"Miles Ahead" Review

Oscar-nominated actor Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda, Captain America: Civil War) makes his feature writing and directorial debut with Miles Ahead, a fictionalized account of a few days in the life of jazz musician Miles Davis during his self-imposed "retirement" in the late 1970s.

Miles Ahead bucks traditional "biopic" formula by charting a very specific period as opposed to an entire life / career. It's actually more of a crime caper with biopic elements, such as flashbacks to his tumultuous relationship with ex-wife Frances Taylor (Emayatzy Corinealdi). Cheadle weaves these elements together in a way that's far more engaging than your typical "Behind the Music" movie, and his performance as Davis is the electricity that keeps the whole thing crackling. That said, I walked out of the theater as if I had seen nothing spectacular. Nothing bad, mind you; just nothing that's going to go down in history as a towering cinematic achievement.

The story is actually quite interesting even if it isn't all necessarily true. Davis (Cheadle) is living as a bitter recluse at his home in New York City when he is visited by Dave Brill (Ewan McGregor), a reporter for Rolling Stone magazine who hopes to get a scoop on the musician's comeback story. Turns out, Davis has actually recorded new music since falling off the scene, and the record company wants it badly. Harper Hamilton (Michael Stuhlbarg) manages a new up-and-comer (Keith Stanfield) whom everyone hopes will replace Davis. To seal their deal with Columbia Records, Harper and his cronies attempt to get their hands on Miles' new tape by any means necessary.

The film was shot entirely in my home city of Cincinnati, which makes a fine double for mid-to-late 20th century New York. Between this film and last year's Carol, I hope the city continues to attract A-list talent. The production design is great. Between that and the 16mm film stock Cheadle shot much of the movie on, Miles Ahead boasts a palpably gritty, 1970s feel that's evocative of some "blaxploitation" films of the era.

What ultimately killed the film for me was the #SocialMusic concert playing over the credits. At the end of the film, Dave speaks to Miles about what's next, to which Miles replies "A comeback." The second he says that, the film cuts straight to live footage of a present-day concert with Cheadle in full makeup playing onstage with Herbie Hancock, complete with modern light show and social media blurbs. It just feels too far out of context to make any sense whatsoever. A final title card shows Davis' silhouette with the text "1926 -." The real Miles Davis died in 1991, but the film makes an odd way of ultimately saying that even if you manage to "kill the trumpet player," his music and legacy will live forever. I ended up getting it, but that's a nice message that didn't need to be muddled so.

In the end Miles Ahead is a decent picture, albeit something of a letdown. Cheadle shows promise as a filmmaker, however, and should eventually produce a more confidently executed piece. It's worth seeing, but this won't be an Oscar hopeful.

B-

"Sing Street" Review

Irish writer/director John Carney (Once) follows up his 2012 feature Begin Again with yet another rip-roaring, soul-soaring, heartwarming love story. This is Sing Street.

Conor (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) is a 15-year-old boy living in mid-'80s Dublin. His parents (Aidan Gillen, Maria Doyle Kennedy) are often too absorbed in money and fidelity issues to give Conor, his older brother Brendan (Jack Reynor) and sister Ann (Kelly Thornton) the love they deserve. Facing tough economic times, the parents decide to move Conor to the real-life Synge Street school run by the Congregation of Christian Brothers. There he faces down bullies and a fascist headmaster who forces him to go barefoot because he doesn't own dress code shoes. One day after a confrontation with a bully, Conor meets Darren (Ben Carolan), an ally and aspiring businessman. As the two walk off school grounds at the end of the day, Conor spots a beautiful girl named Raphina (Lucy Boynton) on the stoop across the street. He tries to impress her by saying that he needs a model for his band's latest music video and that she would be perfect. With few resources and even fewer friends, Conor decides he needs to make the gig legit by actually starting a band good enough to record an original song by the weekend.

The rest, as they say, is rock-n-roll history.

