The Music Never Stopped

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: A man with severe memory loss (Lou Taylor Pucci), learns to recall his teenage years by listening to the music of the 60s, and through the music, also manages to rekindle a failed relationship with his father (J.K. Simmons).

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: J.K. Simmons, Lou Taylor Pucci, Julia Ormond, Cara Seymour, Mia Maestro, Tammy Blanchard, Scott Adsit, Max Antisell

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. It's trying to attract the "mature" audience that fell so hard for The Visitor, and quite frankly, I think that audience will be pleased with this story of father and son estrangement. But don't expect to flip out over it like you did the former. This is a personal message to my Dad. I apologize to all those of you who are not him.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: It teeters on the edge of the ability to do so.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: It teeters on the edge of the ability to do this, too... or either, depending on if you're a glass full or glass empty kind of person.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Lou Taylor Pucci's role is that kind that actors take on in hopes of gaining award recognition. Unfortunately, as is the case with all the roles I've seen him play, there is something a little too actor-y about his work. In other words, he's self-conscious. So, no awards. But the songs on the soundtrack have won enough awards, between them, to more than make up for it.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: J.K. Simmons does a nice job of playing a character with more than one dimension. Among the other members of the cast, I heard English accents slipping out of more than one of them, and on more than one occasion.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: Despite the familiar soundtrack, there is an energy missing from the film, which is causing all the emotional teetering. I'm pretty sure it's because first time director, Jim Kohlberg, is still learning how to control his edits.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: It's based on a true story, and without that little nugget, it would be even more predictable than it is.

Q: Where can I see the trailer?

A: The Music Never Stopped Trailer

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Persepolis

Q: What’s the movie about?

A: The animated history of how Iran has evolved in the last 40 years, as told through the eyes of a rebellious girl born in the early 70s, who watches her country become less evolved as she becomes more evolved.

Q: Who’s in the movie?

A: The voices of Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Danielle Darrieux, Simon Abkarian, Gabrielle Lopes

Q: Is this movie worth the price of admission?

A: Proceed with Caution. Telling a historical story through a first person "biopic" point of view is an interesting approach, but it doesn't completely hide the fact that this is more of a lesson in history than a character study. On an intellectual level, it is possible to infer a lot about our world, and how people respond to their governments by either feeling empowered to rebel against them or worn out, apathetic, and helpless to make a change. But you will not leave the theater having gained this insight on a visceral level, you will have to make the effort to think about it afterwards.

Q: Will this movie make me laugh?

A: There is one highly comedic montage to Rocky's, "Eye of the Tiger," which feels severely out of place in this movie which doesn't include Will Ferrell.

Q: Will this movie make me cry?

A: If you're from Iran, you will certainly feel depressed about the backwards direction of the people's freedom, as depicted by this film.

Q: Will this movie be up for any awards?

A: Many. Though I would not have predicted this outcome, had the nominations not been announce before my review. It has won and been nominated for too many awards to mention. Mostly in the uncrowded Animation categories, but sometimes in the Foreign Film categories, as well.

Q: How is the Acting?

A: Animated.

Q: How is the Directing?

A: The directing was the highlight of this movie. The animation was highly artistic and seemed to move in unpredictable yet organic ways. The closest animation I can think to compare it to would be The Beatles' Yellow Submarine -- though Persepolis is more sophisticated, and doesn't require dropping acid.

Q: How is the story/script?

A: I was happy to learn a little something about the history of Iran, but I would have liked to be more emotionally compelled by the film. It played like a biopic. And anyone who's been reading this blog knows how I feel about biopics.

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