Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)

Pitch Perfect was a hit for myself a few years back. You can find that review here. It had so much fun and crazy and musically catching. There was so much that worked even if it hit some absurd notes here and there. While I had my criticisms, it proves to be one that I watch over and over again and somehow love more and more. The way the first movie ended left it wide open for a sequel and in 2015, we got one. I’m not sure why I waited so long but maybe its a part of me that wonders how feasible a second one could be.

Lets check it out!

Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)

Director: Elizabeth Banks

Cast: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Hailee Steinfeld, Skylar Astin, Adam Devine, Ben Platt, Anna Camp

Oh, Pitch Perfect 2, so much good and yet so much felt a little overboard and disjointed. This franchise’s strength is in its musical numbers and in many ways, the sequel follows a similar formula to the first. Disaster at performance, loses credibility, new girl new ideas, losing group magic and journey to regain it and finally the final hurrah and of course, you can’t forget to throw in a great rival. What Pitch Perfect 2 adds is that these girls are all heading into graduation and call it a final showdown before they grow up and go their separate ways or whatnot, its also about letting go of this safety net they built and finding the courage to move on. This sequel also has following and gives them a pass because there is already some knowledge about these young ladies and we can’t help but at least like them. If they are leaving, then how are we getting a Pitch Perfect 3? While I don’t quite know the answer to that, there is something of a handing down the baton as we get a new member here played by Hailee Steinfeld and she, like Becca in Pitch Perfect, changes the formula of the Barden Bellas.

Pitch Perfect 2 didn’t quite hit the greatness of its predecessor. The main reason being it seemed slightly disjointed. Some absurdities was really there because they could put it there and never seemed to serve much purpose. However, you can probably argue that these moments define the characters and show off the essence of the movie and is for comedic effects. And in some ways, it certainly delivers. In others, perhaps it tests where your funny bone lies, aka what makes you laugh. There was certainly a lot of humor here that worked for myself because I had the background of the first one and the respective characters. However, there were some rather ridiculous bits that just felt a tad a stupid and unnecessary.

Fact is, Pitch Perfect 2 has a lot of parallels to Pitch Perfect. The rivalry or the riff off now called something else. There’s the bonding and rebonding. There are familiar faces that come back and extensions of relationships. There are new hurdles as they step into a new world just like the previous. The mash-ups aren’t as good as the first one but they are acceptable. It really elevates the concept that Pitch Perfect was great for its cast and this one brings them out as much as they can. They create more growth for Becca as she somehow strives hard to grow outside of the Bellas, Fat Amy connects with herself a little more and with Bumper (who makes a reappearance after his irresponsible exit in the first movie), Anna Camp stops by for a tough love bonding experience cameo, etc. Hailee Steinfeld plays Emily, the new addition with a knack for making original music and adds to their skill set

Overall, there really isn’t a whole lot to say about Pitch Perfect 2. It made me want to watch Pitch Perfect (again) and see the movie in its full glory. There’s a lot of similarities in the second one even in the story arcs and yet it never quite lives up to the original perhaps it lacked its own personality. The new characters didn’t bring anything new. The old characters still had their charm which is what kept it fun to watch. There were some laughs and equally some meh and some WTFs. In the end, it was an average experience.

Have you seen Pitch Perfect 2?

Bachelorette (2012)

I don’t know what possessed me to buy Bachelorette.  Maybe its because I was going to be part of my friend’s wedding in March or that I really wanted some inspiration for the bachelorette party.  Even though, I didn’t really end up watching it until afterwards.  Either way, I needed a comedy and this became available.  It has been a week or two since I’ve seen this so I’m not exactly sure how to approach this anymore.

Director: Leslye Headland

Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Isla Fisher, Lizzy Caplan, Rebel Wilson, James Marsden, Kyle Bornheimer, Hayes MacArthur, Adam Scott

Three high school friends, Regan (Kirsten Dunst), Gena (Lizza Caplan) and Katie (Isla Fisher) are asked by Becky (Rebel Wilson), a girl that they used to hang out with as the ugly duckling of the group, to be her bridesmaids.  Regan is a control freak with a long distance relationship that doesn’t seem to work anymore but she holds onto it.  Gena lives a life of sleeping with a lot of different guys but with nothing really stable in life while having a hard time getting over her ex-boyfriend and Katie is a sales rep who doesn’t really grows up but spends her days smoking and using her beauty to get by.  As reluctant as they are to be the bridesmaids of Becky’s wedding, they all show up and end up causing more trouble than they should when they accidentally break Becky’s dress and scramble to find a way to fix it before the next morning, the wedding day, while facing up to some of their own problems.

After letting this movie sit too long in my system before I write it, I know that you can’t think too much about this one.  Bachlelorette came very close and soon after Bridesmaids mega success.  If you are thinking of getting the same level of enjoyment (assuming you liked Bridesmaids), this one doesn’t come close at all.  I’m not really a fan of Kirsten Dunst but I don’t hate her either.  I like Isla Fisher for the most part and if anything, I’ve been a long time fan of Lizzy Caplan.  But, Bachelorette doesn’t focus much on our bachelorette, Becky played by Rebel Wilson but rather her bridesmaids.  I guess you can’t call the movie that name since it was already used, right? Either way, point is, this movie is full of obnoxious characters.  All of the girls don’t have any truly likeable traits from the get go.  Even Becky isn’t quite that nice as well.  On a side note, it kind of reminds me why I don’t have all that many girl friends in my life and that I’m frankly very thankful for that.

