“I am siege face” Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.

I am not an avid fan of Alan Partridge, despite having friends who love it and quote it at every given opportunity, I have never really understood the appeal. But when I saw the trailer for Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa I found myself giggling away every time! Maybe this is my type of humor…

There are no hidden story lines, the plot is summed up in trailer – Alan gets Pat fired when he is under threat of losing his job, so Pat holds the radio station hostage to prove a point to the new shiny radio bosses who are cutting the old staff in favour of the new fresh faced presenters. (All the way through I was thinking of Chris Moyles ‘stepping down’ whilst Nick Grimshaw took over the Radio 1 breakfast show!!)

Steve Coogan’s character Alan is constantly funny through out, his odd sense of humor, small mindedness and one liners were making me burst with laughter. I definitely preferred the dialogue rather than the physical comedy – there were points Partridge would say one or two words under his breath that some of the audience obviously hadn’t heard properly or weren’t meant to be laugh out loud funny and I’d be the only one laughing, loudly and involuntarily might I add – awkward.

Some of the funniest moments are in the recording studio where this poor guy is held at gun point and is slowly going crazy…-er

Colm Meaney (best known to me as O’Brien in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine!!) plays Pat Farrell, the jilted, crazy radio presenter and does a fantastic job of being absolutely mental, but also pretty lovable – somehow. Him sticking it the big dogs upstairs probably had most of the audience routing for him! I believe there are a lot of other characters from the TV show in the film as well and quite a few in jokes and homages which although would have passed me by, were still very funny.

I can’t talk about how it compares to the TV show, and this film doesn’t warrant any discussion about mind blowing CGI or convincing performances because the whole film is one big joke – and I mean this in a good way. Laughs from start to finish even for some one who hasn’t watched Alan Partridge before.

My consensus, buy the DVD – this film will more than likely make you laugh over and over again.

“You don’t study scaring, you just do it” Monsters University.

Being a big fan of Monsters Inc. I was eagerly anticipating the prequel, Monsters University, but had my expectations set low so as not to be disappointed. The first film became so iconic because of the beautiful animation, original characters and creative story line. The problem with the second film is that 10 years on, animation is still amazing and we have seen plenty more stunners since, the characters aren’t original any more and the Monster’s universe has already been explored.  SO you can’t go in to the cinema expecting to get that same feeling you did the first time around… just saying.

The film looks at Mike and Sully in their younger years at Uni, which gives a lot of opportunities for new concepts and ideas of the monsters universe, i.e. the underwater monsters and general rules on class trips “No breathing fire children… What did I just say?!” as well all the crazy new monsters Disney Pixar have dreamed up (or is it dreamt?!). Whilst at Uni, the pair begrudgingly enter a competition together, forming a team in the Monster Games where they have to compete to prove they are the ‘scariest’ monsters.

The story line itself I felt was a little lacking although I did enjoy some of the imaginative games the teams had to play. The introduction of some new characters felt no where near as innovative as the first time we got to see the monsters universe but there is some fun to be had with the new guys, especially the crazy armed stoner Art, voiced by hilarious Charlie Day.

 

There are some more great famous voices making an appearance in Monsters University including my favourite man Nathan Fillion as the main jock character, Johnny (I am completely obsessed with TV show, Castle atm). Plus Helen Mirren as the evil Dean Hardscrabble who I thought could have been more menacing over all but the design of her dragon-like character was pretty cool. Steve Buscemi is back too as slime ball Randy and we get to see why his character seems to have a personal vendetta against Sully in Monsters Inc.

Young Mike is the most adorable monster you have ever seen and the initial scenes only make your love for Mike more justified, as well as setting you up to be routing for him all the way. Sully on the other hand, although lovable from the off in Monsters Inc., takes a while for the audience to warm up to. It is fun to see these characters background though and the montage at the end of the film sums the whole story up really well I thought. Of course John Goodman and Billy Crystal are back to play their characters again with just as much effort the second time around.

