Testament of Youth Review

August 4, 2015 | Rachel's Reviews

On Monday nights I try to go to a movie and see something inspirational or family friendly because Monday nights are family night in my church. So tonight I looked and saw Testament of Youth was playing. It sounded inspirational and had good reviews so I figured ‘why not?’ and I went and saw it. I’m so glad I did! This is a terrific movie. One of the best of the year so far.

Testament of Youth tells the story of Vera Brittain based off of her memoir. It begins in 1914 and the start reminded me of Jane Campions wonderful movie Bright Star. It is full of light and hope surrounding Vera, her brother Edward and 2 friends Roland and Victor.

All the acting is excellent in the movie led by Alicia Vikander from Ex-Machina who reminded me of Natalie Portman. I think she is going to be a huge star. Kit Harrington plays Roland and the two bond over a shared love of writing, poetry in particular (another thing in common with Bright Star).

Vera wants nothing more at the outset to go to Oxford and gain an education. Her father is against it but eventually relents. He could have been such a one note character but he is actually right about a lot in the movie and Dominic West is so good in every scene he is in.

Eventually all of their worlds are interrupted when World War 1 begins and the boys naively fight to enter the war and even be put in combat.

However, we don’t get much of the actual battles. Most of the time is spent with Vera as she works as a nurse first in England and then in the front lines in France. These scenes are tough to take at times and it is amazing it got a PG-13 rating with all the blood we see (stupid MPAA).

There is a leisurely pace to the film but I was really engaged by Vikander’s performance and her life story. It’s not a movie with a strong plot or giant climax. It has 3 climaxes kind of. It’s just Vera’s life story and I was very moved by it.

I couldn’t help but think about World War 1 while watching it. There’s a scene that seemed out of Gone with the Wind where they are surrounded by body after body trying to administer relief. What was all this suffering for? In World War 2 we all know there was true evil that was trying to conquer the world. World War 1 was a diplomatic dispute that led to the assassination of an Archduke. Was that worth all the suffering?

The reason why I think we should have more movies about World War 1 is because most conflicts are muddled in their purpose like it. Very rarely do we have a Hitler to defeat and so Testament of Youth is a valuable film both for the history lesson but also how we repeat it again and again.

I’m sure some people will read this review and think ‘that sounds sad. I don’t like sad movies’ but if you do I think you are really missing out. You could actually learn something and want to make a difference? Heaven forbid movies actually make us feel something more than a good time.

Here is the trailer:

I loved Testament of Youth. It’s beautifully shot, well acted, moving and important film about a time in world history most of us don’t know near enough about. I encourage all of you to hunt it out and see it. I’m sure glad I did. One of best of the year so far for sure.

Here’s my review on the youtube channel. I was trying out a new lens so it is a little fuzzy but I did my best.

Terminator Genisys Review

July 4, 2015July 5, 2015 | Rachel's Reviews

SPOILER ALERT!!!

I debated about posting a review of Terminator Genisys because it is going to be tough to review without some spoilers, so I will just say at the beginning- spoiler alert. I will do my best but you’ve been warned.

Terminator Genisys is our 5th entry in the Terminator franchise and while I wasn’t miserable watching, it is not a good movie. In fact, it is only better than 4 because it is muddled rather than boring.

The story is so silly. I was joking on twitter it should be called Terminator: Plothole City…There is so much in this movie that makes no sense. Some of the big reveals and the actions of characters come out of nowhere and especially when you consider the first movie which it plays into a lot it makes even less sense. Even down to the last line of the movie I was scratching my head wondering what the heck the director Alan Taylor was thinking?

Pretty much it has John Connor in 2029 trying to defeat Skynet after the Judgement Day and War of Machines. As part of the initiative he sends Kyle Reese back to 1984 to try and protect Sarah Connor from the T-800 of the original Terminator movie.

We actually see a very convincing CG version of 1984 Arnold but he is done away with very quickly. That is a problem this movie has in droves. It will introduce an interesting concept and then do away with it or forget about it for long stretches. There is also old Arnold who has raised Sarah and is her protector.

