Pitch Perfect 2

I guess this is what it would be like in a conquered world under a dictatorship of Pentatonix. No, that would not be as good as you may think. So too with this movie. Again, as in the first installment, the story is little more than a skeleton of a plot upon which a series of musical set pieces are hung. That would be fairly entertaining in and of itself, if all the songs were great tunes, but many of these are not. At least the vocal work is still very high quality. And many of the principal actresses are real charmers, which helps lift the appeal, while Rebel Wilson gets in a slew of genuinely funny lines. All in all, this record may be a bit warped, but it still delivers enough good sounds to make putting it on the turntable a decent thing now and then. 

Noelle

This movie contains a ton of product placements. Its script is not nearly as clever as it could or should have been, leaving plenty of obvious opportunities for amusement just hanging there. Being postmodern Disney, it genuflects at the altar of identitarianism to an irksome extent. And in certain places, it's just downright dumb. So why did I enjoy it so much? Because it has Anna Kendrick in nearly every frame. Duh. Anna, one of your correspondent's personal favorites, really shines here, bringing plenty of sincerity to a silly role as Santa daughter (and would-be replacement), not to mention that she looks surprisingly hot throughout, despite--or maybe even because?--she's decked out in winterish costumes all the way. However it plays, it plays; Kendrick works her usual magic and provides plenty of individual delight. Meanwhile, there's just enough good humor from the rest of the tableau to counteract the film's worst indulgences. (Also, it's great to see Julie Hagerty in a movie again.) A great Christmas movie? Hardly. But if you like a certain girl...required viewing, I guess it all depends upon which way your North Pole points.

Pitch Perfect

It is nigh on impossible to watch this movie without wearing a smile, or at least a bemused grin, on your face. The musical numbers are wildly entertaining...which is good, because really, that's about all there is to this flick. The storyline, such as it is, is only the most skeletal framework upon which to hang this series of singing set pieces, all of which feature impressive talent on the part of at least some of the cast members. Even where anyone might be lip-syncing, the dubbing is done so well that most viewers won't be able tell. What's interesting to note is that many of the musical selections date back to a time when most of the putative college students here, in a movie released in 2012, would not have been born yet. More evidence that kids of the '80s are dominating movie-making these days. So if you're of a certain age--I am--then this flick should have some appeal even if it's not entirely your thing. And, if all else fails, you get to spend two hours hanging around with Anna Kendrick--hardly difficult duty. PURRing isn't singing, but this film works well enough to make even the Bad Cat make a joyful noise.

A Simple Favor

Your mother was right: naughty people are naughty, and you shouldn't play with them. Though it can be fun to watch others play with those proverbial matches. Despite the ethereal presence of Blake Lively here, Anna Kendrick is the shining star--and not just because I've crushed on her since forever. Her slightly-goofy, next-door-girl appeal provides interesting and entertaining relief against this story's noirish aspects and lifts the proceedings into rarer air than this flick would probably otherwise attain. A couple of demerits must be noted due to the use of one particular old cliched trope, plus some mild predictability in the climax, but those are quibbles. All in all, this flick is a fun watch.

Table 19

Lots of fun moments here. Which is not to call this one great; there's good stuff, but also a lot of uneven work. Sometimes it's a little too serious, sometimes the comedy isn't quite comedic enough, and there's at least two too many storylines shoehorned in there. On the major plus side, you get Anna Kendrick doing her thing, which is a good thing as usual. You also get more evidence that movie-making these days is now firmly in the hands of children of the '80s; the soundtrack shrieks "grew up in the Reagan years" for the writers. That's either a good or bad thing, depending upon your point of view. Overall, I'd say there's just enough good stuff in this flick to make it worth your time--especially considering it clocks in at a mere 90 minutes running-time. So there's very little to lose, some chuckles to gain, and, again, Anna Kendrick. Worth it to me.

Happy Christmas

The cat purrs, but ... it's close. This movie is entertaining, it's engaging, it holds the interest--but then again, it's also kind of fuzzy, somewhat lightweight, and seemingly inconsequential. A lot of this flick seems improvised, which makes judging the performances difficult. The strong suits are the female leads, Melanie Lynskey and Anna Kendrick, who make their impact largely via their personal charm. (Especially in the New Zealander Lynskey's case, as much because she uses her natural, Kiwi-inflected voice--which is gorgeous--as for her acting.) But individual charm from a film's actors can be a thin gruel to feed upon. The viewer is ultimately left to wonder, do the problems of these three little people amount to more than a hill of indie movie beans? I'm not sure about that. I guess it boils down to how much you like your movies personal vs. something a little more universal. Your mileage may vary.

Mike And Dave Need Wedding Dates

I avoided this movie at first because I loathe Adam DeVine. I ultimately broke down and watched it because I love Anna Kendrick. I figured the one would cancel out the other--and for long portions of this movie, it works out that way. The revelations here are Aubrey Plaza and Zac Efron. The latter is charming and an oddly effortless fit for such ridiculous humor; and if I'd known how funny and cute Plaza could be, I might have checked in on this one much sooner. As for the movie as a whole, it works, up to a point. For a long stretch of its relatively short running time, the film is fearlessly funny, making plenty of comedic hay with healthy doses of crude but not gross humor. Unfortunately, it pulls its punches towards the end, going for the sap instead of sticking to its guns. Plus DeVine eventually goes over the top and makes an ass out of himself instead of letting the comedy do the work for him. Not even the delightful Ms. Kendrick can redeem that act. There are certainly enough laughs to make this one worth a look, if you've got spare time to kill; but it could have been a lot better, with either more or less restraint (depending), and perhaps slightly better casting.

Into The Woods

My hearing must be going. Once again I've watched a movie where I couldn't hear a lot of the dialogue--in this case, in musical form--over all the background noise and orchestration. Alas, the burden of getting old. The fact that that is my concern when thinking about this film is a warning sign; it's a movie that promises much but delivers not nearly enough. I'm not sure the "wisdom" of the fairy tale rewrites is all that wise; folk wisdom gets to be folk wisdom for a reason, and you coming along with your jaded worldview does not necessarily change everything. Oh well; at least you get to spend a chunk of a couple of hours with the awesomeness that is Anna Kendrick, so that's something.

50/50

You expect a story about a young guy dealing with cancer to give you schmaltz, and there's a dose of that here. But there's also a lot of sharp humor, believable characters--including great interplay between Seth Rogen and the ubiquitous Joseph Gordon-Levitt--and truth in storytelling, all of which come together to form a deeply satisfying viewing experience

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

After five minutes, I really wanted to hate this movie. It seemed determined to prove that video games really do make you stupid. Plus it seems to declare, in giant flaming letters, the end of the "Michael Cera era"--you get the worn out feeling of watching the same guy playing the same character in the same kind of movie...And yet, somehow, the movie finds away, through all of its visual hokum, its all-too-clever hipster/millenial street cred, and all of the reworked Matrix and Kill Bill moves, to rise above and deliver enough wit, good cheer and fun times to make for a movie that's impossible not to enjoy. A neat trick, and worthy of our appreciation.