All over New York City. And we do it through the summer, and it becomes this tribute to this beautiful, goddamn crazy, fractured mess of a city, New York.
After seeing the popularity of "Summer of the Band", I was reminded of the film I once saw, about how a group of frustrated musicians formed a draft root band and achieved outstanding results. Begin again, a New York summer story full of brisk romanticism.
John Carney, born in Dublin, Ireland in 1972, is an Irish director, screenwriter and producer. In 2007, he directed the love music film "Once", which won the audience award at the 23rd Sundance Film Festival - World Film Unit - Feature Film.
Director John Carney himself is the bass player of the rock band "The Frames". He not only participated in the recording, but also made concert videos and music videos for the band. These work made him have a strong interest in "images". In 1993 Years left the band to join the film industry. 2007's "Once" produced a familiar song "Falling Slowly" that became an American Idol classic (personally prefers the Kris Allen version). Directed "Begin again" in 2013, and the latest musical film is "Sing Street" in 2016 (Lucy Boynton is so beautiful).
In the first half of the movie, I played a small editing flower head, the beginning is the meeting, and then the two people were recounted in flashbacks, and this small bar meeting was recreated in the middle (this narrative is a bit like La La Land). So the opening scene is that Steve, played by James Corden, tries his best to invite his friend Greta to the stage in a bar.
Greta seemed to be reluctant in every possible way. She sang a lonely love song seriously with the guitar accompaniment on stage (in the yellow light, KK looked like she was short-sighted without glasses), and everyone in the audience chatted and laughed freely. The new song did not seem to be to everyone's appetite. She kept swaying and revolving around the heroine, occasionally swept across the absent-minded audience, and finally focused on the only curly-haired man in the audience who listened carefully. Before the camera flashed, the big man smiled idiotically, inexplicably excited (not me). Poisonous tongue, the appearance of Dan played by Uncle Mark is too rough).
The loud music sounded, and then the camera turned, and the big man was woken up by the alarm clock on the bed.
The camera outlines this day of this frustrated middle-aged man from the perspective of an observer: divorce, poor father-daughter relationship, penniless, alcoholism, as the founder of an independent record label, the artist he has discovered is often missed. Conflict of ideas, getting fired (all the classic problems of mid-life crisis).
Due to the subway failure and the flat flask running out of wine, I ran into a nearby bar and happened to meet Greta singing a cappella (how can I be so lucky..) This piece of music was handled very well, as Dan gradually approached the front of the stage The accompaniment of various musical instruments is automatically supplemented by the brain. The original single guitar accompaniment demo has become mature and perfect, like the rough stone gradually carved into rough jade. This paragraph reflects the difference between ordinary ears and professional ears listening to the same song (the director is indeed a band from professional households).
It was only at this time that Dan was swept away, and the first small climax in the middle of the film finally showed his literacy and style as a professional music producer and manager.
Dan then invites Greta in hopes of signing her, but he can't sign her and she doesn't want to be signed. But the two talked speculatively and happily went home separately. At this time, we started to tell the story of Greta. With the sound of the KK version of "Lost stars", the film gradually told the story of a musical couple, the woman who wrote the lyrics and the song, and the man who was the lead singer. They were discovered by the production company, so they went to London from a small place in the UK. .
After coming to New York, Greta showed that she was willing to be her boyfriend Luye, although the man repeatedly emphasized that the two were partners and wanted to work together when they first met the record company. But Greta was gradually marginalized by the team (the production company has a professional production team, and it may be seen by the management that Greta's production talent is dispensable), and has been doing some sundry work for her boyfriend.
Dave went to Los Angeles, Greta toured New York alone, and visited Steve, a former good friend, who now sings on the streets of Central Park. It can also be seen from the conversation between the two that Greta is also trying to digest the gap from a former partner to now only known as Dave's girlfriend.
After Dave returned to New York, he played Greta's new song "AHigherPlace", but Greta heard her boyfriend's betrayal from the song through female intuition. This song was written to the company's beautiful Asian assistant Mim, Greta. Without hesitation, she gave her boyfriend a slap in the face.
Then Greta packed up and left Dave's residence, went to Steve to stay overnight, and was ready to fly back to London the next day. At this time, her friend strongly invited her to go to the bar to watch his performance. After knowing the story, she met Dan. Greta, who was supposed to be back in London the next day, changed her mind, met Dan again, and went to the indie music company he had previously created to give a demo of Greta to her former collaborator.
Ironically, the owner of an independent record company doesn't like independent singer-songwriters, so he was attacked by erysipelas. In the end, the two parties compromised and said that the singer would make a demo and show it to the company to see if it could be released.