Over-all I wasn’t disappointed by the outcome as I knew they could never beat Monsters Inc itself. Monsters University is a good instalment to the franchise and I was happy to see the characters again in a different scenario. There are also a lot of nods to the first film, like Yeti and everyone’s favourite – Roz. I do feel like the story line could have been stronger though.

PS. The animation The Blue Umbrella at the beginning of the film was magical so make sure you get there in time for that!

“Everybody loves a Magician!” The Incredible Burt Wonderstone.

Having been poorly for about 3 weeks now and the weather insisting it is the middle of winter with a snow storm despite it officially being spring, a pick-me-up was definitely required. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone seemed to fit the bill as it looked like a ridiculous light-hearted comedy! That it was – ridiculous, but pretty darn funny.

Magicians Burt Wonderstone and Anton Marvelton have been a double act since being young boys, now they headline a magic show at a famous Vegas hotel casino. The arrival of new street magician Steve Gray make the pairs act look stale and so they embark on a mission to reinvent themselves…

Steve Carell, Jim Carrey, Steve Buscemi, and Olivia Wilde star in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, Alan Arkin and James Gandolfini also make significant appearances. A pretty good cast and quite a random combination for this type of film which would usually star the likes of Will Farrell and John C. Reilly or Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. In fact the Farrell comparison isn’t too far off as I felt Carell who played Burt Wonderstone himself was almost impersonating Ron Burgundy in his voices and facial expressions. This notion was probably strengthened by the writing of the character who was self obsessed with delusions of grandeur and a pretty big sexist… remind you of any news anchors??

That’s probably my only niggle to be honest. Buscemi plays Anton Marvelton and when their assistant quits, Wilde is pushed into the spot light as their new glamorous assistant, Jane. Buscemi is excellent in pretty much everything, this role was no different although his character is a bit of a wet blanket. I especially enjoyed his character when Marvelton and Wonderstone have a falling out, Marvelton goes to a third world country that is in desperate need of food and clean water… and tries to teach them magic. Jane starts off as a seemingly bland character, just there in order for Wonderstone to exhibit his extreme ego and chauvinistic streak. Actually her character development brings something else to the story line and I was routing for her in the end. Wilde might not have a great rep, but I liked her as the lesbian in The OC so will stick by her on that merit! I am not sure Carell and Buscemi made a very believable pair but the dynamic of childhood friendship worked.

Carrey as Steve Gray was probably the funniest character. He is a man you will love to hate! A blatant piss-take of a David Blaine type magician who relies on shock factor and calls it magic. Carrey brought some laughs to the film, especially during his ridiculous stunts such as holding his pee for a week and sleeping on a bed of hot coals. But what makes a nice change is that he doesn’t steal every scene that he is in. Loved the long blond hair and might I say ‘have you been working out?!’ nice!

Hello!!

Wonderstone’s inspiration as a child came from when his absentee mother gave him the famous Rance Holloway’s magic kit. Holloway is played by Alan Arkin and they did a fine job of making him look 20 years younger! I loved the bond that Holloway and Wonderstone make, and of course Wonderstone becomes a better person because of it. I really enjoyed Arkin’s screen presence and he kind of reminds me of my Granddad so that made me happy!

The part of hotel casino owner Doug Munny played by Gandolfini is your run of the mill big shot douche bag who just wants to make money. He doesn’t care about any one else except number 1, including his own son. Yawn. But Munny’s opening of a new hotel casino on the Vegas strip gives Wonderstone and Marvelton an opportunity to try and get back in the game by competing for a residency. Here lies the big finale and feel good moment!

The story line in The Incredible Burt Wonderstone (or ‘The Amazing Magician… Dude’ as I asked the cinema kiosk guy for?!) starts off pretty strong, with some big laughs coming from Carell’s cartoon like character and Carrey’s bizarre trickery. Unfortunately the plot slows down a lot through the middle and picks up a bit at the end. That said, although I wasn’t in hysterics laughing at this film, there were constant chuckles and snorts mainly at the silly dialogue and funny ideas coming from the magical aspect of the story.

