Falcon Song

It's a light drama pulled from the 1980's. Not too subtle, but the movie stays honest. I haven't seen anything like this since Dallas, Alf, and Little House on the Prairie were on TV. It's kitsch - some people get that and some people don't. It comes across like a simple film, but I think it takes a sophisticated viewer to understand the point in why it a movie like this was released in 2014. It was fun seeing Martin Kove again in a movie (the teacher of the Cobra Kai in Karate Kid). Gabriel Sunday was pretty funny, but I wouldn't say it's a "Caddyshack" comedy but these guys get goofy. Dare I say cartoon-like characters? That was the style of a lot of great eighties movies. Falcon Song finds something new in something old lol. I enjoyed it. Cool poster - feels like the film!

This film stands out to me because of the successful creation of a storybook world. It seems to cut all ties from modern references in its plight to give us something nostalgic, yet entirely new. It's glossed over in a subtle way, almost like the memories of a 80's pop culture junkie, but WITHOUT any pop culture references. Falcon Song is not self aware, yet true to its cinematic heritage. This may be the film's strongest feature. Gabriel Sunday is an explosive talent and his performance seems to charge each scene with a natural magnetism. Rainey Qualley plays it down, delivering a great opposite to Sunday and maintains this special balance as a girl with suppressed passions. Martin Kove seems to dig deeper into his character than many of his recent roles, including a humorous nod to 1930's Erol Flynn in the quirky finale. James Storm has a commanding presence and subtlety in his delivery that is solid as a rock. The movie makes a valiant attempt at reviving a lost style. While clearly low budget, the vision is strong and true, despite several shortcomings in the writing. Falcon Song throws away the creative crutches. For this, I am left with a positive impression.

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