Pitch Perfect: NR #28

Well, I didn't see anything last week, and I didn't see any big movies that came out this week, but I did see a movie that came out earlier this month. The closest thing I can compare to this film is "Mean Girls", why? Let's find out in my review of...

Let's Begin

PLOT

Beca is a freshman at Barden College, after being kicked out of many other colleges. Why was she kicked out? Because she thinks college is stupid and is 100% convinced that she will go to L.A. and become a D.J. Her dad, one of the teachers at the college, gives her a proposition, If she really tries to study and get involved at college after one year and still wants to go to L.A., he'll pay for the whole thing. She decides to join an all girls archapello group called the Bellas. With her spunk and new world attitude, she helps transform the Bellas from a 50's-90's stale group, to a modern remix group.

PROS

The movie is very funny. While it starts out with more misses than hits, it gets better as it goes along, but even at the beginning, when it hits, it really hits.

The movie never goes too mean-spirited and actually has a heart. It would have been really easy just to make it a mean-spirited cheap joke teen flick, but it goes above and beyond that.

The singing and archapello is very good and well done. A lot of the songs were ones that I hate, yet they found a way to make me love them.

The side characters are what make the film. They may not be too developed, but they all have a little quirk that keep the jokes coming. My favorite was a little quiet Asian girl who whenever she talks, she says some of the most weird, messed-up, and hilarious stuff in the film.

CONS

Beca is an extremely unlikable character. She's a whinny girl that acts like she's better than everyone else and gets angry at people for no reason. Even when she learns her lesson, I still hated her.

CONCLUSION

Now why is this like "Mean Girls"? Well I expected it to suck, to be another shallow, no thrills teen comedy used to cash in on the "Glee" craze. It turned out to be a clever, heart-felt film that only gets better and better. While it has an ok first half, the second half literally had me in tears. I hate vomit jokes, and the joke I laughed the hardest at was a vomit joke! Overall, it's a fun movie that stays entertaining.

RATING

WALK TO 

Argo: NR #27

Ben Affleck sure has turned his career around hasn't he? He started out as a horrible to sub-par actor whose only claim to fame was as a co-writer, oh yeah, and he dated J-Lo. Yet ever since he left her behind, he's become not only a good actor, but found his true talent behind the camera as a director. Now the only one of his directed movie's I've seen has been "The Town", which I loved. So you can guess my excitement when I heard about his new film. Is it any good, or is Affleck a two hit wonder? Let's find out in my review of...

  Let's Begin

PLOT

Taking place during the Iranian hostage situation of the late 70's, the film follows Tony Mendaes, an FBI agent who's job is to get people out of dangerous situations, who has to help six american's who escaped capture and are now hiding out at the Canadian ambassador's house. With little to no options left, Tony decides that the best plan is to make a fake movie. In claiming to make a fake "Star Wars" ripoff called "Argo", the six american's can disguise themselves as a Canadian film crew and get out of the country. 

PROS

The actors in this film do an amazing job. Everyone get's a moment to shine and never overshadow's anyone else's suburp performance.

The film's script and dialogue is its biggest strength. It not only is engaging and interesting, but it's also very funny, mixing the humor and drama perfectly.

Now I was not alive during this period in history, and I didn't even know this happened until this film was released, and the they convey the situation very well. At the beginning, they show the U.S. embassy getting overrun by the Iranian's, and I was honestly frightened, as was the world at this time.

Tension is one of this movie's many specialities. I was a little tense throughout the whole movie, but never sacred. The last 30 min. had me scared, so tense that a heart shaped piece of skin popped out of my chest every 2 seconds. 

Luckily, the comedy in this movie helps relieve the tension in the first and second halves of the film. I missed a ton of dialogue just thinking about some of the lines said in this film.

Every hostage is well developed and act realistically. While this may seem like a no brainer, sometimes movies just leave out those little details that "Argo" get's across in very little time. It makes those last 30 min. even more exhilarating.

Affleck's attention to detail is incredible. The film is shot in a way that is very reminiscent of movies from the 70's, with film grain and everything. The sets are also very detailed, only filled with stuff an average person from the 70's would have.

CONS

All of my problems with this film are tiny nit-picks that barely affect it as a whole.

CONCLUSION

What a way to start off Oscar season. This is the true sign of Affleck's talent, not only as a director but also as an actor. I was sucked in by this movie, never feeling bored are looking at my watch. I can't wait to see what Affleck does next, and to any upcoming Oscar contenders, I hope you bring your A game x2, cause "Argo" just blew it out of the water. I would suggest you see this film, which I do, but I'd rather you support "Sinister", the new horror movie that came out this week. While I would have seen it, I'm not above the age of 17 and I don't know anyone above that age that would see it. Why do I want everyone to go see it? Let me put it like this. I hate, HATE, being scared, that's why most of the Horror movies I see are more focused on comedy or gore. This movie was intended to be rated PG-13, but the MPAA gave it an R because it was too scary to show to teenagers, and yet this is my most anticipated films of this year. So please, GO SEE THIS MOVIE, then go see "Argo" right after, ok? ok.

RATING

RUN TO!

Taken 2: NR #26

This was one of most anticipated and dreaded films of this year. I loved the first Taken, it was simple, stupid, yet incredibly fun and entertaining. It also introduced me and many other teens to Liam Neeson. Now four years later and we have the sequel. Can an inventive concept and an actor keep this sequel a float? Let's find out in my review of...

 Let's Begin

PLOT

As we all know, Liam Nees- I mean Bryan Mills, killed a TON of people in the last film. Well the extended families of those henchmen are pissed. They now have one mission, kill Mills. So what do they do? They kidnap him and his ex-wife while they're in Istanbul and attempt to kidnap his daughter. Bryan must now direct his daughter to find him, free him, and get revenge of those who've taken his family.

PROS

I laughed at a couple of points...at unintentionally funny points.... that's the nicest thing I can say...

CONS

Let's review on what made "Taken" great. It had a simple yet effective plot, the villains were truly evil, Liam Neeson still had moves and killed/maimed people in awesome ways, and while it had its stupid moments, it was still fun. "Taken 2" doesn't get it.

The plot is creative and could have been interesting, but the families just become generic Middle Eastern villains and that setup never goes anywhere.

The film's logic is so stupid, a person who's never been out side their home would say it doesn't make sense. Example: Neeson is directing his daughter on how to find him. He uses ways that don't make sense, but I can suspend my disbelief. Then, he tells her to throw a grenade in a random direction so he can use it as echo location... if you can't find what's wrong with that logic, than you need more help than I can give.

The action scenes in the first "Taken", while not perfectly shot, you could still tell what's going on. Here, I had so many points after Neeson fought someone that I went "WHAT?!?!" The camera is set on everyone's chest in extreme close-ups that you can never tell what's going on.

The ex-wife is one of the most useless characters in film history. She literally adds nothing to the plot and could have been edited out of the film entirely.

I would complain that Neeson wasn't in there enough, but when he finally gets his badass moment, it was boring and predictable. You sit there for the first hour or so wanting Neeson to do something, but instead you get him yelling directions at his daughter, and I already explained what happens after that hour or so.

CONCLUSION

This is the definition of a cash-grab. It adds nothing to story, makes little sense, and probably would've gone straight to DVD if Liam Neeson hadn't come back. While not the worst movie I've ever seen, it has nothing that deserves your time and money. Go see "Looper" or "Hotel Transylvania" instead.

RATING

RUN AWAY!