Pitch Perfect

Movies these days seem to forget that they can be fun. Looking at the major blockbuster hits within the last year, we have films such as The Dark Knight Rises, The Grey, Les Misérables, Zero Dark Thirty, Skyfall, and Prometheus, among others. These grittier films have a place, and they certainly make an impact, but it's nice to have a fun, upbeat movie to relax to. You know, one that doesn't haunt you for days, but you can still remember it fondly whenever it may come up in conversation or elsewhere in life. This is exactly the niche that Pitch Perfect fills.

http://www.pitchperfectmovie.com/

The movie's plot isn't anything to write home about, it's a rather cookie cutter tale of a rebellious girl, Beca (Anna Kendrick), who finds something (and someone) she cares about and it changes her into a better person. In this case, she finds  a passion in an all female a cappella group (the Barden Bellas) on her campus. Beca has a passion for remixing music, but her father, a professor at the university, doesn't think this will lead to any sort of prestigious career. He encourages her to devote herself to something and become more involved on campus, and so she joins the Barden Bellas. Beca is romantically pursued by Jesse (Skylar Astin) throughout the movie, but this romance plays out just like any love story in media, so don't expect anything new there. The Bellas are in fierce competition with the Treble Makers, the all male a cappella group, to win the National Competition of a cappella groups. It's hard to write about plots in generalities, and I don't want to reveal any of the trends just in case there are some readers who don't watch much film, but this movie plays out the same way most underdog movies play out, and you wont be at all surprised by the plot.

http://www.pitchperfectmovie.com/

The movies writing is full of ham and can be spotty at times, but there are genuine laughs throughout. There are, however, some moments that are taken just a bit too far, and you'll know them when you see them. Fortunately it's not enough to ruin the movie and there will inevitably be a few people who will get their kick from the rather misplaced gross-out moments. What's really apparent about this film is how much fun everyone is having making it, and you really can't help but enjoy watching. It's truly a pleasure watching actors who are enjoying what it is they're doing, especially when they don't have to portray too serious of a role, because at that point it is no longer acting, they simply are their character. That being said, all of the acting in the movie is excellent, but the character that probably stands out most in the movie is Fat Amy (portrayed by Rebel Wilson). Wilson is an Australian comedian and she has such a mastery of the timing and inflection needed to be a straight-faced comedian that you'll love almost everything that she says. Fat Amy's character is so over the top, yet she's completely serious throughout the movie and I can't imagine any other actress portraying the role as well as Wilson does. It's been reported that much of Wilson's role is improvised and that she'd occasionally go on tangents that would reduce the cast and crew to stitches. To me, roles that are mostly improvised, but are still relevant and memorable are some of the most impressive roles, just look at Bill Murray! Finally, all of the characters have great voices, and hearing a cappella renditions of various pop songs is certainly a blast. If you have apprehensions about the music in the movie, it would be best to just get rid of those.

http://www.pitchperfectmovie.com/

Original? No. Experimental? No. Fun? Extremely. Pitch Perfect is a movie that doesn't break any new ground, but it treads familiar ground in what is certainly an exciting and enjoyable manner. I would recommend this movie to anybody who is looking to just kick off their shoes and relax for an evening, you won't regret it.

Comment Civility

Hey gang!

Unfortunately this post is not a review (though I will have a Pitch Perfect review up tonight and hopefully an A Talking Cat?!? review up shortly thereafter), but rather a post about how people should behave online. There is someone (Rustled Gizzard) who seems to feel the need to to bring their personal vendetta they apparently have against me onto this blog. They also feel the need to attack my girlfriend, and it seems pretty obvious that this person is a coward. They have created an anonymous account specifically to spew nonsensical hate. That being said, I will delete any comment of theirs. HOWEVER, if someone happens to see a hateful comment from anyone before I have the chance to delete it, feel free to respond. If you want to be sarcastic, it's totally fine (I don't think they'll understand) and if you want to jest a little, that's also acceptable. Just please be polite and use logical arguments when doing so (if any of you happen to read their comments it's pretty obvious logic and intelligence is lacking). Just know that when I go through a round of deletes, yours will be deleted too. If you have a productive/positive comment to share, please do! It's always appreciated.

Gizzard, if you're reading this (you probably are), don't you DARE attack my girlfriend. It's obvious to everyone that you're a complete coward and you look rather silly to anybody with either manners, or intelligence. If you have a problem with me, just email me, but there is no reason to bring it to my blog or bring other people into it. Remember, nobody is forcing you to read this blog, so you really have no reason to keep it up. Additionally, if you think I'm disgusting (as you insinuated in your first comment) I would recommend just not reading.

Anyway, sorry about this, as soon as I get packed, get my HUM read and my CALC finished, I'll get a Pitch Perfect review up for you guys!

Wes

Relevance

Hey everyone!