It can’t have been fantastic because I think this is my shortest review ever, although on paper and to the trained film critics eye this film is an utter pile of dog poop… I actually found it very entertaining, funny throughout and an enjoyable light-hearted watch.

“No one wants to f*** me, I look like Voldemort” 50/50.

 

I finally thought I’d see what all the fuss was about Netflicks so I’m currently using my free months trial. Looks like slim pickin’s to be honest but there a few films on there I wanted to watch on release, didn’t get round to and then forgot they existed. 50/50 from 2011 is one of those films.

I remember seeing the trailer for this and thinking, I really like Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogan but I can’t see how a cancer comedy could be funny? Surely that’s an oxymoron!! Well that’s what 50/50 is, Gordon Levitt’s character Adam finds out that he has cancer at the age of 26, the story follows how he deals with the disease along with his friends and family. His best friend being Kyle played by Seth Rogan. I really liked these two as a pair, they bounced off each other quite naturally and had some really funny banter between them. It seemed to me that these characters had been friends since childhood, although they worked together they didn’t seem to have that much in common in adulthood – it would have been good to learn more of the background and foundation of their friendship during the film. It was fine without it though as the story concentrated solely on the present, and the stages of Adam’s condition.

Seth Rogan probably plays one of my favourite roles of his in this film. He doesn’t over shadow the lead – he is genuinely funny and less loud and irritating as can sometimes be the case. Rogan is playing the same character he usually does, the funny man who comes across as incredibly selfish but is actually a lovable and loyal friend. I don’t mind though because I really like this character and am happy to watch him do what he does best.

Bryce Dallas Howard plays the role of Adam’s girlfriend Rachael, who when finding out about his cancer is too scared to leave him. She tries to do the right thing but is completely over whelmed. Although I think the audience was supposed to hate Rachael, as Kyle does so vividly, I actually felt sorry for her as she wanted to be a better person but obviously didn’t feel strongly enough for Adam to side line her own life in order to care for him. Understandable really, but she doesn’t go about it in a very classy way. Therefore earning the giant bitch stamp.

Adam’s mother is played by Anjelica Huston. An over-bearing, smothering woman with a kind heart, already taking full time care of Adam’s father (Serge Houde) who suffers with very progressive alzheimer’s. Unfortunately due to her over-bearing nature Adam pushes her away when he is diagnosed, but this makes for a very heart warming scene in the Doctor’s office when he finally lets her in. I really liked this family dynamic, although a very sad state of affairs for the family – the developing relationship between Adam and his Mother, even his Father by the end of the film was very enjoyable to watch and beefed up the story line.

50/50 showed the medical staff in all lights, particularly the side many of us have experienced when the Doctor is dismissive and inhumanly detached. But also the warm kind side in Anna Kendrick’s character Katherine. I loved Kendrick in this film (as usual), she has that quirky charm and witty sarcasm that makes her strangely appealing. As Adam’s therapist in training there are a lot of awkward scenes in the beginning, but as they get to know each other you can see the characters getting rather attached to each other even under such inappropriate, stressful conditions. I really enjoyed Kendrick and Gordon-Levitt’s chemistry together.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt must have been a little apprehensive or at least nervous about playing this role. Get it wrong and the film could be wildly offensive. However he plays the role very sympathetically, and doesn’t over-do the ‘woe is me’ attitude that could be expected from some one in his situation. Adam’s character is funny, lovable and just seemingly normal – a person who is easy to relate to which makes the film hard to watch in places. I shed a tear when Adam has an episode in the car, the bursting anger that came out of Gordon-Levitt in this scene took me completely by surprise. Also before Adam goes in for surgery, you can see the fear in him and his parents which tugs very hard at the heart strings.

