Knightley, Ruffalo Team Up To Melt Our Hearts With Music: Our Review of "Begin Again" (2014)

Directed By: John Carney (Once) 

Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Keira Knightley, Hailee Steinfeld, Catherine Keener, Adam Levine

Rating: R for language

Run Time: 1 hour, 44 minutes

Synopsis: Dan (Ruffalo) is a record executive who has fallen on hard times, to the point of losing his job and contemplating suicide. Greta (Knightley) is a British songwriter who followed her singer boyfriend (Levine) to America but gets her heart broken when he hits it big. When Greta sings one of her songs impromptu in a bar that Dan is getting drunk at, he hears and becomes inspired by her music. Together they decide to record her songs in the open environment of New York City as they help each other try to regain who they once were.

REVIEW

Andrew: Hello, dear readers! We're here with the second of our two reviews we're posting today, as last Thursday we checked out Begin Again, the new film from director John Carney, who a few years back came out with a very popular indie film called Once. Once told the story of a pair of musicians in Ireland who fall in love but ultimately go their separate ways, and it really kind of took the world by storm because of its music. It just became a huge indie hit, won an Oscar for Best Original Song, and also lead to a popular and Tony-winning adaptation on stage. 

And now Carney's come back with Begin Again, which follows in a similar vein as Once in that it's about musicians, yet is its own film. This movie was about a down-on-his-luck- music producer named Dan, played by Mark Ruffalo...

Sarah: Who discovers a young singer/songwriter named Greta, played by Keira Knightley, who is getting ready to head home to England after a terrible break-up with her newly minted rock-star boyfriend played by Adam Levine.  Dan thinks that he can take Greta and do something with her songs; something that will pull him out of his slump that is fueled primarily by booze. 

A: This was one that I know I had been looking forward to ever since it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year and got good word of mouth. It looked like it had a great cast...

S:  And we read the article about it in Entertainment Weekly and it really just got us excited about seeing this movie on screen. And finally it has come to our little Indie film theater here in Atlanta! So now that we’ve seen it, Andrew, did it live up to our excitement?

Seeking a Good Movie? Look No Further!: Our Review of "Seeking a Friend for the End of the World" (2012)

Directed By: Lorene Scafaria

Starring: Steve Carell and Keira Knightley

Rating: R for language including sexual references, some drug use and brief violence

Synopsis: After the news that asteroid is going to destroy Earth in 21 days following a failed Armageddon-esque attempt to save it, Dodge Petersen (Carell) is abandoned by his wife, essentially leaving him with nothing. Then he meets his eccentric neighbor, Penny (Knightley), and together they search for his long-lost love and a way to get her back to her family in England before the world ends.

REVIEW

Andrew: Hello readers! Last night Sarah and I saw the new Steve Carell/Keira Knightley dramedy Seeking a Friend For the End of the World. Sarah, this is the third of the three movies we previewed on Thursday that we’ve seen now, and if I remember correctly you were kind of on the fence about this one. So now that we’ve seen it, what did you think about Seeking a Friend For the End of the World?

Sarah: I liked it! The concept behind the plot obviously made me think but it was not what I expected. It was actually pretty intense.

A: What did you expect?

S: I expected more comedy. I expected to be a little bit funnier. Maybe that’s my fault…

A: I think that’s more the trailer’s fault.

S: It could be more of the trailer’s fault, I do think they gave away a lot of the funny parts in the trailer to get audiences, but it was much more in line with Carell’s Dan in Real Life. It has its funny moments but is pretty intense the rest of the time. I had this pit of nervousness in my stomach pretty much the whole time we were watching it, especially towards the end.

A: I think you nailed it on the head comparing it to Dan in Real Life. This was actually, like we said at the top, more of a dramedy. It has its funny parts, which the trailer gave away a lot of, but it’s also very serious, dark and introspective. I liked how it shows the different kind of responses people might have to knowing they only have so many days to live.

