"The Way Back" Movie Review

by John Zenoni

For those people who love sports and films about sports, the recently released “The Way Back” is definitely for you. This is one of the best sports themed films I've seen in a very long time for several reasons. (For those not familiar with this movie, it's about a former high school sports star who ends up stepping in as head coach at his former school where he played due to the current coach having to step down for health reasons.)

First, and I will try to say this without ruining anything about the film, it does not follow that typical down-and-out athlete or coach story who all of a sudden makes a miraculous turnaround and then either makes the greatest save or score or win for the team and all ends happily ever after. No, the story-line in this one definitely strays away from that which was a nice surprise. 

Second, it has a plot twist that totally caught me off guard and punched me in the gut. Some people might say that they could see it coming a mile away but perhaps it was the way the film progressed that made me miss it until it happened. The other thing I loved was the scenes of the young men playing basketball. It felt like you were in the game with the players and you could feel the coach’s (portrayed by Ben Affleck) enthusiasm carry over into their games as they proceeded to get better and better. 

Finally, the performances are superb, particularly that of Ben Affleck. What an outstanding job he does playing coach Jack Cunningham. He also does an excellent job carrying this film with his performance and he makes you root for him (while being mad at him at the same time)! This performance is one that demands recognition and I hope that he won't be overlooked during awards season as he's so good. Great film!

"JoJo Rabbit" Movie Review

by John Zenoni

When I heard about the film, “JoJo Rabbit”, and that it was about a young 10-year old boy whose imaginary friend is Adolf Hitler, I thought: "How in the world did a movie like this get made and why would anyone want to make it? How could you possibly tell such a story and it not be insensitive for all the obvious reasons?" Well, I have to say that it was brilliantly done. It's a dark comedy that shows how an impressionable young man begins to realize the error and evil of Hitler’s ways when he discovers that his mother has been hiding a young Jewish girl in their attic. He begins to learn about her and develop a crush on her as she befriends him. JoJo is a loner, with the exception of his mother, and is seeking some sense of belonging. It's even more clear when at one point in the film, he's told by the young Jewish girl, “You're not a Nazi, Jojo," she says, "you're a 10-year-old kid who likes dressing up in a funny uniform and wants to be part of a club."

The horrors of the war begin to reveal themselves and JoJo has to learn to adjust after certain things happen in the film. While it might be a ‘neat’ ending to some, it definitely was not to me. Any film that plays a song by David Bowie while the two central characters dance in the streets works for me!

All the acting in this movie is remarkable (Sam Rockwell is brilliant as always) and the ending is one of my favorites. I can see why this film was nominated for Best Picture this year as it's a great, thought-provoking film.

"Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band" Review

by John Zenoni

I saw a great documentary tonight at The Nick called “Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band.” Let me just say that as a person who loves all kinds of music, including that of musicians/bands way before my time, and is currently taking music lessons, that I'm embarrassed to say I didn't know that much about The Band before tonight. I haven't even seen the critically-acclaimed (and what many consider to be one of, if not the, greatest concert films of all time) film, “The Waltz.” Yes, I do know of what is undoubtedly their most famous song, ‘The Weight’, and have sung along with it many times, but I never truly understood the genius behind the group, particularly that of Robbie Robertson, until seeing this film tonight. So many things I didn't know about the group, such as how young they were when they started playing music, who they played with when starting out, including of all people -- Bob Dylan-- and what inspired their music (on a side note, and I'm sure I might get slammed for these comments, while I know Dylan is cherished and revered by many as a great singer and songwriter, I honestly cannot understand why as his voice just gives me the creeps. It just grates on me to no end.) Anyway, I also didn't realize what an influence this group of musicians had on others, including Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, George Harrison and more. Plus, it was great seeing the R&B musicians that influenced them such as Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Robert Johnson and many more.

This film is a great insight into these men, how they met, where they went throughout their time together and the many things they went through, including what brought the band to an end. This is a very well-made documentary that any music lover should appreciate.

One other thing I have to mention is that during the early part of the film I could hear music being played from the 1994 album by Robbie Robertson, called “Music for the Native Americans.” Very different but still a wonderful album.

Kudos to Executive Producers Martin Scorsese, Brian Grazer, and Ron Howard for making this film. It will definitely become part of music history records.