If you enjoy Joseph Gordan-Levitt then this is a very indulgent film as he is pretty much in every scene. I’d say it’s light on the comedy, considering the subject matter this works to the films advantage – but it does make you chuckle often. Mainly due to Kenrick and Rogan’s natural wit, and the exchanges between Adam and his dialysis buddy’s in the hospital (including Philip Baker Hall who I recognised as old man Walt from Modern Family). It is also sad and heart breaking at the same time but not so tragic that you will be blubbering the whole way through (i.e. when watching Never Let Me Go, eesh that’s a tear jerker). 60% comedy 20% romantic and 20% depressing! All in all a pretty good film!!

 

On a side note – is it me or is the film volume on Netflicks very low?! I know my laptop’s volume can go higher than the maximum on the films volume control. At points I could barely hear what Gordon-Levitt was saying. Obviously no trouble with Rogan’s booming voice! But it did make watching uncomfortable as I needed the laptop as close to my face as possible.

Also not impressed with the film selection, it keeps telling me to watch every French movie it has just because I watch Amélie (which you can read my review of here by the way!). I don’t think I will be signing up after my free trial!

“You’re not going TURBO are you?” Wreck-It Ralph.

Having seen Wreck-It Ralph on bill boards every where I turn and reading reviews from those lucky people in the States, the need to see this film has been fueled for what feels like a very long time!!

So Ralph is the villain in an arcade game Fix-It Felix. (Not the strongest idea for a game I might add – Wreck-It Ralph smashes up a building and Fix-It Felix bounces in with his hammer and you use him to fix all the windows…) It has proved popular though, and on the games 30th anniversary Ralph begins to get the feeling he is under-appreciated and goes in search of proving himself, consequently causing havoc in  his game and others. It could go anyway once Ralph leaves his game, so what came next was all unexpected – how I think a trailer should be left!! (Not like the bloomin’ new Fast and Furious 6 trailer where deceased characters pop up – that should have been a surprise for the film!!)

What audiences are anticipating in this film are all the old school gaming references. With the amount of licence fee’s they would have had to pay no wonder the estimated budget for this film was $165,000,000. It was all worth while though because even a novice gamer like myself could recognise many of the cameo appearances and feel all nostalgic. Those I can remember include Sonic, Dr. Robotnik, Pac-Man and the Pac-Man Ghost, Zangief, M. Bison, Ken and Ryu, a random Super Mushroom from Mario, the Horned Reaper from Dungeon Keeper (many hours spent playing that game – it was so addictive!!) and loads more references that will pop up in the review no doubt.

Like Toy Story, once the people aren’t watching the games in the arcade can interact. The imagination behind the arcade world is great and the creative ideas regarding daily life of a game character are really clever. In the trailer we see a sneak peak of a self-help group full of bad guys from various games, seemingly coaching each other to accept themselves as villains and bad guys. The mantra being “I’m bad, and that’s good. I will never be good, and that’s not bad. There’s no one I’d rather be then me.” Ralph can’t settle with this though – for 30 years the towns people of Fix-It Felix have hated and feared him but Ralph knows he can be a good guy! He just wants to be loved.

The group leaves the meeting, hosted by the Pac-Man Ghost in the center of his maze. I wondered why the Ghost would be hosting, but it was a brilliant idea when the camera zooms out and the pixilated characters make their way through the maze, Ralph grabbing a cherry snack on the way out. The characters then get into a shuttle that whiz’s through the electric cables and stops in the multi plug extension turned Central Station, where you can find your way back to your own game. Brilliant!! It’s details like this that really make the film original, just as Toy Story was when it first came out.

Two games that feature heavily in Wreck-It Ralph’s adventure are Sugar Rush, inspired by Mario Kart and Hero’s Duty, a mix between Call of Duty and Gears of War in my eyes. Polar opposites in every way yet don’t feel out of place in this film, even the characters interact very naturally. Including a very unlikely pair, Felix and Sergeant Calhoun, a feisty and pretty damn hot lead character in Hero’s Duty voiced by Jane Lynch. The dialogue between her and Felix, played by Jack McBrayer (of 30 Rock fame) was witty and fast paced – each of them bringing their character to life and giving them a really individual and likable personality.