At the beginning we also get a T-1000 who is a pretty cool but a copy of what we had in Terminator 2 with the metal melting and all the same special effects.

But he is also done away with fairly quickly. Then we get moved up 2017 because an app is going to be launched and they need to stop it or Skynet will have control over everyone’s devices. Now if you knew that this was going to happen why wouldn’t you give yourself a year, a couple of months, something with a little bit of time? They have to take down Skynet for goodness sakes and turn off an app that has 1 billion downloads preordered and they give themselves a week I think?.

Kyle Rees is played by Jai Courtney and he is so bad. My theater was laughing at how he delivers the terrible dialogue. The man should not be in movies. Stop it Hollywood! He and Sarah Conner played by Emilia Clarke are supposed to have chemistry but they don’t. It is treated like a given they are going to get together and so there is no tension or witty banter or anything to enjoy.

The characters are all pretty stupid. They know the T-1000 and other Terminators can’t be stopped by bullets and yet what do they grab? More bullets and guns!. I kept thinking ‘try something else!’ In an underground lair there is acid in 1984 that will kill the terminators (I guess put there by Sarah) but why not take them immediately in that room and have a room like that built in your underground spot in 2017? Why bother with the guns and stacks of ammunition? Why not spend your time creating acid guns that will spray at the terminators?

Plus they have a terminator with them. Why not use the one you have to convince other people to support them? They are continually chased by police officers and other humans when they could have had tons of support. They could have had the US government get tons of acid or magnets and destroy Skynet or something that was slightly smart!

Magnets also destroy the Terminators. Never did I think an MRI would be a weapon in a movie! Go figure. Surely they could have come up with something powerful they could carry with magnets with all this time? Arnold says he was even working in Skynet when it was being constructed. You think he could have come up with something more helpful than crashing through walls and destroying security rooms?

Skynet is also so poorly designed. It looked like the smoke and catwalk factories we’ve seen since the 80s. I don’t know if they were trying to go retro but it did not look like 2017 in any way. And wouldn’t Genesis be developed in China in 2017? Would everything all be in one compound? The execs manufacturing and labs all there together? Plus wouldn’t they have the Genesys upload in some kind of server off-site if it was going to uploaded to a billion devices in one instant? That’s one heck of a compound! It doesn’t make any sense.

John Connor is played by Jason Clarke from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and he is so bland. He is supposed to be dealing with his parents and yet none of them show any emotion or conflict. It is all shooting and explosions and a pretty cool bus crash. Furious 7 (also with a bus crash teetering on the edge of a precipice…) had way more heart than this film and this deals with the end of the world! It’s not really his fault though because he has very little dialogue and most of the time is shooting at our heroes and getting beat down by an MRI.

JK Simmons is also completely wasted as a cop who meets the trio in 1984 and spends 30 years trying to convince everyone alien robots do exist. He is the equivalent of the damsel in distress in a Superman movie. Someone that exists to be rescued and to cry out ‘No way! You’re real!”.

The redeeming factor in Terminator Genisys is Arnold Schwarzenegger who has a lot of fun with the part and I enjoyed. He does a few call backs to the original movies but most of it is him behaving in a way consistent with a father figure robot for Sarah Connor. His personality actually makes sense- something I can’t say for the rest of the characters.

There were so many missed opportunities in Terminator Genisys. They could have done really cool things with the time travel in both 1984 and 2017 but it is all so dopey. And like I said a lot of the times I felt like sections had been left out and I was thinking ‘what?’

The acting is terrible. The special effects are lame (with a few exceptions). Part of it felt like they were trying to look like Edge of Tomorrow- a movie that is actually smart and kind of involves time travel. Jai Courtney is no Tom Cruise. I can tell you that much.

