Pitch Perfect (2012)

Pitch Perfect is just that, perfect. I wasn't really sure what to expect before I sat down to watch it, all I really knew about it was from a few GIFs I had seen floating around Tumblr. To be honest, for what I had seen/heard/read about it, was a bit too 'Glee' for my liking. Not that there's anything wrong with that if that's your cup of tea, but I thought Hollywood was maybe taking the piss a bit if they did decided to make a cinematic version of Glee. But boy, was I wrong.

Let's start at the beginning. A prestigious collegiate a capella competition (because that's a thing now? Where have I been?), and the first all-girl singing group to make it to the finals, the Barden Bellas, lose out on a victory to their male rivals of the same university, the Treblemakers (get it? TREBLEmakers - like a treble clef?), after a very... erm... unfortunate incident, making them the laughing stock of the a capella world and sinking them to the bottom of the pile. So in the new term, it's time for the group's veterans Chloe (Brittany Snow) and Aubrey (Anna Camp) to recruit some new Bellas and get their rep back. Enter Beca (Anna Kendrick), except not really, because she doesn't really want to be at college, and is only there because her dad is a professor at Barden University, so she gets to go for free. Plus, he won't help pay her way to LA to become a DJ and music producer.We also get introduced to the fabulous Fat Amy, portrayed by the equally, if not more, fabulous Rebel Wilson.

First off, Anna Kendrick is kind of awesome. I wasn't really sure what to make of her, because the only roles I've ever seen her play is bitchy and two dimensional Jessica in The Twilight Saga and a sweet yet slightly dull therapist in 50/50. But she really came through in this film. I don't quite know how to describe it, she was funny without being over the top, sassy without being bitchy, and moody enough without coming across as just another angsty teen. And most of all, she knew when to hold back to let all the other kooky lasses get their gags in too. Author of the screenplay, and resident writer on 30 Rock and New Girl, Kay Cannon ticked all of the boxes for all the funnies in this one.



This film saw some other pretty great ladies. Rebel Wilson, who we all know and love from her role as the weirdo flatmate in Bridesmaids, just makes an already funny script even funnier. Horizontal running, vertical running... this may not mean much to you right now, but just watch her in action and I will guarantee that you will see the effortless hilarity she exudes. I see big things for her in 2013. Brittany Snow took me by surprise slightly as well. I had only ever seen her in the infamous John Tucker Must Die, where she plays a bland and generally not very likable loner, and in general she has a very stand-offish aura about her away from the screen, but she actually managed to add some personality to her character. And you know what? I didn't hate it, in fact, I was pleasantly entertained. And, even though he's not a lady, can I get a "hell yeah" for Christopher Mintz-Plaase? His role may have been small, but no one can get tired of seeing this McLovin' on the screen.

All the plot summaries and film reviews describe Kendrick's character, Beca, as an 'alt-girl', but that's not all I like about her. I mean, sure, I like the fact that she's a DJ and wears a ton of piercings on her ear, but I also like how relatable she is. Beca admittedly has more friends who are boys, but not in a 'whey look at me I'm one of the boys', in-your-face kind of way, is smart and funny and quirky, and also has weird emotional baggage just like the rest of us. Plus I also love her on-screen pairing with fellow a cappella group rival Jesse (Skylar Astin).

Pitch Perfect is musical comedy at its finest, celebrating your failings and your flaws and embracing diversity and change. But in a completely non-cheesy way, of course. Beca's right though, movie endings are predictable, but somehow, I'm okay with that. Because I have a complete and utter toner for this movie.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)

(What's this, two posts in two consecutive days? Madness!)

It's happened, I've finally been able to watch The Perks of Being a Wallflower in all its cinematic glory. I've been wanting to see it since it came out in UK theatres in October, and even more so since I finished the novel only last month. When I sat down and started watching it, excited wasn't the word.

I know I've already written a review of the book on this blog already, but here's some quick background information on the film. It's directed by the original novelist Stephan Chbosky, stars Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson & the Lightening Thief), Emma Watson (Harry Potter series, duh!) and Ezra Miller (We Need to Talk About Kevin), and is a coming-of-age film about a timid freshman who is taken under the wing of two seniors who welcome him to their "island of misfit toys."

The thing about film adaptations of books is that no matter how good it is, you're constantly making even the smallest comparisons to the book. The movie itself was actually quite true to the book, which is the benefit of having the director also being the authour - everything is how is how it was intended to be. A large chunk of the dialogue was taken straight from the book and any new addition didn't feel strange or forced, which is particularly important, especially in Lerman's narration to his mysterious 'friend'. The only real criticism I have with the film is that it is a bit too choppy at parts, meaning that it missed some scenes from the book that I would have loved to have seen in this movie. Perks is a very character-driven novel, with a lot of key bonding moments between characters, and some of the missing bits from the films I felt would have made the audience understand them better.It would have tied up the film nicely, but I guess you can't exactly fit every single detail of a book in just under two hours, so I can look past it (just).

