POWER BALLAD

“Power Ballad” is further proof that John Carney is a filmmaker who loves his home country of Ireland, music with the right kind of heart and soul, and people who dream big. “Once,” “Begin Again,” “Sing Street,” and “Flora and Son” are all riveting examples of that. “Power Ballad” takes a concept about someone taking all the credit for a song and the real creator confronting him and chooses not to make it seem like a slapstick comedy. Instead, it chooses to show the real strength of the music world: what the song symbolizes, who can or can’t make it big in any industry, and how singers can handle their highs and lows. 

Paul Rudd is Rick, a singer from Kansas City who moves to Ireland and starts a family and a career as a wedding singer in the band, The Bride and Groove. Similar to the main protagonist of “Once,” he acknowledges that people want to hear cover versions of hit songs and not originals (he’s told: “We are not rock stars; we’re human juke boxes”), although he tries to add his new additions at weddings to very few fans. The movie also stars Nick Jonas as a former boy band member named Danny, who went solo and ends up performing at the same venue as The Bride and the Groove. That same night, Danny meets Rick, has some drinks and plays some music in his suite. The older singer introduces the younger singer to a song called “How to Write a Song (Without You),” which Danny eventually simplifies into a hit and doesn’t credit Rick. Struggling to find proof that he wrote that, Rick contacts Danny’s record manager (Jack Reynor) with no luck. So, he and his fellow band member and friend Sandy (Peter McDonald) head over to Los Angeles to find Danny. Rudd and Jonas can both sing very well, whether we are talking about cover versions of Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish” or Huey Lewis’ “The Power of Love” or “How to Write a Song (Without You).” I stayed during the end credits to read their names under the vocals and songs list. Carney wouldn’t be a filmmaker at his level if he chose actors who are tone deaf. Nobody is in “Power Ballad,” and we love hearing them sing. Watching Rick trying to prove he wrote the song would be irritating if it was handled in lesser hands or in other comedies that care more about vulgarity and humor than heart. Watching Rick deal with the difficulties and outcomes in “Power Ballad” has more heart and humor than vulgarity. We don’t need everyone saying “FU” all the time. In fact, this movie likes to take risks, gamble, and delight us with Rudd’s charms and emotions. Jonas has made a name for himself in the teen world, and out of all the movies he has acted in like “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” or “You’re Cordially Invited,” this might be his best performance. He has the ability to break free from the teen fanbase and resonate with his own career and have some character development and vulnerabilities. He kind of reminds me of how Zac Efron broadened his horizons in “Neighbors.” 

“Power Ballad” is about people and music, something that Carney specializes, and he takes what could be considered a formulaic plot and gives it a charming, funny, and heartwarming spin. It also possesses a great soundtrack. This is one of the year’s best films.  

SHE DANCES

Steve Zahn has made a name for himself with movies like “Reality Bites,” “Hamlet” (2000), “Sahara,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” “Dallas Buyers Club,” and “War for the Planet of the Apes,” among many others. Even his bad comedies like “Saving Silverman,” “National Security,” and more recently “Anaconda” have found some cult statuses. “She Dances” features him with his daughter Audrey, and he co-wrote the script with director Rick Gomez. While it is a little reserved in its drama, it still shows some dancing spirits, honest humor, and a father-daughter story worth caring about. 

Steve plays Jason, who is a business partner with his buddy Brian (Ethan Hawke) in their brewery “Two Jacks,” and a divorced father dealing with a tragedy. His estranged dancer daughter Claire (there’s that Audrey) lives with her mother (Rosemarie DeWitt), who was supposed to take her to a dance competition but must cancel due to a medical emergency with a patient. Jason is the only person who can be the chaperone to her and her friend Kat (Mackenzie Ziegler, Maddie’s sister and a former dancer). He is the one to tell them to fix a flat tire, instead of calling AAA. 