Emilia Clarke is not nearly tough enough to be Sarah Connor and they do not tackle a single element of time travel messing things up. Like they meet the young Kyle Reese so wouldn’t Kyle recognize Sarah Connor when he see’s her and wouldn’t he know Arnold isn’t a bad guy because he saw both as a kid? He has a picture of her but only because of what John told him about Sarah. Well and if Kyle Reese is a kid in 2017 and his kid John Connor is an adult in 2029? Even if Kyle is a very young Dad that doesn’t work? And if it is an alternative time dimension having 2 Kyles and Johns should cause some kind of space-time continuum problem?

Anyway, like I said it doesn’t make any sense. It’s really stupid movie.

That said, you won’t be bored. Arnold is kind of charming. I’ve seen worse movies but especially when you’ve got such great movies in Terminator 1 and 2 it is very disappointing. Just stay home and watch those (or give Edge of Tomorrow a shot).

It’s also clearly trying to do what X-men Days of Future Past did but that had amazing fight scenes, great acting, cool special effects and focused on getting one character Mystique to make one different choice. Not destroying a billion app downloads and all of Skynet and having 2 characters fall in love and ‘mate’ etc.

But then again, I wasn’t miserable while watching it. I can see why you might have fun with it but I was frustrated by it. Arnold is a lot of fun so that’s always good…

Overall Grade- D+

Love and Mercy Review

June 6, 2015June 7, 2015 | Rachel's Reviews

Sometimes I see a movie that leaves me completely at a loss. I walk away not knowing if I like it or not. Love and Mercy was that kind of film. On one hand it is brilliant but on the other it is muddled and confused and a little frustrating. At the very least they could have done a classic bland biopic and tried to do something different. I respect that.

Love and Mercy is the story of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. What makes it unique is it flips between two versions of Brian- Paul Dano is a young version and John Cusack is an older 80s version.

The scenes with Dano battling voices in his head to make an unconventional sound are brilliant. I love the Beach Boys and their greatest hits album is one of the first I remember listening too. My Dad had a tape and we danced to all the songs. The entire creation of Pet Sounds is in the movie and it is amazing to see them bring in animals and strange instruments and build layers of sound. It felt like it might be close to the way it actually happened.

A side of me wishes we could have stayed with young Wilson but then it would have been more of a standard biopic, so I’m torn. But we do miss a big gap of Wilson’s life. We hear that he stayed in bed for 3 years after a breakdown but we don’t see the actual complete meltdown. This left some to the imagination but I could have seen more.

Meanwhile in the 80’s John Cusack is dating Elizabeth Banks who works at a car dealership. All the while he is closely monitored by his “doctor” played very creepily by Paul Giamatti.

I didn’t think Banks and Cusack had great chemistry but the tension between Giamatti and Banks builds in a believable way. It feels like such a different movie than the music part with Dano. One is like a standard biopic of troubled musician and the other is a creepy thriller. It’s a very weird combination. There are moments when you believe Dano and Cusack are playing the same person and you do get hints of both lives in each other’s performances (they never met in shooting which is kind of amazing) but there are other times when it feels like such different movies it doesn’t really gel.

But there are scenes that work so well in both stories. Like when Dano’s Wilson puts the pieces together for Good Vibrations. It is so exciting to see and hear all the parts of the song build to this great track we all know and love. It made you want to cheer to see such a troubled person make something so great. We also don’t get the expected drug montages like in a standard biopic. Dano’s Wilson definitely is an addict but he does it in unusually staged shots, a lot involving water that reminded me a bit of The Graduate.

Another great scene is when Giamatti flips out at Banks at her car dealership. I was scared for her. It is incredibly convincing. Like I said the two of them are very good together.

There were a lot of moments in Love and Mercy that worked and it did surprise me. It is strange and different and not something you can put your finger on after one watch and there’s something to be said for that.

One thing I hate is we got those annoying paragraphs at the end of the movie. To me that is the directors way of telling us he couldn’t finish the story. It’s a movie cop out and especially in this case because there is a lot of story of both plots we missed out on. For instance, we don’t get to see the downfall of Dano or the revenge of Cusack. Reading about it is so lame!! I’d rather have it just be left to wonder what happened than get the paragraphs.