“This is it, ladies! The kitten whispers and tickle fights end now!”

We first meet Calhoun when Ralph enters Hero’s Duty on a mission to prove himself as a good guy. Characteristically Ralph messes up and accidentally uses the first person shooter as a human shield and causes game over for the very confused player on the other side of the screen. Calhoun quickly asserts her authority and puts Ralph in his place – I instantly liked this character! And this scene makes for some great one liners.

Calhoun: “Do you know what the first rule of Hero’s Duty is, soldier?”
Ralph: “No cuts, no buts, no coconuts?”

Ralph himself is voiced by John C Reilly (best known for Talledaga Nights and Step Brothers probably). His delivery is fantastic, Ralph is a completely lovable and funny character from the start. In the story, Ralph finds his way into the game Sugar Rush and meets the wanna-be racer and outcast, Vanellope. Sarah Silverman voices this character and I warmed to her a lot during the film. She brings some great comedy to the film, but I did end up finding Vanellope adorable as well and was really routing for her towards the finale. The bond that Ralph and Vanellope develop is really quite heart warming and put a big smile on my face.

Ralph: “You’re a winner!”
Vanellope: “I’m a winner… “
Ralph: “And you’re adorable!”
Vanellope: “I’m ADORABLE!”

The world of Sugar Rush is made of sweets and candy with some great game inspired attributes – e.g. double striped candy branches disappear, and there are pools of chocolate Nes-quick sand to get stuck in. All the go karts used by the racers are made of sweet treats like biscuits and liquorish, and the towns people that watch the races are too. The Sugar Rush game was an original invention for this film, but it was clearly heavily inspired by Mario Kart. Even the start of the race begins with a view from behind the kart with the countdown above your head, and some of the tracks resembled those of Mario (look out for Rainbow Road!).

The big man in Sugar Rush is King Candy, the eccentric ruler of the races with a hidden agenda. He is voiced by the brilliant Alan Tudyk (Steve the Pirate/Firefly’s Wash) who does a fine job playing the unhinged and very camp King! King Candy’s side kick Sour Bill was one of the best supporting characters. As you can probably guess he is made up of a sour ball, but his sour attitude and independent floating hands and feet make him a brilliant little character.

The attention to detail in the arcade world was the stand out factor for me in this movie. Even the towns people in Fix-It Felix moved like little pixilated characters in an old school arcade game. Plus all the references to already well loved characters and games. As well as this the visuals are stunning, really crisp and so bright (hence all the pictures)! But the cherry on top is that the story is really strong and thoroughly enjoyable. I did a little clap when the film finished, that’s how impressed I was. Totally recommend this if you enjoy Disney’s animated films already – its definitely a winner.

Did ANYBODY enjoy Movie 43?!

I don’t usually post film news but I had to make an exception for this. I knew that the blogging community had not enjoyed Movie 43, but it looks as though it has been a world wide disaster. It has been slated from all angles and I can understand why! I didn’t have much to say it over on my review, but Movie 43 is getting so much abuse Peter Farrelly has had to defend himself on Twitter.

The Daily Mail had this to say…

“Hollywood filmmaker Peter Farrelly, the mind behind ‘Movie 43’ starring Hugh Jackman, Emma Stone, Halle Berry and other big-name celebrities, is under attack from critics bashing his latest film as the ‘Citizen Kane of awful.’”

“Harsh reviews are pouring in from professional film connoisseurs and regular crowds alike despite promotional claims that the movie features the biggest roster of stars ‘ever assembled’ in one film.”

“Instead, the $6 million production opened in seventh place this weekend bringing in a relatively dismal $5 million in the U.S. and marking one of the worst wide-release openings for many of the actors featured.”

“Critic Peter Howell of the Toronto Star called it the ‘worst film ever’ saying it was the ‘biggest waste of talent in cinema history.’”

“Critic Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun Times said he did not ‘see a redeeming molecule’ throughout the film.”

“‘How many directors does it take to screw in a star-studded piece of aggressive stupidity and call it a movie? An even dozen, and there is no punch line,’ wrote Sheri Linden of The Los Angeles Times.”