My cousins and I saw “She Dances” at the First United Methodist Church, and there were moments when we could barely hear what the characters were saying. I think it has something to do with the speakers, and I am sure of it. Yet, we were still able to acknowledge the characters and their drama. Forgetting that technical issue for a minute, the movie itself does cop out towards the end, but its dancing spirit and bright yellow colors kind of reminded me of “Little Miss Sunshine.” It can be quirky and consistent, and it does try to liven things up with its sense of humor, especially when we get a Ron Livingston cameo and when Sonequa Martin-Green as the dance instructor has little girls dressing up like unicorns. 

Steve Zahn also appeared in “Wildcat,” and Audrey was a dancer and choreographer in that film, so “She Dances” is not their first feature collaboration, but it feels like it is. They are both likable, as they handle their situations with less irritation and more versatility. For example, when he books their hotel room on the wrong date and is forced to go to a motel, Claire and Kat are delighted by it. I am delighted by the colors: the purple and pink neon signs, and the green, orange, yellow, and pink room they have to sleep in that night. 

This movie came out in select theaters, and I did not get the chance to review it during that time. However, it is now available to stream online. I am glad the festival gave my cousins and I the opportunity to see it, and that the speakers didn’t completely ruin our theatrical experience. 

MORTAL KOMBAT II

Johnny ****ing Cage is the real reason to see this sequel. I am pretty sure I have mentioned in my review of the first “Mortal Kombat” reboot that I’ve never played the game before but have acknowledged that it was the first video game series to get the “M” rating. Fans were pleased that the latest film adaptation got the R-rating, especially when there is a lot of carnage. I am sure they are continuing to flip off Eli Roth’s stinky PG-13 take on “Borderlands.” 

I did not care for the first movie, even though I still eat up the Australian mercenary Kano’s (Josh Lawson) joke: “Do I sound Russian to you, you ****ing idiot.” Read my review and you will know why. I must admit that the sequel “Mortal Kombat II” is a lot more fun, especially when Karl Urban plays the former action movie star Johnny Cage. His movies allow him to put on his sunglasses, having his middle finger to make sure they stay on, clinch his fists, and let the stuntmen do all the fighting. When he is recruited by Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Jax (Mehcad Brooks), Liu Kang (Ludi Lin), and Lord Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) to save Earth from the evil Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford), you bet your bottom dollar he wants out. There is also the friendship between Shao Kahn’s adoptive daughter Kitana (Adeline Randolph) and her friend Jade (Tati Gabrielle) being tested by the former helping out the heroes win the fight and the latter following those obligatory oaths. You know how these things work. The villain also has an amulet that makes him immortal, and finding and destroying it would be the good guys’ best chance. However, I am not sure throwing it in lava would work. I guess it has to take a certain kind of force to destroy it. 

Ever since “A Minecraft Movie” has turned kids and teens destructive in the theaters, I have been curious about how video games fans have been behaving. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” had some clapping at the Easter eggs, although at my screening, there were security guards wandering the theater. At the fan screening for “Mortal Kombat II,” there was some clapping for the iconic characters and their fighting, along with an obnoxious lady complaining that the concessions were all out of the special promotional cups. But beyond that, these fans were quite mature, especially when the sequel is R-rated. Never playing the game and being skeptical about video game movies (I know I suck), I was bored by some of the fight scenes, which have to play like video game levels. Some of them can have two opponents fighting each other. Yet, there are some fights that are campy and gruesomely fun - and fans are guaranteed to feel disgusted. The best fight in this movie regards Johnny fighting a teeth monster of sorts, which kind of reminds me of a better version of Dwayne Johnson and his rivalry with Krampus in the awful “Red One.” This moment has a better attitude with a “Guardians of the Galaxy” spirit, and Urban handles it with the levity and image. I also appreciated the supporting work from Randolph and Gabrielle, who try to overcome whatever tropes the sequel throws at them. Lawson still provides the much-needed wisecracks as Kano, who is resurrected by the bad guys after Sonya killed him in the last movie. He also has a new eye that shoots lasers. 

“Mortal Kombat II” is a video game sequel that has a better attitude than “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.” At the very least, it is trying to tell a story and doesn’t rush into things. In fact, it may have learned something from harsh critics like myself. Now, consider this a flawless victory.