But it’s at least an ambitious movie. It could have played it safe but it tries things and when it works I loved it. When it doesn’t I was still intrigued. I think it may take seeing it a few times for me to come up with a solid conclusion on my thoughts. I guess that says something pretty good about the movie!

Any of you see it? What did you think? A side of me just wishes it was 2 movies instead of 2 in 1. It kind of reminds me of that Bob Dylan movie I’m Not There with all the different actors playing him.

I really don’t know what grade to give it but I will go with a B-

As far as content there is some language, sexuality mostly off screen, some drug abuse sequences and one very creepy dude. Mental illness is dealt with but in an interesting visceral way that shouldn’t offend anyone. Content Grade- B

Tomorrowland Review

May 27, 2015May 27, 2015 | Rachel's Reviews

It’s very interesting that I would post about boring movies just last weekend and today I would see a movie that belonged on that list. I’m sorry friends I keep it real but I fell asleep for about a minute in Tomorrowland. As a movie on my ‘So excited!!!- I’m on board and anxiously awaiting these films’ list for 2015 it was a big disappointment. Before I vent a little of my problems with the movie I’ll say a few positives. The world building is beautiful and I admire Brad Bird in trying to tell an original story. I also liked the little winks at the Disney park and original attractions like the Carousel of Progress song. Raffedy Cassidy is very good as an AI recruiter of geniuses for Tomorrowland named Athena. She is the only complex character in the movie. (My mind started to wander and I wondered if she is the child version of Ava in Ex-Machina 😉 ) That said- there are a lot of problems. First it starts out too episodic, like an episode of a TV show and not a movie. We get a long segment with George Clooney as a kid and his introduction into Tomorrowland. We get all the awe and wonder of the land and learn it is a place for the brightest. The problem is when we get introduced to Casey played by Brit Robertson she goes through the same introductions which makes it again feel episodic and slow. Plus, with Clooney’s child character we see his invention. It’s clear he is smart. With Casey we see her tell her father where to put an electrical wire and she can run a helicopter from her phone. That’s about it. People keep saying she’s a unique genius but I never saw it. The whole Savior trope is twaddled out and I had no idea why. Why was she so special? Most of the time she was either asking questions (seriously you’d think a genius could figure out a few things on her own) or shrieking at some shock. I normally don’t use gifs but this one was so perfect. She’s like this the entire movie. With a movie like this you have to feel emotionally connected to the characters and I didn’t. Clooney is miscast as a reclusive genius trying to keep tabs on the world after being exiled from Tomorrowland. He’s just not nerdy enough. He’s also missing for long chunks of the movie so we can’t feel that attached to him. Kathryn Hahn and Keegan-Michael Key are fun as novelty store owners but they are in the film far too briefly. There are two long battle sequences I guess you’d call them with Casey and Frank dodging the robots and both are boring. Even a long scene at the Eiffel Tower with a rocket which is supposed to be exciting was so repetitive of other scenes that it is where I fell asleep. And then the ending is extremely trite and corny. It just doesn’t work. Hugh Laurie is okay as the bad guy but we don’t get to know him well and isn’t given much to do. That might sound like a spoiler but it is so obvious he is the bad guy. I am probably one of the few people who will give Tomorrowland a lower score than Jupiter Ascending. Cry foul all you want but I was more entertained by JA. It made me laugh. It’s in on the joke. It’s campy and ridiculous. This is just blah. JA even has stronger world building than this. I was really let down by Tomorrowland.

This is going to sound like a nitpick but another thing that bothered me is the sound mixing is very badly done. Whenever there is a fight the sounds of a punch or kick was way too loud which had a jarring effect. All the sound effects were too loud. There is a segment that kids will like with the young Clooney but the blaring action will be too much for small children and older kids I think will be bored. Sad day. Very disappointed in Tomorrowland. 🙁 Overall Grade- C- Content Grade- B+

Mad Max Fury Road Review

May 19, 2015May 19, 2015 | Rachel's Reviews

When I saw the trailer for Mad Max Fury Road I was positive it would be one I couldn’t see. I don’t like violent films and it looked like a gory, violent mess. However, I always go through my process I describe for evaluating movie content in How to Be Mormon and Like Movies. I look at reviews, the detailed content summaries on screenit.com and I ask friends who have seen the movie. To my surprise I found it to have virtually no profanity and to not be as violent as I anticipated. It is an R but most of that is more battle like violence, some nudity and vehicular battles. Convinced it was within my comfort level I decided to go check it out .