The journey Penny (Knightley) and Dodge (Carell) go on was pleasantly surprising to us.

I actually REALLY liked this movie because of that aspect. I was surprised, like you, as to what was really going down. But I really, really liked the different portrayals. You had Connie Britton’s character, a married woman who is way too aloof and she makes a move on Carell’s Dodge and says something sobering along the lines of, “Nobody is anyone’s anything anymore.” That was her character’s response to the end of the world, and there are plenty of other examples in the film I liked.

S: There was also the Dodge’s housekeeper who kept coming back to clean his apartment, and all the other people who kept on doing their regular day jobs like nothing was happening.

A: And I think that’s a great representation! There would DEFINITELY be people who couldn’t take it and they would find comfort in doing what they’ve done every other of their lives.

S: I do too. Seeking a Friend For the End of the World is very much a character study. Each character was extremely developed, which takes time to do so some viewers might perceive it as being slow.

A: One thing I liked, as you were just saying, while it was slow you have Carell’s Dodge and Knightley’s Penny and both of them going through a, “What DIDN’T I do in my life? What did I waste my time doing? What can I do to make up for it?” And their search for that.

(POSSIBLE SPOILER FROM HERE ON OUT) Much like Warrior last year, you knew what was going to happen regarding Dodge and Penny’s relationship or could see it coming from a mile away, but it’s HOW they got there and the reactions and the acting! Steve Carell for the second year in a row BROUGHT it. We loved him in Crazy, Stupid, Love and this might be equal work.

S: It’s a little different because he’s dourer, like he was in Dan in Real Life, but there’s just something about him in his eyes and how he says his lines, his delivery. It kills you.

A: And Keira Knightley did well especially the scene where she’s able to call her family…

S: Oh gosh yes. And what I thought was interesting was that they realize throughout the story that what they’re seeking is not what they thought they needed before the world ended. I think that journey is very important, and it really makes you think. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow, what if something like this WERE to happen? It’s not completely out of the realm of possibility that something like this could ever happen. It makes you wonder and think about what would YOU do if the world was ending in three weeks?

While looking like an unlikely romantic couple, Sarah looks at it as more of the two needing each other than anything else

A: And again I thought it was a great representation of the different reactions to the apocalypse. One of my favorite details was at the beginning they show a billboard that has flyers on it and one is basically an ad for if you want to hire an assassin to kill you before the world ends, and we’re introduced to a character who does end up hiring one and it made me think. Like, “Damn, I never thought of that. People really MIGHT do that!”

S: And how many people would commit suicide because they wouldn’t want to live knowing the end is near? You know you’re going to die but everyone’s going to die at the same time but you can’t wait.

A: And it’s the detail of this one guy who hires an assassin to kill him because he can’t kill himself because you can’t get into heaven that way. People would DEFINITELY think like that. And there’s a scene later where there’s a mass Baptism, and this one is a joyous scene, all these people who maybe weren’t even religious before the apocalypse…

S: Want to be saved before the end.

A: Exactly. I loved those details. A lot of it could maybe be seen as cheesy or hokey, but I didn’t see it that way. It was all very earnest…

S: Very heartfelt and real. And Steve Carell absolutely pulls this movie off. There are plenty of funny moments, like Friendsy’s restaurant scene is a blast, and there are a lot of funny turns by actors like Rob Corddry, Patton Oswalt and others. The casting was top notch, just perfect across the board. And it just made us think!

A: Honestly this film is in my top five of the year so far behind The Cabin in the Woods, 21 Jump Street and The Avengers.

S: I don’t know.

A: It really made me think and it GOT to us. It’s a dark comedy, it’s very dark at times, and along with all the representations of how people would react, there are some things that happen in the film that took me by surprise and that was a good thing. Some people might not like them, but I did.

S: Yeah, there were some surprising moments. While we could see the romance coming, everything else that happened was a pleasant surprise.

A: What’s our final grade?