Then Dan came up with a genius idea, since there is no recording studio, then the whole of New York can be used as a recording studio, with computers, professional software, microphones and good instruments (with the sound of the whole city as the background, how romantic!)
With the increasingly fast and high-spirited music, Dan quickly found a group of equally talented but frustrated musicians, added fiddlers, bass players, pianists, drummers to the band and successfully got the management. The band gradually broke in and began to record singles on the streets of New York.
The film also arranged a separate branch, through music and Greta, Dan and his ex-wife and daughter's relationship gradually broke the ice, daughter Violet was even responsible for the electric guitar part of a song, stunning everyone (the electric guitar in the second half of "TellMeIfYouWannaGoHome". really superb)
Hailee Steinfeld, who played her daughter, played the leading role in the 2010 Coen Brothers directed "Thunderbolt" at the age of 14. She did not lose against the veteran actor Jeff Bridges, and she performed perseverance and courage at a young age. , cunning feeling, this film has a smoky voice and Uncle Mark also have a strong aura to the lines, and the later generations are terrifying.
Then Greta and Dan had a quarrel over family and relationship issues, and a dark thread was paved: Dan suffered the same betrayal as Greta, and his wife, a music reporter, fell in love with a singer during a business trip. Then the other party returned to the family, but the wife still couldn't forget the other party, and the relationship between Dan and his wife broke down.
Then Greta found the splitter hanging in Dan's car, so the two shared Greta's playlist for a night tour in the bustling streets of New York.
The two of them are happy. After listening to the jazz and listening to the pop, they will go to the disco after listening to the pop. This episode is so happy, how rare it is for an adult to meet a friend who likes the same thing, and what a joy it is to listen to the songs they both like and take risks together.
With the most poetic lens and the music he is familiar with - film language, he filmed the New York he loves and knows well. From everywhere in the film, you can feel his enthusiasm, seriousness, and related preferences and views on music. Said that music is not only work, but has become an inseparable part of life.
When she saw Dave winning the New Music Award, wearing a big beard and thinking of a rock star giving a speech on stage, Greta realized that she and Dave had a difference in philosophy, or that it was not a cheating thing happened, Greta It may take longer to realize the reality: the two of them have lived for five years, but they are not thinking the same way. Either Dave came to New York and lost himself, or that's what he wanted: no music, flowers, cheers and spotlights. Then, under the influence of alcohol, Greta wrote "Like A Foll" to ridicule her ex-boyfriend (and more of her silly self).
The band started recording records everywhere, "TellMeIfYouWannaGoHome" on the roof broke the ice for the father and daughter, and Violet's electric guitar was amazing.
Greta also ushered in the first meeting after breaking up with Dave. KK's acting skills completely showed the process of alertness - relaxation - pleasure - contradiction - outbreak - regret. It can be felt that after signing with the record company, Dave cannot have the right to decide on many levels. The new album takes the ordinary name of "On the Road", and uses the ballad written by his ex-girlfriend to make a pop song. style (by..). This conversation is a true representation of the previously divided and complex emotions and atmosphere of a broken but still emotional couple (Dave subconsciously tries to reassure her but withdraws his hand after Greta's outburst). In the end Dave hinted at reconciliation and invited Greta to his show.
Then Greta and Dan took the work and negotiated with the record company with a tougher attitude. They won a big victory and got the contract smoothly. When the two finally parted, Dan showed a rare sadness, and the two bid farewell to each other.
At the end, Dave's "Lost Stars" became the final climax of the film. Dave's regret, Greta's sadness, and Dan and his ex-wife's reconciliation were all melted in "Are we all lost stars, try to light up the dark" ".
The Sao Dang version of "Lost Stars" became one of my favorite songs, and the live version was at its peak in terms of skill and emotion, as a professional singer. After listening to Maroon 5 "Sugar" and "Animals" a lot, I saw a less Maroon 5 Adam Levine in this film, which reminded me of the lyrical rock route they took in the early days, and Dave saw it in the first time. The surprise of Greta coming to the scene and the sadness of her leaving at the end also showed a certain level of acting skills of Sao Dang.
In the dark, I found my lover standing under the stage, but finally found that the man was gone when the spotlight turned on.
Dave and Greta can no longer be together after all. Whether it is the past or the current situation, it is difficult for them to continue their relationship because of their differences in ideas, but it is also very good. After all, Greta himself There is still a long way to go, and many interesting things are waiting for her to do.
It is more appropriate for Greta and Dan to stop here. Occasional encounters and congeniality in life are only momentary sparks, and they may not always illuminate the future road. The love they both might have had was in a hug.
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