It’s a very tricky movie to review because it does what it is trying to do masterfully well. I don’t know how that can be debated. Whether such a master work is your cup of tea is another question. It’s certainly not a movie I will be frequently rewatching but I did think it was good and engaged me more than I would have guessed. All in all it is a success and I can see why many people love it.

I have not seen the original Mad Max movies because I always figured they were too violent so perhaps I will give them a watch. This Mad Max doesn’t have much of plot. It’s one action sequence after another. It does not try to have symbolism or a puzzle like a Nolan film might have. It doesn’t have a strong lead character like a Bond film. The title is perhaps a misnomer because Mad Max has only a few lines of dialogue and is an ensemble player with Charlize Theron and others.

Basically the plot that does exist starts out with setting. It is a desert post-apocalyptic world that is ruled by a man named the Immortan Joe. Max has been arrested and is forced to be a blood bag for a War Boy played by Nicholas Hoult. Charlize Theron is Furiosa who abducts 5 of Joe’s wives called the breeders.

The rest of the movie is Max, Furiosa and crew getting chased by Joe and having intense battles with each other. Each of the cars is so imaginative with one even being a giant speaker system with a guy playing an electric guitar. There are cars that have long poles for people to swing onto other cars. There are rigs with gasoline and others covered in spikes. It keeps the action exciting because you don’t know how the cars work and how the fight will play out.

For not speaking much Tom Hardy is good as Mad Max. But the movie doesn’t give you a lot of time to contemplate his character. I can’t even imagine how awful it must be to shoot a movie like this with all the dust and dirt but he is convincing as the stoic anti-hero.

The CG is kept to a minimum and it at least appears to have a lot of practical effects. The stunt work is flawless. I wonder how much Hardy and others did of their own stunts? Whatever the percentage is by professionals you definitely can’t tell. It feels earthy and real which we haven’t seen in an action film in a long time.

I loved how Mad Max handled its female characters. It reminds me a little bit of Emily Blunt in Edge of Tomorrow. These are not cliched warrior women or damsels in distress. Even the breeder women are relatively complex especially for this kind of movie. Charlize Theron is amazing! She is tough but has heart and there is a moment that is completely devastating for her and she sells it.

There are different kind of women- old women, young women, pregnant women and they all defy female tropes. The last thing I expected in a movie like this is an awesome group of women and it definitely helped sell me on the film.
Hugh Keays-Byrne is good as the villain Immortan Joe but most of that credit has to go to his costume and mask.

There is such attention to detail. The amount of time that must have been spent to get teeth right, skin layered and dry, lips cracked, everything covered in dust is mind blowing. The makeup on the war boys including Nicholas Hoult is very convincing. They are brainwashed to believe if they are obedient servants to Joe they will achieve immortality at the gates of heaven.

Mad Max Fury Road is not a movie that gives the audience much time to breathe. There is very little dialogue and I did feel kind of exhausted by the end of it. But then again I feel like it was trying to do something completely different and new and from a comic book guy like George Miller it makes sense it is primarily a visual spectacle. Still, it pushed me to my limit of apocalyptic car battle sequences (who knew I had such a limit? 😉 ). I’m a little surprised it is so universally loved because I would think a few people might be bothered by the thin plot and lack of character development?

I guess they just accept it for what it is- a new dazzling creative vision of what a war movie looks like. After all do we complain that the villains in a WW2 movie aren’t fleshed out enough? Do we want more dialogue in our John Wayne war movie? No. Same with this. It is visually incredible and the action is immersive enough to carry the day.