The film gets its name from that of the band Conor forms; the boys all attend Synge Street School, so "Sing Street" feels like a natural re-appropriation for such a group.

As he's proved with his previous films, Carney knows how to craft an engaging love story. This one feels decidedly fresh for a couple of reasons. The first is that it never seems like Raphina is an unobtainable object, like a princess locked in a faraway tower. She's practically another member of the band. The second is because their story never feels schmaltzy, and even when it dabbles in that territory, it does so with its tongue firmly planted in its cheek as exemplified by perhaps the coolest scene of the film. One day while playing in an empty gymnasium, Conor imagines a music video for one of the band's songs "Drive It Like You Stole It" which takes place during a 1950s high school prom like the one in Back To the Future. The idea is for Raphina to walk into the prom, have the crowd part, and the two of them run off into the moonlight together.

This is of course what Conor really wants in real life - for the two of them to run off and be together. It isn't necessarily a fantasy for him, which is why it's such a stellar, heartbreaking artistic expression on Carney's part to bookend that colorful scene with the band in the cold, grey gym after school with just a handful of offbeat backup performers. In truth, it's actually an incredible self-contained music video that Carney masterfully weaves into the fabric of the story.

It should go without saying then that Carney's script and direction are first-rate, and his original songs live up to that as well. "The Riddle of the Model" is a solid tribute to New Wave acts like Duran Duran and Depeche Mode, while "Drive It Like You Stole It" could be one of the top songs of the summer if it got radio play in the U.S.

Acting performances across the board are wonderful, with Reynor standing out as Conor's brother Brendan. He brings a crucial sense of "been-there, failed-at-that, but-that-doesn't-mean-you-have-to" gravitas to the character which reigns in, but also facilitates, the controlled chaos that Conor, Raphina and Sing Street represent. You'll leave wishing this guy was your big brother.

Truly everything about Sing Street (from the catchy songs to the terrific acting, to Carney's smart, funny script and assured direction) works in conjunction with everything else, and nothing feels half-assed. Sing Street is the perfect feel-good film to kickstart the summer season. This is one of the most complete and all-around solid films I've seen in some time. It certainly earns a spot near the top of my "Best of 2016" list so far. '

A+

"I Saw the Light" Review

Loki and Scarlet Witch team up for... Hank Williams?

Tom Hiddleston stars as the legendary country singer, and Elizabeth Olsen makes a supporting turn as his first wife Audrey.

Although writer/director Marc Abraham manages to wring nuanced performances from his talented cast, almost everything else about I Saw the Light remains in the dark.

The story picks up with Hank in his early 20s at the end of his small-town radio career. He begs his handlers to give him a shot at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee which has been a dream of Hank's for as long as he can remember. When his first appearance goes off like gangbusters, it seems Hank finally has the world at his fingertips.

Now, we all know Hank Williams the singer/songwriter, but how well do we know Hank Williams the man, the alcoholic who died in the back of his car at the age of 29?

Turns out, we know him quite well. I Saw the Light joins a long list of now-vanilla biopics about tragic, self-destructive "artists" and fails to adequately explore the pathos behind these real-life characters. Abraham's script can't be bothered to differentiate Williams' story from any standard biopic that's been released in the past 10-15 years. We get a good sense of what's on the surface but never an understanding of the driving force behind the man.

The first half-hour is also very poorly edited. Cuts, dissolves and cross-fades are placed at two or three scene transitions before the preceeding sequence is finished. Fortunately, this mistake is cleaned up as the film goes on, but there's really no excuse for ignoring basic filmmaking techniques in a modestly-budgeted, A-list production.

If this had been released 10 years ago during awards season, Hiddleston would likely be up for an Oscar. His assured performance keeps the film watchable, and his singing is quite good. It occurred to this reviewer, however, that as often as we consider Williams a musical "genius" and credit him with the invention of an entire genre of music, every single one of his songs sounds the exact same.

*Cue Kermit the Frog sipping tea*

If you've seen Ray and Walk the Line, you've seen I Saw the Light.

D