Review: Pitch Perfect

Year: 2012
Genre: Comedy, musical
Director: Jason Moore
Key Players:  Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow and Rebel Wilson

In a Nutshell:
A college student aspiring to become a DJ signs up with an acapella group.

The Bottom Line:
I went into this movie expecting a standard ‘Glee’ style sugarcoated musical movie but ended up laughing my ass off.

I enjoyed it for the pacing of the songs (Playing enough of a song to have fun but not playing the entire song to fill the movie) and the sharp wit of all the characters. Rebel Wilson again makes us Australians look like we wrestle crocodiles in our backyard but still provides a likeable character.

The Acapella commentators provide a howling commentary whenever they show up and the weird crazy Asian girl in the group made me shoot coke out of my nose.

And I will marry Anna Kendrick one day.

I urge every comedy fan to watch this, don’t let the musical background of the film detract you from it.

A bit of Trivia:
Everybody needs to watch Workaholics

Review: Wreck-It Ralph

Year: 2012
Genre: Animated, Comedy, Adventure
Director: Rich Moore
Key Players:  John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer and Jane Lynch

In a Nutshell:
Sick of being the bad guy in an arcade video game, Wreck-It Ralph leaves his game to seek heroism.

The Bottom Line:
I saw this with a friend and wer both agreed on one thing: This movie was boring.

It started out well enough and with a great premise. It had video game cameos and gaming jokes but then just degenerated into an average animated adventure.

The idea of a video game villain jumping into other games to try and find acceptance is a great idea and showed promise of a character getting into situational hijonks with each game he dove into. But in the end he only went into two other games, one for seemingly 5 minutes before the rest and majority of the movie took place in a candyland style kart-racing game. It felt like the writer got bored of the whole video game thing and decided to make a game where candy characters made candy jokes. It grew insanely boring.

Sorry to everyone that gave it really high scores but this movie almost put me to sleep.

Random bit of Trivia:
Look out for the infamous Konami Code

Film #364 - Crazy, Stupid Love

Year: 2011
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Key Players: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Julianne Moore

In a Nutshell:
Julianne Moore dumps Steve Carrells ass so he meets up with Ryan Gosling to learn the secrets to hooking up with random women.  

The Bottom Line:
I went into this film with trepidation. I was expecting another cliches romance movie. And it was that, but it also had a lot of heart to it and I laughed my way through it.

All the characters do their part marvelously, especially Carrell as the man who just wants his wife back, and all the women are swooning over Ryan Gosling these days and I can see why. Dudes got a body exactly like mine.

I loved the films climax where it all just goes tits up, and the scene in the office where everybody though Carrell had cancer was hilarious.

Valentines day is coming up and, gents, this would be a movie that you would both enjoy.

Random bit of Trivia:
There was a competition on set as to who could think of a title for the movie, the winner getting an iPad.

Film #362 - A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas

Year: 2011
Genre: Comedy, Adventure
Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson
Key Players: Kal Penn, John Cho and Neil Patrick Harris

In a Nutshell:
Harold goes on a mission to find the perfect Christmas tree to impress his father in law and Kumar gets thrown in for the ride. Hilarity Ensues

The Bottom Line:
Ugh, blatant 3D irritates me. every time I saw it happen in this movie I wanted to turn it off.

This movie is not the best in the trilogy (although I haven’t seen Guantanamo Bay). It’s pretty standard Harold and Kumar movie.

But what makes the movie is Neil Patrick Harris. His scene was hilarious.

Random bit of Trivia:
Kal Penn actually works at the White House now and took time off to make this film.

Film #360 - A Good Old Fashioned Orgy

Year: 2011
Genre: Comedy
Director: Alex Gregory, Peter Huyck
Key Players: Jason Sudeikis, Leslie Bibb and Tyler Labine

In a Nutshell:
When his holiday home goes up for sale, Jason Sudeikis decides to send it off with a bang and have an orgy with his friends. And honestly who wouldn’t when all your friends are totally smoking hot?

The Bottom Line:
It wasn’t the title that immediately made me want to watch this film. It was the fact that it had Jason Sudeikis in it. So far I’ve enjoyed most of the movies he’s been in. It also has Tyler Labine in it whom you might remember from one of last years best movies (for me) Tucker and Dale Vs Evil.

And it’s got Leslie Bibb in a bikini, who can go wrong with that body. 