 

Still, these girls pull of some decent funny moments.  It doesn’t come in elegance or anything because movies these days don’t do that anymore but as over the top of some of these characters get, they still get in their moments where they are stuck in pretty ridiculous situations where you either will roll your eyes or laugh a little.  I’m more of the latter so I guess thats a good sign.  The only thing that does hinder it is that these girls end up turning for the better a lot more than imaginable.  I’m not exactly sure a bachelorette night turned wrong and wedding dress fiasco is the place to grow since I’ve never experienced it but I guess the key here is that friendship does get you through some things and then its about eventually growing up and facing your problems and reality. Because as one of the characters pointed out, its not cute to be acting like when you were in high school.

However, the best one in all of this has to be the parts with Lizzy Caplan.  I’m not sure when I started liking her.  It could be in Mean Girls.  In this one, I feel like she does shine because her story is cute and funny especially with her ex played by Adam Scott, that shows up shortly after.  It makes her character believable that she was drowning her pains and regrets from her high school days and finally growing up.

 

Now that we’ve gotten Adam Scott in mix.  Its probably time to look at the guys.  Although, the guys don’t really have huge significant part in this.  They are paired with each of the girls.  Its somewhat of a high school reunion and it never feels like it isn’t.  One of them is a geek who is smart and successful and tries to get the beauty in his gentlemanly ways, another is the groom (who doesn’t have much place in this), and then we have James Marsden who plays Trevor who isn’t such an admirable guy either but just wants to get hot girls like Kirsten Dunst’s Regan in this case.  He’s all about the challenge.  Then we have Adam Scott and his character Clyde who actually gets a whole lot of screen time because of his high school relationship issues with Gena that was never settled before.  As awkward as his ending speech was, it was actually pretty funny.

Are you getting mixed signals about this one from me? Bachelorette is probably not a movie I hate but its not one I’ll look forward to revisit anytime soon because I’d prefer to sit through Bridesmaids any day if I had the choice.  However, its not all bad.  As unlikeable as the characters are, they still bring in some laughs here and there is one couple, Clyde and Gena’s relationship that shines through over everything and makes it a little more fun. Still, its not very memorable and just a few weeks after, as I’m writing this up, I had to strive really hard to try and remember it a little.

 Have you seen Bachelorette? What do you think of it?

Pitch Perfect (2012)

I saw Pitch Perfect right before February started and the Valentine’s marathon started.  Between then and now, its been constantly in my DVD player and accompanying me during workouts and late night when I felt like I needed to breathe between Sparks adaptations.  I am totally obsessed and I think I’ve seen it in the past 2 weeks at least 10 times.  With that said, you already have a good idea where this is going but lets start with a little synopsis!

Director: Jason Moore

Cast: Anna Kendricks, Brittany  Snow, Skylar Astin, Anna Camp, Rebel Wilson, Adam DeVine, Ben Platt, Elizabeth Banks, John Michael Higgins

Beca’s (Anna Kendrick) dream is to make music but her father insists that she goes to Barden University and try that out beforehand.  He ends up making a deal with her that if she puts herself out there and doesn’t enjoy it in the end, then she is free to go.  With that said, she tries out for the all girls acapella group Barden Bellas under the encouragement of one of the group’s leaders, Chloe (Brittany Snow).  Barden Bellas suffered from their current leaders embarassement in the finals the previous year and they are trying to regroup with new members and hopefully right the wrong by winning against the other group, all guys acapella group, The Treblemakers led by Bumper (Adam DeVine).  Beca joins the group and has a hard time going along with the leader Aubrey’s (Anna Camp) lack of desire to stray from tradition and control, especially in regards to her growing friendship (and attraction) with new Treblemaker member, Jesse (Skylar Astin).

When Pitch Perfect first came out, I kind of dismissed it.  I don’t know why because this stuff calls out to me all the time.  But as time went by, reaching about the end of last year, I started liking Anna Kendrick for her song Cups and then I remembered how much I really love Brittany Snow.  I really think it has to do with the fact that there hasn’t been a lot of this type of singing competition things thats peaked my interest and I was starting to fall out of liking Glee also. From my intro paragraph, you already know I LOVE it! I seriously am obsessed.  Pitch Perfect is an awesomely fun movie with great covers and nice little parts other than just the main competitions. I personally loved The Riff Off! I was even thinking if someone does that in real life, it would so cool!

