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Reviews
My All-American (2015)
Nothing More Than An Article
'My All American (Courage)' brings nothing more to the table than an article you can read online. The screenplay constantly stays safe and the writing never takes a chance to create more depth to portray Freddie Steinmark in a realistic way. This is a glossed over family film, with the strong hint of bland Christian morals. There is no room for character building and change, as everyone remains flat and stale.
Any attempt of trying to add a backstory away from his football career is quickly drowned out by, well, more football. Every conversation, whether its with his family, girlfriend, or friends, is quickly shifted to football, which portrays Freddie as a robot bowing down to the game; nothing more is on his mind. His early life struggles are quickly resolved and move on to the next football task; nothing more.
Sure, we can understand that he loved football, but Angelo Pizzo does not show the effort in film-making as the real Freddie Steinmark showed for the game. Pizzo's script and direction can be equally fulfilled by reading only a single article, or skimming the SparkNotes from 'Courage Beyond the Game: The Freddie Steinmark Story' written by, Jim Dent. What we are watching in this film is the first adaptation of a screenplay, as Pizzo forgot that screen writing takes a few more drafts.
Sonic Highways (2014)
A Proper Recognition To Music Legends
In a day and age where social networking and other new-age website mediums are pointing a middle finger to artists who struggled to get where they are, Sonic Highways restores the inspiration that is slowly being lost. Today, the music world is being hacked by those who believe views from those looking into a computer screen is the best gratifying experience. The world of musicians only playing music for their own ears is getting lost into history. Now, people are wanting cameras around every note being played, so they can become the next online star who obtains the spotlight for a short amount of time.
Dave Grohl begins this incredible journey by taking us to the old blues and punk rock routes of Chicago. He establishes the fact that many of the musicians didn't expect to gain a bigger audience than the 50 people crammed inside of a local club, or those listening on the side of a street. This is what I personally enjoy; fellow musicians who can enjoy music, without ever expecting it to leave the room. The gratification of playing it for a small amount of people, or just for yourself is greater than millions of views.
Though the caparison to the online digital age isn't addressed, the feeling when watching this series is, "how I f**king miss those days." Watching Sonic Highways is like dusting off an old record while sitting in a room listening and remembering. The series is an inspiration within itself.