The movie was actually pretty good. It went in a couple of unexpected directions which I liked because I was expecting some sort of Hollywood ending to this. It was funny and Sudeikis has this charm where you have no knowledge of his character or what he does for a living but you have to like him anyway. I enjoyed the pants off Leslie Bibb… I mean this movie.

Random bit of Trivia:
The parties in the movie were inspired by the co=directors own who would throw similar themes parties.

Film #356 - Pee Wees Big Adventure

Year: 1985
Genre: Adventure, Comedy
Director: Tim Burton
Key Players: Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daily and Mark Holton

In a Nutshell:
Pee Wee Herman has to track down his stolen bike, zany and hilarious shenanigans ensue, none involving child pornography.

The Bottom Line:
Paul Reubens had everything going for him before that whole “incident” with the kiddy porn, although I do still enjoy him when he pops up in random movies (Mystery Men).

Pee Wee is something I tend to come back to every year for a nostalgia fix. It’s still great fun, although these days ol Pee Wee can come off as a bit irritating. But the adventure is brilliant, moving from one catastrophe to the next. And the Tequila scene is still one of my favorite dance numbers in movie history.

It’s still a great movie with the good Tim Burton touch, not the rubbish he seems to be making these days.

Random bit of Trivia:
When did Elizabeth Daily turn into such a hottie after this movie?

Film # 336 - The Trip

Year: 2010
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Key Players: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon and Paul Popplewell

In a Nutshell:
Steve Coogan invites his comedian friend along for a gastronomic review of England.

The Bottom Line:
Man this film was boring. It seemed like it was a feature length film of Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon doing their famous impersonations. 

Seriously, dont worry about it.

Random bit of Trivia:
So boring.

Film # 333 - The Muppets

Year: 2011
Genre: Family, Comedy
Director: James Bobbin
Key Players: Amy Adams, Jason Segel and Chris Cooper

In a Nutshell:
Jason Segal and his muppet brother get the muppet gang back together for a fundraiser to save Muppet studios.

The Bottom Line:
Back in the days of wholesome family fun the Muppets reigned supreme. By the end of their run on The Muppet Show every celebrity was itching to get on their.

Nowadays even childrens TV shows need to be sexed up and the muppets seem out of date. Which is the purpose of this film, it shows that those times aren’t gone and it’s ok to have a blast with some puppets.

For a fan of the Muppets, this movie was hilarious, each character got his 5 minutes of fame (although I always feel that it needed more Swedish Chef) and the script was written totally tongue in cheek. It’s a whole lot of fun.

However I couldn’t help but feel the the movie suffered a little from a last minute wrap up.

Also I know I’m not meant to be nit picking here because let’s face it, it’s the muppets. But how does Jason Segal have a muppet brother? Are we lead to believe that being a muppet is some sort of genetic defect? And if so than that means that the muppets are an exploited minority.

Random bit of Trivia:
Of all the cameos in the movie, Alan Arkin was the only person to appear on the Muppet Show, Whoopi Goldberg appeared on Muppets Tonight.

Film #328 - Friends with Benefits

Year: 2011
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Director: Will Gluck
Key Players: Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake and Patricia Clarkson

In a Nutshell:
Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake are best friends who also like to be fuck buddies. But it all ends up fucked up before it ends up for the better.

The Bottom Line:
Exactly like No strings attached. It was standard rom com.

Random bit of Trivia:
Like Mila Kunis’s ass in this movie? Well it ain’t Mila’s, she used a stunt ass.

Film #326 - Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

Year: 2010
Genre: Comedy, Action, Fantasy
Director: Jelmari Helander
Key Players: Jorma Tommila, Peeter Jakobi and Onni Tommila

In a Nutshell:
Excavators uncover the burial mound of Santa Claus who wasn’t exactly a jolly old saint so a small deer farming town must protect themselves.

The Bottom Line:
This wasn’t a bad movie. It suffered severely from “Running out of time, lets wrap this up anyway we can” syndrome. But for the most part it was a really fun movie.

A recommend it. 

Random bit of Trivia:
The Christmas holiday was originally a pagan holiday for the sun god Mithras. The Christians were worried that people were converting to paganism because they were having too much fun so the church declared a holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus.
Also, the whole stocking chimney thing came from an old Norse tradition where one time a year children would hang stocking filled with carrots and wheat to feed Odins eight legged horse Sleipnir. Odin would come down and replace the carrots with candy.