"Begin Again" - an Exceptional Musical Romance

I almost cried twice during the new independent film "Begin Again" - not because it's sad or sappy, but because it's so true and brilliant.  This very 21st Century tale proves to be timeless in it's emotions, yet fresh and original in it's storytelling.  "Begin Again" is also a love letter to the creative process and possibly the best movie of 2014.

Writer-director John Carney's long-awaited follow-up to the 2006 Oscar winner "Once" delves into the familiar themes of love and music.  The filmmaking is more ambitious, not just because it's set on the streets of New York.  John Carney the writer has learned to trust John Carney the director and this is what sets "Begin Again" apart from the rest of the cutesy independent film wannabees.  During several of the movie's finest moments, Carney's camera lets the images speak for themselves with no further explanation required.  It's pure cinema and true beauty.  The final image of Keira Knigthley's face is reminiscent - yet more optimistic - of the famous end to François Truffaut's "The 400 Blows" - a powder keg of emotion worth a thousand words.

Keira Knightley, Hailee Steinfeld, and Mark Ruffalo

The story begins when wasted, burnt-out Dan (Mark Ruffalo) is fired from the record label he co-founded.  Estranged from his wife and teenage daughter (Hailee Steinfeld), he contemplates suicide as he drinks his soul away in the dark New York night.  He stumbles into a bar where singer-songwriter Gretta (Keira Knightley) has reluctantly taken the stage to perform a heartfelt song.  Dan's old magic is rekindled and he sets out to turn Gretta into the next big thing - and hopefully salvage his own career.

Keira Knightley and Adam Levine

Gretta also has a problematic history.  Recently separated from her rock star boyfriend (Adam Levine), Gretta is alone and hurt and ready to fly back to London.  Skeptical at first, she reluctantly agrees to let Dan help, and the two set off to make music.  Dan assembles a band of amateurs and friends (including a fun cameo by CeeLo Green) to record songs live at various landmark locations in New York.  As their careers blossom, they each confront their past.  Most touching of all is Dan's relationship with his daughter (Hailee Steinfeld).  A teen looking to fit in, she surprises her father with talent and maturity that proves to be a hard-earned, yet deserving bond.

Making music on the streets

"Begin Again" is not a traditional love story, but more about the love of life - our friends, families, careers, and art.  The pure joy of the music making scenes are exciting and as explosive as any CGI-laden blockbuster.  The movie nicely addresses both the business and art sides of the creative process, showing the good with the bad.

It embraces the New York setting and dives into the city.  The characters and neighborhoods are expertly weaved together into a believable world that makes everything seem alive and real.  Shot on digital with the Red camera, the cinematography especially pops during the nighttime scenes in Times Square - which appear to have been secretly filmed with real New Yorkers as extras.

Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley in Times Square

Mark Ruffalo, as always, brings his A-game and creates a memorable, lovable loser that you can't help but root for.  He's definitely one of the best American actors working today.  It is, however, Keira Knightley's movie, as it begins and ends with Gretta.  Her character undergoes the greatest transformation and the actress deserves much credit.  This may be her best work yet and I hope she's remembered during Awards Season.  Who says there's no great roles for women?  Her character makes tough decisions while never losing strength and the belief in her music.  She's the moral center of this year's most entertaining movie universe.

Beneath the Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Back when there was such thing as a Late Show – the free TV Friday night after-hours movie – one of my favorites was the original “Planet of the Apes.”  I was literally the first kid in my class to see it, and I often talked about the movie in enthusiastic hyperbole.  Since the year was 1981 and I was in First Grade, not everyone in the world knew the infamous ending and very few kids believed my fantastic tale.

Flash forward to 2014 and after several new versions and remakes, the movie is such an iconic franchise that a new “Apes” flick is as common as a new “Star Wars” or “Batman.”  Which is to say not so exotic anymore.  I really liked 2011’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” as it told the very early stages of how earth became “The Planet.”  So I approached this summer’s “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” with enthusiasm to see the next chapter.

When we left off, the Human Race had just been infected with a killer flu virus, and the new breed of genetically advanced apes were striking out on their own.  When “Dawn” begins, humans have been almost entirely wiped out, while the apes are thriving.  They have built their own city in California’s Muir Woods while developing greater language skills including reading and writing.  At first I was disappointed that we jumped ten years, skipping over the epic demise of humans and the proliferation of the apes.  But that would be a different movie, and I can’t judge a movie that wasn’t made.

What was made is a CGI extravaganza with yet another spectacular motion-capture performance by Andy Serkis (Gollum from “Lord of the Rings”).  As the apes swing, fight, think and speak, we see the latest animation technology at work.  It’s pretty, it’s modern cinema, and it’s impressive.  I have no doubt this was an incredibly hard movie to make.  But I found myself thinking more about the filmmaking and less about the story.

And there’s the big problem with “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” – the lack of a central plot.  The story kicks into gear when a group of humans (led by Jason Clarke and Keri Russell) enter the Apes’ woods looking for a hydroelectric dam to power up their refugee city in San Francisco.  One side doesn’t trust the other, but they set aside their differences and agree to work together.  Until. . .a little deception and betrayal leads to an all out war as the apes fight the humans for survival . . .for one scene.  The dam subplot goes nowhere and then it really becomes about man on ape action.  It’s not very epic, and nothing we haven’t seen before.  The human characters are underdeveloped and one-dimensional, which emphasizes the role of these apes - they are the protagonists here.  It's their coming of age story.  I get it, which is certainly a different and bold move by the filmmakers.  But that doesn't make it good and enjoyable for the audience.  

Without giving away the (weak) climax, the movie ends on a more optimistic note than a “Planet of the Apes” movie should.  I mean, these are supposed to be bleak, cautionary tales of human fallibility, right?  At the end of the original, Charlton Heston famously screams “You maniacs!” referring to the humans who destroyed the Earth.  But are these humans the same maniacs?  Am I wrong for wanting more?  I miss the Late Show.