.

I just really loved the music and influences they had in this. One track sounded like the cure, the other Duran Duran, heard some clash in there and u2 as well. I normally don't like original songs all that much in musicals but these were great

Jack Reynor was the best. Dude needs to hit it big. He's like a charming amalgam of Chris Pratt and Jack black with an Irish accent. Best scene was the back to the future/rebel without a cause sequence
 
I just saw this. This movie is freaking amazing. It's like that time when you were teenager and thought anything was possible. I love the progression of the band, changing band styles to whatever Conor was listening to at the time. The soundtrack is totally stuck in my head now.

Drive it like you stole it
 
Discotheque said:
Jack Reynor was the best. Dude needs to hit it big. He's like a charming amalgam of Chris Pratt and Jack black with an Irish accent.
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Caught Reynor in Free Fire last weekend where he was in full scene-stealing mode once again. Color me surprised when I learned he was born in Colorado. He's been living in Ireland so that accent is the genuine article.

My only issue with Sing Street is I found it a bit of a stretch to believe all of these kids had this much genuine musical talent in them that didn't fully blossom until they decided to be in a band together so Conor could impress a girl. It's still one hell of a charmer - just like Carney's other flicks.
 
I've just seen this film as it just came out here in France. I loved it. It had some surprisingly dark subtext in addition to the feel-good exterior (
Raphina was raped by her dad, the bully is secretly gay, and the headmaster tried to abuse Conor in "his" bathroom"
). Also, dat soundtrack!
 
It is good yes. Not my favorite of his but damn if musicals of that heart-swelling kind are in short supply these days.

And Shoes, Up, and Drive It Like You Stole It are legitimately rockin' tunes lol..!!
 
this is not my sort of movie at all and i still had a grin on my face through the whole thing

it is disgustingly feel-good
 
I found the bond between brothers was way more convincing than the look at the main guy's relationship with the girl he liked....which is...sorta realistic for a high schooler?

Great main theme, and I liked the "making of the band" bits best.
 
The scene with Motörhead really sold the movie. This movie has so much charm and charisma it's impossible not to enjoy it.

The glasses dude is a true bro.
 
DOWN said:
Does this director only do indie band love stories? And made vague dickish comments about the talented Kiera Knightley he had to take back and admit was his insecurity? Or do I have the wrong impression?
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He makes what he knows. He was in The Frames and decided to make a movie and that was Once. The star was the lead singer of The Frames. No idea about the other stuff with Kiera?
 
I love this film so much. Can't help but smile with how charming everything is.
My favorite scene is Drive it Like You Stole It being a Back to the Future throwback. Gave me a big dumb grin when I saw it.
Too bad about it not being available on bluray here in Canada, but at least Netflix has it.

Also Hideo Kojima's 2nd favourite film of 2016.
 
I loved this movie. I related to it in another thread where a lot of people listed off movies demonstrating the anti-homosexual attitude of the 1980s. This movie felt like it took that energy, displayed it in the first half hour, then used it to make a super positive story. Up is such a good song.
 
DOWN said:
Does this director only do indie band love stories? And made vague dickish comments about the talented Kiera Knightley he had to take back and admit was his insecurity? Or do I have the wrong impression?
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That's him.

UberTag said:
Caught Reynor in Free Fire last weekend where he was in full scene-stealing mode once again. Color me surprised when I learned he was born in Colorado. He's been living in Ireland so that accent is the genuine article.

My only issue with Sing Street is I found it a bit of a stretch to believe all of these kids had this much genuine musical talent in them that didn't fully blossom until they decided to be in a band together so Conor could impress a girl. It's still one hell of a charmer - just like Carney's other flicks.
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He was only born there, brought up in Ireland with Irish parents. You should check out his first film, What Richard Did. It's based on a true story. He's a great actor, shame most people only know him from Transformers.
 