This is what Peter Farrelly had to say to defend himself on Twitter…

‘To the critics: Movie 43 is not the end of the world. It’s just a $6-million movie where we tried to do something different. Now back off.’

‘To the critics: You always complain that Hollywood never gives you new stuff, and then when you get it, you flip out. Lighten up.’

Richard Brody from The New Yorker had the best quote in my eyes, saying that ‘It’s as if ‘Movie 43’ was itself a feature-length f***-you to Hollywood, a movie made simply to show how bad a movie a studio could be induced to make and actors could be persuaded to act in,’

My sentiment exactly!!

While I almost feel Peter Farrelly’s pain, I just have to think back to that god awful film and remember that these comments are pretty spot on. Fortunately though for audiences, it has been a major flop at the box office so I don’t think any one will be having the same idea again any time soon.

I thought all you lovely bloggers would appreciate this little nugget as I did 🙂

You can read the whole article here on The Daily Mail website.

“What the f*ck is Movie 43?”

Reviews for Movie 43 haven’t got many positive things to say. I thought with such a stellar cast it can’t be THAT bad can it? So I persuaded my cinema buddy to pay the £8.70 for a ticket and come to see it with me. BIG MISTAKE! I wish we could take back the money spent just so that we can’t be accused of supporting this ridiculous, awful movie.

The writers of this film should be ashamed of themselves, and who ever fronted the money doesn’t deserve the power to do so. This film was so bad, I was lost for words when it ended. The tag line “Once you’ve seen it, you can’t un-see it” is pretty spot on. But not in the way they intended I hope. Unless the point of this film was to humiliate loads of incredibly famous actors and actresses and put the audience through a diabolical hour and a half, in which case they did a fine job.

The first thing that struck me about this film was the story line. It was so incredibly lazy! Three prepubescents try to find the most banned video on the internet, and the skits are the films they come across on the way. Well the clips that follow aren’t anything like videos you would find on sites such as youtube, so that made no sense to start with!! Don’t get me started on the consequences of said video when they actually do find it, because it just summed up the whole experience – what an utter pile of crap.

Not quite Jean Valjean now?

“The most outrageously funny comedy” – outrageous maybe, but funny? No! The only times I laughed during this film was because I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Why Hugh Jackman would agree to having balls on his chin is beyond me, and Kate Winslet, oh Kate, when you read the script did you not think ‘This is going to be a terrible movie?!’ Chin balls are only funny on a Ballchinion in MIB and even then it was questionable.

Halle Berry should have avoided this film like the plague as soon as she read that she would have to make guacamole with her breast. I first thought that pairing Halle Berry and Steven Merchant on a first date was a funny combo, they get up to some funny gags playing truth or dare, but then – as is a reoccurring theme in this film – they just took it too far and it was no longer funny. Another good pairing was Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber, or so I thought. The idea of home schooling their child but giving him the full experience was a funny idea. Up until the awkward first kiss, ew gross. Not even a bit funny.

The only people I can give credit to in this film are Anna Faris, Seann William Scott and Johnny Knoxville because they are no better than this film. I don’t mean that in a negative way either. Jackass is crude and stupid but that works for Knoxville and it worked in Movie 43. Anna Faris is the queen of spoof comedy so her role fit right in, and Seann William Scott… well its Seann William Scott, he is Stifler incarnate. In fact Scott and Knoxville make a good comedy duo. Their skit could have been funny if it had not escalated into the ridiculous. But Gerard Butler, I am losing all respect for this guy the more films he is in. He plays two vulgar leprechauns, with that god awful Irish accent that should have been buried with him in PS. I Love You.

I wont go into much more detail on the individual skits, but I will say that the iBabe was just a stupid and lazy story that seemed as though it was made up by a 13 year old boy. Richard Gere apparently avoided shooting this for a year until he tried demanding what he thought was unreasonable conditions for filming, but were unfortunately met by the production company.