S: I don’t necessarily think you need to see this in theatres. It would be a good matinee but also works just as well on the small screen. We won’t own it the day it comes out, but I do think we’ll own it some day.

FINAL VERDICT: A must-see in theatres!

(Out of Five Clapboards)

Photo Courtesies: Movies Cut, Screen Rant, Hollywood Reporter

Our Preview of This Week's New Releases (for Friday, June 22nd)

Andrew: Hello readers! Time for our weekly preview, and unlike a lot of the past few weeks where there were only two wide releases, we're back to a weekend with three major releases. First up we have what I'm betting will have the largest opening weekend at the box office, Disney/Pixar's Brave.

Sarah, this is Pixar's first feature film where the lead character is a female, that female being the Scottish princess Merida (voiced by Boardwalk Empire's Kelly Macdonald), who rebels against her mother's wishes that she marry a suitable prince. What do you think about the fact that this is the first Pixar film to feature a female as the main character?

Sarah: Well I would say that it is about time. I'm really excited about this one coming out. It has been a couple of years since Disney and Pixar collaborated on a movie and they always seem to get it right. Their animation is always gorgeous and the characters are so well developed. Merida looks to be a great female lead for the new movie. She is young and spunky, so many kids will relate to her.

Official Trailer for Brave

A: This definitely looks like it's going to be a gorgeous looking movie, there's no doubt about that. I like that they're going with a female lead, because we've seen in Disney's past that the so-called "Disney princesses" can attract large audiences but also tell great stories.

I'm most curious about the fact that they've been keeping the true plot of the movie under wraps, and that it seems most reviewers have gone along with Disney and Pixar and not spoiled anything in their reviews. So I'm definitely intrigued to see where they go with Brave.

S: I have noticed that. They have been vague and mysterious. It's a refreshing change of pace for the movies.

Ok, we also have Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. What a mouthful! This movie starring Steve Carrell and Keira Knightly looks to be a smart, dark comedy. I've got some mixed feelings about this one. It doesn't necessarily look bad, but I think they have given away a lot of plot points in the trailers.

Official Trailer for Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

A: I've been looking forward to this one since we saw the first trailer because it looks like another funny turn from Carell playing the straight-man. He's one of the very few comedic actors who can be funny without being over-the-top like Will Ferrell or Jim Carrey.

Anyways, I like the concept of this film and am interested in seeing how they portray various people's reactions to the end of the world, knowing that an asteroid is going to collide with Earth in so many days. I'm not too concerned with what's been in the trailers, because much like Brave, I'm sure there's plenty we haven't seen yet.

S: You could be right. I will hold my final judgment until after we have seen it though, of course. I will be interested to see Knightly try out her comedic chops. This British transplant has really made a name for herself in the States mainly in dramatic or action films, so I am excited to see her opposite Carell.

The last movie that is coming out this weekend wide is Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I am super stoked about this one. It looks like it’s going to be a real vampire horror movie! I am so sick of people laughing in the theatres when this trailer comes on. It's not going to be a funny movie, people. Yes, the name is satirical, it's supposed to be. But it’s part of a group of books that put twists on classic stories.

 Official Trailer for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

A: Oh yeah, people seem to be thinking that this movie is going to be tongue-in-cheek and it isn't. They're playing it completely straight, and I'm looking forward to that. Good vampire movies are few and far between, so I have relatively high hopes for this one. Not huge hopes, but I'm hoping it's just a fun ride.

I like the set-up: that a young Abraham Lincoln, being played by the relatively unknown Benjamin Walker, saw his mother killed by a vampire and goes on a lifelong quest to destroy them. Also, that vampires were a huge factor in the Civil War and slavery, etc. It's just a neat take on a fictional revisionist historical tale.

S: It really is. So I think it is safe to say that this weekend is going to be a great one for the movies!

A: Indeed. And we can guarantee that we'll be seeing all three at some point over the next week, probably starting with Brave! So be on the lookout for those reviews, and as always, thanks for reading!