Like I said, the women put it over the hump for me to a strong recommendation. It was such a pleasant surprise and I bet you could see the movie and not even notice most of the women. They are just characters in the movie like anybody else. It looks gorgeous. The action sequences are stunning and I was entertained.

As far as content it has some nudity from a distance and women are milked like cows in one brief shot. Characters are stabbed, impaled, tortured and shot in the battle scenes. Another you see briefly has his face ripped off from a mask. A lot of crashes, explosions and sand storms that are intense. A woman has a c-section mostly off screen and an IV is seen being inserted. I know it sounds crazy but its actually more tame than you might think. No language. Mostly it is a lot of cars and broad fighting like a battle than one on one violence like you might get in a horror movie.

A grade is tough because I did feel a little bit weary by the end but it looks so great, the action is so well done and I loved the female characters so I grade it an…

Overall Grade- A- Content Grade- C

Also the music by a guy named Junkie XL was outstanding with a great combination of electric guitar, medal sounds and a traditional sweeping score.

Far From the Madding Crowd Review

May 18, 2015August 19, 2015 | Rachel's Reviews

It feels like a long time since a real period piece came out. I guess you could count 12 Years a Slave but I have to go back to 2011’s Jane Eyre to find a literary classic period piece. This month we get Far From the Madding Crowd based on the Thomas Hardy novel.

I must own I have not read the novel but I have it on my audible list and am going to listen to it right away! That says something for the movie that it made me want to read the book, flaws and all.

The story of Far from the Madding Crowd is about a woman named Bathsheba Everdene that I’m guessing was 1830ish (not sure on exact time frame). She is an independent spirit and I can see why Suzanne Collins picked Everdene for Katniss’ last name.

She inherits a farm from her uncle and faces the challenges of running the farm in an era where women didn’t do that kind of thing. The movie does a great job getting the dirty, lived in feel that you don’t always see in the period pieces.

She then has three different suitors. The first is Gabriel played by Matthias Schoenaerts who I loved and thought he and Carey Mulligan who played Bathsheba had great chemistry. They were both such good people and you wanted them to be happy which is absolutely key in a romance.

The second suitor is named Sergeant Troy and I’m sorry but I thought Tom Sturridge was terrible in the part. It was too campy, too gaudy, didn’t fit the style of the movie and it just felt like a bad performance. There is no chemistry between him and Mulligan and I couldn’t wait for him to get off screen. It was extremely predictable because he was such a one note character.

The final suitor is Mr Boldwood played by Michael Sheen. He is good but I felt like his scenes were cut because his character growth felt choppy and disjointed. We never got any idea of his real motivation or why he liked Bethsheba. He ended up kind of being a blank face and especially with his ending it didn’t quite make sense he would behave that way. Just not a passionate enough character.

I think the story would have worked better as a miniseries instead of a movie. There were a lot of characters I wanted to get to know better and storylines I wanted fleshed out. It could have been 2.5 hours instead of just 2 and I wouldn’t have complained.

But the movie looks gorgeous! The cinematography from Charlotte Bruus Christensen is earthy and beautiful. The costumes are perfect and all the sets are lovely. It is an easy movie to watch although a scene with sheep is very sad.

I am sure some people will hate the melodrama of all the men in love with Bethesheba but I didn’t mind it. A lot of that probably goes back to Mulligan who is warm and relatable. She feels like a person who could actually exist and like I said we want to see her happy.

I also liked that none of the men are all bad. Even Troy has his moments of humanity which makes them interesting; although, I could have had them all fleshed out more. It’s a shame Hardy never wrote a sequel because I would be curious to see what happens next.

There is one kissing scene where the director decides to zoom up so close it was very strange. It was a very badly filmed kissing scene and I’m not sure what the director was trying to get with that. It certainly wasn’t romantic.

In the end I was entertained by Far From the Madding Crowd. It looks great. All the production values are top rate. I loved Gabriel and Bathsheba’s story and thought the 2 leads were excellent. That’s enough to get a mild recommendation from me.