Interesting:

Carney on the ending: "Well, I don't see it just as a happy romantic ending. I think that's the tone of the piece, but I think it's more like... they're setting off together, that's true, but I wouldn't say that's some huge relationship that's going to last forever. They're kids. I sort of hope the scene at the end would look a little like a fantasy sequence. You're supposed to wonder where the reality ends and the pop video begins. But people are actually taking it very seriously, and people are presuming it's fully real, which is interesting. That wasn't the intention."
 
Spiral Insanity said:
What's the science behind making sly remarks against Phil Collins? Where does it originate from?
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He was everywhere when I was growing up in the 80's. I got so sick of hearing him on the radio all the time. I've grown to appreciate him now but I still don't care if I hear Sussudio ever again.

Watched the movie with my wife on Netflix a couple weeks ago and we both liked it a lot. Really sweet movie with some dark undercurrents. Only thing that took me out of the movie was how adept all the kids were in the band and could shift styles so easily. Except for the glasses kid as he was obviously a prodigy from the start. I kept expecting them to sound great in their heads and it would cut to reality where they were really bad.
 
Great movie! My wife and I grew up in the '80s and it was really nostalgic for us. Also nice to see our daughter watch the whole thing and not be on her phone during. I watched Begin Again and liked that, and I'll try Once next. Good writer/director.
 
What a terrific little film.
The masks and dat ending
why?

This movie was a few steps away from greatness.
 
shira said:
What a terrific little film.
The masks and dat ending
why?

This movie was a few steps away from greatness.
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I loved that part.
It was basically his "fuck you" to the system and making sure that he was burning every bridge. Therefore setting it in stone that he was leaving for London.


I agree with most here, loved the movie. I saw it on Netflix two times already, and I have been listening to all the songs on a Spotify playlist the entire week.
 
Mikef2000 said:
I loved that part.
It was basically his "fuck you" to the system and making sure that he was burning every bridge. Therefore setting it in stone that he was leaving for London.
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Oh I get the symbolism, but to me it felt not in line with how the rest of the film solves problems or the cleverness in the writing.
 
shira said:
What a terrific little film.
The masks and dat ending
why?

This movie was a few steps away from greatness.
Click to expand...

Yeah I agree. It feels like it switches gears, says fuck the music that they spend most of the time with and bails. Great film, but it indeed feels like it missed the final big leap into a higher grade.

The brother was cool; I think I was sold more on the brother's relationship than him and the girl's.
 
I'm glad I watched this on Netflix. There was a smile on my face most of the time. I'm still listening to some of the soundtrack too.
 
WrenchNinja said:
I just saw this. This movie is freaking amazing. It's like that time when you were teenager and thought anything was possible. I love the progression of the band, changing band styles to whatever Conor was listening to at the time. The soundtrack is totally stuck in my head now.

Drive it like you stole it
Click to expand...

oh god this song is stuck in my head again. i feel pumped to go conquer the world...lol
 
gamz said:
Interesting:

Carney on the ending: "Well, I don't see it just as a happy romantic ending. I think that's the tone of the piece, but I think it's more like... they're setting off together, that's true, but I wouldn't say that's some huge relationship that's going to last forever. They're kids. I sort of hope the scene at the end would look a little like a fantasy sequence. You're supposed to wonder where the reality ends and the pop video begins. But people are actually taking it very seriously, and people are presuming it's fully real, which is interesting. That wasn't the intention."
Click to expand...

So in reality,
they drowned!
lol
 
The brother (Reynor's) speech about how he "macheted" a path for his younger brother is one of my favorite scenes in any movies this year.
 
overcast said:
The brother (Reynor's) speech about how he "macheted" a path for his younger brother is one of my favorite scenes in any movies this year.
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hoping that dude hits it big one of these days. one of my favorite characters in a while. i liked how he was all jokes but then you finally got a sense of his frustration and shame in that scene.
 
This is one of the most positive surprises of the year for me. I knew it was from John Carney but it didn't really sound appealing on paper. Bought it anyway and it was everything people have said here it would be. Just a fun and positive movie with some great characters, definitely in my top 10 of the year.
 
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