Movie 43 took 4 years to make, and it is not surprising as most of the actors did not want to be involved. Apparently bullied and guilt tripped into doing this film, it is understandable why the majority of big names did not want to be associated with its promotion, and wish they had never took part in this god awful piece of cinema which will now forever be on their list of ‘accomplishments’.

To sum up, if you enjoy films such as Superhero Movie, Disaster Movie, Scary Movie, Date Movie etc etc, then this film is for you. Movie 43 is a spoof comedy that should not make any money, therefore discouraging such awful film making from taking place ever again. Do not spend money on this film, I BEG YOU!

No Justin, put the script DOWN!

“Woah, you just wrinkled my brain” Community Season 4 Release!

If you have read some of my other posts you may have noticed I am a big fan of the US TV series Community. BIG FAN! Last year we got a sneak peak of the new Season 4. However it had no information other than the reassurance that there would indeed be a fourth series, woop! Troy and Abed host their fake breakfast show to give us the news.

Now there is a new clip, with a sneak peak of what’s in store for the gang in the 4th season. Looks like all the characters are still there, I can definitely spot the back of Pierce’s head, the Dean is looking super camp and crazy, Britta’s got some new glasses and Jeff’s shiny forehead is glorious as ever. The clip is from an episode in the new series called The Hunger Deans, in true Community style a hilarious skit of a popular movie was only to be expected and I CANT WAIT! Apparently due for release in the US on 7th February.

Lets hope there are “Six seasons and a Movie!”

You should also check out the Community – Dark Knight Rises Trailer on YouTube, made up of clips from the past seasons, it is fantastic.

Thanks to NBC for the vids.

“I’m just gonna pump and dump” Pitch Perfect.

I didn’t anticipate that the first film I saw at the cinema in 2013 would be one quite like this. The story line for Pitch Perfect is by no means an original concept, basically groups of Uni students form Acapella groups and compete in regional championships, girls vs. boys, preppy vs. alternative, the good guys win in the end and the main girl and boy fall in love. Wow, snore fest?! NO! This film was AWESOME!

The cast made this film brilliant. Anna Kendrick takes the lead playing Beca, turns out she can sing! Anna seems to be doing very well after Twilight fame, and it is well deserved. She plays the alternative kid who doesn’t fit in but just LOVES music, but not in a lame ‘Glee’ way (sorry Glee fans), she is an aspiring DJ which brings some awesome music to the film, bit of Swedish House Mafia, David Guetta, some great mixes of music we’re all hearing on the radio at the minute (not just stuff that’s popular in the US). She is forced to join a social group by her Dad who wants her to make an effort, and after an uncomfortable shower scene she is discovered by the The Bellas. Anna Kendrick plays the role perfectly, cool and sassy, great voice and just really really likable. (I thought maybe if Kristen Stewart could sing and dance she could probably play the role too, but Anna was the best person for the part).

The two main Bella’s are Chloe and Aubrey. Chloe is played by Brittany Snow who I recognised straight away but couldn’t place her. Now I have looked it up it must be from Hairspray or John Tucker Must Die (eesh can’t believe I just admitted to watching that monstrosity). Aubrey is the leader of the group, played by Anna Camp who I recognised from True Blood. She was fantastic at playing the preppy, over controlling bitch who JUST HAS TO WIN but doesn’t want to stray away from tradition and is not a fan of Beca’s ‘crazy’ ideas until she desperately needs her help to win.

The rest of the girls were great too, there was a real mix of talent and variety, you’ve got a butch lesbian, a weird girl Lilly who whispers disturbing statements at random intervals such as ‘I ate my twin in the womb’…oook (played by Hana Mae Lee who apparently is one to watch!), a sex addict, and not forgetting Fat Amy. The best of the bunch really, she will most definitely be gracing our screens again in her own lead role I am sure. She is hilarious and so refreshing. Her one-liners made the film. Played by Rebel Wilson (yes that’s her real name) from Sydney.