As far as content there is one brief sex scene after 2 characters are married. You do see a corpse, a man is shot, and a lot of sheep die but that’s about it.

Any of you seen this one or read the book? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Overall Grade- B+ Content Grade- B

Pitch Perfect 2 Review

May 17, 2015May 17, 2015 | Rachel's Reviews

I rank comedies on a very simple scale- did it make me laugh? If it did then it did its job. Pitch Perfect 2 made me laugh. Throw in some good music and you’ve got a fan!

In Utah and particularly my alma mater, BYU, acapella is a huge deal. I went to many competitions to cheer on my favorite groups and we even had a team on the Sing Off a few years ago. Acapella is just part of campus life in my book so the first Pitch Perfect had huge nostalgia points for me.

It also did the rare feet of being funny without being too vulgar. I still will frequently put it on and laugh my head off while listening to great music.

So how does Pitch Perfect 2 measure up to the original? Well, it’s a tough question because they are basically the same movie. They totally do the whole Mighty Ducks 2 thing where you do the exact same plot but you have it be the World Championships instead of the Nationals.

That said, it still made me laugh.

You’ve got all the major players from Pitch Perfect 1 back plus the addition of Hailee Steinfeld as a new legacy freshman to the group.

I love these women!

Anna Kendrick is great even though Hailee Steinfeld is kind of playing her part from the first movie. Rebel Wilson steals the movie once again and made me laugh every time she was on screen. Her confidence as Fat Amy is just so likable, lovely and funny.

I kind of wish they had developed a few of the other Bellas a little more, and they do go back to the same joke a bit too many times. For example, a Guatemalan girl named Flo is repeatedly given the immigrant joke and it was naughty the first time but got a little old after a while.

Elizabeth Banks (who directs) and John Michael Higgins return as the announcers and this time podcasters of the acappella world and they are hilarious. Every time they are on screen it reminds of Fred Willard in Best in Show and cracked me up. I would love to know how much of their dialogue is improved like the Christopher Guest movies which Higgins is often in.

David Cross from Arrested Development appears briefly along with a cameo that has mostly been spoiled but I will let what few of you that haven’t heard of a certain new acapella team be surprised (was so funny!)

Keegan-Michael Key is very funny as Becca’s boss for an internship she gets at a record label. He has this hipster employee that drives him crazy which made me laugh.

The plot is completely stupid. Basically a wardrobe malfunction happens and the Bellas are suspended from national competition. However, they can compete at the World Championships (see totally Mighty Ducks 2). The big competition is a German team called Das Sound Machine.

For the most part they are the cliched German bad guys but they are given some funny interactions with the girls and they are pretty good singers. I liked that it at least seemed like a fair fight.

The boys are mostly relegated to a few scenes which is fine with me. We need more female heavy pictures especially with female directors!

Adam DeVine is probably in it the most of the young men and he is very funny as Rebel Wilson’s love interest. His idea of a romantic meal totally cracked me up.

In the end Pitch Perfect 2 isn’t creative or different but I can’t deny that it made me laugh and I loved the music. If you didn’t like the first one and didn’t find it funny than you won’t like this. It’s as simple as that. I did so I liked this. It isn’t as good because first is always best but still I really enjoyed it.

Humor is completely subjective. What makes one laugh may leave another stone faced and cold but I at least appreciate a comedy that isn’t completely raunchy like we were getting for a while. There is nothing in Pitch Perfect 2 that made me want to cringe like in the Judd Apatow movies.

For some reason a lot of people that read this blog don’t like comedies. I don’t really get that. I like to laugh probably more than I like dramas. I also love musicals. In other words, Pitch Perfect 3- sign me up!

As far as content there is a scene at the beginning where a woman is exposed off camera and it is discussed. There’s talk of making out and sex but it is all pretty tame. That’s about it.

Overall Grade- B-, Content Grade A

Any of you see it? Did you think it was funny too?

