Pitch Perfect

My View:  Pitch Perfect  (2012)  Music is Becca’s (Anna Kendrick) life, so much so that she wants to move to Los Angeles to become a music producer. Her father, who is a professor, though, wants her to get an education first, so he makes a deal with Becca – stay at the university for one year and join at least one group activity. So, Becca joins “The Bellas,” an all-female A Cappella group as they work to reach the A Cappella national championship. The only problem is their main competition is an all-male group on their own campus called, “The Treblemakers.”  I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this film.  The singing is highly entertaining and includes some fun sing-offs,  but I really was suppressed by the quality of  the humor in the film, especially anytime scene stealer Rebel Wilson was on-screen.  Anna Kendrick has a beautiful voice, and her auction for the group is an amazing performance piece.  Yes, this film is predictable and a little cheesy, but it's a whole lot of fun.  Think of this film as "a mix of Glee and Mean Girls."    My Rating:  Full Price    Pitch Perfect Website

My View:  End of Watch  (2012)  Two young police officers, Brian (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike (Michael Pena), are out to make a name for themselves on the mean streets of Los Angeles. When an ordinary traffic stop turns into a big drug bust, the officers lives may never be the same. It turns out the drugs belong to a Mexican drug cartel, and they won’t stop till they get their revenge.  I must admit, I had a little trouble getting my head into the film due to its language and heavy violence but as the film progresses, I really enjoyed it.  What makes this film is the relationship between the two young cops who are just trying to do the best job they can in a hard, hard world.  The director does a nice, new take on the "found footage" gimmick that a lot of films are using, and its use never gets old.  Yes, there is the drug cartel aspect of the film, but this film's heart and soul exhibits the day-to-day life of a cop on the street and off the street, when they go home to their families.  Be warned, there is not only extreme, realistic violence in this film, but there are disturbing scenes where you see the end result of violence the cartels dish out.  I liked Gyllenhaal and Anna Kendrick, who plays his girlfriend, but it's Michael Pena, his partner, who shines in this film.  There is Oscar talk about his performance.    My Rating:  Full Price     End of Watch Website

The 50 (A Movie From My Best/Worst Films of All Time)

#15 Best Film

The Philadelphia Story  (1940)  Before this film came out, the star of the film, Katharine Hepburn, was labeled by the press as "Box Office Poison," as she had been in a number of films that had done nothing.  The Philadelphia Story is the film that made her a star, and rightly so, as she plays Tracy Lord, a wealthy divorcee who is about to remarry.  A reporter, named Macaulay (James Stewart), teams up with Tracy's ex-husband, Dexter (Cary Grant) to get the story behind the wedding of the year, though, it seems, Dexter wants to just cause a little mischief.  But, Tracy is in for the ride of her life as she begins to fall in love with both Macaulay and Dexter, all right before her big day.  This film is one of the best examples of the comedies of the 1940s with Hepburn, Stewart and especially, Grant at the height of their comedic talents.  This is a funny film that is also touching, as Tracy discovers that she has a lot to learn about her place in the world and with whom to fall in love.   The Philadelphia Story Info

Forgotten Film:  The Paper Chase  (1973)  Timothy Bottoms plays James, a first year law student who is struggling to find his way in the hard academic life at Harvard Law School.  His toughest professor is Professor Charles Kingsfield (John Houseman), a demanding but brilliant teacher. James, at first, is in over his head, but then he realizes that everyone else in the school is also underwater.  In fact, he discovers that he is doing better than some of his fellow classmates.  His life changes when he meets Susan, and he soon falls in love with her.  But, there is a catch.  James discovers, to his horror, that Susan has a secret - one that could wreck his career.  John Houseman won a Best Supporting Oscar for his role of the tough, but great teacher, Professor Kingsfield.  This film is full of complex characters with rich acting performances from such future stars as Edward Herrmann and Blair Brown, and gives us a satisfying ending to a wonderful and vibrant story.    My Rating:  Bargain Matinee    The Paper Chase Info

In Case You Missed It ( A Film Just Released on DVD):  The Avengers  (2012)  The big summer blockbuster hit was successful at the box office not only for its high energy action sequences, but also for the humorous dialogue.  I feel that audiences would have to see the film two or three times to be able to hear all the funny lines that were spit out like gunfire. Robert Downey, Jr. as Ironman, is what the storyline revolved around, but for many people, it was The Hulk, and his smashing everything in sight, that made this film so enjoyable.    My Rating:  I Would Pay to See it Again   The Avengers Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):   Alex Cross  (2012)  Tyler Perry plays Alex Cross, aWashington DC detective, who has to take on a madman (played by a super ripped/0% body fat Matthew Fox).  The film has a good cast with Rachel Nichols, Jean Reno and Edward Burns, but will audiences accept a guy who usually plays an overweight woman as a bad ass P.I.?  I don't think so.    Alex Cross Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of End of Watch:  Special thanks to the United States Submarine Force

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:   Flight  (2012)  Denzel Washington stars as an airline pilot who saves a flight from crashing, but soon, an investigation reveals that he may have been the fault of the near crash.  Lots of Oscar talk surrounding Denzel for this role.   Flight Website

Until Next Time!