“You guys are gonna get pitch-slapped so hard, your man boobs are gonna concave.”

“Even though some of you are pretty thin, you all have fat hearts, and that’s what counts.”

The men in the cast were also fantastic. The male lead Jesse (Skylar Astin) wasn’t your typical Hollywood love interest, he was a bit of a goon but pretty damn hot and such a nice guy (obv). His room mate Benji (Ben Platt) was also great, an uber nerd who just wants to be in the boys acapella group. The only one I did not like was Bumper (Adam DeVine) who was a cock sure idiot, maybe I was supposed to hate him, but he was such a douche. He actually reminded me a young Jack Black, except he grated on me a lot more, and I actually like Jack Black.

The two biggest names in the film were probably Elizabeth Banks and John Michael Higgins, playing the commentators for the acapella contests. They made a great comedy duo and seemed to really bounce off each other. They also had some brilliant quotes!

“Nothing makes a girl feel more like a woman than a man who sings like a boy”

I have one criticism of the cast though, who were the random 3 girls in the Bella’s group? There are 3 seemly nameless girls with no personality and no story, they aren’t even in the promo pictures. Seemed odd, just leave them out or give them a few more lines?! Can you spot them in the pic below? Also a couple of obvious continuity errors with the singing and dancing but nothing to rant about!

I loved the references of The Breakfast Club in this film, and the final sing off was AMAZING. The jokes are consistent, as are the performances. I literally had a big grin on my face the whole way through, and it made me snort with laughter, which was embarrassing but I can deal with it. Definitely a feel good film, will make you laugh out loud and want to dance around like a mental case. Could have watched the whole thing again when I got home. I left the cinema on a massive high after watching Pitch Perfect, turned Swedish House Mafia’s new album up really loud and hit EVERY green light on the way home. Brilliant!

To Watch list – National Lampoon vs. Bad Santa

So I started on my Christmas films to watch list last night. Starting with National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989), (or Winter Holiday, as the politically correct title reads). This film reminded me of the kind of slap-stick comedy that you see in films such as Home Alone, there is a reason Home Alone wasn’t even mentioned in my previous post. I hate it. Doesn’t bode well for this movie!

I am a new fan of Chevy Chase after watching an American sit-com called Community (the funniest show I have ever seen, you should definately check it out if you havent heard of it!). He was the saving grace of this film, his facial expressions kill me. The Christmas spirit was present in the story, Clark (Chevy) just wants a big family Christmas and is trying his best to make that happen in spite of his crazy family. Juliette Lewis is also in this film, who I didn’t recognise, and actually said “woah that is an unfortunate looking child”, woops! But over all the story line was boring, I don’t find slapstick comedy remotely entertaining, and Clark’s hill billy brother made me feel physically sick to watch (which I guess means Randy Quaid did a good job). The dialogue was slow, I only laughed out-loud once at Chevy’s face when he is watching home video’s in the attic. I actually switched this film off before the end because I was BORED! There are probably some big fan’s of this film, it might even meet the cult classic status, but it was not for me!

Bad Santa was the next choice my boyfriend suggested we watch after the failure of National Lampoon. Billy Bob Thornton plays an alcoholic narcissist Santa Claus, the kind that sits in shops and has his picture taken with the children. He and his fellow Elf (Tony Cox) plan each year to rob a department store using their inside knowledge from the seasonal job role. Well it was pretty bleak throughout, Billy Bob plays the role very well but I have heard he is actually like this in real life (Sheen-esque). As a film by itself it wasn’t bad, it made me laugh, it was slightly traumatising (when a certain some one is rammed between two cars and is disturbingly crushed to death), and the interaction between Bad Santa and the large child he befriends did tickle me at some points. Now I may be a soppy cow at Christmas time, but I want a Christmas film to make me happy, at no point in this film did I get any warm fuzzy feelings, therefore this film was also a major Christmas let down!

I am hoping the next one on my list will be a heartwarming extravaganza!! The John-Lewis advert with the Snowmen is more touching than these two disappointments!

Rant over!