Second Best Marigold Hotel Review

March 25, 2015August 13, 2015 | Rachel's Reviews

Lately I’ve been very careful about the 2 movies I’ve seen in the theater to make sure I went at a time when the theater would be nearly empty because of my cough. This was true yesterday as I finally got to see The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. This is of course a sequel to the original Marigold Hotel in 2012 which introduced us to a whole bunch of great British actors who are finding a new lease on life at a hotel designed for seniors in India.

This amazing cast includes Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Ronald Pickup, Dev Patel and more. This sequel adds Richard Gere to the mix and he is one of the most attractive men over 60 I’ve ever seen. We also get a far too brief appearance from the great David Strathairn.

Basically the story is Maggie Smith’s Muriel Donnelly is now working with Dev Patel’s Sonny to run the hotel and they begin in America trying to court investors into financing a second venture. Maggie Smith is so great. Sometimes I wish we could clone her so that she could be in every movie. She turns what could be a very trite character into a real person I felt tied too.

She’s someone who has no children and yet she has found a place and people where she can literally grow old and leave an impact, be remembered. As someone who also has no children and is not married I hope I can be so lucky and find a place like the Marigold Hotel when I get older.

The rest of the movie is fairly simple. Sonny is getting married to the stunning Sunaina played by Tina Desai who is one of the most beautiful actresses I’ve ever seen in a movie. Gorgeous.

He is stressed trying to purchase a new hotel and be prepared for inspectors who Richard Gere is.

We also get a lovely little back and forth romance between Bill Nighy’s Douglas and Judi Dench’s Evelyn. It showed that making commitments to each other is not necessarily easier just because you are older. All the actors elevate the material and make it far more engaging than it has any right to be.

I could have done with a little less of the silly plot device of a hitman mistakenly ordered between Ronald Pickup’s Norman and Diana Hardcastle’s Carol but the way it ended was sweet and lovely.

We also get to see Celia Imrie go between 2 suitors and get to know the chauffeur on the way. And Lillete Dubey is absolutely elegant and perfect as Dev Patel’s mother who has a relationship with Richard Gere (who can blame her).

I could totally see why you could tear this movie apart. Is it predictable? Yes. Is it full of tropes and contrivances? Yes. Is it travel porn and a completely ridiculous notion of India and growing old? I haven’t experienced either but I suspect, Yes.

Was I completely charmed by it? Yes.

Sometimes all a movie needs to do is get the right group of actors together, play characters I like, that I want to see happy and tell me a conventional story. Every last person in this movie I liked, I was rooting for. It’s such a contrast to a movie like The Judge which is equally contrived but full of characters I greatly disliked. Everyone was such a jerk in that movie that I turned it off.

There’s a place for the dark and brooding characters and stories but not in a light fluffy happy movie about people growing old. Not in a family drama like The Judge. Another example would be The Family Stone which gave me one unlikable character after another. It’s Christmas for goodness sakes, give me someone to root for!

So, I could see the Second Best Marigold Hotel not being your cup of tea. But if you like pleasant, breezy stories about good people finding happiness than it may be for you. It’s especially lovely to have a movie with so many older relationships and actors elevating material above the script.

As far as content it is pretty squeaky clean. There are relationships outside of marriage but nothing is really shown but that’s about it on the objectionable content scale.

It’s the kind of movie I will buy on blu-ray and pop in along with the original which I already own on a bad day when I need a pick me up. Nothing wrong with that!

Overall Grade- B Content Grade- A+

5 Favorite Musicals Collab

March 23, 2015 | Rachel's Reviews

I’m very excited to tell you about an exciting collaboration over on my youtube channel. My friend and fellow youtuber LondonCityTVGirl and I have done a collaboration on our five favorite musicals! It was so hard for me to narrow my list down to my top 5 and I don’t know if it really is my top 5 or just 5 that I like. I love her 5 choices also.

My Top 5 Musicals

Simantha’s Top 5 Musicals

If you have an account it would be awesome for you to like both of our videos and subscribe to our channels. You will enjoy both of our content I am sure of that.

What are your favorite musicals? There were so many I could have picked and I honestly debated it for about a month but I am happy with my list. I would love to hear from you. Thanks!