Not only is the main character, Beca played by Anna Kenrick really cool to watch, everyone else really builds up to be fantastic side characters as well as the Barden Bellas start to bond.  They do some pretty ridiculous things and well, I’m not a huge Rebel Wilson fan to begin and even I started loving her character. She has some of the most hilarious moments and lines.  Thats exactly it why this movie is great.  Not only do they have great tunes, awesome characters and bonding but it even has humor, at times, witty and smart and others, just plain silly and ridiculous but it all works out to be the perfect amount of fun. One of the crazy moments was realizing that Aubrey is actually the crazy religious lady in True Blood, you know, ex-wife of Steve Newlin.

Now, looking at the boys.  I know no one in this and the main focus is on the Treblemakers as a group with a bigger focus on Skylar Astin’s character, Jesse who is pretty much the love interest of Beca.  Its kind of funny because the geeky/nerdy factor of this group was crazy.  Its kind of silly but fun, still.  Bumper is such a jerky character and Adam DeVine does it so well.  He’s jerky but at certain parts, so funny.  However, I really love Skylar Astin.  I’ve never seen this guy before but Jesse is a pretty cool character as in he’s not only very knowledgeable with music (and sings great) but he has great taste in movies.  Plus, the character itself sets the movie off in a very positive attitude.

Seriously, other than the bits of throwing up that makes the movie a bit disgusting to watch during a meal.  The rest of it is totally impressive, fun, entertaining, toe-tapping, sing along, humorous.  Its pure awesomeness and I totally regret not seeing it sooner! I can’t wait for the second one! If its even a margin as good as this one, it’ll be pretty epic 🙂

What did you think of Pitch Perfect? 

Pain & Gain (2013)

Life has been a huge crazy ride in the last two weeks.  One of the many reasons a lot of plans have been sidetracked but I will get to the theatres one of these days.  I will, in the meantime, I had wanted to watch Mud but I couldn’t take something that seemed so serious and the boyfriend chose Pain and Gain.  We’re both huge The Rock (excuse me, Dwayne Johnson) fans . Let’s check it out!

Director: Michael Bay

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, Ed Harris, Bar Paly, Rebel Wilson, Michael Rispoli

Daniel Lugo is a bodybuilder and personal trainer who believes that his life deserves more and he is willing to make things happen.  With the help of two other bodybuilders who work at the same gym together, Adrian Doorbal and Paul Doyle, they put together a scheme to kidnap and steal from a rich man, Victor Kershaw.  However, the plan gets out of hand and unexpected turnouts happen.  As they try to put things back to normal, everything gets even worse.  This all comes from one man’s desire to pursue the American Dream.

So, I’m sure after watching this one, being non-American and all, I’m not totally sure if I believe this actually happened, but hey, apparently it did.  I’m not going to go doubt it. Thinking this was a not believable actual story was about the only part where my boyfriend and I agreed with for this one.  Maybe he should have written this because he’d have more positive things to say.

I’m not exactly sure if a lot of you love this movie but I’ve read some positive reviews.  I’m not saying I hate this movie.  Its really not all that bad.  I mean, I guessing the all around praise that Michael Bay actually made a movie with like one mini explosion in the past x amount of years.  Point is, maybe more explosions would’ve made me more interested (just maybe).  As much as a lot of people say Transformers was trash, I had fun with the first one.  I almost wanted to buy a ticket to see it a second time at the theatres but I don’t do that because I don’t have that much money to do repeat viewings on movies.  Which is actually rare as I look at his directorial effort and realize thats the only one I’ve liked and seen from him.  So I guess his winning chances with me was limited for this one.  Either way, back to Pain & Gain, as ridiculous as this story was, that was the part that had me interested.  The biggest problem is that this movie could’ve chopped off say at least 30 minutes and I’d probably have appreciated it more.

The characters portrayal are actually the second thing that my boyfriend and I agreed with and thats where the absurdity comes in because the three bodybuilders/personal trainers are done in a pretty stupid way.  Most of the stuff they do and every part of their plan makes them look dumb to the max, you know, all muscle and no brains.  Yeah, sounds mean but seriously, thats the image I was getting.  The plan only partially worked because they were lucky for a part and then it was kind of obvious that it would fall apart. So, with that said, hats off to Mark Wahlberg for making a convincingly stupid Daniel Lugo with a ongoing pursuit and hopes for his American Dream to come true.  The Rock is always funny to watch in a facepalming, eye-rolling way and “seriously?” They were alright.

As for the dude they kidnapped, Victor Kershaw played by this dude that I remember seeing here and there playing annoying characters, this time around, he hasn’t changed.  Or maybe I have him confused with someone else but hmm, somehow I haven’t checked out his stuff on IMDB.  Its ok.  Same goes for Rebel Wilson.  Not such a huge fan.  Now, lets jump straight ahead and talk about an actor I totally adore (for his talent) Ed Harris.  He’s awesome in this as well.

Okay, I have nothing to say more about this one.  Its not horrible but oh so very long.  After an hour, it just started getting painful to sit through.  If you enjoy Mark Wahlberg and/or The Rock, maybe you might want to sit through this one.  I’m not going to recommend or not.  You decide for yourself 😉 I can’t decide if I’d willingly sit through this a second time just yet.

What did you think of Pain & Gain? Was it a disappointment? Do you like the “no explosion” side of Michael Bay?