Being set in the 90's, the film has a great, old-school nostalgic feel about it. They hung out at diners, made mixtapes on cassettes and listened to them on their walkmans, and wrote essays and letters pen to paper (or in some cases, a typewriter). Don't get me wrong, I like living in today's digital age, but it's refreshing to be taken back to basics, and seeing a high school movie where groups of friends actually spent time together in person rather than over instant messaging or Facebook. There's nothing like the company of others, and simply just watching people interact and grow and change and make memories, especially when it's paired with a killer soundtrack. It's also nice to watch an American high school movie where the plot doesn't involve popular kid and unpopular kid falling in love and facing the social adversity from their peers. In fact, it's refreshing to see a film where the popular kids aren't being worshiped full stop. It's a film about outsiders and I think everyone can identify with at least one person in this film that way.

I also need a moment to gush over the brilliant cast in this ensemble. First of all, I think Logan Lerman is a perfect depiction for Charlie, not overly exaggerated and brilliantly subtle, he fully embodies his character just as how I imagined him when reading the book. Emma Watson was also great, but what it being her first role outside of the Harry Potter franchise, it's going to be hard (for me at least) to see her out of her 'Hermione' shell. She's a wonderful actress, of course, and I can't imagine anyone else playing the role of Sam, but I'm looking forward to her really wowing us in the future like I know she can. I almost squealed in my seat when Paul Rudd appeared on screen as Charlie's English teacher, Bill, but I really wish Chbosky would have given him more attention in the film. Bill (or Mr Anderson, as he is better known in the picture) is such an integral part of Charlie's life in the book, and it was such a shame to see Rudd's character so underdeveloped to make room for everything else. But was we did see of him was great, because Paul Rudd is brilliant. Ezra Miller is also inspiring, playing the non-conventional Gay Best Friend and all round funny guy. I wish I could say more about him other than he's great, but I haven't seen We Need to Talk About Kevin, so I have no frame of reference on his past works. Honourable mentions to Nina Dobrev, Miss Vampire Diaries herself playing the role of Charlie's sister, parents Kate Walsh and Dylan McDermott (who could have also used a bit more character development, especially the father), and Joan Cusak's brief but well-acted role as the psychiatrist.

Films-from-books always pose the same age-old question for me: should we always read the book first? Does it really matter? I always try to read the book before watching a film adaption where possible, but sometimes I wonder if I watch the film first, I'll still experience those really great feelings when watching something for the first time, and still get to enjoy the book later. But then when it comes to reading the book, you already know what's going to happen, and the only new discoveries you experience are the ones they didn't include in the motion picture. But it goes the same for reading the book first, you still get all those really great feelings, and when it comes to watching the film, you get really nit-picky over the smallest things (like I'm being right now). I guess there's really no right answer when it comes to these things.

Nonetheless, it's a fantastic film, with great great music and a top cast. Despite the faults I see, it's not going to stop me from watching it again and again for a long time.

Film Review - Like Crazy (2011)

Like Crazy, winner of two awards at Sundance, is a romantic drama film directed by Drake Doremus about a British and American couple who are thrown into an emotionally straining long-distance relationship after problems arise with visas.

We are introduced to Anna (Felicity Jones), a British girl studying English in a college in Los Angeles, and Jacob (Anton Yelchin), a design student and LA native, and watch them meet and fall in love the only way an indie movie couple can: with a romantic montage of intense stares and hand holding accompanied by soft piano music being played over the top. They bond over their love for Paul Simon, Anna writes him letters and poems and complies scrapbooks of their relationship, Jacob designs and makes her a chair for her desk, and he even meets her parents when they come over to visit from the UK. Everything is blissful and effortless, until Anna decides that she doesn't want to spend the summer apart from Jacob, ends up overstaying her student visa and is in turn denied entry back into America after a quick trip back to England for a wedding.

The film feels so authentic when you watch it, like you're watching a real life couple in a documentary rather than two fictitious characters. Upon further research, I learned that a lot of the dialogue was improvised, which is why the whole thing felt so natural. Jones (who took home a Sundance special jury price) and Yelchin's performances were very believable, nothing appeared fake or forced and there was some real natural chemistry between the pair. The soundtrack was especially impressive, guiding you through the various emotional scenes of the film and picking you up when you needed it to.

What I liked about this film is how realistic it is of its portrayal of relationships. It's not like a Hollywood film, where boy meets girl, fall in love, problems arise, but then they live happily ever after. There's no special formula, just an accurate depiction of how relationships in the real world actually work. It's quite similar to (500) Days of Summer in that way, light in the right places but keeping you grounded on the reality of things. Things don't always go according to plan, sometimes you really have to fight hard for the person you love, and it does pay off, however it doesn't mean that cracks won't appear when things go wrong.

The only negative aspect I can really talk about is Anna's nonchalant approach to her visa. I know we all make mistakes when we're young, and love tends to cloud our judgement, but I don't see how someone can be so casual about something as serious as overstaying a visa. Did she not think about the implications? Visa laws are very strict, especially these days, and surely it would have been better to be apart from her boyfriend for three months, and then come back and apply for a work visa, rather than take the risk that she did and, consequently, hardly get to see him at all apart from a few sporadic visits from him over a couple of years. But that's just my opinion.

Regardless, I really did enjoy this film, and I really liked the appearances from Jennifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games), Oliver Muirhead and Alex Kingston (Doctor Who). I understand why it wouldn't be to some people's tastes, but I would definitely recommend anyone to give it an open mind and watch it.

Coincidentally, this review also ties in with Song Friday, with a song from the film's soundtrack. The song is called IMpossible by Figurine, and I haven't been able to get it out of my head since watching Like Crazy! I just love how upbeat and dancey it is without it being too in-your-face.