First of all, thanks to all of you reading this, it's a wonderful surprise how many of you there actually are!

Secondly, I would like to try to keep this blog relatively relevant to modern cinema. SO, I'm going to try to, for a while at least, do a second look review for movies that are currently being released on DVD. That way, if you're wondering whether or not you should rent that movie you couldn't see/afford in the cinema, you can have my take on it first! I won't be able to start with this for another couple of weeks, however. I'm going to be using a Netflix trial period to get the DVD's to get started, and since I'm pretty busy over the next few weeks, and I'd like to maximize the reviews I can do while still on the trial, I'll start once my schedule clears up a little.

Thirdly, the majority of my other reviews might be of older/lesser known movies in an attempt to spread the word or revitalize interest.

Finally, if any of you would like me to do a review of something specific, just let me know! If I can get ahold of the film/TV show I'll gladly do a review for you!

As always, thank you for reading, and if you enjoyed, please pass it along!

Wes

House of Cards

The newest spin of political drama has manifested itself as House of Cards, a Netflix original series. Some people may have their doubts about the quality of a show produced by Netflix, as it is rather new to the production scene. Cast those doubts aside. House of Cards was wonderfully well done and visualized and I would recommend it to anybody who has a Netflix subscription and any interest in political sabotage.

House of Cards follows the story of the House Majority Whip, Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey), as he plots revenge on the president for casting him aside as the Secretary of State. Undoubtedly you now realize that this story is not one comprised of pleasantries, but rather of the seedy underbelly of politics. While the story has no feel good aspect to it, you can't help but be drawn in by the complexities of the plot, wondering how everything ties together, and once you know how, wondering how Francis could have made it all happen so well, or how he had the stomach to do so for that matter. Unfortunately, the season finale lacked the sense of urgency required for a truly gut-wrenching cliffhanger, but rather felt more like the end of any of the episodes found mid-season. If this is the price we pay for getting the entire season at once though, it can be forgiven.

The nature of the show requires that the acting is all rather serious, and the actors and actresses don't often outwardly behave anything other than serious. Fortunately, when they do have the opportunity to express something more than their somber attitudes, the impact is all the greater because we haven't seen these emotions very often. It has to be said that the impact of the show would not be the same if it was less serious, and the actors do an excellent job portraying the gravity of the scenarios they flesh out. It's also very pleasing to hear Kevin Spacey's Carolinan drawl and when it is punctuated by occasional bursts of rage it can be felt from the viewer's side of the screen. All in all, I was very invested in the characters these actors visualized, and often found myself muttering advice to them in anger or despair.

Occasionally, Underwood breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the audience. While this is at times useful to convey what exactly Underwood is feeling and expecting of the other characters, or to provide background information or clarification of the discussions being had, there are some times when it breaks the mood of the scene. I began to feel myself anticipating the times he would start addressing us, and every time I did that I became detached from the narrative, and couldn't fully reconnect and immerse myself in the show for several minutes. This is only a minor complaint, however, as the story, acting, and cinematography as a whole do an excellent job reeling you in and keeping you engrossed in the story this show has to tell.

For someone who is looking for a darker, more mature political drama, House of Cards will fit your bill perfectly. Be prepared for language and several sexually driven scenes throughout (but what would politics be without swearing and sleeping around?), but also be prepared for an engaging drama that will suck you into its world whether you like it or not. The entirety of the first season is available to watch instantly on Netflix.

A Note on the Format

Hey everyone, I'm in the process of writing a review right now, but I thought I should address the issue of formatting before I actually release the review. This being a pretty casual blog, the reviews will also be rather casual. That being said, I'm still not sure how I'm going to begin them, so please bear with me as I figure out the best way to do so. In all likelihood the first few reviews will be rather awkward and varied until I find a style that works well for what I have in mind. Thanks for being patient!

Wes

Introduction

Hello. This is my first post on this blog, so right now I'm writing to no one, but hopefully that will change. I'm currently a first-year at the University of Chicago, but I hail from Belgrade, Montana. The change of scenery was rather drastic to say the least. I have no idea what I want to do for a career just yet, though I like the idea of being a criminal defense attorney, we'll see how that goes! I do have a fascination with film though, and several friends have told me that I should look into a career as a critic. Well, these being the times that they are, everyone and their mom can and are putting their opinions of everything up on the internet, so I doubt that this will make any sort of splash initially. However, I have wanted to start writing for a while now, so I'll just start, what's the worst that could happen? Being the student that I am, the reviews will probably be slow to come at first as I'm a full time student and active in various clubs and organizations on campus. Additionally, I can't really afford to go see all the new movies that come out, so I'll probably just revisit classic ones or provide a second look at newer ones as they come out on DVD. Anyway, I think I've rambled on long enough for this first post, and I'll have a review up as soon as I can. If you like them please share!

Wes