UPDATE 6/15: Via Variety, stars Anna Kendrick and Rebel Wilson WILL be returning to Pitch Perfect 3. Read the original story below: Aca-Perfect! After making a whopping $161 million at the box office, Pitch Perfect is returning for a third film. THR reports that studios are already in negotiations with the writer of the first …
Singing was Kendrick’s first claim to fame: she started acting in New York at age 10 and received a Tony nomination at 12. Every ounce of that talent is on display in Richard LaGravenese’s new musical ‘The Last Five Years’…
Jerry (Ryan Reynolds) spends his days working the nine-to-five shift at his new job at the Milton Bathtub Factory. Jerry is chipper to the point that he may turn some people off, but he never stops trying to make friends. Friends are something that Jerry could use because the only other conversation he has is with his dog Bosco and his cat Mr. Whiskers. Things are looking up though, Jerry has been tasked with planning the company picnic and he’s asked a girl (Gemma Arterton) out on a date. Jerry is so excited to share the news he rushes home to tell his pets about Fiona. Oddly enough, both Bosco and Mr. Whiskers start talking back.
In Cake, it takes about fifteen minutes for director Daniel Barnz to establish the ground rules for this familiar portrait of grief and addiction, followed up by another 90 minutes or so of dramatic clumsiness and eye-rolling clichés. Whether it is drugs, sex, or booze, each brings a routine numbing quality to the table for Claire Bennett (Aniston), a seemingly darkly comedic and scathing woman who we first meet in a support group for chronic physical pain.
Normally, I’m a fair and agreeable chap who approaches each movie with an open mind. I must warn you, however, that my review of Into the Woods will be neither fair nor agreeable. I will not be fawning over director Rob Marshall, who seems clueless as to what his own movie is about, nor will I be singing the praises of Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim, who has probably written grocery lists more pleasing to the ear than these tunes. What I will be doing is trying to deconstruct one of my most grueling cinematic experiences of 2014.
Into the Woods Written by James Lepine, based on a musical by Stephen Sondheim Directed by Rob Marshall USA, 2014 What is there to say about a film that is destined to succeed in spite of its weak ambitions and generic form? Rob Marshall’s newest project, Into the Woods, has been granted a Christmas Day …
It is an inherent belief that the holiday season and family gatherings go hand-in-hand like puffy earmuffs on an exposed frozen ear. Well, writer-director (and co-star) Joe Swanberg backs up this assertion with his dysfunctional familial gem Happy Christmas. The gift-giving in Happy Christmas is predicated upon breezy disillusionment, personal and professional malaise, and the underscoring of being unfulfilled. Once again Swanberg puts his unique stamp on the microscopic root of relationships and the fragile consequences of coping with the pressures of such interaction.
Twenty years ago, if someone said that ‘zombie romantic comedy’ was going to become an actual cinematic sub-genre, they’d have been called a witch and burned at the stake. And yet, they would have been right, and Fantasia 2014 has seen the unveiling of yet another film in the rapidly expanding genre, Life After Beth. Starring Aubrey Plaza of Parks and Recreation and Dane DeHaan, recently of The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Life After Beth is best described as a zombie breakup comedy. It’s also best described as “decent, but not amazing”, a serviceable enough zom-rom-com kept afloat mostly by the supporting cast.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Written by Edgar Wright and Michael Bacall Directed by Edgar Wright USA, Canada, 2010 If a big-budget blockbuster opens, and nobody goes to see it, does it make a noise? In the case of 2010’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, an ambitious adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s cult favorite graphic …
I spoke with Joe Swanberg about performance and beer at a Philadelphia sneak peek of his new film Drinking Buddies, starring Jake Johnson, Olivia Wilde, Anna Kendrick, and Ron Livingston. Neal Dhand: I really love the performances in this film. They’re so real and believable. Joe Swanberg: I’ve always been into performance. With everything I’ve …
Joe Swanberg’s Drinking Buddies is a prime example of how a cast can save a movie from drifting into obscurity once the end credits roll. Good chemistry between actors is essential to making a film enjoyable; luckily for Drinking Buddies, the cast is exactly what turns the film into a minor success. The four principal stars are supremely likable and are given the chance to show off their improvisation skills throughout.
Luke is in a serious, committed relationship with the mild mannered Jane (Anna Kendrick), while Kate is in a relationship with straight laced music producer Chris (Ron Livingston).
Pitch Perfect Directed by Jason Moore Written by Kay Cannon USA, 2012 Too many people making romantic comedies and coming-of-age stories are tied down to a criminally punishing three-act structure and conventions defined both by standard-bearers of the genre and by studio mandates. Otherwise entertaining films like For a Good Time, Call… and Bridesmaids shift …
End of Watch Directed by David Ayer Written by David Ayer USA, 2012 Although End of Watch doesn’t have a theme song per se, one can’t help but apply a familiar tune to underscore its proceedings. Something along the lines of, “Bad boys bad boys, watcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do when Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña …
ParaNorman Directed by Sam Fell and Chris Butler Written by Chris Butler USA, 2012 For Laika, the animation studio that began its fledgling career with 2009’s lovely and perceptive stop-motion film Coraline, the bar was raised high for its sophomore effort. After Henry Selick impressed audiences with his adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s story, Laika’s next …
One of my favorite bands now has a new music video for “Pow Pow” by LCD Soundsystem. Directed by David Ayer (Harsh Times, Street Kings), the video stars Anna Kendrick as a shape-shifting superstar amidst the spotlight . David Aye spoke to spoke to MTV explaining the meaning behind of the video clip saying, “No …